NEW DELHI:
A 7-rider squad of TVS Racing is all geared up for Desert Storm 2019, scheduled to take place from 8 th May to 11 th May, 2019 in the dunes of Thar in Rajasthan.
The Team includes Adrien Metge from France, Abdul Wahid Tanveer, R Nataraj, Rajendra RE and Aishwarya Pissay from India in Group A (above 250cc category). In Group B (upto 250 cc category), Imran Pasha and Sachin will battle it out. The ceremonial flag off along with the scrutineering of bikes took place in New Delhi today and the teams are now off to Rajasthan for the start.
Desert Storm, touted to be the longest Cross-Country Rally in India comprises of over 600 km of extremely harsh Special Stages in addition to over 900 km of Transport Stages. The 4 day long Rally will see over 100 teams sweating it out in high temperatures, treacherous dune crossings and fast technical gravel straights which will pose an exciting challenge to the competitors. The first stage covers a total distance of 158 km is starting from tomorrow from Bikaner, Rajasthan.
Commenting on the team, B. Selvaraj, Team Manager, TVS Racing says, “It gives us immense pleasure to be a part of the current edition of the Desert Storm. The Rally is one of the most grueling Rallies that spread over varied terrains in Rajasthan for 4 days. The takeaways from such Rally events are huge as it results in improving the teams’ technical capability and provides inputs for the development of robust motorcycles. We have a strong line-up of racers including the experienced Adrien Metge joining from France who will aim for a strong podium finish.”
French racer Adrien Metge comes on board with vast experience in the international racing circuit and is a veteran in the Dakar Rally with the Sherco TVS Rally Factory Team. Tanveer topped the Enduro class earlier this year in one of the most gruesome International Rallies; Merzouga Rally in Morocco and has four National championships in his name. Nataraj has been an 8-time National Champion and Rajendra RE has 6 National Championships under his belt is participating in this year’s Desert Storm.
Aishwarya Pissay has won six Championships in both off-road and on-road events and is currently leading the World Baja Championship in Women Category post her overwhelming performance in Portugal Baja and Dubai Baja and is also leading the Junior Category in Global Championship Ranking. Imran Pasha had a great run in the Rallies last year by winning the Group B category in India Baja and has three National Champions to his credit.
TVS Racing Team:
Group A (above 250cc category)
1. Adrien Metge
2. Abdul Wahid Tanveer
3. R. Nataraj
4. Rajendra RE
5. Aishwarya Pissay
Group B (upto 250cc category)
1. Imran Pasha
2. Sachin