Putting forward his best foot in a test of skill, endurance and effort, the India Baja 2017 - Dakar Challenge series saw Bangalore rider Abdul Wahid Tanveer of TVS Racing bag the ticket to the highly coveted Dakar Rally 2018. The India Baja Rally 2017 in just its second season has established itself as one of the most prestigious motorsport events in the country and the last weekend certainly did not disappoint. Joaquim Rodrigues of Hero MotoSports won the rally, while Abdul Tanveer finished third on the leaderboard.
Abdul Wahid Tanveer became the third moto contender from India to qualify for Dakar next year that will be held in Peru - Bolivia - Argentina, along with a grand prize of 20,000 Euros. Previously, riders CS Santosh, with three Dakar rallies and Aravind KP, who made his debut this year have represented the Indian contingent in one of the most grueling races in the world.
Joaquim Rodrigues won the rally with a lead of 25 minutes
Abdul Tanveer qualified in spite of being third overall in the Moto category because Rodrigues and Aravind have already competed in the Dakar Rally, which gives them an automatic qualification for the same. In good faith, the Dakar riders gave the opportunity to a new Indian rider.
The India Baja Rally 2017 saw around 70 riders go through some challenging dunes and trails around Jaisalmer, Rajasthan between 7-9th April. The rally was divided into two legs and six stages covering a distance of 430 km with a 200 km liaison. Day 1 saw the riders complete four stages with the remaining stages were completed on Day 2 and were relatively shorter at 286 km with a timed section of 140 km
Joaquim Rodrigues or J-Rod won the rally with a lead of 25 minutes, followed by Aravind KP of TVS Racing. With a gap of 15 minutes, Tanveer finished third. Having already won a host of rallies in India, the terrain was familiar to Tanveer, which helped him bag the third spot. Impressively, this was J-Rod's first ride in India but the Hero rider put up some impressive riding securing Hero's first win ever since the motorsport division was formed last year.
Aravind KP lost time after straying away for 15 minutes on Day 1
TVS' Aravind could not make up for lost time after straying away for 15 minutes on Day 1 and had to settle for second place. Abdul Tanveer, showed a sustained run in both legs, securing his third position in the rally, followed by teammate R Nataraj finishing fourth.
With dreams of making it to Dakar 2018 now closer to reality, this year will be about preparing Abdul Tanveer for one of the most challenging races in the world. Apart from Dakar, the 26-year-old has also been ensured a direct qualification into the Merzouga Rally in Morocco this year.
Results:
1. Joaquim Rodrigues 04:45:22 secs
2. Aravind K.P. 05:10:46 secs
3. Abdul Tanveer 05:25:44 secs
