Desert Play Date: 2017 Mandawa Mahindra Great Escape

Off-roading is possibly one of the best grass root level motor sport activities that you can do today in India. Strangely, it is also one of the most technical and can also put the most stress on the car as compared to any other form of motorsport – with the exception of professional rallying maybe. The first thing you are told when you go off road is this – “Slow and steady is key”. But, if you are in the desert, or are driving on sand, the principles of off-roading are the complete opposite. In the sand, you need momentum and when you climb sandy dunes and inclines, the smallest bog down in momentum can be the difference in you conquering an obstacle and getting stuck!

Mahindra Bolero at the 2017 Rajasthan Great Escape

Although we do get to go off-road regularly, driving in the desert is something that is far and few between. And that is what makes the annual invitational Great Escape in Rajasthan an event to look forward too. This time around, the town of Mandawa hosted about 150 people and over 75 cars for what would be a great weekend of off roading in the sand and across the semi arid region that surrounds the town. Incidentally, this is the 137^th Great Escape that Mahindra is organising with the first ever Great Escape held back in 1997.

The 2017 Rajasthan Great Escape

The first cardinal rule of driving in the sand (apart from keeping up the momentum) is lowering air pressure. Ideally, the tyre pressure for an average multi purpose tyre is about 15 PSI. A trick that the locals use to gauge the best tyre pressure is to hit the sidewall of the tyre while deflating it, till you hear a slightly echoing hollow sound. Our vehicle for the event was a Thar (of course) and even though it was shod with street tyres, deflating them always does the trick! In fact, contrary to the grooved off-road tyres that are better in most off-road applications but end up digging into the sand more than needed, a street tyre with a flatter cross section is sometimes better on such surfaces.

Mahindra Thar at 2017 Rajasthan Great Escape

Although most desert off-road expeditions are held on virgin dunes, this time around Mahindra decided to use semi arid dunes which posed as much a challenge as any other as a part of the course. While they started with an easy gradient, the course got progressively more and more difficult with some of the larger SUVs like the Scorpios and Boleros struggling for traction and digging in right before the crest due to their heavier kerb weight and of course, longer wheelbase. The Thar though was as flawless off-road as always. With low-range engaged and using the third or even forth gears, the Thar conquered dune after dune and even making its own paths in some cases when needed.

Dunes at The 2017 Rajasthan Great Escape

Mahindra also had a fair bit of trail driving this time around with sandy narrow trails letting drivers get up to higher speeds than usual and even get in some sideways action. Of course, with uphill climbs, you always get a dollop of downhill driving and a few nearly vertical descents posed quite the challenge to quite a few of the invited guests. The trick here of course is to get the car into first gear and leave the brake and clutch pedal alone and let the car roll down slowly with engine braking steering the car rather than the urge to hit the brakes.

The 2017 Rajasthan Great Escape Dunes

Not only does the desert offer a huge playground to improve your driving skills in, the sheer size and openness of the landscape always offers some great views and the chance to spot some lovely wildlife or beautiful birds. After a day of hot and dusty off roading, the fact that Thar can do all that it did off-road and still transport you back to the hotel in the comfort of an air conditioned cabin is something that all of us deeply appreciate. It might be a brute of a car and have its faults with ergonomics and refinement, but we cant seem to love it any less every drive we get behind the wheel.