The terrain tamers

Pune’s enthusiastic

off-roading

community is growing and how
If the recent off-roading competition that was organised in the city is anything to go by, Pune has arrived as a hub for serious

4X4

enthusiasts. The event saw more than 60 off-roaders from cities like Baroda, Nagpur, Mumbai, Goa, Hyderabad, Belgaum and Bengaluru bring down their vehicles to compete at Wagholi. Credit to this, goes to Pune’s growing band of off-roaders, who set out almost every weekend to climb hillocks, wade through water and tame any kind of terrain they can get their vehicles into. Having started as a handful of people around four years ago, the off-roading community in Pune has finally grown significantly enough to not only compete at a national level, but also host enthusiasts from chapters of other cities here.

A technical and expensive sport
But why is it that off-roading appeals only to a few, despite other motorsports finding many takers in the city? “This is a technical sport. It’s not about speed or fun,” says Shirin Shaikh, an IT professional who is among the few ladies who has taken up this sport. It’s about constantly pushing your skill as a driver while navigating terrain that requires a lot of, she explains. “That’s why off-roaders always practice in groups. There can be emergencies and your vehicle may need to be towed or winched,” Shirin says.
And like any other motorsport, off-roading is expensive business. From performance modifications to maintenance and repairs after every session – this sport is not for those who are sceptical of spending. And just so you have an idea, a single off-roading tyre costs around `10,000.

Advantage Pune
Now around 70 strong and growing, businessman Sandeep Anand, says that this sport is picking up partly because more people are showing interest in 4x4 vehicles and also because of the landscapes surrounding the city. “Pune’s advantage is the Sahyadris. Except for the Palar sand, we have every other type of terrain near us, from Lonavla right up to Kolhapur,” says Sandeep, adding that enthusiasts from other cities have to travel long distances to find the right kind of terrain.
And the best time to go off-roading in Maharashtra, is during the rainy season, between the months of July and October

Need of the hour
Though the off-roading community in the country is growing at a steady pace, “there is still no national association to govern and regulate it,” says businessman Vishal Chavan. For now it is a case of the joining a group in your city and learning from the experienced members. Despite this, the chapters of various cities are organising national meet ups and have also brought Malaysia’s The Rainforest Challenge to the country. However, until there’s recognition from the government, the growth of this sport will still be choked. “We need to modify our vehicles to handle tough terrain and the RTO does not allow us to register our modified vehicles,” says realtor Gagan Sethi. He also points out that the off-roading community can be of great assistance during natural disasters like landslides, floods and earthquakes, citing the example of Malaysia, where the off-roading community works in tandem with the disaster management authorities. “Our vehicles are equipped with winches and other gear and we rise up to any SOS that we hear of. But the authorities need to recognise us too,” he says, hopeful that the sport gains the recognition it deserves soon.

A private affair
As a rule, the community only practices on private lands that are volunteered by other off-roaders. “We stick to private land because crowds tend to gather when we practice and this can be dangerous,” Vishal explains. Another reason that off-roaders stick to private lands, is because of concerns raised by social groups about soil erosion due to off-roading.


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