For first time, three scooterists in fray at Raid de Himalaya

 For the first time in the history of the daunting Raid de Himalaya, as many as three scooter riders will race alongside souped-up 4x4 rally cars and powerful motorbikes, hoping to finish on equal terms.

Till now, the humble scooter was championed by a solitary competitor at the Raid: Syed Asif Ali of Bhopal. The indisputable champion of scooter rallying in India has competed in all four editions of the recent past.

This year, he will have company in the form of Shameem Khan and Yash Mohan Pawar, both from Nasik.

All three are supported by Team TVS Aand will be competing in the Alpine Moto category on their customised TVS N Torq SXR.

The iconic Raid de Himalaya officially gets under way here on Monday, with the scrutiny of the vehicles. The racing will begin on October 10 and finish on October 14, after traversing through some high-altitude routes in Kargil, Zanskar and Ladakh.

As many as 200 competitors are in the fray in various categories in the 20th edition of the Raid, making it one of the biggest rallying events in the country. - IANS