The CEAT Mumbai Xpress Autorickshaw Rally 2007 set off on its fourth day today with some of the most testing conditions yet to feature in this year’s incredible thirteen day rally right across southern India. The 32 teams and 72 participants, all crammed into their spectacularly decorated Autorickshaws, were anxiously anticipating a tough challenge in the fourth stint of their epic 1921km rally through mountains and monsoons, as they venture all the way from Chennai to Mumbai in this iconic vehicle of the Indian subcontinent.

The fourth stage began at 8.00am local time, and was flagged off in Hassan, Karnatka, by Rtn. S. K. Nagendran, the Rotary International District Governor for Hassan, The day’s route passed right through the Western Ghats, a mountain range running right along India’s western coastline, and the organisers were bracing themselves for a tricky day full of incidents. However they were to be surprised later to hear that the adventurous racers had their best day so far on the rally.

Conditions were harsh, as the intrepid teams set out along extremely worn and almost non-existent roads on their path through the mountains. The heavy monsoon rains had been pouring for many weeks and had removed any remains of what was once tarmac on the roads, leaving pot holes everywhere and treacherous ditches all around. Rivers flanked the roads most of the way and were severely flooded, further worsening the driving conditions, and leading to many local overloaded trucks and lorries having accidents and even toppling over into ditches at various hairpin turns along the way. The participants themselves suffered a lot of punctures and damage to the autorickshaws, with the axle of one unfortunate team breaking, leading to the vehicle and crew having to be carried to Mangalore on a truck.

The scenery though, was nothing short of spectacular, with not only the forest covered Western Ghats themselves, but vast agricultural fields, coffee plantations, waterfalls and rivers all around. The conditions could not harm the spirit of the teams as they relished the ruggedness, after the previous days being mostly highways and proper roads. Today felt like their induction into a real rally! One participant summed everything up well, “sometimes the rainfall was so strong we couldn't see anything, and with our windshield wipers not working we were forced to pull over. When the rain stopped, we saw a truck that slid off the road into a river. It was really scary, but we had to drive on. The mountains were gorgeous, with the jungle all around us. It was the one of the most beautiful days of my life".

Volunteers of the Automobile Association of Southern India were kind to offer help in the worst part of the route and other local people were extremely helpful to the racers. "Our rickshaw didn't have first gear, so when we had to climb steep hills, the two passengers had to get out and walk. At one point a bus stopped, picked us up and gave a lift to the top of the hill" explained one member of the Hungarian team Jungle Amazons. Several teams also picked up passengers along the road, on the advice of the lead organiser of the event Aravind Kumar Bremanandam, who told them "this is a good way to get to know the local people. Also, they show the best places to have lunch".

The winner of today's leg was veteran team Pukka Tuk-Tuk, made up of last year's champions Ian and Rachel Bayles. Ian proudly told the organizers, "We raced with team Mumbai Vice all the way. Our rickshaws are evenly matched, so it was a wonderful ride. They are three persons, so they have the advantage going downhill. At one point we hit a speed bumper at full speed and went up in the air with all three wheels off the ground! It was wonderful, the traffic stopped and everybody was watching us". 72-year-old Mimi Page and her two sons, making up team Team Kannada (unsurprisingly from Canada) came third.

The evening stop was at Hotel Poonja International, and with no evening program for a change, the participants were free to explore Mangalore. Everyone was still buzzing after such an exciting day, however after partying for three days straight, the evening was more relaxed than usual.

Thursday the rally heads on to Bhatkal along the coast.

Pictures can be found here:

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The route:

The Indian Autorickhaw Challenge team is sending out a press release on a daily basis.

For more information Contact:
Aravind Bremanandam, Lead organizer
Phone: +91-44-421-43343
E-mail at:admin@indianarc.com