It’s difficult to hear yourself above the roar of engines, the screeching of tyres and the enthusiasm of the fans, but these very things form the charm of Maruti Suzuki Autocross. The city rally event is back in Mumbai in its fourth edition here and will be held from December 13-14.
The sport which started small in 2002, nationally, has grown into one of the most awaited motorsports events of the year and the participation alone is proof of it. The event is organised by Maruti and has built for itself a fan following among other similar activities like the Raid De Himalaya, Dakshin Dare and the Desert Storm. The participants can bring any car and the idea is to make the most of experience while learning transitions and braking, promoting safety and skill of their street driving. The competition is not restricted to Maruti Suzuki vehicle owners but there are special rounds for these cars as well.
Before, you dismiss it as one of those hard-to-get through competitions, here’s a brief about the event. Autocross is targeted at the enthusiast who has little or no exposure to motorsports. For enthusiasts, this is a great platform to indulge in their love for rallying. In fact, many rally drivers have at some point participated in an edition of Maruti Suzuki Autocross. Lohith Urs and Kaushik Shinde have been successful Autocross racers.
On the other hand, Autocross gives an aspirant an introductory platform to learn about motorsports and hone their skills and unlike high profile full scale rallies, Autocross is a city rallying experience with nominal entry fees.
For the initial two editions, the rally was held on dirt tracks and it helped participants learn how to handle their cars in such an environment. In 2013 edition, the company had to go with tarmac as rain had played spoilsport ruling out a dirt track. This year, the Autocross is back on the dirt track and we are sure participants will be thrilled at this.
The competition is a timed event and one requires skill as well as expertise to go through the course. The course, mind you, is one that contains straights, hair pin bends and sharp turns and each needs the driver’s attention, one wrong move and the race is over. The event is being held at the MMRDA grounds, Bandra Kurla Complex. We will be watching the event closely, so stay tuned as we will get you more details as the competition unfolds.
Image source:marutisuzukimotorsport
![Maruti Suzuki Baleno [1999-2007] Image](https://imgd.aeplcdn.com/272x153/cw/cars/discontinued/maruti-suzuki/baleno.jpg?q=80 "Maruti Suzuki Baleno [1999-2007] Image")
