Twenty-three cars took part in a rally off the beaten track.
The participants had to negotiate jungle roads, moram tracks, hilly roads and a riverbed in Purulia.
The rally began from the Ayodhya Hilltop ground at 10am on March 23. The 120km route saw the cars along dams, navigating the Matha forest in Baghmundi, driving up and down the hilly terrain of Pakhi Pahar, and along the Kangsabati riverbed.
The riverbed was bone dry; the showers last week gave it a facelift. SUVs making a splash while driving through the riverbed made for a great sight and a nervous drive.
The rally ended at the same spot where it started. The cars came back between 3pm and 3.30pm.
The fifth edition of the National Insurance Jangal Mahal on the Move tested the drivers’ skill, speed and manoeuvrability and the navigators’ competence. It was a Time-Speed-Distance (TSD) rally, where reaching the finishing point first does not necessarily fetch the highest points. One must be at the finishing point at the right time to be declared the winner.
Following a ceremonial flag-off, around 20 cars left the Automobile Association of Eastern India (AAEI) club in Ballygunge on Friday evening for a 350km trip to Purulia. The cars did a free run to reach Purulia, where the competitive rally happened on Sunday.
A few other cars from other places also drove to Purulia.
Among the participating cars were Jimnys, Thars, Fortuners and even good old Dzires and Santros.
The Automobile Association of Eastern India (AAEI) and the Kolkata Automotive Sports Association (KASA) organised the rally.
Twenty-three cars took part in the rally on Sunday. Eighteen completed the race.
Gitika Pant, 47, a seasoned rallyist, came from Mumbai to take part in the rally. She drove an Urban Cruiser.
“The terrain makes the rally memorable. It was a great experience,” said Pant, 47, who came to the Jangal Mahal rally for the second time.
The first prize in the expert category was won by Sk Anirudhha, who paired with navigator Prakash M. Nilanjan Banerjee won the second prize in the same category with Rudrangsho Dey.
“The route was challenging. The cars waded through dense forests, hilly terrains and on the riverbed. The challenging terrain is the USP of the rally,” said Debasish Bhattacharjee, the general-secretary of KASA.