Bengaluru: Defending champion Geetha Wadhwa will look to reclaim her crown in the popular ‘Divas on Wheels’, an all-women’s car rally over the next two days.
The ceremonial start of the rally, an FMSCI approved event, took place here on Thursday, January 17, with as many as 100 ladies lining up for glory. They will be flagged off from Bengaluru on Friday morning, and will traverse through the beautiful landscapes of Chikkamagaluru and Kodagu on January 18 and 19.
After the success of the inaugural year, the all-women championship has only grown bigger and better with 100 participants enthusiastically preparing for this exciting but demanding rally.
The Time, Speed, Distance (TSD) Rally will cover a total distance of around 750 km. Day 1 will see participants drive from Bengaluru to Chikkamagaluru, covering 350 km. After a night’s halt, the women drivers will then travel from Chikkamagaluru to the finishing point at Kodagu’s Pollibetta over a distance of 300 km.
Shivani Pruthvi, who won the last edition of Times Women’s Drive, Ashima Duggal and Amrita Shergill (runners-up at the Times Women’s Drive) are the other notable names in the field, besides the title holder Geetha.
Participants will showcase their skills and acumen in the TSD format, which is a slow speed rally and relies a lot on navigation. Calculations are made purely in terms of time and the routes are not disclosed to the drivers. The team with least number of penalties is declared the winner.
The ceremonial flag-off took place at Fairfield by Marriott Rajajinagar here on Thursday.
