15th Raid De Himalaya sees a glut of women entries

The 15th edition of the Raid de Himalaya, a motor rally that traverses difficult and mountainous terrain across India's western Himalayas, has seen a glut of women entries. The rally will run from October 4th to 12th, commencing from Shimla and culminating at Leh. 

In between these locations, Kaza, the Monastery Necklace (Spiti Valley), Khardung La pass (18,379 feet), Wari La pass (17,300 feet) and the Nubra Valley will be traversed by participants of the Raid. 45 teams have enrolled for the Raid Xtreme in the four wheeler category while the two wheeler/ATV category has also seen 45 entries. 

70 teams have enrolled for the Raid Adventure, a rally run on the time-speed-distance format. Of these entries, 6 are that of women. Sheetal Bidaye of Pune will be riding a KTM Duke 200 in the Raid Xtreme 2 wheelers class while Shuchi Thakur of Dharamshala will drive her Maruti Suzuki Gypsy in the Raid Xtreme 4 wheelers class.

Kalyani Potekar, a 20 year old woman from Pune, will ride in the Xtreme (alpine) Class, a category created for amateur motorcyclists while the Army duo comprising of Major Smitha (ASC) and Major Madhavi Singh will drive a Maruti Gypsy in the Raid Adventure TSD class. Richa, a constable with the Himachal Pradesh Police, will participate in the Raid Adventure TSD category in a Maruti Gypsy.

The 15th edition of the Raid de Himalaya will cover about 1,800 Kms. Click here for specific details of the Raid.