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Motor sports fans go out of way to pursue passion
The rocky ridges and isolated hills of the Aravalis are a perfect getaway for adventure enthusiasts. And when such a perfect off-roading destination is situated in your backyard, there is no time to waste.
The rocky ridges and isolated hills of the Aravalis are a perfect getaway for adventure enthusiasts. And when such a perfect off-roading destination is situated in your backyard, there is no time to waste.
Sanjiv Singh and Prabsharan Singh started this trend in Gurgaon five years ago with the Northern Off-Roaders group, comprising 35 members and seven core members. The men in their early 40s have known each other since their school days.
Professionals from the corporate world, lawyer, doctors and pilots take out time from their busy schedules every 15 days on weekends to pursue this passionate sport.
"My father was in the Air force and he sacrificed his life to save former Prime Minister Morarji Desai when their aircraft crashlanded in Johrat, Assam, in 1977. A Ford jeep, the last of its kind manufactured by the automobile giant during World War 2, was bought by him," said Sanjiv Singh, a petroleum dealer by profession and a resident of Gurgaon.
He owns nine jeeps, including the vintage Ford model.
Along with vintage 'war models', these off roaders own vehicles manufactured by Mahindra and modern gypsies. Behrampur, Tijara and Sakatpur are other destinations frequented by this group.
Aditya Khatri, 27, is the youngest member of the group and has been pursuing this passion for the past 14 years. An educationist by profession, he was recently declared the second-best off-roader in a competition organised by the Northern Motor Sports.
A proper recce of the tracks chosen is done prior to the journey. When they meet, the group sticks together as the team and gets the car going back on tracks.
"A proper service backup is carried out before we fire up the trip. Usually, we repair our own cars with help of other group members," said Prabsharan Singh.
