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Seven days. Thousand kilometres. Chennai to Kanyakumari... The Indian Autorickshaw Challenge is set to kick off on August 21. PRINCE FREDERICK reports

GOING NATIVE Driving the tut-tut on pitted roads is Russian Pavel Smirnov's idea of adventure

The humble phut-phutty has arrived. The common man's Chevrolet in India, the two-stroke auto-rickshaw suddenly finds itself under international spotlight, thanks to the Indian Autorickshaw Challenge (for details, log on to indianarc.com), which will cover 1,000 km from Chennai to Kanyakumari in seven days. The rally will be flagged off from the Besant Nagar beach at 11.15 a.m. on August 21.

An Indian based in Budapest and one of the prime movers behind Indian ARC, Aravind Bremanandam says the motor event has been inspired by the Budapest-to-Bamako (B2) rally, which is Hungary's answer to the much more popular Dakar (formerly known as Paris to Dakar) off-road endurance race.

Truth be told, the ARC has a long way to go before it can be compared to any of these two international rallies. While B2 traverses through Hungary, Austria, Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, Mauritania and Mali for over two weeks, the Dakar rally is of a bigger dimension (over the years, the trans-national route has undergone alterations, but the distance is still as daunting and challenging as ever, because it requires the participants to get off-road often and cross "dunes, erg, plain mud, camel grass and rocks").

Level playing field

However, the ARC has a few things going for it. It seems wackier than the other two on account of the vehicle, promises a level-playing field in a way that none of the other two ever did and, if Aravind's judgment can be counted upon, is as much a test of endurance as the other two.

Although the Russian car Lada has been named the official pace-setter for B2, participants have locomotive options; and the Dakar rally has three "competitive classes — motorcycles, automobiles (anything from small trucks to buggies are fine) and large trucks". The participant can choose any marquee to race in any of these classes. The ARC, on the other hand, is devoted to the autorickshaw.

"Unlike those rallies, everyone drives an autorickshaw. And to prevent participants from altering their machines to obtain any undue advantage, everyone gets his auto from us." Each participant, however, can customise his machine to match his taste and need.

Russian Pavel Smirnov seems to be showing the way, with a "tut-tut" that is fitted with a mini refrigerator, a six-channel audio system, a computer, an air-cooling unit, neon lights underneath and, for additional effect, painted images of Tamil film heroes.

No roller-coaster ride

"The ARC will be no roller-coaster ride," says Aravind. Because over 90 per cent of the participants are from abroad and they have to come to terms with their lack of exposure to Indian roads and the great Indian road sense. They also have to interact with people who can't converse in English, to crack the route.

Advertisements for the challenge say it is meant `for the clinically insane.' One surely must be, to take a chance with a vehicle he has seen for the first time just a few hours ago. Aravindan thinks three hours in the driver's seat will make a contestant rally-fit.

The "Autorickshaw Challenge" is more than a challenge and it aims to provide a touristy experience to the participants (just the reason why Armenian Gevork Oranov is in the fray — "I've always wanted to tour India").

"The Indian ARC will introduce these participants to India's beauty, its quirks and its essence," says Aravind. Partly defending the choice of vehicle, he says the autorickshaw is part of this essence. "How many Indians would have travelled in a Chevrolet? Not many. How many would have travelled in an autorickshaw? I am sure, everyone."

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