Sabia (T7) and Nisha (T4) participated in All Women’s Car Rally by JK Tyre Motorsports Times Women’s Drive and drove all the way from Delhi to Jaipur. It is an annual event into its fourth year now.
They were a team of three: Sabia – the driver, Nisha – the co-driver and timekeeper, and Pronati – the navigator. While it was their children who brought them together, they share a great camaraderie now.
Upon asking about the Motor Sports rally concept, Sabia explains, “Often people associate car rallies with speed, but this was a Time – Speed – Distance rally. A Tulip Road book (for route) and Time/ Speed chart are handed at flag off.
The route and checkpoints (Time Control) are undisclosed. Getting the time calculation and navigation correct is sacrosanct. Reaching a Time Control/ checkpoint before can earn you double the penalty compared to if you reach later.
Thumb Rule – stick to the speed chart and calculated ETA.”
In the weeks before, the girls spent a lot of time understanding the calculations, dividing roles, and mapping time, speed and distance. They attempted practice routes within Noida several times.
The journey was difficult! Nisha says, “The real challenge thrown at us, once the rally started, was the drift we noticed between the odometer reading and road book landmarks. The atmosphere in the car was tense but there was no time to stop to rethink the strategy.
After a lot of brainstorming, we started recalibrating our odometer with the differential and it worked. Factoring in the drift is common knowledge for rally veterans but for first timers, it was a real time problem.
With no time to lose, we survived on chocolates and energy bars to keep us going for the next nine hours. Hydration was kept bare minimum to avoid bio breaks.”
They completed the rally with an impressive result. Not only did they get the navigation 100% correct, but they also found 11/ 11 Time Control in their very first attempt!
Curious to know how they got the courage to go for that long drive, being such young mothers, they say, “All of us are mothers to small kids. Family support is the key. But just hearing your 8-year-old prepping her sibling to step up, so their moms won’t worry about them and can go for the rally with a relaxed mind, is all the motivation and empowerment you need!”
As they say, ‘the universe always falls in love with a stubborn heart’, and when you bring women with drive and resilience together, only good things can happen! It wasn’t just a car rally for them but a liberating experience and a realization that most of our inhibitions are self-imposed!
They met women from all walks of life or some as young as 75 participating in the rally. There was much to draw from the contagious energy! Rise every day and surprise yourself!!
