2018 Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm flagged off

The 16th edition of the 2018 Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm was flagged off from The Great India Place Noida mall on March 18, 2018. The rally is set to explore new terrains, covering a total distance of 2300 kms.

The rallyists will be navigating through Rajasthan’s picturesque landscape over a span of six days, traversing through Bikaner and finally concluding in Jaisalmer on March 23, to announce the champions. The highlight of the rally will be the longest night leg covering a distance of 160 kms in Jaisalmer.

This year marks the highest participation of over 250 motorsport enthusiasts in the history of Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm. Participating across four categories – XTreme, NDure, Xplore and Moto, the rallyists will be challenging the terrains of Thar Desert with temperatures as high as 40°C. These extreme conditions will prove to be the ultimate test of vehicles and the mental and physical capabilities of the participants.

The rally will see 6 times champion Suresh Rana representing Team Maruti Suzuki Motorsport in the Xtreme category battling for the title again with over 50 tough competitors. Vitara Brezza and S Cross is also set to make its debut in the Xtreme category, CS Santosh, R Nataraj are betting big in the Moto category, along with another 48 bikers.

A strong women contingent is also a part of Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm with over 12 women participating across categories, with presence of renowned rallyists like Aishwarya Pissay, Shuchi Thakur over others.

In its endeavor to take Indian motorsports to the next level, ExxonMobil Lubricants Pvt Ltd, a wholly-owned affiliate of ExxonMobil Corporation, has reaffirmed its partnership with Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) and associated as the latter’s lubricant partner for its hallmark rally – Desert Storm

The vast salt tracks, sand traps and dunes of Bikaner and Jaisalmer present a grueling set of conditions that test the endurance of both man and machine. With Mobil engine oil under the hood, Desert Storm drivers can rely on the world’s leading synthetic engine oil to deliver exceptional engine performance and protection – even under these extreme conditions.