16 th edition of the much anticipated 2018 Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm was
flagged off from The Great India Place Noida mall today amidst much fanfare.
In its 16th edition, 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 being 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.
Announcing the 16 th edition of Desert Storm, Mr. Sanjeev Handa, Vice President, Marketing, Maruti
Suzuki India Limited said, “In order to connect with the youth of India, Maruti Suzuki keeps the thrill
and adventure alive in participants and audience through pioneering motorsport rallies. Considered
as the perfect blend of thrill, beauty and cars, Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm has been the most
anticipated rally set in the dunes. Each year, we try and bring in more excitement and challenges to
raise the bar higher. The longest night leg and 70% of new tracks in the overall rally route is our
answer to ‘what’s new?’.”
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.
