Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Shillong: Team Meghalaya took home the Best Team Award at the sixth Rally of the Himalayas. The four-day race spanned high-altitude stretches of Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh, ending in Padum on September 30. Phoebe Dale Nongrum claimed the Best Female Driver honor. She drove with co-driver Shahid Salman to finish fourth in the T3 Xtreme category and eighth overall.
The competition started in Manali on September 26. Racers faced immediate trouble. The first stage from Gramphu to Kaza forced competitors through Kunzum La and the Lahaul-Spiti Valley. Snowfall and rough ground battered the cars. Nongrum battled a vehicle setup ill-suited for the shifting track.
Black ice delayed the second stage by two hours. Then, the car faltered. A rear damper and suspension spring dislodged, stripping the team of speed and time. The third leg, originally 77 km from Darcha, was slashed to 16 km as snow piled up. The team scrambled to Padum for emergency repairs.
The final stretch pushed through Panzi La and the Drang-Drung Glacier. Aneesh Sangma provided the winning edge for the state, grabbing first in T3 Xtreme and fifth overall. His effort combined with Nongrum's ensured the team trophy. The Meghalaya Motorsports Society praised the backing of Hello Meghalaya and the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs. Nongrum earned her award for "performance and car-control skills across the challenging terrain and changing weather conditions." The result cements Meghalaya's rising status in national motorsport.
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