Car India recently drove through Rajasthan in a Tata Safari Storme under the auspices of Tata Motors’ ‘Full Throttle’
MENTION THE THAR Desert and images of sand-dunes, camels, oases and mirages, and, of course, immense heat flash through the mind! Add to that the prospect of a 1,500-km drive across the region and most drivers would baulk at the thought. It is for no insign ficant reason, however, that Tata Motors’ motor sport platform, ‘Full Throttle’, launched
‘Experiences’ wherein Tata UV owners got to drive their steeds between known cities, but via routes that are off the beaten path and make for an exhilarating experience. And it was on the latest such drive – the Thar Experience – that I found myself in the last week of the year gone by.
The opulent Taj Ambassador in New Delhi was the setting for the briefing session. Ashish Gupta, Director of Cougar Motorsport (programme partner for ‘Full Throttle’), explained the itinerary and highlights of the drive and handed the
starter kits to all the participants. In a change from previous Experiences, two media persons were assigned to
one vehicle (previously one media person per vehicle) to share the long drive. After the ceremonial flag-off of my Tata Safari Storme 4×2, bearing sticker no 12, I retired to my room, eagerly awaiting the start of the drive. Gentlemen, Start Your Engines! (Delhi to Bikaner – December 22) The convoy lined up at McDonald’s on the Jaipur highway at 9.30 am and we were off! My co-driver was an automobile journalist from Delhi and at the very start of the drive we lost our way briefly as we were busy chatting about – what else –automobiles! Thankfully, we were back on the assigned route soon enough, with the route booklet serving as an invaluable aid. Our drive was not on the Jaipur highway, but on the inner smalltown roads, which were rather narrow and crowded. Small towns they may be, but the people clearly know their cars, as evinced by one Mahindra driver, who pulled up alongside us and asked, “Phour-byphour
hai ke?” (Does it have fourby-four?) and “Kotaysun ke hai?” (“What’s the price?”)
We re-grouped at a resort in Jhunjunu for lunch and headed on. The road condition was not so great, but the Storme’s suspension made for a comfortable ride. The roads thankfully improved and we could enjoy some high-speed cruising, which helped to make the long drive less tiring. Contrary to what you would expect from a tall SUV, the Storme exhibited good body control and handling, with relatively little body-roll.
Thirty kilometres short of Bikaner, the 4x4s went for some dirt-trail bashing while the 4x2s went on to our halt for the night, the majestic Lalgarh Palace. The 500+km drive had drained us and we crashed in our rooms, looking forward to the next day.
The Fast And The Furious – Lake Drift! (Bikaner to Jaisalmer – December 23)
I woke up early to get some photos of the Palace as we couldn’t see much of it when we reached late the previous evening. It is indeed an imposing structure with wellmanicured lawns and statuesque buildings that provide numerous
photo-ops. After a quick sumptuous breakfast, the convoy exited the premises and headed for Bikaner. Cougar Motorsports had planned another exciting day for us – the 4x4s were sent off on a tough off-road sandy trail while us 4x2s went towards a less challenging one. Less challenging was a misnomer, though, as I learned the importance of firm hands on the steering and of a steady speed in lower gears, because any slowing down would have trapped us (some 4x2s did get stranded). We regrouped with the 4x4s later and I got a chance to ride up a dune in a 4×4, which was a rather bouncy but superb experience! Exiting on to tarmac, my Storme got stuck in the sand for the second time in two days, but a helpful winch from a 4×4 Safari got us back on track.
We had a stretch of quick driving on a road running along the Indira Gandhi Canal, which happens to be quite close to the Indo-Pak border. This road was built by the Border Roads Organisation and the Storme’s powerful engine and nearly lag-free performance were a boon. Soon we hit our next bit of fun for the day, with a drive on a dry river-bed about an hour short of Jaisalmer. The time spent there made all the years of driving worthwhile, as I went tearing
across the lake flats at high speed, drifting and sliding all over the place and carving donuts in the sandy earth. What fun! About 375 km after leaving Bikaner, we reached the Taj Gateway, where we enjoyed a beautiful songand-dance performance by a local troupe before grabbing some much needed shut-eye.
Second Gear, No Brakes, Full Throttle! (Jaisalmer to Khimsar – December 24)
After yet another lavish breakfast, theconvoy moved on towards Khimsar. The drive was quite fast-paced thanks to the wide and fairly well-paved roads. However, we did take a detour off the tarmac and on to sandy trails going through villages and other areas far from the main highway. A particular stretch here challenged even the 4x4s, and our brief to make it through that 100 m was ‘second gear, no brakes, full throttle’! Some wild swerving later, we made it through without assistance, and it was fun! The Storme acquitted itself well here – the 4×2 version was far from an
embarrassment, though, of course, 4×4 would be better.
We reached Khimsar in the evening and headed to the Dune Village, a beautiful set of sand-dunes overlooking a pretty lake surrounded by small huts – reminiscent of an oasis! Delicious tea and biscuits at the top of the dunes refreshed us weary souls and we then took some time to capture a few photographic memories of the surroundings and the glorious sunset. The excitement for the day was not over, though, as many drivers managed to get their vehicles stuck in the sand at the base of the dune and it was almost a whole hour after coming down that we winched the last UV out and left the place!
We finally reached the regal Khimsar Fort, our abode for the night, after covering over 330 km. Every structure within the Fort was more eye-catching than the rest and, apart from the usual fabulous dinner spread, we enjoyed a puppet show, a songand-dance performance and an informal interactive session among the participants around a bonfire – a great way to top off an exciting day!
I Feel The Need – The Need For Speed! (Khimsar to Jaipur – December 25)
Khimsar Fort in the morning provided more photo-ops, post which the convoy headed towards Jaipur. As on previous days, there was yet another highlight – the drive on the dry Sambhar Lake, also famous as the Salt Flats. Each Tata UV lined up for a pedal-to-metal timed run across the lake to a pre-designated point – an adrenaline-pumper if there ever was one! We re-grouped at a temple in the middle of the lake and the view of the Tatas racing across the Flats one by one from up there was breathtaking!
Exiting from the river brought us back to the dull and dreary reality of city traffic and we reached our final destination, the Ramada in Jaipur, after covering 375 km. The day ended with a delightful cocktails-plus-dinner session, where we recounted our experiences of the past four days and discussed what we’d like to do in future Experiences.
Tata Motors’ Full Throttle ‘Experiences’ are an excellent way to enjoy driving holidays through unconventional, but beautiful routes, without worrying about accommodation and other logistics. It indeed is something not to be missed!
Storm(e) In The Desert
The 4×2 Safari Storme VX that I drove is quite well-equipped, with twin air-bags, front fog-lamps, powered side-view mirrors with integrated turn signals, remote locking with a ‘headlamp-on’ button, adjustable lumbar support, multi-information digital display with instant and average fuel consumption, distance-to-empty and other data and a music system with AUX and USB input, CD, and FM. Its build quality is a little suspect, but as a comfortable mile-muncher
with a strong engine, good equipment levels and an imposing presence, it hits the sweet spot!
Story: Gaurav Nagpal
Photography: Gaurav Nagpal, Cougar Motorsport
