`Dhoom Machale…’: Kashmir all decked up for mega Auto-Cross event

Srinagar:  Kashmir is all set to host a mega Auto-Cross event on Saturday. 

This comes after the roaring success of the first-ever Auto-Cross event held in September. 

After that another event which was exclusively for women motor sports athletes also received an enormous response. 

Valley Motorsports Club (VMC)  said the two-day event will be held on November 25-26. The event is being organized in collaboration with North Star Motorsports under the guidelines set by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India.

 Amritpal Singh Bali, founding member of VMC  told The Kashmir Monitor that the event is being held to popularise the motorsports in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Motor Sports is very new to Kashmir and the response regarding this sport has been enormous. So, we are coming up with Auto-Cross this time, which is being organized by  Valley Motorsports Club and North Star Motorsports to popularise the sport in the valley,” he said.

 Bali said the event, which will be based on closed circuit time, will take place at Lasjan Nowgam on the outskirts of the city here, 

He said the event is being participated by the rallyists based on different categories.  “ There are different categories based on the Cubic Centimetres (CC) of vehicles,” Bali said.

He said legends in the sport including Sunny Sidhu, Samrat Yadav, and Gurmeet Virdee will attend the event to boost the morale of the local motorists.

“Seasoned Chandigarh racer  Sunny Sidhu, and professional rally drivers Samrat Yadav and Gurmeet Virdee have given their consent to attend the event. This means a lot for the local sportsmen who participate in the event,” Bali said.

 The organizers said they expect more than 50 rally drivers to participate in the event.  “The registration has begun and we expect that more than 50 professionals will participate in the event. There will be on-spot registration as well,” Bali said.

Organizers said the event has been planned while keeping the fragile ecology of Kashmir and the safety of participants in mind.

 “The best part of this event is that meadows won’t be touched. There will be two ambulances accompanying the rally and firefighting measures will be also followed. The track has been inspected by the FMSCI to ensure the safety of participants,” Bali added.

He said Smarat Yadhav will share his experience with the motorsports enthusiasts to boost their morale for preparing themselves for future events. 

“He will have a Q&A session with the motorsports enthusiasts. This will help our motorsports athletes to gain more knowhow regarding the game,” Bali said. 

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