Apollo partners Mahindra & Mahindra in Monsoon Challenge 2011

Apollo Tyres partnered with vehicle manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra for the first time in Monsoon Challenge 2011, one of the biggest rallies on the Indian off-roading scene. Beginning on Friday, 22 July from the western Indian city of Nasik with more than 50 participating teams, the rally covered 1,500 kilometres in three days, going via Aurangabad and Kolhapur to the beaches of Goa on Sunday, 24 July. The winning team of Somdev Chanda and Nirav Mehta, riding on a Mahindra Stinger, took home a cash prize of Rs 800,000, a sum Apollo says is the largest cash award ever given in any Indian off-roading adventure.

Apollo itself instituted two special award categories. The Apollo Safe Drive Award, under its ongoing Apollo Safe Drive initiative was won by Umesh Rane from Mumbai driving a Mahindra Thar. The second prize supplied by the company, the Apollo Woman Driver Award, was won by Sampada Rangnekar from Mumbai, who participated with her son. Apollo also made complete tyre checks on each vehicle during the inspection stage and at the end of each day. The company says its Hawkz All Terrain and Hawkz Rough Terrain were best suited for the event.

As the name suggests, the rally took place at the peak of the monsoon season in the western part of India, where it has been raining continuously for the past few days. The rain presented an additional challenge to teams, who had to negotiate a variety of terrains; a mix of smooth highways in parts to complete off-roading, through dense and slushy forests and rainwashed rocky landscapes. Apollo says the rally truly tested each driver’s ability to move across varying road conditions, often in pouring rains.

Apollo is a strategic partner to M&M and supplies a range of tyres for Mahindra’s utility, farm and commercial vehicles. Apollo and M&M are also working together on future projects. In India, M&M is a leader in the utility vehicle segment.

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