On Sunday the 5th of August a collection of brave and adventurous racers from around the world will be meeting to kick-off the most unique and exciting sporting event of the year in Chennai, Southern India. The CEAT Mumbai Xpress Autorickshaw Rally is an incredible 1921Km race right through the heart of India in that iconic vehicle of the country, the Autorickshaw.

This once-in-a-lifetime, thirteen-stage rally will travel across four provinces of India and through a vast and diverse array of landscapes, from coastlines and mountain ranges, to bustling metropolises. It is an arduous challenge, certainly not for the faint hearted, but the competition is always fun and brings participants from all walks of life together to challenge for the title of the CEAT Mumbai Xpress Autorickshaw Rally 2007 World Champion.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the Autorickshaw and rather suitably, the CEAT Mumbai Xpress Autorickshaw Rally 2007 is bring conducted as a not-for-profit event to raise money to improve the lifestyles and educational opportunities of India’s children, promote Road Safety, and raise the profile of the growing trend of Adventure Tourism.

The Rally

The rally will flag off from Chennai on 5th August 2007 and run cross through Southern-Central and Western India before arriving in Mumbai on 17th August 2007. The overnight stops along the way will include Vellore, Bangalore, Hassan, Mangalore, Bhatkal, Karwar, Panaji, Malvan, Ratnagiri, Mahad, Alibagh and Mumbai.

With 32 Teams taking part and over 70 participants, the CEAT Mumbai Xpress Autorickshaw Rally 2007 is set to be even bigger and more exciting than last years Indian Autorickshaw Challenge. It is also going to be more international with over 8 different nationalities participating, including teams from India, UK, USA, Hungary, Bosnia, Croatia, Ireland and Canada.

Along the way, competitors must complete physical and intellectual tasks, in addition to the travails involved in navigating each stage of the rally and keeping their autorickshaw on the road. Finally, after traversing each day’s stunning landscape and completing the adventures that lie along the route, by nightfall they will party the summer night away with the other participants.

The Values of CEAT Mumbai Xpress Autorickshaw Rally

Adopt A Village

The central goal of the rally’s values will be realised through the Adopt A Village program, which will see each member team of the competition being assigned a specific village along the route, where they will stop off during the rally to deliver supplies and badly needed aid they themselves have funded. This aid will be used to further the educational opportunities of the village’s children and tackle the typically low level of literacy and high level of child labour that affects Indian society.

Teams will have had the opportunity to consult with the community leaders of that village months in advance, to discover what particular resources the village most badly needs. All of the participants have been encouraged to spend the months prior to the event’s start engaged in fund raising activities to be able to purchase these resources which will be carried along the route of the rally for their village.

International Adventure Tourism

As the popularity of overseas travel increases, a new species of tourism is growing for those people seeking thrills and escapes from the often mundane and overrated experiences of conventional travel. Whereas location used to be the main factor of a getaway, today it is more what you do when you are there.

This trend for a more authentic experience is known as ‘Adventure Tourism’ and the CEAT Mumbai Xpress Autorickshaw Rally 2007 is a beautiful example of such. The fulfilment of life and the spirit of adventure are some of the core values of the CEAT Mumbai Xpress Autorickshaw Rally 2007.

Campaign on Road Safety

Promoting safety awareness and providing safety instruction are tasks that the organizing team of the CEAT Mumbai Xpress Autorickshaw Rally 2007 rallies are ready and excited to carry out. With the proliferation of both people and technology, over time the roads of India have become an increasingly hectic and congested jumble of every conceivable type of vehicle and noise.

The lack of road safety contributes to devastating statistics and needless losses. The resulting injuries have a substantial impact on India’s already challenged and neglected public health. In response to this the organisers stress to the participants that the CEAT Mumbai Xpress Autorickshaw Rally is not about speed. It’s not about first place. It’s not about making others eat dust. It’s about adventure and enjoyment for everyone involved and as such, the challenge requires that road safety will be a top priority and core value.

Future of the Autorickshaw Rallies

The first rally was conducted in August 2006 and proved to be a huge success and the entire event was covered by Indian and international television and print media. This years event is proving to be even more popular, not just with participants, but has attracted generous sponsorship. Our sponsors include, CEAT, IndianOil, Jackpotfinder.com, VVD and Sons, Turnkeyking.com, Chennai4Fun.com, Maharashtra Tourism Development Committee, Western India AA, Southern India AA, WhatCar Magazine and Big 92.5FM. The organisers are planning a further rally in the winter and plan to continue the events on an annual basis for years to come.

Please contact for information

Aravind B. Kumar, Lead Organizer
+91-44-42143343, +91-44-42142552
E-mail us: admin@indianarc.com
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