Mangaluru: The 750-km Mangaluru-Panaji 7th Monsoon Challenge 2017 will be flagged off from Mangaluru on June 24.

The monsoon rally will be based on time, speed and distance (TSD) maintained and covered by participants along the curves of the lower western ghats to the plains along the Konkan coast. Participants will have to endure the brunt of the heavy showers as well as keep up their TSD to achieve best results. Apart from the participants the challenge will also prove to be a test for their vehicles as the roads on the coastal region are not known for their best of surfaces during the monsoons.

The rally organised by ace rallyists Ashwin Naik and Musa Sherief has completed six seasons and has become one of the most sought after events in Karnataka, if not in South India. This road-trip will be one of a kind as the participants will be taking one of the most scenic routes to reach their destination in Goa.

The rally will be flagged off from Moti Mahal Hotel at 7.30 am on June 24; a day after a formal ceremony in Forum Mall at 5 pm. After the flag off, participants will drive through Moodabidri Karkala, Kollur and reach Murudeshwar near Bhatkal to camp there. On June 25, the drivers will head to Yana through Honnavar and Sirsi reaching Panjim through Kumta and Karwar. The participants are required to drive an approximate of 400 kilometers on each day at the earliest time to prove their manoeuvring abilities and fatigue control.

“The Rally is a perfect match of endurance test of the vehicles and ability of the drivers test will be gruelling as the drivers have to go through one of the toughest mountain terrains known to India. A series of unpredictable curves and muck of the Western Ghats will be haunting the drivers on the first day and heavy winds and rains are sure to torment them on the second,” say Naik and Sherief.