For those who love speed, races and adventure motorsport, the cross-country rally India Baja 2017 is set to thrill in extreme temperature and terrain of Thar Desert in Jaisalmer on April 7-9.

Founded a year ago, India Baja has been granted the status of Dakar Challenge this year. The Dakar Challenge tag would help the India Baja winner get a direct entry in Merzouga Rally, Morocco, in May and Dakar Rally in 2018, the toughest rally on the planet.

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Ahead of the speed extravaganza, thestatesman.com caught up with veteran rally racer Raj Kapoor, the man behind India Baja, to know the state of rally racing as a sport in India.

“The Dakar association is the biggest challenge. Top level foreign participation is one high point. However, the high temperatures, extreme terrain and the pace of the competition would be the most delightful sights. The fact that there is so much of competition packed into such a tight time window makes it very grueling,” Kapoor, the founder of Northern Motorsport, said.

Associated with the sport since 1984, Kapoor has claimed one podium finish each from the Himalayan Rally, Raid de Himalaya and Mountain Challenge. He has been certified as Chief of Fire and Rescue and Official Trainer in Formula One by FIA and Clerk of the Course and Steward in Cross Country and GP by FIM.

India Baja 2017 will see best of drivers, Joaquim Rodriguez and Adrien Metge being the key international attractions, battling it out.

The rally will cover more than 430 km completive-distance in two days amid extreme conditions. With an additional 200 km as liaison, the competitors will be tackling a total distance in excess of 600 km.

“This is a very grueling format. While the rally is run over only 48 hours, the number of kilometres in comparison are a challenge,” Kapoor said.

The first day has four stages packed into it and that is a lot of pressure for any competitor, especially when the ambient temperatures will hover around 44/45 degrees, he added.

“The competition vehicle is severely stressed when it’s in a rally, being asked to perform at 110 per cent at all points in time. Couple this with very low repair and service times. With extremely high temperatures, mechanical breakdowns are inevitable. In addition, the human body can only take so much, hence if the physical challenge benchmarks are raised then only the fittest survive.”

India Baja is the first ever Indian rally race that would be held in the electrifying Dakar format. However there’s isn’t any stark change in the rules from the previous edition.

“The rules are governed by FIA & FIM and they are not affected by this being a part of the Dakar challenge. Only major change is that due to the FIM diktat, we will not run any night stages,” Kapoor said.

The former rally racer feels that racing, at large, is gaining popularity in India but the cross-country rally still remains in niche space and does not seem to be converging towards the mainstream sporting discipline.

“Yes, a lot of new motorsport formats are gaining popularity. A lot more people are trying out the sport as competitors but if you talk of exponential growth, that is missing,” Kapoor replied when asked about the status of rally as a sport in India.

Kapoor believes the Dakar status will see an exceptional spike in the sports’ status as it has infected huge interest within the fraternity. However, getting even one more Indian follower of the thrilling sport will be an achievement for the Northern Motorsport, the organiser of the rally.

“The fact that this is a Dakar Challenge event has bought in foreign participants, hopefully they will act as catalysts to enhance the level of competition in this country. We are working towards creating a conduit for one more Indian to find his way to the Dakar raid that should generate traction within the community,” he added.

Amaury Sport Organisation, which also organises Tour De France (the biggest cycling race in the world), gave India Baja the prestigious status of Dakar Challenge.