Getting muddy at the MMC Offroad Escape in Karjat
The first-ever MMC Offroad Escape was organised by Maharashtra Motorsports Club
The first edition of MMC Offroad Escape was held in Karjat, Maharashtra with 85 4x4 vehicles in attendance.
The first-ever MMC Offroad Escape was an action-packed, adventurous and muddy off-roading weekend that took place from September 13 to 14 at Savli Farms and Adventure Resort, Karjat. The two-day event organised by Maharashtra Motorsports Club had participants from across the country competing in different categories, and 85 vehicles took part in the event, including the Maruti Suzuki Jimny and Gypsy, the Mahindra Thar, Willys jeeps and Suzuki SJ 550s among others. The vehicles taking part in the event included stock SUVs as well as those purpose-built for hardcore off-roading.
The MMC Offroad Escape ran in five categories – namely Stock, SUV Modified, Expert (Petrol and Diesel), Modified (Petrol and Diesel) and a dedicated class for women – and each team taking part in the event would have to face seven Special Stages, including a night course which had the participants off-roading even after sundown. Each stage was designed to test the capabilities of the vehicles as well the driver’s skill and recovery techniques. A bonus event at the Offroad Escape was drivers navigating an off-road course while being blindfolded, driving solely on the basis of their co-driver’s instructions while ensuring a martini glass kept in the car did not spill over as an added challenge.
MMC Offroad Escape results
The Stock category of the MMC Offroad Escape was won by Swaroop Patil (co-driver Ashay Patil), with Arjun Stephen (co-driver Siddharth Bhadauria) finishing in second place and Siddharth Kulsheeal (co-driver Sumit Sharma) completing the podium for the category. Next up was the SUV Modified category which featured SUVs that featured MT or off-road tyres (as compared to the AT tyres in the stock category) and lifted suspension. Dr. Girish Patil (co-driver Sharanu Kirtan) won the SUV Modified category which featured upgraded off-road vehicles, followed by Shrey Pande (co-driver Mihir Dharkar) in second place and Shubham Mokashi (co-driver Yatharth Tawre) finishing in third.
The Modified Petrol category featured vehicles with engines larger than 1.3-litres and it was won by Sarjerao Kawade (co-driver Nilesh Zende), who was followed by Nilesh Zende (co-driver Suhas Palase) finishing second and Kartik K (co-driver Mohsin) finishing in third place. The Modified Diesel category on the other hand allowed engines up to 3-litres, with upgrades to the turbocharger and engines being allowed. This category was won by Abhay Jadhavrao (co-driver Siddhesh Langade) who bagged first place. Completing the podium for this category were Malkit Singh Saini (co-driver Gurdeep Singh Saini) and Amar Jadhavrao (co-driver Aditya Dubal), who finished in second and third place respectively.
Rounding up the event was the Expert category – with the Expert Petrol class featuring older vehicles like the Gypsy, with engines up to 1.3-litres and leaf springs for the suspension. The Diesel Expert class consisted of older-engined vehicles (such as the DI and the M2DI engines) producing less than 100bhp of power. The Expert Petrol category was won by Pratikraj Mohite (co-driver Dr. Viraj Dighe) followed by Kaustubh Memane (co-driver Kapil Memane) and Sangram More (co-driver Ajay Misal), while the standings for the Expert Diesel category showed Vinayak Barge (co-diver Aryan Barge) grab the top spot, followed by Ravi Nair (co-driver Karthik Kini) in second place. Sarjerao Kawade (co-driver Pramod) completed the podium for this category. The event also included a women’s category and it was dominated by Naina S (co-driver Mihir Dharkar), with Prerana Bhalla (co-driver Ganesh Kante) finishing in second place and Aarti More (co-driver Amit Nair) finishing in third place.
Our overall experience at the MMC Offroad Escape was an adventurous one, and it was a great way to spend a weekend in the company of 4x4 SUVs and enthusiasts from the off-roading community.
