Last week, the intimidating presence of
Mahindra off-road vehicles on the Goan roads was as pleasant to the eyes as it
was to the ears. These growling machines made their presence felt on the road
and more so off the road. Built to tread on challenging and uneven terrain,
these monster trucks were in Goa to compete in the second leg of Monastery
Escape Classic organised by Mahindra Adventure on July 18.
If the Mahindra event set the tempo for the
off-road excitement in the state of Goa, the second event to be held, ‘Off Road
Expo’ appears to be taking the excitement to the next level. Presented by JK
Tyre, the event is scheduled to take place from July 25 to 26, 2015 at the IT
Park in Dona Paula. Riding on the success and the fantastic response to the
inaugural Off Road Expo held in Pune in February, the event is now being held
in Goa and will be dedicated to SUVs, 4x4s, ATVs, off-road bikes and
accessories. The event has been conceptualised by Project GTO (publishers of
magazines like evo India and Off Road).
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The organisers feel that off-roading in
India has witnessed tremendous growth over the last few years with dedicated
off-road clubs and communities active in all parts of the country. Almost all
automobile manufacturers have introduced products targeted specifically towards
the off-road enthusiast. The Off Road Expo aims at bringing together all key
stakeholders in the off-roading space, including car and bike manufacturers,
off-road equipment and accessory manufacturers and suppliers, outdoor gear
brands and off-road clubs under one roof.
Visitors at the expo can look forward to
‘the experiential tracks’ which happen to be one of the highlights of the expo.
Enthusiasts can drive the Tata Safari Storme and Mahindra Thar on specially
laid out 4×4 tracks at the Expo and experience off-roading for themselves. In
addition to that, they can then experience some flat out laps in the Polaris
ATV which is also going to be demonstrated at the expo. For off-road
enthusiasts with their own 4x4s, a fourth track is being created where they can
drive their own 4x4s and pit their skills against their fellow off-roaders.
Sirish Chandran, director of Project GTO,
says, “We want to get enthusiasts behind the wheel to experience the thrill of
off-roading. Unlike hardcore motorsport, with off-roading you can involve the
entire family and that is the main draw of the Expo – come and see the best
SUVs, bikes and off-road machines in India, watch some crazy 4×4 action at our
tracks and also experience it from behind the wheel!”
The off road Expo will see participation by
major OEMs like Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Mercedes-Benz, Land
Rover, Renault, Triumph motorcycles, DSK motorcycles, Polaris all-terrain
vehicles and more, not to mention a host of accessory manufacturers. JK Tyre is
also using the event to launch the new range of Ranger SUV tyres and will be
conducting a spectacular off-road demonstration over the weekend. Enthusiasts
will also be able to meet and interact with JK Motorsport heroes like Hari
Singh and Sunny Sidhu and win loads of prizes at the event.
