Few things in life are worth doing, and that changes from person to person. For me, apart from travelling and trekking, one more thing I slowly developed a love for is adventure sports. And what’s the ultimate goal in that? For me, it’d be a rally!

The SJOBA Rally is exactly that: a 3-day-long rally on the outskirts of Chandigarh, covering some unimaginable terrains, with the best riders in the country. Despite the weather conditions, everyone shows up to test their skills. Thanks to xBhp for encouraging me to participate in the SJOBA Rally for a second time.

But it’s not as simple as just registering your name. The preparation starts way earlier. That includes preparing your bike, preparing yourself, the perfect tyre setup, and most importantly, mental preparation.

I rode a Hero Xpulse 200 with a rally kit, which is good enough to start your adventure or, I’d say, rally riding. It’s affordable, easy to maintain, and has enough power to handle whatever you throw at it on any terrain. But for rallying, your bike needs a thorough check-up beforehand: proper servicing, engine check, oil change, cleaning the air filters, and making it safe even for riding in rain or on riverbeds.

Then comes the main bit– choosing the right tyre. That can completely change the game. For rallies, we use knobby tyres, which are specially made for off-roading terrains. They’re not great for tarmac but are super grippy in dirt, mud, and other rough conditions. This time, I chose CEAT Gripp XC knobby tyres… the best decision ever. The performance I got was unbelievable, but they are a little hard to get your hands on. Yet again, a big thanks to xBhp for helping me out with that. 

Before the race, I tested them on the track, and the response was amazing. They gave me more confidence in every corner than any other similar tyre on the market. On the very first run, I was more than happy with the performance.

Next come two other important things: preparing yourself, both physically and mentally, for the race. The race itself is very hectic. In a full day, you have to cover more than 100 km of stages, and you need to retain the same level of energy and performance throughout. It’s obviously a bit challenging, but gradually, you can prepare yourself. For me, it wasn’t that hard. Because as long as I’m on my bike, I feel fully energised… and I think that’s something every rider out there can relate to.

But rally life might be the most unpredictable life, in my opinion. At any moment, you can make or break the race. For me, this time, it went really bad… something I never even imagined in my dreams.

After completing the scrutiny, when the race started, the bike performed really well. But the weather made it even harder for everyone. It was raining cats and dogs. It was so bad that a few stages had to be cancelled for safety reasons. Riders could crash, or something worse could happen. Cancelled exams make students happy, but cancelled rally stages are painful for every rider.

We just wanted to ride. Throttle hard. No matter what terrain came our way, ride till the last drop of energy and fuel. Terrains you’d never think of riding on in normal days, we were riding through at full throttle… in the rain! Every drop of rain felt like a bullet hitting your face. But trust me, all we were thinking about was the finish line. The clock was ticking in our heads, pushing us to finish the stage as quickly as possible.

And that’s where tyres play such a crucial role in control. The control I got with the CEAT Gripp XC knobby tyres was unmatched. Muddy roads, sandbeds, riverbeds, stone-covered paths, even twisty mountain roads… these tyres were just insane in terms of performance. They gave me so much confidence during the rally. I was 100% sure that no matter how hard I pushed, the tyres would hold. That helped me push just a little beyond my limits. I was getting good times on every stage.

But it all came crashing down not too long after. I had a severe crash on a mountain road. I am thankful to the Almighty because, despite the severity of the crash, I was pretty much unharmed. But right after that, the bike started having technical problems. It got stuck multiple times in the riverbed, and I lost a lot of time there, but I still managed to bring it to the finish line. Then, in the next stage, in the middle of the run, it just stopped and didn’t start again. 

This is the worst part of rallying. Maybe it’s the toughest pain a rider can feel– being forced to give up. I tried everything, but it just wouldn’t start. And just like that, I had to give up on this year’s SJOBA Rally. But then again, it’s part and parcel of rally life, I guess. That said, I am not going to end this piece or my journey on a sombre note. I am going to be back next year… stronger than ever. Because one thing I need on my table is a trophy, and someday… I am going to get it. 

Finally, a big thanks to xBhp and CEAT for supporting me in this journey… and you guys will hear from me again at next year’s SJOBA!

Tyre Review :: CEAT Gripp XC

For rallying, the tyres you choose are one of the most important factors in deciding how you’ll do. Like you cannot be faster without the right shoes, you can’t ride faster without proper tyres. For rallying, it is even more important as you have to ride on knobby tyres. Thanks to CEAT Tyres, I got my hands on just about the best knobbies in the Indian market– CEAT Gripp XC. Rallies are unpredictable, and with how technical and varying (in terms of terrain) the stages can be at SJOBA, I needed the best possible tyres. This year, we had rain as well, which made things even more difficult. It was so bad that some of the stages were cancelled altogether. But whenever we got to ride, the CEAT Gripp XC tyres made it a delight. The Gripp XC had grip and support on offer regardless of what I encountered– rain, tarmac, stones, riverbeds, mud, and everything else. I was blown away by the performance, and I can wholeheartedly recommend these tyres for all sorts of rally adventures you might have planned.