Bhubaneswar, March 3: Temperatures are soaring in the state and so is the adrenalin of residents as they gear up for a grand motor sport weekend.
A national all-terrain vehicle (ATV) championship is set to begin tomorrow at the DLF Cyber City in Patia followed by a women's car rally on Sunday.
Kalinga Motor Sports Club, in association with Autosports India, is hosting the Mega ATV Championship under the aegis of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI). Set to be India's biggest student motor sport event, the championship will feature ATVs designed and made by engineering and science and technology students from universities across India.
"So far, 70 teams have registered for the competition and each team has 25 to 30 engineering students who have created their vehicles. The different rounds will test the vehicles' usefulness during disasters, calamities or emergencies," said Kalinga Motor Sports Club secretary Ramesh Mahapatra.
In each round, the teams will ride their vehicles in different conditions, specially prepared at the venue. Teams from Odisha have also registered for the event.
"We have teams from colleges such as Institute of Technical Education and Research, KIIT and so on. We also expect IIT Bhubaneswar and VSS Burla to register on spot," said Mahapatra.
On the inaugural day, there will be registration and technical inspection of the vehicles and will end with a Sunburn DJ night and stunt shows on bikes and vehicles<>. Flat dirt race, earthquake simulation, blackout race and road safety programmes will take place on the third day, while the concluding day will feature flood simulation, landslide simulation and award ceremony along with a star night.
The organisers have already made preparations for simulation of different track conditions . Students will also get to interact with experts from the auto industry, including the design and manufacture sector, as well as a mentorship programme and an auto expo.
The four-day event concludes on March 7.
In another development, the city will host its first women's car rally on March 6 ahead of Women's Day hosted by Carnival and Seva Prayas Foundation. Participants can register both online or by contacting the hosts. Around 200 women have already signed up for the rally. The cars will have to be decorated on a social theme related to Women's Day and the best decoration will be awarded. The rally will take place between KIIT Campus to 7th Batallion.
