An unforgiving terrain. An unforgettable race. 

The breathtaking mountain frontier played host to a brutal Cross Country Rally: the JK Tyre Rally of Himalayas 2026.

The sixth edition of one of India’s most challenging rally raids pushed 50 cars and 80 riders racing across rugged routes, starting from Manali, through Lahaul-Spiti, before culminating in Zanskar on Wednesday. 

And at the end of four days of action, Dhritimaan Singh reigned supreme on two wheels while Rajiv Yadav & Rohit Gowda pushed their limits to win the Extreme category. 

There was nothing to separate the pairs of Soham Hazra & Nirav Mehta, and Santosh H.M. & Prakash Muthusamy as they mastered the clock and machine in the Time, Speed, Distance category.

The competition also had a unique 72-km stage that was subsequently run in the reverse direction. 

One of the turning points of the rally came when Lakhpa Tsering — the 2015 Raid de Himalaya victor — was forced to withdraw following a technical issue on the second day of racing. 

Rajiv and Rohit setting the pace early proved crucial as they faced stiff competition later, mainly from Daksh Gill and Virender Kashyap, who reached speeds of up to 200 km/h during the treacherous Zanskar stretch. 

“It’s very tricky [on a bike] because you have to navigate on your own. It’s also a very demanding sport… we have to take good care of the body as well as the machine,” Dhritimaan had said midway through his fifth Rally of Himalayas.

Leaving no room for half-measures in the second half, the Dehradun rider conquered the Himalayas in full.

The results: Extreme (driver & co-driver): 1. Rajiv Yadav & Rohit Gowda; 2. Aaryak Rana & Aditya Sharma; 3. Daksh Gill & Virender Kashyap.

Time Speed Distance/Adventure: 1. Soham Hazra & Nirav Mehta, and Santosh H.M. & Prakash Muthusamy; 2. Chandra Mouli &  N. Sri Sakthi Kumar; 3. Sachin Mandhwani & Adhitya Anthony.

Moto (two-wheeler): 1. Dhritimaan Singh; 2. Happy Verma; 3. Nitish Bharadwaj.

(The writer was in Manali at the invitation of JK Tyre).