Meghalaya motorsport celebrated a strong outing at the 6th Edition of the Rally of the Himalayas, with Phoebe Dale Nongrum winning the Best Female Driver honour and Team Meghalaya securing the Best Team Award after four demanding days of high-altitude rallying.
Phoebe, alongside co-driver Shahid Salman, finished 4th in the T3 Xtreme category and 8th overall, overcoming snowfall, difficult terrain and mechanical problems during the rally, which concluded at Padum, Zanskar, on September 30.
The event began in Manali on September 26 with documentation, vehicle scrutiny, safety checks and the official drivers’ briefing before competitors headed towards Gramphu for the opening competitive leg.
The first stage from Gramphu towards Kaza took competitors through Kunzum La and the Lahaul-Spiti Valley, where rough terrain and snowfall added to the difficulty. Despite a car setup that was not ideally suited to the changing conditions, Phoebe and Salman successfully completed the stage.
The second day brought further challenges after overnight snowfall across Kaza, Losar and Kunzum La delayed proceedings by nearly two hours because of the risk of black ice. During the stage, the rear damper and suspension spring on Phoebe’s car became dislodged, affecting performance and costing the team valuable time.
Snowfall also forced organisers to shorten the third competitive leg from the planned 77 kilometres to around 16 kilometres. The team subsequently travelled to Padum, where the vehicle underwent repairs and servicing ahead of the final stage.
On September 30, Phoebe and Salman tackled the final leg from Padum towards Panzi La, navigating high-altitude terrain around the Drang-Drung Glacier to complete the rally in fourth place in their category and eighth overall.
Team Meghalaya had further reason to celebrate as fellow competitor Aneesh Sangma won the T3 Xtreme category and finished fifth overall. The combined performances earned Meghalaya the Best Team Award.
Phoebe’s performance also earned her the Best Female Driver honour, recognising her car-control skills across demanding terrain and rapidly changing weather conditions despite the mechanical setbacks encountered during the rally.
The Meghalaya Motorsports Society and Phoebe expressed gratitude to Hello Meghalaya and the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs, Government of Meghalaya, for supporting the team’s participation.
