Female 'Schumachers' at BIM


“A man’s worst nightmare...a woman driver !” goes that saying. Well..here they were proved wrong ..in the annual All Women’s Car Rally 2007, called Fastrak’ 07. Held in Trichy on February 18, 2007, it was organised by The Aura, Trichy in association with Madras Motor Sports Club. “A rally, not a race,” was emphasized repeatedly, as the contest involved a drive over a 54 km stretch, within a specified time. The difference being, the earlier one arrived, the more penal points one was awarded, thus nullifying the incidence and risks of speeding.

The contest this year saw over 70 teams from Trichy, with each team consisting of three ladies, each taking on the role of driver, navigator and the person who calculates TSD ( time, speed, distance ) respectively. Among the huge turnout was two teams representing BIM, with Nishevitha, Aparna and Deepa in one team and Kohinoor, Yamini and Sowmya in the other.


The rally involved meticulous calculations of TSD over the stretch as one had to cross various strategically placed check posts over the rally, at the precisely marked times. As mentioned, arriving late would command a penalty, but arriving earlier would fetch a higher one. A drawn map of the route and a sheet with TSD instructions was handed over at the beginning of the race. To make it more challenging, there was also a quiz which consisted of questions regarding landmarks along the ride.


The rally began from St John’s Vestry Higher Secondary School and involved participants returning to the same spot over a period of two and a half hours, after the rally, along with the filled in answer sheet. It also covered areas of Thillai Nagar, BHEL and the main market. Trichy, on that Sunday, saw cars of various makes, models and colours zoom past each other, driven by ladies, trying to test their wits and driving abilities to make the best of their given resources.