DUNEY HIGH JINKS

From observing the action on a screen to witnessing the methodic off-road madness in person, here's our Dakar Rally experience.

- DIVYANK KUSHAGRA BANSAL

Every once in a while, sitting behind the wheel of my ordinary car (sorry, Volkswagen!) in everyday traffic, I feel a pretty big urge to hop into a 4x4 vehicle instead, fitted with outrageously big wheels and trick suspension, something akin to the vehicles used in, say, the Dakar Rally, which would allow me to drive over pretty much any obstacle and simply glide past the standing traffic. Alas, wishful thinking.

Oh, and speaking of the Dakar Rally, those of you who might have gone through autoX's previous magazine issue, the motorsport section in particular, would remember a certain mention of Dakar and a forthcoming 'surprise' related to it. Well, the time has come to reveal it. The abovementioned wishful thinking turned into a sight of pure awe and disbelief for me, as last month, Audi India took a select group of journos to Saudi Arabia to catch this year's Dakar Rally live in action. And guess what, I was a part of that teeny-tiny group. So, here's are some of my key highlights.