The Unsung Hero of the 1985 Himalayan Rally

Images: Tutu Dhawan, Overdrive

The eleven editions of the Himalayan Rally, held from 1980 to 1990, mark one of the most remarkable events in the history of Indian motorsport. Organised by the late Nazir Hoosein, it attracted drivers and teams from all over the world, including the likes of Paris Dakar Rally winner Kenjiro Shinozuka, who, along with the Kenyan of Indian descent Jayant Shah, was amongst the most successful drivers of the Rally.

Apart from the first two editions, the Rally started and finished in Delhi, following a long, treacherous run driving through the narrow, twisty roads across the Himalayas. The beautiful Hotel Savoy in Mussoorie served as the parc fermé and the preferred overnight accommodation for the crew.

However, this story is not about the heroics of Jayant Shah in his Nissan 240 RS or Kenjiro Shinozuka blazing the rally stages in his Mitsubishi Galant VR-4. This story is about the sportsmanship of Tutu Dhawan, a seasoned Himalayan Rally driver and now a renowned restorer, and why he remains one of the legendary figures of the Himalayan Rally.

The story goes back to about 40 years ago when, for the 1985 edition of the Rally, Dhawan acquired a 1977 Lada 1600, which belonged to a Russian diplomat, through a State Trading Corporation auction. The rally preparation started with the body being completely stripped down with the intention of fitting lightweight material. Dhawan taught his daughter Reetika, who was still in school at the time, the art of moulding fibreglass into body panels. She helped him fabricate new fibreglass panels for the front bonnet, rear doors, and the boot lid. Next, all the laminated glass windows, except for the front windscreen, were replaced with Perspex, contributing to the tremendous weight saving. The entire body frame was seam-welded to ensure the car could withstand the rigours of the arduous rally stages.

What really differentiates rallying from circuit racing is the mechanical acumen required from drivers. The driver is not only the driver but also the engineer, mechanic, and strategist, all rolled into one. The 1985 edition, amongst other things, exemplified this skillset of Dhawan.

Once on the rally stages, during the climb from Rajgarh to Sataun, Dhawan smelled burnt oil and immediately stopped the car, anticipating a mechanical failure. Upon a quick inspection, it was found that the rear oil seal of the gearbox was leaking, and the oil was dripping onto the hot exhaust pipe, causing the smell. At the next service stop, the team was instructed to prepare a one-litre oil can with a long plastic line, which Dhawan connected to the inlet nut of the gearbox. Dhawan tied the oil can to the roll cage inside the top of the cabin. This acted somewhat like an intravenous drip to the gearbox as the leaking oil was being topped up while the car was on the move.

The brilliant innovation was timely, as replacing the gearbox seal would have cost service points, significantly dropping him down the order.

However, Dhawan's woes did not end there. Towards the end of the sixth day of rallying, the differential housing got damaged. Due to incessant acceleration and deceleration, the joint became deformed, and oil leaked from the differential. The team tried everything it could but to no avail. This was a particularly tense moment, as it happened right before parc fermé.

A taxi driver's interesting idea helped this time around. He suggested that mixing an egg white with some cement would stop the leak, and the car would be ready to use by the morning. Accordingly, the remaining oil left in the differential housing was drained, the housing was cleaned with gasoline, and the mixture suggested by the driver was applied. Lo and behold, it worked!

As a matter of abundant caution, Dhawan inserted a pressure-containing fitting with three openings (a tee) in the oil line, supplying oil to the gearbox, and connected another line to the oil filler nut of the differential. This acted as the second unit to be fed through the oil can tied to the roll cage inside the cabin.

With all his mechanical acumen and some sublime driving through the gruelling stages, Dhawan deserved to be on the podium. But it was not meant to be.

One of Dhawan's closest rivals in the 1985 Rally was Belgian ace Flory Roothaert in a Nissan 240RS. At one point in the Rally, Roothaert was running third, right ahead of Dhawan in fourth. The section from Mussoorie via Chopda to Gopeshwar was particularly challenging. During one of the night stages, Roothaert's alternator burnt off, which meant he had no headlights and was left stranded in the jungles of Chopda. While still on his stage run, Dhawan spotted Roothaert on the side of the road in the middle of the dense forest and decided to help him by exchanging the batteries of the cars. This would help Dhawan push-start his Lada because of the Nissan's depleted battery, and Roothaert would manage to get out of the forest with minimal lighting.

The six remaining stages in the next two days were during the day. Had Dhawan abandoned Roothaert on the night stage, he could have possibly finished on the podium. Eventually, Roothaert ended up on the podium in third, ahead of Dhawan in fourth.

Nevertheless, Dhawan's sacrifice and stellar performance did not go unrecognised. He finished first among the Indian drivers, which is a massive achievement. His 1985 drive is still remembered as one of the best of the Himalayan Rally, forever engraved in the event's history.

Despite being a strong contender to become a World Rally Championship event, the Himalayan Rally was discontinued after the 1990 edition. This was on account of various political reasons, including agitations by the local population, who were demanding a separate hill state of Uttarakhand at the time, and the assassination of the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, which led to riots and disruptions. In one instance, the army had to be called in to protect the participants.

The Himalayan Rally died a slow death and never became a part of the World Rally Championship. But it did provide some memorable stories of sports and glory, such as this one.