Morung Express News Dimapur | October 20 Rugged vehicles exuding a sense of raw power with their 4x4 tyres and overhauled suspensions lined up at the Local Ground, Chumukedima during the flagging off of the 3rd Offroad Maestro on Thursday evening. The vehicles then headed to Shalom Resort in Gaili, under Peren District where they will compete in extreme offroading for three days. Altogether, 11 teams are taking part in this year’s edition of the Maestro which is being organised by the Association of Offroaders Nagaland (AON). The Maestro will be a six stage competition – all on natural terrains within the premises of the resort, and the organisers have guaranteed that the competition will test the driving and endurance skills of both the drivers and their spotters. The 3rd Offroad Maestro also witnessed the first ever night stage in Nagaland late on Thursday night. The competing vehicles besides having to fulfill several technical requirements have special gearboxes onboard while their engines have been tweaked to suit conditions of extreme offroading. From the 11 teams, four are from Meghalaya, one from Arunachal and the remaining from Nagaland. Two adventure clubs of the state are also taking part in the Maestro. While a team from the Nagaland Adventure Club (NAC) is taking part as a competitor, members of the Nagaland Adventure and Motor Sports Association (NAMSA) will be officiating the competition. Organisers informed that the Nagaland State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) will also be providing assistance while also use the event as an experience to learn recovery and other emergency techniques. The organisers also have at their disposal four fully equipped support vehicles, tagged “Marshall”, to assist in emergency situations.
