Adventure sports enthusiasts from across the country will drive through rugged mountain terrains, tea estates, forests and dry river beds across north Bengal and Sikkim for four days, starting Sunday.

The ninth edition of JK Tyre Himalayan Driver, a TSD (time-speed-distance) format car rally, will be flagged off from Mayfair Tea Resort, also the venue of the G20 meeting that started on Saturday, on the outskirts of Siliguri.

The event has been organised by Just Sportz Management Private Limited, an affiliate of the Federation of Motorsports Clubs of India (FMSCI).

“It is befitting that India’s chairmanship of G20 will also be celebrated through Himalayan Drive 9. The event coincided with the meeting of the tourism working group of the global forum. We always showcase the tourism potential of this region through the car rally and hope there are participants from other countries in future editions of the rally,” said Siddhartha Sadhan Bose, the chairman of the rally and director, Just Sportz.

The event, supported by the tourism department of Bengal, aims to showcase the region as a premier destination for adventure sports, an area on which the Centre is also putting impetus.

Though the ceremonial flag-off will be from Mayfair, the drivers will move through different areas of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri to reach Murti, a popular tourist destination in western Dooars on the fringes of the Gorumara National Park.

On April 3, the participants will be flagged off from Murti and reach Gangtok. In the final leg, the cars will leave Gangtok and reach Darjeeling on the next day.

On April 5, the prize distribution ceremony will be held in Darjeeling, the organisers told the mediapersons in Siliguri on Saturday.

Around 26 teams from across India, including three all-women teams, will take part in the rally, they added. The winning team will get Rs 1 lakh and the first runner-up Rs 50,000.