A lot of heat and dust was raised over the weekend of February 21-22 at Shyam Business Park in Singur as two-wheelers and four-wheelers spun across mud tracks, raced through circuitous routes and recorded best timings, at Kolkata Moto Fest 2021 in association with The Telegraph.

Known names from the eastern India rally circuit beat the corona blues to participate in this mudfest with their machines ranging from the capable Gypsy to the rally veteran Cedia, to the modified Swifts, Ignises, Citys, Balenos and even a Chevy Sail.

A vehicles roars through in a haze of dust. Telegraph picture

It is often said those who love their cars won’t take them to rally, but it is here in the dirt tracks of Singur that the capabilities of both men and machines came to be tested.

Participants competed in eight categories depending on the engine size and whether the vehicles were two-wheel drives or four-wheel drives. There was a ladies’-only category, too and there was an open category where anyone could participate irrespective of the engine size.

Two-wheelers face difficult times negotiating the stretch as riders used their legs to propel the vehicles as the tyres remained ineffective on sand. Telegraph picture

The motor fest was not so much about speed as it was about skill and negotiating the soft earth with wheels. As engines revved, vehicles roared through in a haze of dust often with the headlights on as daylight was eclipsed by the dust raised by the speeding wheels.

“It was a test of skill, knowing which gear to engage and when to step up acceleration. Many got stuck as wheels spun over soft earth without moving an inch,” said Debasish Bhattacharjee, of the Kolkata Automotive Sports Association.

Two-wheelers also had eight competitive categories based on engine size and whether they were two-stroke or four stroke vehicles. There were a number of Hero Impulses, Karizmas and Royal Enfields pitted against each other.

A Gypsy participates in the mudfest. Telegraph picture

The most challenging was the 80-metre sand track in the circuit. Two-wheelers had a tough time negotiating the stretch as riders used their legs to propel the vehicles as the tyres remained ineffective on sand. “It’s a lot of hard work riding through sand,” said a rally veteran.

“You have to negotiate sand on first gear and keep moving the vehicle to avoid getting stuck.” Four-wheelers, too, slowed down on the sand track and put on speed only when wheels hit the gravel.

While there were a number of winners with many ties particularly in the four-wheeler category, the overall best performer at the moto fest was Subir Roy among four-wheelers and Uday Ganguli among two-wheelers.