15 Sep 06
Oh, the irony. The very next corner, we see them wedged into a ditch between a cliff and the road. 'I told you to slow down,' I hear Haarman Madon yell to his team-mate, Karan Singh Bedi. They're both OK. Once out, Karan tells us he'd taken the preceding corner too fast, got onto two wheels and couldn't make the next bend. The front wheel is mashed into the bodywork and the roof hoops are bent. Haarman is furious, and smashes out a windscreen panel in frustration. We drag rickshaw number 13 out of its rock-lined grave and confirm that the front forks have been bent right back. The mechanic was close behind and we leave them to contemplate losing their 15,000 rupee (£175) deposit.
On the main road, the towns thin out and the lushness gives way to Mexican-spec desert. The tarmac is good and we finally reach Kanyakumari and our hotel. There's a chequered flag to greet us and, more importantly, an air-conned room. We made it, and so did everyone else (incredibly, the superhuman mechanics fixed rickshaw number 13 at the roadside). With all the tension and danger gone, I realise that after 600 miles, I'm very, very tired.
A large and largely fictitious repair bill attests to the fact that this first year wasn't a financial success for the organisers, but in every other way the rally was a triumph. Next year, if two of you can scrape together £540 (plus flights, and the entry fee goes up after 1 December), the Indian Rickshaw Challenge will make an unforgettable adventure holiday - if you survive it. Now, surely my airport taxi driver isn't going to overtake round that bend? Oh my god, he is...
For more information, visit www.indianarc.com
