Syd Stelvio, Pearl of India - Day 13 – Kanha to Nagpur – 306km

The morning chorus of day 13 was slightly different to the norm, awaking as we were in the Jungle. There was an incredible plethora of noises to be heard from the different birds, mammals and insects. Anyone who had been up late the previous evening may have even heard Tigers out in the trees, their low, almost sorrowful roar carrying through the night.

Many chose to begin day 13 with a Safari to catch a glimpse of these magnificent beasts, but sadly none were to be found today. Perhaps it was an omen, this being the 13th day of the rally and falling on a Friday, or perhaps they were just shy. At least nobody became breakfast for one of the big cats!

The rallying day began at midday, with 15 cars signing out of the MTC, heading out on a 306km route with a pair of regularities to contest at either end of the afternoon. The first of these was a mere 34km into the day, and occurred within the same forest that we had spent the night in. The trees here seem to be in a perpetual state of flux between the seasons, with some shedding leaves, and some wearing blossom as winter turns to summer in this monsoon climate.

The road out to the reg had been in pretty good condition, and largely empty, but the tarmac for the reg itself was fairly broken, and under the trees the dappled light hid a lot of the potholes and bumps until it was too late. At least the road had widened, so the odd motorcycle or rickshaw was easily passed as the cars found their way through the section.

Breaking out of the forest the road began to pass by paddy fields, some green with crops that were beginning to be harvested, and some lying dry and fallow. Other fields had recently been cleared of hay crops, with great swathes of it stacked up in ricks of varying neatness. It was a very peaceful scene to look upon, and there were hopes of another serene day on quiet roads in the countryside.

Around halfway to the Time Control marking the mid-point of the day there was a fabulous climb, which at the top offered tremendous views of mountain slopes thick with tree cover. The descent was less enjoyable than the climb, with speed bumps liberally placed on the road into and out of almost every bend of the slope. These were tremendously annoying, ruining the flow of what could have been an extremely entertaining bit of tarmac. A quick glance at the Armco though revealed the need for them, with the steel barriers bearing the scars of those who’s talent had run out at about the same time as their brakes had.