Shillong, Sept 26: Meghalaya motorsport athlete Phoebe Dale Nongrum will represent the state at the 6th Edition of the Rally of the Himalaya from September 27 to 30, following a podium finish at the Rally of Coimbatore.
Nongrum finished third in the Women’s Category at the Rally of Coimbatore, the second round of the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 2026, held in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, from September 18 to 20. Despite facing car-related issues on the opening day, Nongrum and her team recovered to maintain their pace through the remaining stages and secure the podium.
Representing the Meghalaya Motorsports Society and Meghalaya, Nongrum has been competing at the national level since making her INRC debut in 2023. She has also recorded consecutive runner-up finishes in the INRC Women’s Category.
The Rally of the Himalaya will take competitors across the high-altitude terrain of the Zanskar Valley and Ladakh, featuring mountain routes, changing surfaces and long-distance cross-country stages.
The event will mark Nongrum’s second appearance in the Rally of the Himalaya. Her first appearance came in the 2025 edition of the event, where she created history by securing a podium finish in the T1 Xtreme category and became the first female competitor to achieve a podium in the event along with winning the Best Team Trophy.
Nongrum will be partnered by experienced co-driver Shahid Salman, a former T2 winner of the 2017 Rally of the Himalaya and the INRC 3 champion in 2023.
With little time between the two events, Nongrum said the Rally of the Himalaya would present a different challenge from circuit and stage rallying, given the demanding terrain. She added that she was proud to represent Meghalaya again and hoped to put in a strong performance.
“The Rally of Coimbatore was challenging, especially after the issues we faced on the first day, but I am happy that we were able to fight back and bring home another podium for Meghalaya. There is very little time to recover before the Rally of the Himalaya, but I am looking forward to the challenge. The Himalayas are a completely different kind of competition from circuit or stage rallying, and having participated last year, I know how demanding the terrain can be. I am proud to represent Meghalaya once again and hope to put in a strong performance for the state,” Nongrum said.
The Rally of the Himalaya will give Nongrum another opportunity to compete in cross-country rallying while representing Meghalaya on the national stage. Her participation also comes alongside her ongoing INRC commitments, highlighting her involvement across both stage rallying and cross-country motorsport.
