What Makes Ice Road Trucking India’s Deadliest Road Show?
Published On Nov 24, 2016
Incepted in 2007, History TV’s acclaimed adventure reality show Ice Road Truckers (IRT) highlights the deadly job of truck driving. Challengers try to navigate seasonal routes through treacherous road conditions in Arctic, Canada and Alaska regions. This year, for the first time, the Ice Road Truckers have come up with an India edition named India’s Deadliest Roads show which features three Indian celebrities in a thrilling expedition across the Himalayan roads.
What the show is about
Named ‘India’s Deadliest Roads’, the new show documents popular stars, actress Mandira Bedi, actor Varun Sharma and wrestler Sangram Singh trucking through the Ladakh region to transport essential commodities to remote villages in the Himalayas via Leh (11,562 ft), Zing Zing Bar (14009 ft) and Baralacha La (16005 ft).
Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV), that rolls out the popular BharatBenz trucks in India, has collaborated with History TV 18 for the show. The three celebrities will be driving the BharatBenz MD IN-POWER 1214R trucks through a distance of 1500kms, at a height of 18,380 feet at sub- zero temperatures, for around 2 weeks.
BharatBenz’s collaboration with IRT
Through the show, Bharatbenz hopes to increase its visibility across India. Ice Road Truckers-India’s Deadliest Roads aims to highlight the daring conditions drivers face while driving at such heights in adverse weather conditions, and here the reliability and dependability of BharatBenz trucks comes into highlight.
Speaking about the association of BharatBenz with the show, Mr. Sominder Singh, Vice President of Domestic Sales (Product Management & Network) DICV, says that the concept of the show is quite challenging and it has the perfect format to visually showcase how BharatBenz trucks are tailor-made for the needs of Indian customers. “They are robust, reliable and the ideal vehicles to handle all kinds of road and weather conditions as well as the toughest of terrains,” he adds.
Training and journey
Already on air since October 21, the show captures the journeys of the three truckers from Manali in Himachal Pradesh to Turtuk in Ladakh through some of the highest motorable passes in the Himalayan ranges. The celebrities not only face dangerous roads, but also life-threatening weather conditions while transporting essential commodities to remote villages and work camps at the highest army stations which face connectivity issues during harsh winters.
In order to stand up to the challenge, the participants were rigorously trained in Chennai and Manali where they drove trucks under different terrains and also familiarized themselves with the features of the BharatBenz MD IN-POWER 1214R trucks.
Celebrities share their thoughts
The participants hit some highs and also had their share of sweet moments while on the road.
Said Varun Sharma about the show, "I loved the concept of the show. Driving through the Himalayas in a truck is not as easy as it looks.”
Mandira Bedi’s journey so far has been emotional and enriching. The actress said, “This was easily one of the most life-threatening journeys of my life. I think such experiences help you understand and value your life more and the small yet beautiful things we take for granted everyday”
Sharing his experience, Sangram Singh said, "The drive was very scary as it was beautiful. More than anything I thought the journey helped me realize the extent to which I could push myself. I truly believe that such life threatening experiences help put trivial day to day issues in context and give a better perspective on life. ”