There’s A growing breed of corporate biggies?city-bred, rich and successful?who are squeezing some time out of their busy schedules and taking their SUVs on expeditions. This, many believe, is a ?conglomerate of like-minded people to help interact with each other? along with having some fun. These honchos are not only managing mergers and acquisitions, but are also tackling routes in difficult terrains. They discuss strategies and plans, network with others and also have fun.

Be it the sand dunes of Rajasthan, the rugged terrains of the Himalayas, the narrow lanes of tiger reserves or the patchy west coast of India, these high-flying corporates seem to be leaving behind luxury and comfort to experience the life of an adventurer. Their mean machines can range from a Range Rover SE, Porsche Cayenne and Nissan X-Trail to Mercedes GL350, Audi Q3 and Volkswagen Touareg, among others.

Destination: Fun & adventure

Sandeep Bansal, finance head, Swarovski India, believes these expeditions make one known as an adventurous person among colleagues, besides enhancing one?s image in the corporate world. ?Generally, people are scared of long and difficult driving destinations and so they respect people who can manage to achieve this. It also helps in networking with like-minded people,? says the finance head of the Austrian luxury crystals and jewellery maker in India, who studied at IMI, Delhi and has earlier worked with organisations such as PwC, Tupperware and Advanced Medical Optics.

However, the man who has pioneered this spirit of corporate adventure as well as the passion for supercars is Gautam Singhania, the ever-young chairman and managing director of The Raymond Group, who loves to live life in the fast lane. Apart from successfully running a R5,500-crore textile empire, he has been synonymous with his passion for jets, luxe yachts and, of course, fast cars. Singhania owns a Lamborghini Gallardo, a Ferrari, Lotus Elise and an Audi Q7, among others.

Singhania?s love affair with cars began at the age of four when he got a go-kart. His father noticed his passion and bought him a Premier Padmini 1100 for his 18th birthday. Carrying his passion forward, today he is the founder of the Super Car Club (SCC), a platform to bring together super car owners across India. ?Cars are my passion and that?s one of the reasons for founding the SCC. It is the first and the only club of super car owners in the country where the members can participate in all the events organised by us,? he says.

Under Singhania?s patronship, SSC has organised six editions of the Parx Supercar Show. Its last edition happened in January this year. Over the past two years, he has also developed a keen interest in drifting, a driving technique where the driver oversteers, causing loss of traction in the wheels, while maintaining control from entry to exit of a corner. Currently, Singhania is the fastest lap record holder at the Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida, in a Ferrari 458 at 1 minute 59.44 seconds.

So when Singhania decided to go on a Leh-Ladakh expedition in August 2012, it didn?t come as a surprise to many. The event not only saw the likes of cricketer Ravi Shastri joining the fray, but it also had corporate honchos such as Audi India head Michael Perschke; Pankaj Khimji, son of Kanaksi Khimji and director of Khimji Ramdas Group of Companies; Cyrus S Poonawalla, chairman of Poonawalla Group; Vikrampati Singhania, MD, JK Tyre; and Girish Agarwal, director DB Corp; taking part in the journey.

The other major contributor to instilling the spirit of adventure among corporate high-flyers is Ashish Gupta, who quit as executive director of Babcock & Brown India, a global investment and advisory firm, so that he could take part in motoring expeditions. Over the past few years, the chartered accountant has organised four motor rallies, led 12 expeditions, including five to Ladakh as expedition leader, and has designed and organised 26 off-road driving tracks and events throughout the country.

Networking in motion

What is it that?s making these honchos, who are otherwise rivals when it comes to their respective work, join hands in motoring expeditions? Singhania, for one, says these events help participants know each other better.

?I enjoy road trips a lot and one doesn?t get to explore the picturesque landscape of our country unless one is driving. Last year, around 40 CEOs participated in the SCC Leh-Ladakh Expedition, which was a spectacular experience,? adds Singhania. The fleet of vehicles comprised Audi?s Q3, Q5 and Q7 models, among others.

Recently, the SCC organised the ?Desert Escape? expedition that saw 15 leading Indian CEOs drive across the beautiful state of Rajasthan. ?These expeditions help us network and exchange thoughts and ideas,? Singhania explains.

Delhi-based Bansal of Swarovski India took part for the first time in an expedition in the Desert Dash in 2009. Now, he not only participates once or twice a year but even encourages others to take part in such events. ?It?s complete fun and there is a passion for driving too,? says the 42-year-old. Agrees Mumbai-based Mukund Santhanam, senior executive at a multi-national bank. He feels driving expeditions provides one with a sense of perspective and teaches important life lessons, including on planning, handling successes and failures, among others. ?Though I keep this entirely as a hobby, the learnings are useful for my personal and work lives,? says Santhanam.

Santhanam has been to many expeditions on his own. ?I and my wife have driven through many countries, and in fact, undertook our honeymoon driving through Sri Lanka,? he says. If given a chance, he would like to take his wife too on these expeditions.

?I realised this was exactly what I was looking for?a wonderfully well-organised trip, with a lot of luxury thrown in and at a reasonable price point. I enrolled for a drive in 2011, but could not make it then. I finally managed to take part in the Desert Dash in 2013,? adds 43-year-old Santhanam.

Unlike Bansal, who loves outdoor sports apart from watching Bollywood and Hollywood movies and drinking beer with his friends when not in office, Santhanam also enjoys cycling, sailing, diving, trekking and bird watching.

Ashish Gupta, 43, who worked with ABN Amro for 14 years and ended up as a director, first tasted the thrill of rallying in 2006, when he participated in Desert Storm. ?I finished third and then I went on to participate in many such rallies. Whenever I shared my experiences with my peers in the banking and corporate world, I could see that most of them had a desire to participate,? says Gupta, adding, ?However, they wanted a balanced experience with the right mix of adventure, comfort and safety.?

Thus, in 2009, he launched Cougar Motorsport to cater to the needs of the luxury segment in road travel and offer a platform to corporate honchos for indulging in their dream of testing their expensive cars to the best of their abilities. ?Though there are some popular self-driving expeditions and rallies in the country like Raid de Himalaya and Desert Storm, none of them is based on the concept of luxury,? adds Gupta. He himself takes part in each of these expeditions.

After his first brush with expeditions in Desert Storm in 2006, Gupta went on to take part in Xtreme Raid De Himalaya in 2006, 2007 and 2008 as well as the Desert Storm in 2007, 2008 and 2009, with a few podium finishes too. ?Last year, I participated in the Rainforest Challenge Malaysia, which is considered to be one of the top 10 toughest motor races in the world,? says Gupta.

Cougar has four signature events throughout the year?The Himalayan Dash, The Desert Dash, The Coastal Dash and The Sanctuary Dash. And the charges vary from expedition to expedition. ?For example, the participation fee for the 5th edition of The Himalayan Dash, which is set to take place from June 21 to July 1, is R75,000 per person,? says Gupta.

However, is it easy to get like-minded people to spend their vacation on roads in the company of strangers rather than at exotic locations among their loved ones? Gupta says it was difficult in the past, but now many have understood the business aspect of these expeditions. ?These expeditions become an excellent means of business networking and forging of new associations and friendships among corporate czars,? he adds.

Some enthusiasts feel a well-planned car/SUV journey adds to one?s memorable group experiences. ?It is mostly a matter of personal adventure and experience. A little danger gives spice to life and earns respect,? says automobile journalist Murad Ali Baig.

Although Baig used to undertake trips to the mountains almost every month, he has reduced it considerably now. Baig?s most memorable experience came about 14 years ago when he was driving towards Har Ki Dun and was caught in a sudden cloudburst that washed out some bridges in the region. ?I collected some villagers and a long rope and virtually dragged our Peugeot 309 Car through a washed-out stretch of road,? says Baig.

In for the long haul

While motoring enthusiasts enjoy every bit of their journeys, it?s their friends and colleagues who are left with a lasting impression. Bansal of Swarovski India says colleagues treat him with greater respect, as not too many people get a chance to participate in such motoring expeditions. ?I always like to share my experiences and the concept of luxury motor expedition with friends and family. They always like to hear how my last trip was or where and when my next one will be,? adds Bansal.

For Santhanam, it also makes for a great treat for the eyes. ?Motoring expeditions make for great photo opportunities, and I do not hesitate from sharing these photos with my friends. The common reaction is a sense of envy and grudging respect,? adds the banker.

Gupta of Cougar says although there hasn?t been an increase in the number of participants over the years, what has risen is the number of queries coming their way and the profiles of people who are showing an interest in the events. ?Earlier, we would get a lot of requests from youngsters, who would ask for discounts. Now, we mainly get calls from senior executives and mature people who are looking for a relaxed, fun-filled and luxurious self-driving experience,? adds Delhi-based Gupta.

There is simply no doubt these trips don?t come cheap. With an average amount of over R70,000 per person required to go on such expeditions, it can often become an expensive proposition. But for motoring enthusiasts, the journey has just begun.