Maruti Suzuki has always had a very strong foothold in motorsport in north India, with the Maruti Suzuki Raid de Himalaya and the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm which have attained cult status. To replicate similar success in off-road rallying in south India and to encourage more participation, Maruti Suzuki felt the need to create and promote the biggest motorsport event in the region. This gave rise to the Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare rally in 2009 and in the very first year it had a record number of entries in the Time, Speed and Distance (TSD) class.

Held in June, coinciding with the onset of monsoon, the track gives the competitors a chance to brave the unique challenges nature offers. Dakshin Dare 2011 saw more than 75 participants racing each other through a grueling 2100 kms. It took the competitors through a unique combination of terrain comprising the plains of Tamil Nadu, the Deccan Plateau, the Nilgiris and the Western Ghats, before concluding at Bangalore. Like its sibling rallying events, Raid-De-Himalaya and Desert Storm, Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare also brings out the best in both, the car and the participant. It tests the endurance of vehicles in multi-terrains and brings the ultimate joy of rallying to the owners.