SHILLONG:
The Army Service Corps (ASC) motorcycle display team ‘Tornadoes’ which has been the cynosure of Indian Army, epitomizing the spirit of adventure, daredevilry, technical skill and spirit-de-corps. reached Shillong on October 7.
The team consisting of 15 Royal Enfield riders led by Major Ramya Venkat and Captain AS Grewal started the expedition from Tezpur on October 1 where the expedition was flagged off by Lt Gen DS Rana, AVSM, YSM, SM, GOC 4 Corps.
On October 8, the ASC team will be celebrating its 11th Reunion and 262nd Corps Day. To commemorate the rich history of the Corps and pay homage to our brave soldiers and martyrs who have served the nation, the Tornadoes plan to undertake a 2600 km motorcycle expedition in the North Eastern region. During the expedition, the riders will pay homage to martyrs at various War Memorial in the North Eastern states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya and Nagaland.
They will be paying homage at the War Memorial in Shillong before being flagged off by Lt Gen KC Panchanathan ,GOC ,101 Area on 9 October 2022.
The ASC expedition which commenced from Tezpur on October 1 will pass through Tenga Valley – Bomdila- Sela Pass – Tawang – Fwd Posts of Tawang – Kalaktang – Guwahati – Shillong – Kombrian – Imphal – Dinjan, and will culminate at Gajraj War Memorial, Tezpur on October 17, covering a distance of 2600 Km in 17 days.
Notably, since their inception in 1967, Tornadoes have n impressive 32 World Records under their belt, with the count increasing every year. The team is stationed at ASC Centre (South), Bangalore and comprises of 39 Riders which includes two Officers, two Junior Commissioned Officers and 35 Other Ranks.
For the past fifty-five years of their existence, the Tornadoes have displayed their skills in thousand of shows across the length and breadth of the country. The team has also represented India six times at International level in Bhutan. The Tornadoes also have the honour of holding 32 World Records certified by various record holding agencies. The team has set nine World Records in Nov 2020 under various categories, such as Longest ride through Tunnel of Fire and Highest & Fastest pyramids. The team also undertook a winter expedition to the Karakoram Pass covering over 2500 Km in 22 days.