It was time for practice runs by bullock carts on the dusty track of the Kila Raipur stadium, near Ludhiana, where four-day Haywards 5000 Kila Raipur Sports Festival gets under way on January 7.

With a prize money of Rs 2 lakh up for grabs for this event bull owners were out on the tracks with the carts. J ockeys could be seen taking their precarious perch giving a battle cry as the bulls virtually tore across the tracks kicking up a pall of dust as they disappeared in the distance. The cart jockeys are a breed apart. They are selected and hired for a big amount. Similar to the jockeys in horse racing, these cart jockeys are the trump cards and are ear upto 25 per cent of the prize money.

It was an unending stream of bullock carts waiting to have a go on the tracks with the winner assured of a prize money of Rs 35,000. Besides this official prize money the winners on the final day will get away with a bigger sum as the spectators also announce their share for their prize bull.

Mingling with the bull owners were the organisers who were giving finishing touches to the arrangements to make this edition of the rural Olympics an unforgetable event. The practice runs for bullock carts were similar to the practice runs prior to a Formula I car racing event.

The carts finishing second, third and fourth get Rs 30,000, Rs 20,000 and Rs 15,000, respectively. Cash prizes are also given to the carts finishing up to the eighth position.  Athletes will vie for the cash prizes at stake from a total prize money of Rs 1 lakh. Another Rs 75,000 and Rs 85,000 cash prizes have been set aside for hockey and kabaddi.

The prize money for different events, including dare devilry, totals up to Rs 10 lakh, the biggest ever offered in the Kila Raipur Games so far. Although the rural sports festival will be inaugurated on February 8 the elimination rounds or the qualification rounds for the bullockcarts will be held tomorrow. The vast 7 acre stadium was being decked up for the carnival. Walls were being painted and final hoardings were being put up. Special markings were being made for stall areas. A parking bay and food area has been set up to ensure smooth running of the sports extravaganza at the Haywards 5000 Kila Raipur Sports Festival 2008.

One of the co-sponsors of the rural Olympics JK Tyre, have been associated with the promotion of motorsports for more than 20-years now. For the past 12-years the company has been the pioneering force behind the JK Tyre National Racing Championship. Ace drivers like Hari Singh, Naren Kumar (in rallying), Narain Karthikeyan, Karun Chandok and Arman Ebrahim (in circuit racing), who have gone ahead to excel on the international arena, have been supported and nurtured by JK Tyres.

In its effort to nurture and develop young talent JK Tyre launched a multi-level Karting programme across the country a few years back enabling thousands of young children to get their first taste of motorsports. Many of these children have come up the ranks and are now a regular feature in the JK Tyre National racing Championship. Young drivers like Akhil Khuslani, Aditya Patel, Gautam Pairekh to name a few are products of this grassroots programme.