Adrenaline rush in the rainforests of Goa

The Force Gurkha RFC India, held last week in Goa and considered the toughest off-road motorsport race in the country, was won for the very first time by an Indian duo

This was a battle in peace times and the goal was to overcome all kinds of terrain - rocky, slushy, steep, or insanely treacherous. Thirty 4X4 vehicles with souped up engines, high-profile tyres, super tough suspensions, rock solid gear boxes and gritty drivers competed for the coveted title at the Force Gurkha Rain Forest Challenge India 2016 in Goa.

The rainforests of Goa, nestled in the expansive Western Ghats, came alive to the sounds of grunting engines and screeching tyres as drivers and their navigators used some great skills to guide their vehicles through the multitude of obstacles that both man and nature had carved out on the beautiful landscape of Goa.

 

It was nothing short of jungle warfare. At the end seven days of tactical manoeuvering (including a one-day rest) through open lands and thick forests, the Indian pair of Gurmeet Virdi and co-driver Kirpal Singh Tung, in a modified Maruti Suzuki Gypsy, came first. Virdi wins a free automatic entry to the RFC mother event to be held in Malaysia later in the year.

It was a first for the Indians as the previous two RFC rallies were won by Malaysian drivers in their Indian Force Gurkha vehicles. This year, the Malaysian drivers - Merwyn Lim (with Hamizan Bin Abdul Hamid) and Tan Eng Joo (with Tan Choon Hong) - had to be content with the second and third positions, respectively. Kabir Waraich and Gagan Sachdeva of Force Motors and Goan driver Cedrick Jordon DaSilva (Floyd Preston) tied up for the fourth position, both securing 1938 points. Force Motors emerged as the winner of the Team Award.

Force Gurkha RFC India, sponsored by Force Motors and organised by Cougar Motorsport, is considered the country's toughest off-road motorsport event. The event was held in four competitive legs -Prologue, Predator, Terminator and The Twilight Zone - in different parts of Goa from July 22 to 29. The Prologue Special Stages (SS) was held in Dona Paula followed by the Predator and the Terminator stages at Quepem (Cavorem) in South Goa, finally concluding with the Twilight SS at Sattari (Morlem) in North Goa.

Seven days prior to Virdi and Tung's victory, no one expected to see an Indian finish in first. The Malaysians were exceptionally skilled drivers, their Force Gurkhas were close to invincible and the support their teams provided was unlike that of other contenders. The first two days comprised the Prologue stages in which competitors had to wade through waterholes, cross over crevasses using logs, crawl up steep gradients and make near impossible manoeuvers. What made it all possible were the winches.

It was the Twilight Zone (SS25) that saw the event getting tougher. A total of 21 participants entered, while others could not due to vehicle damages or because they opted out due to the risk involved. Finally, only 16 were able to complete the stage. The rest ended up finishing late or had to be recovered. In the Twilight Zone, participants had to cover a tedious trail though the forests. The 21 vehicles had to cross waterfalls, complex rock clusters and climb steep hill - all in the dense rainforest. Winches were out almost throughout the stage and vehicles were being towed out of sticky spots with a few even rolling over the side of the hill. The true camaraderie of the participants came out in the rainforest. The forest challenged them in every way possible - their wit, courage, skill behind the wheel - and brought out the spirit of brotherhood in them.

The last and final leg of RFC India would determine who the ultimate winners were. On Day 7, there were only two special stages - SS 26 and 27. The stages had been designed to test the driving dynamics and manoeuverability of the vehicles. In a stunning upset, Virdi and Tung managed to inch past Lim and co-driver Hamid to finish first and were crowned overall champions.

At the end, the RFC India Season 3 ushered in the winds of change.

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Report: Motown India; www.motownindia.com