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Old 14th August 2014, 10:25   #76
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Re: The 2014 Rain Forest Challenge @ Goa

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Originally Posted by Samurai View Post
Today morning the competitors have started on the last and most important stage of RFC, the Twilight Zone. The teams have entered the forest at 6:30AM.

The score standings until yesterday are as follows:

Attachment 1274192

You may be surprised at the number of 20 and 0 score for many teams. The score 20 means they DNFed (Did Not Finish), 0 means they DNSed (Did Not Start). Many DNF were caused due to competitors intentionally forfeiting the SS pretty much after entering. This was mainly due to strategic decision by teams to preserve the vehicle for the final Twilight zone. Many teams DNFed half the SS intentionally. The 0 score was mainly because the teams couldn't participate due to injury or breakdown.
Wow. Gerrai offroaders is in third place.

That said, I am glad that the rest of the competition is not like the initial stage. I guess, we jumped the gun too early.
This is truly extreme!
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Old 14th August 2014, 11:19   #77
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Re: The 2014 Rain Forest Challenge @ Goa

I have added another score sheet to the earlier post to reflect all the scores until now.

Yes, this event is the most extreme I have seen. But Gerrari team is doing very well inspite of the extreme level of difficulty. The Force Gurkha vehicles driven by the Malaysian drivers are doing extremely well due to their experience. One of the driver has won multiple RFC Malaysia trophy, so that is obvious.

The importance of support team is becoming very apparent in this event. Those with well equipped support team are recovering from breakdowns very quickly and getting back in the competition.
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Old 14th August 2014, 11:44   #78
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Re: The 2014 Rain Forest Challenge @ Goa

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Originally Posted by Samurai View Post
I have added another score sheet to the earlier post to reflect all the scores until now.

Yes, this event is the most extreme I have seen. But Gerrari team is doing very well inspite of the extreme level of difficulty. The Force Gurkha vehicles driven by the Malaysian drivers are doing extremely well due to their experience. One of the driver has won multiple RFC Malaysia trophy, so that is obvious.

The importance of support team is becoming very apparent in this event. Those with well equipped support team are recovering from breakdowns very quickly and getting back in the competition.
Yes the Malaysian team is way ahead of anything and anyone. They have superb coordination, they whisper to each other over the helmet radio and go on munching the SS. Vehicle on the other hand has amazing support, after every SS some 10 people work on it to get it back to shape. To be honest, they broke quite a few stuff and was working on it through out. I would say they should be moved into a separate category altogether

Gerrairi's build is crisp and robust, whatever i saw they had the least breakdowns. As a team the way they coordinate and support each other is just superb! Sharing chai after each SS, abusing the driver till he takes that line and running around to ensure all of them get the same support is something rest of the teams have to learn from. Superb show from them and they truly deserve it. The Goa boy has been also quite consistent and smooth.

Why i like this event so much is because its all technical, one has to use the brain, there were stages where if you try to show off would land up turtle, so the smart ones would knock the bunting off and take 10 point penalty instead of DNF, 90 points Vs 20 points All this has to be spot thinking, sometimes you are not even allowed a walking recce. And absolutely no phur phur stages, true to offroad spirit its all about having the right wits, not flat out speed. Some of them with good builds are lagging due to this, rather lack of techniques and plan.

I was mentally cursing myself for not participating on one hand, this would have been home turf for Spidey. On the other hand happy that i did not, i don't think i have it in me to persevere so long in a competition event. The adventure class is totally useless, you can just accompany the group, watch the event and camp. Some stages you are not even allowed in.

Will i go next year, mostly yes as adventure class and enjoy the event as a tourist!
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Old 14th August 2014, 17:56   #79
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Re: The 2014 Rain Forest Challenge @ Goa

RFC winners Team Malaysia, these guys have won 2 RFC's before.

The 2014 Rain Forest Challenge @ Goa-rfcwin.jpg

Second place also was taken up by Malysian team.

RFC Indian winner and placed at 3rd

The 2014 Rain Forest Challenge @ Goa-rfcwin1.jpg

Third Gurkha with Indians placed at 8th so that talks about the skill levels also

Overall placing as i understood.

4 Gypsy,5 Wide body CJ Gerrari

6 Goa gyspsy Cedrik?

7 Hyd

9 BODA Madhu

10 Gerari gypsy (orange and white)

11 BODA Vijay & Sidhu

12 BODA Pradeep & Prithvi

14 BODA Sathish & Rohit

Last edited by Jaggu : 14th August 2014 at 18:12.
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Old 14th August 2014, 18:56   #80
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Re: The 2014 Rain Forest Challenge @ Goa

I hope next time we have builds from the likes of Mahindra and Tata also. Will be a good platform to showcase their technical expertise.
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Old 14th August 2014, 19:15   #81
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Re: The 2014 Rain Forest Challenge @ Goa

Final results fresh from the venue

The 2014 Rain Forest Challenge @ Goa-image.jpg
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Old 14th August 2014, 20:43   #82
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Re: The 2014 Rain Forest Challenge @ Goa

Press Release

Malaysia’s Tang Eng Joo lifts the Force Gurkha RFC India 2014 trophy

Panaji, August 14, 2014: The rain gods were kind, the challenge was completed and the trophy was lifted. The first edition of the Force Gurkha RFC India has come to an end and Malaysia’s Tang Eng Joo, with co-driver Tan Choon Hong, has been announced as the first ever Force Gurkha RFC India champion. They were closely followed by another Malaysian Mervyn Lim (co-driver Hamizan Bin Abdul Hamid). Both teams represented Force Motors and have consistently performed well throughout the event, leading from the beginning.

The six day event culminated in a glitzy awards night held at the International Centre Goa (ICG), Dona Paula. The dignitaries present on the occasion included Mr. Luis J A Wee (Founder & Creator, the Rainforest Challenge), Mr. Baharudin Jali (General Manager, Negeri Sembilan Tourism Board, Malaysia), Mr. Ashish Gupta (Founder & Director, Cougar Motorsport Pvt. Ltd.) and Mr. Prasan Firodia (Managing Director, Force Motors Ltd.).

The Indian teams put up a tough fight too. There was a commendable performance by Kabir Waraich and Gagan Sachdeva of Gerrari Offroaders Chandigarh who came in third place after fighting their way to the top. The team escalated to the third rank in the Predator Stage and managed to hold their ground then on after not figuring in the top rankings at all initially. Staying true to the motto of their club that ‘I am going to do it’, sheer determination and will power helped the duo secure the rank. Being the topmost Indian team at the event, these young offroaders will get an automatic free entry into the Rainforest Challenge Malaysia 2014 that will be held in November.

Ashish Gupta of Cougar Motorsport, the company responsible for bringing RFC to India, said, “I am amazed and excited by the amount of courage and determination that have been shown by all the teams during the extremely tough conditions they have faced throughout the challenge. Their performance is a testimony to the immense talent there is in the Indian off-road community. Each team had a different strategy in place for every Special Stage. It was very interesting to see how two people came together, strategized and conquered the challenges we had put forward. I am happy that Force Gurkha RFC India 2014 has brought the Indian off-roaders on the international map and will go a long way to promote off-road motorsport across the country.”

The event was divided into four stages – the Prologue, the Predator, the Terminator and the Twilight Zone. The course was designed in such a manner that the level of difficulty increased as the challenge progressed with each Special Stage testing the driving and recovery skills of the participants under extreme offroad conditions. The Prologue Special Stages were held close to town and it was the biggest congregation of off-road enthusiasts Goa has seen so far with hundreds of spectators coming to admire the impressive display of 4X4 vehicles. The heavens poured incessantly as the competition progressed and the 23 teams butted heads in the mud and slush, attempting to complete the SS in the shortest time possible.

The Predator Stage progressed with many nail-biting moments. The service teams had their work cut out for them with many breakdowns along the way. The Terminator Special Stages saw course designers up the ante of the competition. With tougher challenges and paths, the Prologue and Predator Stages were mere curtain raisers as compared to what awaited the competitors. The Twilight Zone started early morning on the last day of the motorsport event. This was the toughest stage the competitors had faced so far and none of the teams managed to complete the Twilight Zone, deeming the leading team in the Terminator Stage as the winners.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Luis J A Wee said, “All the participants in the event, be it the competitors or the touring adventurers, have made history by being a part of the first edition of the toughest off-road motorsport event that India has ever hosted. RFC is a tough sport and it takes great strength, will and determination to be able to compete in the event. Just by competing in all the stages, the participants have proved their mettle and are all winners for me. At the end of the day, all the bruises, the tiredness and the stress are worth reaching the finish line.”

Some other key awards were also announced at the awards night including the Lifetime Achievement Award which was given to veteran off-roader from Kolkata, Mr. Uday Bhan Singh. The award for Most Unique 4X4 went to Hydross Niaz and Savant Satyanarayanan from Kerala for their Willys FC 170 while the Team Spirit Award was given to Delhi’s Bijender Singh and Jitender Singh. Uday Mahatme and Rohit KR from Goa and Bangalore respectively were felicitated with the Jungleman Award while the brave ladies from Bangalore, Smitha Prasad and Sapna Gurukar, who were the only women competitors in the event, were given the Ladies Team Award. The Environment Award went to Guhan Shetty and Ayub Khan from Tamil Nadu for making the maximum possible effort to preserve the beautiful flora and fauna of Goa.

(From L to R): Mr. David Metcalfe, Malaysia’s Tang Eng Joo, Mr. Prasan Firodia, co-driver Tan Choon Hong, Mr. Luis J.A. Wee and Mr. Ashish Gupta

The 2014 Rain Forest Challenge @ Goa-photo-1.jpg

(From L to R): Mr. David Metcalfe, Mr. Ashish Gupta, Co- driver Mr. Gagan Sachdeva, Driver Mr. Kabir Waraich, Mr. Luis J.A. Wee and Mr. SPS Garcha

The 2014 Rain Forest Challenge @ Goa-photo-2.jpg

Last edited by GTO : 15th August 2014 at 16:29. Reason: Replacing highlight with underline :)
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Old 15th August 2014, 10:19   #83
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Re: The 2014 Rain Forest Challenge @ Goa

Thanks for the news I was delighted that all prizes were
Won by our Vehicles !!!
Lots to learn from them, what stuff works and what is of
Not much use to us .
Amit Kumar
Ahmedabad
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Old 16th August 2014, 13:13   #84
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Re: The 2014 Rain Forest Challenge @ Goa

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True on an offroad rally there is a prolouge with invitees and a lot of spectators.

Then there are transport sections, a night halt camp and competitive stages commence in the morning usually a six to seven hour run covering 140 to 150 km. But here the emphasis is more on BHP than torque the Gasolene engine BMW X 5, Nissnan Patrols Dodge Ramcharges Toyotas and Renault concept 4x4 start gaining lead. Its 70 % driver talent and 30 % vehicle you will discover that a modified Landrover Discovery finished among top 3 that day.

Then comes a 60 to 70 K night drive on trails and then a forest challenge.

Have thse guys marked out such a route ?
Was rally GPS with the waypints rented out to all participants or was there an upload service ?
Is there a radio communications control set up in India a License is required for all this as well including FRS channels with a mere 2 KM range.
Was enviromental clearances obtained to take the rally through tropical rainforest. Did the ministry of tourism co-operate ?

On the last day there is a podium finish with a little demo of the cars. Followed by Lunch / Dinner / Media briefing.

There are no international teams in the event. Why ? Why have the winners of last few years not come. They sail their vehicles on ferries even to Malaysia or Thailand or Phillipines so why not Goa ?

Does this event not hold much challenge or they are waiting for teething problems to be over ?

The Western Ghats are very scenic and an off roaders dream.

Lets see over the next four days as to what is actually dished up.

For future events North India too holds plenty of promise.

Prolouge in a Gurgaon outdoor hotel.
Challenges section in the Aravallis.
Transport to Jaipur.
Offroad sand trails sections followed by a major trasport section then solid dune challenges in Jaisalmer.
Prize distribution in Jaisalmer then transport back or carriage back.

Give me a SWB LC Prado 120 with 2 inch lift and Old Man Emu Nitro suspension kit, I will win it!

sir,
as said earlier, you have indeed jumped the GUN. I request you to kindly wait for Samurai's report to have any opinion about the event.
yes, we had all transport sections, a licensed Radio communication system, a tropical rain forest section(S), i.e predator, terminator and twilight were all held in the densely forested areas, with due permissions and FULL support of the forest and tourism departments of Goa.
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Old 17th August 2014, 10:58   #85
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Re: The 2014 Rain Forest Challenge @ Goa

The TV interviews of some of the teams can be seen on Living Cars program today at 11:30AM on NewsX channel.

Edit: Didn't happen today. Too early to prep it for this week I suppose. Better luck next week.

Living Cars schedule: Saturday 5.30pm, Sunday 11.30am and 6.30pm NewsX

Last edited by Samurai : 17th August 2014 at 11:57.
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Old 17th August 2014, 12:17   #86
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Re: The 2014 Rain Forest Challenge @ Goa

Was fortunate to witness the rfc on first 3 days.it was fantastic event,very technical.the way the prologue stages were designed were amazing.in the same area using more or less the same obstacles completely different set of stages were laid on 2 days.
Teamwork and strategy was important than out right speed.some teams purposely hit the cones to gain penalty points, while others took some part of course in reverse.also when the stage started the crew had to come out of the car and start the stop watch and after the stage ended step out of the car and stop the watch.also whenever the driver steped out of the car the engine had to be switched off.use of gloves was compulsory when using any tools and all tools had to be secured back in their proper place before stage finish.
This event has taken the off-roading to the next level.it was surprising to see all the 25 plus extreme vehicles prepared to such high standards.each one was different in its suspension set up, tool mountings, cabin configurations , engines,etc.hope the level and standard of preparation will get better and better for coming events.None of our regular modified 4x4 would be capable of tackling these stages.
@samurai. So near yet so far.I was standing right next to you when you shot the orange and white gypsy which tackled the obstacle in reverse.see second pic on page 5
Cheers
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Old 17th August 2014, 12:41   #87
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Re: The 2014 Rain Forest Challenge @ Goa

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@samurai. So near yet so far.I was standing right next to you when you shot the orange and white gypsy which tackled the obstacle in reverse.see second pic on page 5
Cheers
That must have been Jaggu. I arrived only on 11th early morning and covered Predator & Terminator stage. The Twilight got postponed and finally cancelled midway, couldn't cover it. Too bad we didn't meet.
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Old 18th August 2014, 16:12   #88
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Re: The 2014 Rain Forest Challenge @ Goa

Cheers to team Gerrari for overall podium finish. Its good to see them dominating result sheet. Looking forward for comments from people who witnessed this event on:
1) Vehicle preparation
2) Survival kit preparation
3) Vehicle modification (what vehicle/engine/GB/tyre combo)
4) Offroading accessories/equipments which helped most
5) Participant preparation (physical/psychological preparation)
It will help all future participants like me to prepare better for upcoming events......

Shubhendra
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Old 18th August 2014, 17:22   #89
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Re: The 2014 Rain Forest Challenge @ Goa

Glad to be proven wrong (by jumping the gun at testing ground pics)... I happened to see live update/pics from a "Paid Visitor" and the RFC is a game changer for offroading scenario in India. I proposed this to a few active jeeper friends...

From now on Offroading in India can be categorized as ---

1) beginner/weekend, once a month offroader, mostly on road, nature/trail lovers - stock 4WD vehicle from company, may need a tow rope and a GPS and a shack to hit the night...

2) intermediate - what we have seen till now in Tbhp and other forums, MT tyre, shackle lift, winch, locker, DIY roll cage, stock engine, can be driven to OTR spot - stock 4WD plus say 2Lacs in mods, or a rebuild from a scrap jeep and end up at 5ish Lacs per vehicle

From now on...

3) RFC/Hardcore class - large petrol/diesel engines, 150-200+ Bhp, 35" Simex/MT tyres, SPOA, dual winch, FIA spec roll cage/safety, intense drive line mods, portals maybe, mostly not on-road worthy (should be made so in name of safety) and be towed in a trailer to the OTR spot - budget of say, 15+ Lacs approx per vehicle.
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Old 19th August 2014, 23:22   #90
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Re: The 2014 Rain Forest Challenge @ Goa

hello all it was a dream run for gerrari offroaders team we bagged 3,4 5 and 9th place in the event we thank all marshals team cougar motorsports and above all almighty god to have blessed us all,
looking forward to the next challenge
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