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-   -   Pics & Report: The Offroad Carnival, Pune - 12th & 13th September 2015 (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-excursions/169858-pics-report-offroad-carnival-pune-12th-13th-september-2015-a.html)

We had two categories for participants, Diesel and Petrol. Initially for each category we announced only winner and runner-up but later on we got enough gifts from sponsors to have winner, first and second runner ups. This was kept secret till award distribution and it was a nice surprise for participants.

1) Petrol Category:
2nd Runner up
Mr. Cedrick Jordan Da Silva (Driver) and Mr. Floyd Preston Dias (Co-Driver) from Goa
Prize - Sound Stream Car Speaker set with tweeters sponsored by Damodar Car Accessories.
Trophy given by Mr Paritosh Gujar from Damodar Car Accessories & Mr Vijay Sethi of Maxlink group of companies.



1st Runner up
Mr. Sandeep Mayekar (Driver) and Amey Dhameskar (Co-Driver) from Goa
Prize - Gift Voucher of Rs. 20000 from Kiran Ratanchand Tyres & a recovery kit worth Rs 5000.
Trophy given by Mr Raj Bafna from Kiran Ratanchand Tyres & Mr Vijay Sethi of Maxlink group of companies.



Winner of Petrol category
Mr. Imran Saudagar (Driver) and Mr. Faisal Saudagar (Co-Driver) from Bombay
Prize - Lamda Differential locker kit from Swastik Fabs.
Trophy given by Mr Vijay Kumar from Swastik Fabs & Mr Vijay Sethi of Maxlink group of companies.




2) Diesel Category

2nd Runner up Diesel category
Mr. Krishna Bhobe (Driver) and Mrs. Maithili Bhobe (Co-Driver) from Goa
Prize - Tropicool Car fridge & car inverter by Tropicool
Trophy given by Mrs Khushboo from Tropicool & Mr Vijay Sethi of Maxlink group of companies.



1st Runner up diesel category
Mr. Suraj Bhagat(Driver) and Mr. Shree Ambre (Co-Driver) from Aurangabad
Prize - Gift Voucher of Rs. 20000 from Kiran Ratanchand Tyres & a recovery kit worth Rs 5000
Trophy given by Mr Raj Bafna from Kiran Ratanchand Tyres & Mr Vijay Sethi of Maxlink group of companies


Winner of Diesel category
Mr. Gaurav Dukle (Driver) and Mr. Sayyed Sarfaraz (Co-Driver) from Goa
Prize - 1 set of mud terrain tyres sponsored by Jeep Tyres India.
Trophy given by Mr Pavan Anand of Jeep Tyres India & Mr Vijay Sethi of Maxlink group of companies.




We also had one additional separate competition in memory of our founder team member and guiding force Mr Bunty Chadha AKA 'Chief'. It is named 'Chief's Challenge' and was basically Winch competition for vehicles fitted with winch. Out of around 35 participants for this competition only 5-6 participants were able to finish it. This particular SS was designed in such a way that it required coordination between driver, navigator, winch and vehicle. It was not simply connect the winch, press the button and take your vehicle out.

Winner of the Chief's Challenge Trophy
( The toughest task - Winching Competition )
Mr. Sameer Chunawala (Driver) and Mr. Sajid Fakih (Co-Driver)
Prize - A winch wort Rs 50,000 sponsored by Grizzly Motor Works.
Trophy given by Mr Ajay Chadha, Mr Santosh Bahl & Mr Karan Chadha




Just to give you glimpse of how varied our competitors were. We had participants from 16 cities from south and west India

Well designed trail and well organized event. We guys had fun at the event. Thank you Shubhendra & Team for awesome hospitality.

Day 1:

Registration and check-in: we started registration at around 08:00 AM, most of the participants came last night as most of them were coming from far off places and were staying in nearby hotels.

Vehicle scrutiny: Though we had very short list of mandatory requirements to clear scrutiny. Very few vehicles were not 100% compliant and we gave them time to fix issues (spare tyre etc.). Few vehicles which came without MT tyres couldn’t participate in competition. We hope next time onwards participant will be more serious towards vehicle scrutiny as we will in all probability make it stricter.

Mandatory requirements in vehicle scrutiny:
Mud terrain tyres
Seat belt for driver and navigator
Front towing point
Rear tow hook
Working 4x4 with low gear ratio
Minimum 4 point roll cage or complete A and B pillar covering driver and navigator
Helmet for driver navigator
Spare tyre



Competitor’s briefing: we had a long briefing as format of the event was new to many participants and there were various questions. We provided docket to each driver & co-driver which contained rules book and separate score sheet for each SS which contained, their penalties, SS completion time, SS reporting time etc. Many competitor missed the briefing as they were not on time, but we had to be strict to ensure we dont go off with schedule, it didnt happen though :Frustrati














Event Head Quarter and display section

Event report

Maxlink Annual Offroad Carnival 2015

So here is long pending event report. It took quite sometime for all of us to recuperate from physical and mental tiredness which we went through for last month and half for this event.

Finally we were able to open all SS of day 1 (SS 1 to SS 6 and Chief’s winch challenge) at sharp 11:00 AM, and each participant was given 35 minutes to report to their assigned SS once they finish the scrutiny. There was also a separate competition called as ‘Chief’s Challenge’ in remembrance of guiding force behind Pune Pathfinders Mr Sunil ‘Bunty’ Chadha, who passed away in an accident few months back.
It was herculean task for us to finish all 7 SS for day 1 by 07:00 PM (official closing time for all SS)

SS 1: max time 7 mins:
Setup in ravines and hidden ditches coupled with sharp turns, it started with a ravine filled with boulders, you make a mistake in aligning your vehicle and you get stuck in mud heap or rock, once you cross first ravine another one welcomes you with more height and bigger boulders. After crossing ravine, take sharp U turn on your right and little incline filled with various ditches wait for you with a sharp steep left drop thereafter. If you are through, then take one more U turn on your right and conquer incline, maneuver through few more turns and ditches and long steep slope to reach to end point set up in flat land.
Participant with limited articulation vehicles had tough time but they enjoyed this SS because of surprise at every corner. Difficulty level was moderate and tyre placement was key.

SS2: Max time 7 mins:
More than vehicles, it tested nerves of competitors. Set up in and around a stop dam this SS saw dramatic reaction from participants. It started with clearing tight turns, mud and rock filled incline and you reach on top of stop dam, then you again need to come down clearing big bouldres, clear one more ditch with mud, take left and hit the dam incline vertically. The moment you reach on top, you need to take left and clear the dam wall diagonally, we placed bunting in such a way that everyone had to diagonally clear the dam wall. We had dramatic moments here, few participants refused to hit this section, few slided but most of the participants cleared this obstacle.
During SS creation, we used almost all vehicle combination to ensure its doable by all vehicle and yes, all type of vehicles cleared this. Once you reach the flat surface, one more sharp hump and than long guided track to reach end point. Few competitors had hard time clearing this diagonal decline, many backed out, many took DNF but there were few daredevils who did it in style. On day 1, post afternoon there was non stop rain for an hour and it made this SS more challenging and nerve wrecking.

Remaining pics of SS 2

SS3: max time 6 mins:
It started at hilltop, and it was simple do down and come up type SS. you cross the start line and big boulders placed naturally at random points coupled with sharp decline, once you clear all of them and reach the bottom, there is a mud hump, and very tight U turn towards right to incline the hill. Many vehicles went out of the track here or got stuck in hump. Once you come up, it was a zig zag shaped incline, tight turns, big potholes leading to top again which was also end point of SS
Many participants felt their otherwise powerful vehicle underpowered, due to sheer incline.

SS4: max time 6 mins:
One of the most difficult SS of day one saw most of the recoveries happening here. Setup next to river, it had thrill quotient to the fullest. It started with tight turns leading you to the edge of river, few meters ahead, 90 degree left turn which started with big rocks and trees. Participant who attempted this SS before noon was having hard time to clear but participants after noon, post shower had very very hard time which also lead to creative ways to clear the hurdle. Few used spare tyres, sand ladders and even winches to clear the SS and most of them were successful as well.
We had few hair raising moments here and our recovery bolero had broken star joints, burnt winch, broken side mirror, bent bumper etc. on day 2 morning, I was at driver seat doing winching of a gypsy and front tow hook of that gypsy broke from chassis and flew close to 50 mtrs and banged on windscreen in front of my face. Thankfully it was laminated windshield and no one was in line of sight. Except few bruises from small glass particles, I came unscathed. Even on day one front tow hook of another gypsy flew off breaking side mirror. Thank god, we were using winch dampener and all safety precautions which avoided any injury.
But I do want to emphasize on safety aspect of this sport. And next year we will be stricter on safety norms.
We had fair share of dramatic moments here but drivers who aligned their vehicles correctly cleared in one go and were seen teaching others , offroad camaraderie, you know ;)

SS5: max time 6 mins:
Longest SS of entire event looked plain Jane to many saw most vehicles toppling here. It was setup in deep forest, with long stretches of seemingly flat land which caught few competitors in surprise. One wrong movement and it would be unforgiving to you. It had mix of slush, rock, incline, decline and trees enveloping you to deep dark forest with lots of surprises.
It started with a long boulder filled incline and than straight slushy path to dense bushes which had big rocks underneath. Once you clear it, a sharp right turn with incline to take you to top after that maze of zig-zags with undulations take you to the end.

SS6: max time 6 mins:
It was not actually offroad obstacle but yes, it was related to it. A SS named very simple ‘Change tyre’ was more than JUST tyre change. Competitors were not allowed to use any equipment to raise height of vehicle and were allowed to use vehicle articulation to get one tyre above ground, remove the tyre, show it to marshal, put it back and drive vehicle back to end point. A simple sounding task saw most participants failing to complete it within stipulated time, they had hard time find a suitable spot to articulate their vehicles. Specially vehicles which had after-market kits for better articulation found those big rocks not big enough to raise their tyres above ground :uncontrol

Owners of this SS

Chief’s Challenge: max time 15 mins:
A separate competition organized in remembrance of guiding force of “Pune Pathfinders’ who passed away in an unfortunate accident few months back. This competition was only for vehicles equipped with winch. It was worth its name and saw less only 3-4 vehicles finishing it within stipulated time. While making this SS we were able to complete it within 10 minutes and were under impression that many people would be able to finish it much before.
There were vehicles fitted with competition series and expensive winches as well. But this SS was more than just winching, wrong placement of tyres or wrong approach angle and you stuck in wall like rocks. There was no straight route to top, after every few meters competitor was required to align vehicle again, take easy route reach to next step and follow the same practice. A true test to driver, co driver, winch and vehicle saw high voltage drama throughout the day with competitors using various strategies to conquer it.

Though we opened all SS at sharp 11:00 and were very positive to finish all SS on day 1 but due ti thunderous rain in afternoon played a big spoilsport, it made all SS interesting though. Being new to this concept many participants and even few marshals got confused in between on which SS to attempt next leading to small chaos which was later controlled but in process we lost precious time. Also as declared in briefing, closing time for all SS was at 07:00 PM, we abided by it end closed all SS at 07:00 pm. One point worth mentioning in many SS there were participants who reached at 06:55 PM and was asked to attempt SS as per rule, almost all participants cooperated and showed true sportsman spirit.


We had gala night on day-1 with various performances from few troupes from Bollywood, we also had few interactive session and but obvious gala dinner with beverages. It was good to interact with people coming from far, made new friends, rejuvenated old friendship, learnt various new things and endless ‘Offroading Gossip’ with buddies.



















There was an emotional moment to remember our dear friend Mr Bunty Chaddha AKA Chief








Vote of Thanks from our family





No one realized that its way past midnight and next day is going to be another hectic day. By the time we all reached our rooms it was few hours before morning.

Few random pics from day 1







I believe its only RZR 1000 in India, it was participant of RFC 2015 as well




I Really want to mention about this couple (Mr. and Mrs. Mehta from Bombay) . They completed all SS and their coordination was something to learn for. I am not sure how many of us will be able to ofrroad with such enthusiasm at such age



Team from Bijapur





Exhausted but enthused with energy

During last night dinner, it was informed to all participants that all SS of day 1 will be open at 07:30 AM sharp and will close at 11:00 AM sharp. Though more than 70% participants completed all SS of day 1 and many didn’t want to do few SS but an opportunity was given to everyone to complete all SS of Day-01.

All SS of day 2 were supposed 2 open at 11:30 AM after competitors’ briefing on trail. Also instead of 6 SS of day 2, we reduced it to 4 SS to ensure we close all SS by 05:30 PM as it would take around one and half hours for us to compile results and for participants to get freshened up and have evening tea and snacks. We were able to follow above plan with almost perfection. Everyone was able to complete all SS of day 1 and day 2 within time. In fact we completed all SS of day 2 by 05:00 PM but we had to wait till 05:30 PM (official time to close SS) to make sure if someone turns up he/she get chance to attempt SS.

SS 7: max time 6 mins:
Patience was virtue along with navigator’s skill. A wrong movement or action in jiffy and you land up either side of wooden logs put up to cross the 12 feet ditch. Star attraction of day 2 had more than just a wooden logs, it had big tyres put at the end of bridge so that you simply don’t rush through it. Good team work was key and we had big surprises here, where few completing in less than a minute to few stranding in critical position lasting recover for hours.
There was one participant from Ahmednagar (Mr Suraj Bhagat) who completed it in around 45 seconds flat, that to without the help of navigator. It was fun watching participant adopting variety of skills. One team who also completed it within a minute, they also didn’t get down from vehicle and instead navigated through window and made it. This SS was challenge for us as before every vehicle we checked the width of that vehicle and bridge to ensure its within reach, though during recce we attempted this SS with almost every vehicle combination. We also had to check logs after every vehicle to ensure they are tight and aligned properly. But after participants feedback we feel it was worth the effort.