The Alfa Kilo Challenge Conquered!

motocamp · 27th June 2010, 17:32

Got back from the AKC

,the pictures and stories will follow shortly.

Guys please post any pictures and video you may have.

Red Liner · 27th June 2010, 18:55

LOVED the trail. LOVED your organization. LOVED the weather. Many thanks to you and your family.

And the mug is super!

fazalaliadil · 27th June 2010, 19:20

Missed being there, hopefully in 2011.
Awaiting the event to unfold in photographs and video.

Samurai · 27th June 2010, 21:40

Just got back to Bangalore. I must say that the AKC trail was the most natural and finest trail I have ever done. Usually we do estate/timber trails, but this was about making your own way in the mountain territory while crossing a river repeatedly in heavy rains. It was so good I didn't miss my Jeep, I enjoyed walking up and down the river in heavy rains in 2x2 using mud terrain gumboots while spotting and shooting.

Cyrus43 · 27th June 2010, 22:43

But the Best by FAR was the MINDBLOWING pulao!! What food man!! AWESOME!!

hgnishanth · 28th June 2010, 00:08

Guys waiting for the updates, and pics.

Cyrus43 · 28th June 2010, 00:18

Teaser Shot. This was what was in store for us at the AKC

pulsar56 · 28th June 2010, 00:20

You guys are making us jealous with those teasers!

Update the threads asap please!

Cyrus43 · 28th June 2010, 00:25

Makes you feel more jealous??

SunChaser · 28th June 2010, 00:46

Hey great going Kunal.. even though i missed it, i heard a lot of good things about Alfa Kilo from everyone! Every person who stayed at my hotel on their way back, had just praises for your event, and the food..

amol

garrett_t16 · 28th June 2010, 01:14

Just reached home, Akc was crazy fun !

gonna crash now.

cant stay up longer.

pictures on the way

gsferrari · 28th June 2010, 07:44

The Alfa Kilo Challenge has positioned itself as one of the BEST off-road challenges in the country. The trail was absolutely amazing with a lot of technical bits that were carefully picked by Kunal over the course of several recces and the effort put into this activity clearly shows. I love how the trails were marked and there were people at most of the point on the trail to show the participants the way. I like how there are multiple "Take Me Home" trails that a participant can use to quickly leave the trail and head back to base in case of any problem. Some of the obstacles were absolutely thrilling and although I didn't attempt the river crossing due to bad light and malfunctioning testicles...I did do the descent down to the river banks and back up the same way.

While the river crossing (Gogi rescue operation) was in progress, Huda and I decided to walk around a bit to see if there was an alternate route for the others to follow to get across to the point beyond the crossing. This would save us time and get everyone to the same point to attempt the rest of the trail. As we left the group and headed down the hill about 200m away from the group I heard a low frequency growl and saw the bushes moving about 20m away from where we were walking. We immediately stopped, picked up stones and backed away back to the main group. Huda was talking at the time and didn't hear the growl but I definitely heard it and felt it.

Now I am not sure if a Leopard can growl like that...very low frequency...almost like a tiger growl. All I know is that it was a wild animal and we needed to get out of there. Just another little exciting story among a whole list of other stories from the event.

Another memorable section was the steep descent (near vertical) with a left turn at the end. Arka hopped into the Gypsy with me and gave me instructions all the way down...super!

Oh! Who can forget the slush pit right at the beginning! WHAT a way to begin the event! It was absolutely super sliding around for a good 60-70m in slush and negotiating a right turn at the end while going sideways and up a gravel ramp. I never thought the Gypsy would make it...and it continues to take my expectations and treat them with disdain.

Phew...so much more!

AKC - you have me as a volunteer next year!!

BIG thanks to Kunal, Huda, Kunal's mom, Alfa Kilo's dad, the Mahindra guys, The guys in red-tees who were manning the obstacles, Arka and the rest of the Chennai crew for keeping me company.

Met a lot of great people...enjoyed some fantastic food and had a great evening by the bonfire.

AKC in one word = TERRIFIC!

rahultomahawk · 28th June 2010, 07:58

got to get ready for the next AKC , more pictures please.

genesis · 28th June 2010, 08:45

Thank you Kunal and Huda for organizing and flawlessly executing an amazing day.
Thanks to your family and Alfa Kilo's family and friends from Jaipur for their hospitality.
Thanks to the Mahindra crew and Vinod for their dedication and tireless efforts.
Thanks to the folks from Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore for driving down and your spirit of camaraderie!

And thanks to those who taught me to crawl again on all fours! (You know who you are

)

@GS: Regarding the growl from the bushes, Prasad was complaining about an upset stomach that evening...
But seriously speaking I heard you executed some mean moves on the trail including a new handbrake trick!

motocamp · 28th June 2010, 08:45

On Behalf of Abhimanyu Singh's family and the AKC team.

I wanted to thank all the participants for attending and enjoying the event to the fullest it has really put a smile on all our faces and made all the effort worthwhile.

To all the Hyderebad ,Bangalore and Chennai Boys who drove 1400km in their jeeps and gypsies and really put their best tyre forward hats off to all of you.

You battled total exhaustion and Won!

To the Mahindra support team who really excelled , you guys were great

Thank you for giving us your awesome recovery expertise.

I saw the Thar in action at the AKC and can say it will be a worthy opponent!
And Behram sir i will take you up on your offer!

Due to time delays we could not appoint any Marshals , but in retrospect it would not have been needed.
Every body worked together as a team with the more experienced guys jumping in to help.

Rustom , Burgees and Neville! I have new respect for the Gypsy, like the old saying goes,it is the man not the machine!You guys were great.

Rustom you had guts to cross the stream which quickly turned into a fast flowing river after the downpour,not many would have done that.

Mp Shrinivasan,your Armada and your driving skill was right up there with the best.

Robinson I loved the way you and your machine took on all obstacles with ease.

Vinod Nookla who was right behind me for most of the trail , Mahindra is surely going to benefit from your hands on expertise and awesome 4x4 driving skills.

Arka built like a Tank and always in the thick of the action!Your team will follow you anywhere!

James And Amit i would have loved to see you guys driving, but your spotting skills are legendary and were totally needed in the Flowing river!

To Nishant and Kishore newbies to the 4x4 world,you guys rocked!Nishant did not back down anywhere and completed the whole trail.

Gogi who was caught at the wrong end of the rivers fury,you were cool and composed all the way, not many could have chilled out with a smile on your face in a petrol Cj3b dead in the water fast being submerged all the way to the bonnet.

To all the drivers and spotters i did not have the time to interact with, I was totally awed by the Driving and recovery skills on display at the AKC!

With all of us The Indian off roading scene is being taken to a new level all the time.

To the Ladies in Red, Huda my wife and Akshi one of my best friends ,you guys were awesome The Akc could not have happened without your effort and constant Vigil.

To Uncle Ajit and Vikram , thank you for being there with me every step of the way and Hat's of to the both of you, you would make a lot of guys half your age feel weak and Old

Mom and Dad thanks for everything.

Aunt Vaidehi This one was for you.

And lastly but not least,I want to thank Alfa Kilo Himself, the man who taught me a lot about life and Jeeps and continues to do so.

Abhimanyu Your Jeep is a monster and will continue to evolve into the Masterpiece you envisioned.

27th June 2010, 17:32	#1
motocamp BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: pune Posts: 452 Thanked: 102 Times	The Alfa Kilo Challenge Conquered! Got back from the AKC,the pictures and stories will follow shortly. Guys please post any pictures and video you may have.
	(1) Thanks

27th June 2010, 18:55	#2
Red Liner Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 5,209 Thanked: 18,044 Times	LOVED the trail. LOVED your organization. LOVED the weather. Many thanks to you and your family. And the mug is super!
	() Thanks

27th June 2010, 19:20	#3
fazalaliadil Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 2,022 Thanked: 672 Times View My Garage	Missed being there, hopefully in 2011. Awaiting the event to unfold in photographs and video.
	() Thanks

27th June 2010, 21:40	#4
Samurai Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore/Udupi Posts: 25,828 Thanked: 45,519 Times View My Garage	Just got back to Bangalore. I must say that the AKC trail was the most natural and finest trail I have ever done. Usually we do estate/timber trails, but this was about making your own way in the mountain territory while crossing a river repeatedly in heavy rains. It was so good I didn't miss my Jeep, I enjoyed walking up and down the river in heavy rains in 2x2 using mud terrain gumboots while spotting and shooting.
	() Thanks

27th June 2010, 22:43	#5
Cyrus43 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: London Posts: 5,019 Thanked: 221 Times View My Garage	But the Best by FAR was the MINDBLOWING pulao!! What food man!! AWESOME!!
	() Thanks

28th June 2010, 00:08	#6
hgnishanth BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Bangalore / High SEAS Posts: 186 Thanked: 12 Times View My Garage	Guys waiting for the updates, and pics.
	() Thanks

28th June 2010, 00:18	#7
Cyrus43 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: London Posts: 5,019 Thanked: 221 Times View My Garage	Teaser Shot. This was what was in store for us at the AKC Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

28th June 2010, 00:20	#8
pulsar56 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Sydney Posts: 1,172 Thanked: 342 Times View My Garage	You guys are making us jealous with those teasers! Update the threads asap please!
	() Thanks

28th June 2010, 00:25	#9
Cyrus43 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: London Posts: 5,019 Thanked: 221 Times View My Garage	Makes you feel more jealous?? Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

28th June 2010, 00:46	#10
SunChaser BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Lonavla Posts: 63 Thanked: 41 Times	Hey great going Kunal.. even though i missed it, i heard a lot of good things about Alfa Kilo from everyone! Every person who stayed at my hotel on their way back, had just praises for your event, and the food.. amol
	() Thanks

28th June 2010, 01:14	#11
garrett_t16 BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: mumbai Posts: 193 Thanked: 101 Times	Just reached home, Akc was crazy fun ! gonna crash now. cant stay up longer. pictures on the way
	() Thanks

28th June 2010, 07:44	#12
gsferrari Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,014 Thanked: 1,809 Times	The Alfa Kilo Challenge has positioned itself as one of the BEST off-road challenges in the country. The trail was absolutely amazing with a lot of technical bits that were carefully picked by Kunal over the course of several recces and the effort put into this activity clearly shows. I love how the trails were marked and there were people at most of the point on the trail to show the participants the way. I like how there are multiple "Take Me Home" trails that a participant can use to quickly leave the trail and head back to base in case of any problem. Some of the obstacles were absolutely thrilling and although I didn't attempt the river crossing due to bad light and malfunctioning testicles...I did do the descent down to the river banks and back up the same way. While the river crossing (Gogi rescue operation) was in progress, Huda and I decided to walk around a bit to see if there was an alternate route for the others to follow to get across to the point beyond the crossing. This would save us time and get everyone to the same point to attempt the rest of the trail. As we left the group and headed down the hill about 200m away from the group I heard a low frequency growl and saw the bushes moving about 20m away from where we were walking. We immediately stopped, picked up stones and backed away back to the main group. Huda was talking at the time and didn't hear the growl but I definitely heard it and felt it. Now I am not sure if a Leopard can growl like that...very low frequency...almost like a tiger growl. All I know is that it was a wild animal and we needed to get out of there. Just another little exciting story among a whole list of other stories from the event. Another memorable section was the steep descent (near vertical) with a left turn at the end. Arka hopped into the Gypsy with me and gave me instructions all the way down...super! Oh! Who can forget the slush pit right at the beginning! WHAT a way to begin the event! It was absolutely super sliding around for a good 60-70m in slush and negotiating a right turn at the end while going sideways and up a gravel ramp. I never thought the Gypsy would make it...and it continues to take my expectations and treat them with disdain. Phew...so much more! AKC - you have me as a volunteer next year!! BIG thanks to Kunal, Huda, Kunal's mom, Alfa Kilo's dad, the Mahindra guys, The guys in red-tees who were manning the obstacles, Arka and the rest of the Chennai crew for keeping me company. Met a lot of great people...enjoyed some fantastic food and had a great evening by the bonfire. AKC in one word = TERRIFIC!
	() Thanks

28th June 2010, 07:58	#13
rahultomahawk BHPian Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Thane Posts: 175 Thanked: 62 Times	got to get ready for the next AKC , more pictures please.
	() Thanks

28th June 2010, 08:45	#14
genesis BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 773 Thanked: 339 Times	Thank you Kunal and Huda for organizing and flawlessly executing an amazing day. Thanks to your family and Alfa Kilo's family and friends from Jaipur for their hospitality. Thanks to the Mahindra crew and Vinod for their dedication and tireless efforts. Thanks to the folks from Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore for driving down and your spirit of camaraderie! And thanks to those who taught me to crawl again on all fours! (You know who you are ) @GS: Regarding the growl from the bushes, Prasad was complaining about an upset stomach that evening... But seriously speaking I heard you executed some mean moves on the trail including a new handbrake trick! Last edited by genesis : 28th June 2010 at 08:57.
	() Thanks