Gurmeet Virdi and Kirpal Singh Tung of Gerrari Offroaders Chandigarh have won the Force Gurkha RFC India 2016, after they managed to score 2,177 points out of a possible 2,700 in the event. They were a part of the up to 1,610 cc petrol or diesel category. The two have thus become the first Indians to win the off-road competition. RFC India is regarded as one of the toughest off-road motorsport events in the country.

Malaysian driver Merwyn Lim, along with his co-driver Hamizan Bin Abdul Hamid, of Force Motors managed to secure the second spot with 2,166 points. Another Malaysian - Tan Eng Joo and co-driver Tan Choon Hong came third after accumulating 2,111 points. Kabir Waraich and Gagan Sachdeva of Force motors tied with Goan driver Cedrick Jordon DaSilva and Floyd Preston for the fourth spot, as both of them scored 1,938 points.

Following were the category-wise winners at the RFC India 2016:
• Up to 1,610 cc Petrol or Diesel category - Gurmeet Virdi (Kirpal Singh Tung)
• 1,611 to 2,610 cc Diesel category - Merwyn Lim (Hamizan Bin Abdul Hamid)
• 1,611 to 2,610 cc Petrol category - Bijender Singh (Gajender Singh)
• Above 2,610 cc Petrol or Diesel category - Dr. Chaitanya Challa (Shabarish Jagarapu)

Force Motors was announced as the winner of the Team Award.

Cougar Motorsport has opened registrations for the third edition of the Force Gurkha Rainforest Challenge India, scheduled to be held in Goa from July 22-29, 2016.

The event, launched in 2014, is one of the 25 worldwide editions of the iconic Rainforest Challenge of Malaysia and the top Indian driver at the India Chapter will get an automatic and free entry to the mother event to be held in Malaysia in December 2016.

This time 25 teams will compete for the title. The winners of the recently held North and South India Chapters of Force Gurkha RFC India have already secured spots for the Goa event. The remaining 23 slots available are on a first-come, first-served basis.

Force Gurkha RFC India is divided into four competitive legs - The Prologue, The Predator, The Terminator and The Twilight Zone. These legs are further divided into over 20 special stages (SS) consisting of 100 points each. The competing teams gain points based on successful completion of a task and incur penalties for making mistakes, not starting or finishing a task as well as breaking competition rules (including the environment protection rules). The team with the maximum points after the completion of all the special stages will emerge as the winner of the competition.

Anyone with relevant off-roading or motorsport experience can register for this event. Vehicles have to be modified as per RFC India guidelines. Registration fee for Indian contestants is Rs. 75,000 per team, with each team comprising a driver and a navigator. All applications, except those of past participants of Force Gurkha RFC India, will be reviewed by the screening committee prior to acceptance. Interested off-roaders can download the application form from the RFC India website.

The Force Gurkha RFC India has launched its north and south regional chapters. Both will be held in January 2016.

The north chapter will be conducted by Delhi-based Cougar Motorsport, which holds the India franchisee rights for RFC, in partnership with Gerrari Offroaders Chandigarh. It will be a part of Gerrari Offroaders Chandigarh's Offroading Mania, which will take place at the Forest Hill Resort on the outskirts of Chandigarh on January 16 and 17.

Similarly, the south chapter will be conducted by Cougar Motorsports in partnership with Bangalore Offroaders Development Association (BODA) and will be a part of BODA's Annual OTR, which will be held on January 23 and 24 at a camping site about 60 kms outside Bangalore.

The annual events of both the clubs will be non-competitive adventure activities. However, the Force Gurkha RFC India regional chapters, which will comprise the extreme category competitions of the events, will be competitive events with the winners of both the chapters getting an automatic free entry in the Force Gurkha RFC India mother event, which will be held at Goa from July 22 to 29, 2016.

While the mother event has 26 Special Stages (SS), for the Regional Chapters, Cougar Motorsport plans to limit the competition to up to 6 SS with varying levels of difficulty. The competition and vehicle modification rules have also been simplified to make it easier for a larger number of people to participate.

The second edition of the Force Gurkha Rain Forest Challenge (RFC) India will be kicked off in Goa from today (July 24).

Click here to read our coverage of the 2014 RFC India

Team-BHP will be covering the 2015 RFC India as well.

This year, RFC India will see twenty-three teams battling it out for the trophy. The first leg of the event will be held at the Rajiv Gandhi IT Habitat in Dona Paula over the next couple of days. The rest of the legs will be held at off-road locations in Quepem, Sanguem and Sattari.

Participants will compete in 24 challenges, known as Special Stages (SS), specially designed by RFC International track experts. Competitors need a combination of vehicle preparation and driving and navigations skills to be successful. The team with the maximum number of points at the end of the 24 Special Stages will be announced as the winner. The event ends on July 31, 2015.

The organisers claim that this year's edition of RFC India will be tougher than last year's. A Goa-based environment steward will ensure that no damage to the flora and fauna takes place. If a team is found to be violating environmental or cleanliness guidelines, it will be heavily fined and could be disqualified from the event.

The off-road motorsport champion of India will get to represent the country at RFC Malaysia 2015, which will be held at the end of the year.

Earlier we reported about the second edition of the Force Gurkha Rain Forest Challenge (RFC) India is going to be held in Goa between July 24-31, 2015.

To read our detailed coverage of the first edition of the RFC, click here.

Event organizers - Cougar Motorsport Pvt Ltd have now announced a Rainforest edition of Off Road Expo which will also be held from July 24-26, 2015, alongside the RFC. This Off Road Expo will include car and bike manufacturers, off-road equipment and accessory manufacturers and suppliers, outdoor gear brands and off-road clubs, all under one roof.

The expo will be powered by Evo India, who had recently organized India's first Off Road Expo and Off Road Awards in Pune.

Besides the promotion of products and services by exhibitors, the Expo will feature several other entertainment and educative activities for visitors. A dedicated off-road track will be set up for enthusiasts to test their driving and vehicle recovery skills. Several workshops, off-road demos, expert chat sessions, live musical performances, competitions/contests and a host of other fun activities are promised during the three days of the Expo.

Since off-road enthusiasts will be visiting Goa for the RFC 2015, this Expo will be a perfect platform for the industry players to promote their products and services.

The 18th edition of the Rainforest Challenge (RFC) has begun in Malaysia. The competition is being held over a span of 10 days (November 28 - December 8) in dense rainforests of the country. What makes the event significant for us in India is that for the first time ever, an Indian team is participating in it.

The team of Kabir Waraich and Gurmeet Virdi from Gerrari Offroaders, Chandigarh is competing against 34 other teams in the event. They have completed the Prologue Special Stages of the competition. Kabir has secured an automatic entry in the Grand Final of the RFC Global Series this year owing to a podium finish at the recently concluded first edition of the Force Gurkha RFC India.

RFC is one of the toughest off-roading competitions in the world. It is a test of the off-road driving, navigation and recovery skills and physical and mental fitness of the contestants under extreme conditions. The event is divided into four competitive legs – the Prologue, the Predator, the Terminator and the Twilight Zone – comprising of various Special Stages (SS) specially designed by RFC International track experts. The Prologue Stage was recently concluded at Port Dickson where the RFC India Team completed 8 out of the 9 Special Stages successfully. A broken winch prevented the team from completing one SS.

The team has now left for Rembau district, where the Predator Stages are being held.

The second edition of the Force Gurkha Rain Forest Challenge (RFC) India will be held in Goa from July 24 to July 31, 2015.

Click here to read our coverage of the 2014 Rain Forest Challenge

The first edition of RFC India was also held in Goa in August 2014. The event saw 22 teams battling it out in four competitive legs - Prologue, Predator, Terminator and Twilight Zone, completing 24 Special Stages (SS) specially designed by RFC International track experts. The organisers claim the response to the event was favourable, prompting them to bring the Challenge back to India once again. The event had BHPians participating in various capacities.

The Rain Forest Challenge is one of the toughest off-road events one can participate in and competitors need a combination of vehicle preparation and driving and navigations skills to be successful.

Registrations for Force Gurkha RFC India 2015 have started. Entry Forms can be downloaded from www.rfcindia.in.