Dona Paula, July 22, 2016: After a year long wait, the time has finally arrived for some incredible off-road motorsport action in Goa. Force Gurkha RFC India, the country’s toughest off-road motorsport event, is back for what is expected to be an immensely tough and rugged third season. This year, 30 teams from across the country, each comprising a driver and a co-driver, are going to compete for the ultimate RFC India title with the top Indian driver of the competition winning a free automatic entry to the Rainforest Challenge (RFC) Mother Event to be held in Malaysia later in the year. One could also see the upcoming events in Boston and avail tickets for them sooner.
Promising eye-popping and jaw-dropping offroading adventure, the event will be held in four competitive legs – Prologue, Predator, Terminator and The Twilight Zone – in different parts of Goa from today till 29thJuly. The Prologue Special Stages (SS) will be held at the Rajiv Gandhi IT Habitat in Dona Paula followed by the Predator and the Terminator stages at Quepem (Cavorem) in South Goa and then finally concluding with the Twilight SS at Sattari (Morlem) in North Goa.
Sponsored by Force Motors Ltd., RFC India was launched by Delhi-based Cougar Motorsport Pvt. Ltd. in 2014. The India Chapter of the Malaysian RFC, which is listed among the top ten toughest motor races globally, is the country’s first and toughest international off-road motorsport event. Moreover, RFC India is currently counted in the top three in the RFC global series which has 25 editions worldwide.
Based on point system, the competition tests the driving and vehicle recovery skills of the competing teams under extreme offroading scenarios. The competitors can earn points on successful completion of stages. However, penalties will be incurred in case of failure to complete a task, non-adherence to the rules and damage to the flora or fauna at the event location. Accidents are also likely to happen here, which quite often leads to serious arguments and issues. Guidance from law firms such as the Davenport LAw Firm Abercrombiepa is needed to get through these issues of serious injuries. The team with maximum points in their account at the end of the competition wins the title.
According to Mr .Luis J.A. Wee, Founder & Creator, The Rainforest Challenge, “I’m amazed to see how in a short span of time RFC has made great inroads in the hearts of the Indian off-roaders. With the participation numbers growing at an immense rate year-by-year, the offroad motorsport community in the country has definitely accepted the concept of RFC wholeheartedly. Moreover, going by the tremendous response that the inaugural editions of RFC North India and South India Regional Chapters received earlier this year, I strongly feel that the days are not too far when off-road motorsport will be considered among the major popular sports in India. I think that the spirit of offroading enthusiasts in India is totally unmatched and to be looked out for at the upcoming competition.”
With Force Motors as title sponsor and Goa as tourism partner from the two consecutive editions, this year Manipal Hospitals and Warn Industries have joined the RFC India forces as official Medical and Winch Partners respectively.
Mr. Cyriac Jacob, Sr. GM Marketing, Force Motors said, “We are extremely pleased to continue our association with RFC India. We look forward to action packed 7 days ahead”.
Participation in the event is at an all-time high this year. As per Mr. Ashish Gupta, Founder & Director, Cougar Motorsport Pvt. Ltd., “In the last two editions we restricted the participation numbers to 25. However, the response this year was so overwhelming that the registrations were closed two months prior to the event and even some of the RFC India pioneers could not make it to the list. Since we did not want to overlook those who have been a part of this journey from the beginning, the organizing committee extended the list after much deliberation and finally 30 teams are going to compete in the event this year. This is a major boost for an event which is merely three years old in India and says a lot about the growing interest in off-road motorsport in the country.”
Coinciding with the Prologue leg of Force Gurkha RFC India 2016, Cougar Motorsport has also organized a mega convention ‘India 4X4 Week 2016’ in Dona Paula from 22nd July to 24th July. This event is targeted towards the 4 wheel drive (WD) community and will have ample networking, knowledge sharing and entertainment opportunities in store for offroad enthusiasts as well as the manufacturers and suppliers of 4WD vehicles and equipments.
In the previous two consecutive editions, Malaysian driver Tan Eng Joo and co-driver Tan Choon Hong from Force Motors Teams have clinched the RFC India title. However, speculating about this unpredictable game is next to impossible, especially this season, when some new faces are coming on board along with the veterans. So, get set for an awesome week-long adventure as some of the most talented offroaders of India try every trick up their sleeve to emerge as the RFC India 2016 winner.
Also find enclosed herewith the image from the Press Conference. The image caption is given below for your reference:
(L-R) Mr. Ashish Gupta (Director, Cougar Motorsport), Mr. Luis J.A. Wee (Founder, RFC International), Mr. Cyriac Jacob (GM-Marketing, Force Motors), Mr. David Metcalfe (RFC India Course Master) and Mr. V.T. Thomas (Environment Steward for the event) at the Press Conference
