PANJIM: ISUZU RFC India 2018, the fifth edition of India’s international off-road motorsport event will kick-off with competitive stages starting from Sunday, which will be held at various locations across the State and conclude on July 28.
A total of 39 teams, each consisting of a driver and a co-driver, will compete against each other, with the top Indian driver of the competition getting monetary benefits worth USD 10,000, including a free automatic entry worth USD 3,900 to the Rainforest Challenge (RFC) Global Series Finale to be held in Malaysia at the end of the year.
RFC India is the India Chapter of the Rainforest Challenge of Malaysia, which is listed among the top 10 toughest motor races in the world and has over 51 editions being held in 21 countries worldwide.
In the last three years, the event had four successful editions in Goa as well as two regional chapters in Bengaluru and Chandigarh.
The contenders include, UTs of Chandigarh and Delhi are three teams each, four from Goa, 10 from Kerala, seven from Hyderabad, five from Karnataka, including a Ladies Team, three from Maharashtra and Arunachal Pradesh each and one from Tamil Nadu.
Addressing the media, Cougar Motorsport’s founder and director Ashish Gupta informed, “This year we have the first-ever participation from the North-East. We also have a record 10 teams from Kerala, which is the highest number of participating teams from any State ever. We have always desired to grow this sport beyond its male-centric image and I am delighted to welcome an all-ladies team, after a gap of four years.”
“It is great to see the growth this sport has witnessed in merely five years since the launch of RFC India. In 2016, the RFC India Champions Gurmeet Virdi and Kirpal Singh Tung made our country proud by winning their category at the RFC Global Series Finale in Malaysia,” he added.
“Thirteen rookie drivers will be participating in ISUZU RFC India 2018, with one of them being merely 18 years old. This speaks volumes about the substantiality of this competition in the country’s off-roading context and our determination to develop Indian motorsport at large,” he informed.
The competition will be spread across 26 Special Stages (SS) that will test the contestants’ driving and vehicle recovery skills, team spirit and their physical and mental endurance under extreme off-road conditions. Based on a point system, the competitors will earn set-points on successful completion of stages. However, penalties will be incurred in case of failure to complete a task, non-adherence to the rules or environmental damage at the event location. The team with maximum points in their account at the end of the competition will win the coveted “ISUZU RFC India 2018 Champion” title.
Asked about the Goa teams’ participation Ashish said, “A lot of people in Goa would still want to come and see RFC whether a local team is there or not. But we love to have local teams participating as the crowd identify them and they are the ones who are cheered the most.”
Captain J. Shankar Srinivas, vice president service, customer relations, EA & PR, Isuzu Motors India, said, “ISUZU Motors India is proud to be associated with RFC India this year. ISUZU has always been in the forefront in offering vehicles that are highly durable, reliable and capable, which have been proved in many toughest rally raids across the world. This platform gives us an opportunity to showcase what the vehicle attributes to those off-roading enthusiasts and also promote the spirit of adventure in the country.”
The first set of the special stages will be held at DOT in Kumbhari, Sanguem on July 22 and 23. The competition convoy will thereafter move to Suquerbag, Quepem, on July 24 and 25 and to the Green Hills Agri Farm in Maina, Quepem on July 26 and 27, before eventually culminating at the Rajiv Gandhi IT Habitat, Dona Paula on July 28.
