PANJIM: Force Gurkha RFC India 2017, India’s most incredible off-road motorsport mania will be held in various locations within the State from July 22 to 30.
In these nine days, participants will overcome rigorous obstacles in their quest for the country’s toughest off-road motorsport trophy.
Forty teams from across the country, each comprising a driver and a co-driver, will compete against each other, with the top Indian driver of the competition getting monetary benefits worth $8000, including a free automatic entry to the Rainforest Challenge (RFC) Mother Event to be held in Malaysia later in the year.
Cougar Motorsport’s Founder & Director Ashish Gupta while addressing the media said , “It is exhilarating to see the tremendous response that this event has received over the years. In fact, RFC India 2017 will witness the maximum number of participants till date, with 40 teams coming from various parts of the country including Delhi, Goa, Maharashtra, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu”.
“Of these, 15 new teams will compete for the newly instituted ‘Rookie of the Event’ Award for the best debutant of the competition. The stakes have increased and so has the level of competition. It will be interesting to see what new tricks and skills the participants have up their sleeve this time,” he added.
The event will be held in 26 competitive 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 earn set-points on successful completion of stages. However, penalties are incurred in case of failure to complete a task, non-adherence to the rules or damage to the flora and fauna at the event location. The team with maximum points in their account at the end of the competition wins the title.
“Till last year, the event used to start from the city center and proceed towards off-road locations in various parts of Goa. In a complete reversal of the event schedule, this year we have decided to start right from the off-road heartland and conclude the event in the city so that people can witness the winners ride”, Ashish said.
The first set of special stages of the off-road motorsport mega event will be held at Xenem in Gancim on July 24; followed by further SS in Suquerbag in Cavorem on July 25 and 26 and at Green Hills Agri Farm in Maina, Cavorem on July 27 and 28.
