QUEPEM: In an exciting turn of events, Siddartha Santosh (co-driver Prithviraj AC) of Team BODA (Bangalore Offroad Drivers Association) climbed up the ranks and took the lead with a total score of 650 out of 900 on the second day of Force Gurkha RFC India 2017.
Siddartha, who was at the third position after Day 1 of India’s toughest international off-road motorsport event, performed outstandingly well in Special Stages (SS) 6-9 held on Tuesday and become the first ever contestant from Karnataka to top the charts of RFC India.
The Gerrari Offroaders Chandigarh star and RFC India defending champion, Gurmeet Virdi (co-driver Kirpal Singh Tung) and veteran Indian rallyist Jagat Nanjappa (co-driver Chetan Changappa) from V5 Offroaders of Coorg slid down to second and third positions with their individual score tallying to 606 and 588 points respectively. Local off-roading sensation Cedrick Jordan DaSilva (co-driver Dushyant Khosla) soared 6 positions from tenth to fourth by the end of SS 9 with 490 points while Vivek Thomas
Kuriakosse (co-driver Ashok Abraham Kuriakosse) from Team BODA retained his fifth spot in the rankings table with 473 points.
Most of the SS on Day 2 at Force Gurkha RFC India 2017 aimed at testing the contestants’ driving skills, their knowledge of their vehicle as well as the driver – co-driver coordination. SS 6 was a free run and a speed task wherein the teams had to follow the gates and move in an anti-clockwise direction to find the fastest way out of the Stage. In SS 7, contenders had to descend a few deep slopes and then climb up a 45 degree incline of loose dirt, which tested the vehicle’s strength along with the drivers’ capability to handle it.
SS 8 was the longest of the lot where the participants were required to gradually descend into a valley and hit a 150 meter long water steam and climb back to the top through boulders. Penalties were incorporated if participants failed to keep all the tyres of their vehicle in the stream while advancing through it. SS 9 was entirely a night stage meant to test the participants’ vehicle handling and navigation skills in the dark.
Siddartha Santosh expressed his feeling on being at the prime position, “I am feeling a little upbeat now. This is the first time when we have had a decent start at RFC India. Otherwise every year we are stuck somewhere in the lower order. So it feels extremely satisfying to be on the top of the ladder.”
