Goan trio vows to keep Force Gurkha RFC title at home

PanajirAs the entire off-roading fraternity of the country gears up for another smashing season of the Force Gurkha RFC India, to be held in Goa from July 22 to 30, three teams from the hosting state are also prepping up to bring home the coveted trophy. rThis year, teams from Goa at India’s toughest international off-road motorsport event include Cedrick Jordan DaSilva (co-driver Dushyant Khosla), Tejas Prakash Shindolkar (co-driver Pushker Audi) and Dattaraj Dessai (co-driver Rohan Kalekar). Of these three, Tejas represents the off-road club ‘Incredible Offroaders Goa’, whereas Cedric and Dattaraj are participating as individual entries. rRFC India, organized by Delhi-based Cougar Motorsport Pvt. Ltd, is the India Chapter of the iconic Rainforest Challenge of Malaysia, which is amongst the top ten toughest motor races in the world. Currently, the RFC Global Series has around 20 worldwide editions, with the India Chapter being amongst the top three events in the Global Series. Forty teams from across the country will be participating in Force Gurkha RFC India 2017, where they will be competing in around 26 Special Stages (SS). The total benefits that the top Indian driver of the competition will get amount to $8,000, including an automatic free entry to the RFC Mother Event, to be held in Malaysia at the end of the year. 37-year-old Goan businessman Cedrick Jordan DaSilva is an RFC India veteran and the local off-roading celebrity. Tejas Prakash Shindolkar, a 36 year old businessman, who participated in the event last year as well, claims, “RFC India is different and tougher than any other off-roading event in India.”rDebutant Dattaraj Dessai has been an ardent follower of the event ever since its launch in India in 2014. He says, “During the last three editions, I used to travel to all the locations and watch the competitors performing in the Special Stages.”