PANAJI
Relentless rain, treacherous terrain and widespread mechanical failures made for a brutal opening day at the 12th edition of the Rainforest Challenge (RFC) India 2026, with Kranthi Kumar Vengala and co-driver Rajeev Lal PM of Team Hyderabad emerging as the provisional leaders in the premier ‘4x4 Extreme’ category.
After the completion of four of the 26 Special Stages (SS) in Quepem, the Hyderabad duo topped the provisional standings with 355 points out of a possible 400. Ujjal Namshum and co-driver Chethan Chengappa of Manabhum Off-roader's Club Arunachal (MOCA) were second with 334 points, while Kerala’s Anand Manjooran and Vishnu Raj occupied third place with 331 points.
Vishnu Santhosh and Rahul of 4x4 Beats were fourth with 246 points, while Goa’s Viddesh Madgaonkar and Sahil Sadekar of Team 4x4 Addictz rounded off the top five. A total of 25 teams are competing in the ‘4x4 Extreme’ category this year.
The opening day proved to be one of the toughest in recent editions of the off-road motorsport event. Special Stage 1 alone recorded 20 Did Not Finish (DNF) results, largely due to winch failures at three demanding recovery points. Teams with poorly maintained winches or heavier vehicles struggled to negotiate the stage, while only those with reliable equipment completed it successfully.
Subsequent stages continued to test competitors. SS2 featured extensive water-wading sections, with some vehicles almost completely submerged, while the absence of trees forced teams to rely on ground anchors for winching. SS3 combined two winching points with an 80-metre high-speed run, while SS4 again required the use of ground anchors.
Heavy rainfall throughout the day further reduced visibility and raised water levels, adding to the challenge. The demanding conditions also took a physical toll on co-drivers, who repeatedly carried and manually secured heavy ground anchors, leading to fatigue that affected the progress of several teams.
Meanwhile, scrutiny of the 16 teams entered in the ‘4x4 Modified’ category was completed, with their competition set to begin on Wednesday.
