PANAJI
The battle for honours at the Rainforest Challenge (RFC) India 2026 took another dramatic turn on Friday, with Ujjal Namshum and co-driver Chethan Chengappa climbing to the top of the ‘4x4 Extreme’ category after the completion of 19 of the 26 Special Stages (SS).
The fourth day of the competition also saw Sarjerao Kawade and co-driver Rushikesh Patil consolidate their lead in the ‘4x4 Modified’ category, while Naku Hage Chada and co-driver Loda Punyo moved to the top of the ‘4x4 Stock’ standings.
According to the provisional results after SS 1-19 in the ‘4x4 Extreme’ category, Namshum and Chengappa accumulated 1,637 points out of a possible 1,900 to edge ahead of the field. Kranthi Kumar Vengala and Rajeev Lal PM, who had led the standings since the opening day, slipped to second with 1,598 points, while Viddesh Madgaonkar and Sahil Sadekar retained third place on 1,523 points.
In the ‘4x4 Modified’ category, Kawade and Patil strengthened their grip on first place after 13 of the 20 stages, scoring 1,137 points out of 1,300. Gagan Karumbaiah and Bopanna Maleyanda climbed to second with 1,067 points, narrowly ahead of Suraksha BS and Sanoj S on 1,065 points.
The ‘4x4 Stock’ category also witnessed a change in leadership after SS 1-8, with Chada and Punyo moving into first place on 704 points out of a possible 800. Athul Thomas and Binil Babu remained second with 689 points, while overnight leader Sabu Xavier and Halvin Appanna slipped to third on 677 points.
