PANAJI
After some week-long grueling off-roading action in the interiors of Goa, Kabir Waraich and co-driver Dushyant Khosla of Gerrari Offroaders Chandigarh have clinched the coveted Overall Champions Trophy at the Rainforest Challenge (RFC) India 2021.
They won the 7th season of the international off-road motorsport competition with a total score of 2155 out of 2600. As the RFC India 2021 champions, they have won a free entry to the RFC Global Series Finale that is held in Malaysia.
The overall second position was secured by Anand V Manjooran (co-driver Vishnu Raj) of KTM Jeepers of Kerala with 2144 points. Dr Mohammad Fahed VP (co-driver Rajeev Lal) of Team Gulf First from Kerala clinched the third spot on the podium with 2014 points. Sam Kurian Kalarickal (co-driver Sacharia Saji) of R&T Off-Road Club from Kerala was at the fourth spot in the competition with 1836 points, while Cedrick Jordan DaSilva of Goa (co-driver Daljit Singh) secured a spot in the top five with 1824 points.
Meanwhile, Goa’s Ibrahim Firaz Shaikh and co-driver Imran Garag won in the 1611 to 3010 CC Petrol class. The other winners were: 1611 to 3010 CC Diesel: Dr Mohammad Fahed VP (co-driver Rajeev Lal), Winner (Above 3010 CC Petrol): Shemy Musthafa (co-driver Muhammad Nabil).
The Rainforest Challenge (RFC) of Malaysia is an extreme off-road motorsport competition that is ranked No. 3 in the five toughest off-road races in the world by Skoda Motorsport (2018). The India edition of RFC was launched by Delhi-based Cougar Motorsport Pvt. Ltd. in the year 2014. Today, RFC India is counted amongst the top two RFC Global events out of the 51 editions held across 21 countries and it enjoys a cult following in the Indian and international off-roading community. After a hiatus of one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 7th edition of RFC India was held in Goa from August 28 to September 4.
The competitors had to undertake 26 Special Stages (SS) or challenges that tested their driving and vehicle recovery skills, team spirit, along with their physical and mental strength under extreme off-road conditions. The event followed a point system, wherein the team with maximum points at the end of all the SS claimed the title of RFC India.
