2015 Rain Forest Challenge India Preview

After a very positive inaugural edition the Rainforest Challenge India returns to build on the foundations laid last year.

Off-roading is generally considered to be an activity done by a group of friends who are tired of seeing the same bit of tarmac day in and day out and want to venture somewhere new. Of course like anything that involves wheels and an engine there are those who find a way to make even that competitive. India got its first proper taste of competitive off-roading last August when the inaugural edition of the Rainforest Challenge India was held in southern Goa.

This year, the event is scheduled for July 24 to 31, almost two weeks earlier than when the 2014 event was held, to ensure that there’s a lot more rain. Rain equals mud and mud equals a bigger challenge on stages which event organiser Cougar Motorsport had promised would be tougher this year.

Just as tough would be going up against Force Motors’ Gurkha derived off-road competition vehicle. Challenging the event sponsors are Chandhigarh’s Gerrari Offroaders, who took third, fourth and fifth places behind Force Motors last year.

Kabir Waraich, who was third, is gung-ho about being able to challenge Force this year. “We have made the suspension on our cars a little harder this year,” Waraich told autoX. “We felt like we had too much articulation on stages last year. That aside we have also upgraded to a two-motor winch and worked a lot on our fitness so we don’t get tired during winching.”

The 25 entrants can expect a few changes this time around with rules for a non-finish changed so that there is a difference between those who take a deliberate DNF and those who attempt a stage and are unable to finish. The top team will also be awarded a trophy.

The event is divided into four parts with Prologue stages held near the event headquarters, Predator stages where teams will camp on the jungle fringe, Terminator stages that will have a jungle campsite and a special Expedition special stage known as the Twilight Zone.

The RFC India is part of the RFC Global series that features 15 events held around the world.