RFC India 2017: Gurmeet Virdi/Kirpal Tung lead after rough opening day

Chandigarh's Gerrari Offroaders' Gurmeet Virdi and navigator Kirpal Singh Tung - the winners of last year's Rain Forest Challenge India - have kicked off this year's edition by leading the standings following the first five prologue stages in Goa.

Virdi and Tung scored 390 points out of a maximum of 500 with the team of Jagat Nanjappa and Chetan Changappa of Coorg's V5 Offroaders close behind at 355. Siddharth Santosh and Prithviraj AC of Bengaluru's BODA are currently third with 298 points despite a nasty topple.

GETTING RIGHT INTO IT
Rather than start from the Rajiv Gandhi IT Habitat in Dona Paula, the event kicked off yesterday at Xenem, Gancim. Course master David Metcalfe had been given the brief to start the event from the forests itself and increase the level of difficulty, and he duly obliged!

DNF (Did Not Finish) was the buzzword of the day as the 38 teams struggled through the stages that went through paths and streams that often didn't provide a clear line of sight for the drivers and navigators with which to make their way through.

Not to mention some very steep inclines - approach angles close to 45 degrees on some stages - that took their toll on some of the heavier vehicles at the RFC India. Competitors did, however, come better prepared with many of their vehicles and the team of Vivek Thomas Kuriakosse and Ashok Abraham Kuriakosse were evident of that as their heavily modified Thar was placed fifth overall after Monday's stages, despite failing to finish the first three within the 15 minutes finishing time allotted for the event.

Ultimately none of the 38 teams - two pulled out of the event before it even started - were able to finish in all of the stages and none, not even Virdi and Tung, were able to complete the second special stage.

SAME SPONSOR, NEW LOOK
With title sponsor Force Motors not participating this year, the field was made up entirely of privateer runners with Malaysians Merwyn Lym and Tan Choon Hong driving for Mumbai's Team Fairmont.

Kabir Waraich and navigator Gagand Sachdeva, who drove for Force Motors last year, returned to Gerrari with whom they had taken overall third place in the first two editions of the RFC India due to which they represented India at the RFC main event in Malaysia. However, their return has been rough as they only finished two stages and recorded just ten points - out of a maximum of 100 - on three straight stages. They currently lie sixth overall with 197 points.

LONG WAY TO GO
Six more days are left before the event concludes on Sunday. The event will move to Suquerbag, Quepem from today and will remain there until tomorrow before shifting to Green Hills Agri Farm, Maina in Quepem on Thursday and Friday.

Proceedings will conclude at the IT Habitat in Dona Paula on Saturday and then Sunday, in a reversal of how the event was run in its first three editions. This will give spectators a chance to come and see the teams in action as the winners are crowned.

2017 RAIN FOREST CHALLENGE INDIA (Top ten after SS 1-5)
1) Gurmeet Virdi/Kirpal Tung - 390
2) Jagat Nanjappa/Chetan Changappa - 355
3) Siddharth Santosh/Prithviraj AC - 298
4) Sanbir Singh Dhaliwal/Gurpratap Singh - 237
5) Vivek Thomas Kuriakosse/Ashok Abraham Kuriakosse - 202
6) Kabir Waraich/Gagan Sachdeva - 197
7) Merwyn Lim/Tan Choon Hong - 196
8) Satish Kumar/Yanrenthung Jamio - 194
9) Sameer Chunawala/Jerry Tay - 189
10) Cedrick Jordan DaSilva/Duhsyant Khosla - 180