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TOP GUNS IN NORTH & SOUTH READY TO FACE THE “FANTASTIC FOUR” THIS JULY IN GOA

| 01/05/2016 | 2 Comments

The Northern & Southern editions of RFC India 2016 selections got off to a great start in January and now getting ready to take on the final in Goa this 22-29 July before the RFC Grand Final in Malaysia this November. Here’s a summary of how the top two teams from the selections won their respective “tickets” to Goa.

RFC_India_03Local off-road warrior Tejinder Pal Singh of Gerrari Off-roaders Chandigarh emerged as the winner of the inaugural Force Gurkha RFC North India held in Chandigarh, Punjab on January 16-17.

RFC_India_04Jegat Nanjapa, a nine-time winner in Indian Rally Riders championships, took the RFC South India title in Bangalore after two days of extreme 4×4 action on Janury 23-24.

RFC_India_07Both Tejinder and Jegat won a free automatic entry to the Force Gurkha RFC India 2016 in Goa on July 22-29 where a maximum of 25 teams across the nation will compete for the RFC India title. The winner here earns a ticket the big RFC event in Malaysia at the end of the year.

RFC_India_01With the “Chak De Phatte” battle-cry of the Sikh warriors, the 10 teams from Punjab were well prepared and their machines up to the task as they lined up to handle the five Special Stages (SS) that demanded the best of off-roading and recovery skills.

RFC_India_10They have to be because even though these were only selection rounds, the SS were designed to high standards of the international RFC, which is among the Top Ten Toughest Motor Races in the World,

RFC_India_02And so, they drove, they pulled winch cables, they jumped, they winched, they splashed, they passed through thick and thin of the obstacles “as if there was no tomorrow.” This was how seriously the Indian 4×4 teams took to the demands of the RFC. And so, winning the top prize didn’t come easy for Tejinder and the rest of the contenders. But a worthy experience for all.

RFC_India_15With Harpreet Singh as co-driver, Tejinder scored 462 points out of the maximum 500 in their Mahindra CJ3B. Gurpratap Singh (Maneet Sandhu) and Sanbir Dhaliwal (Gunbir Dhaliwal), both from Gerrari Off-roaders Chandigarh, finished second and the third with 350 and 315 points respectively.

RFC_India_09“They showed great determination and passion and we are sure the experience will live with them for years to come,” said Ashish Gupta, RFC India representative from Cougar Motorsports.

RFC_India_06Meanwhile in Bangalore, veteran rallyist Jegat with co-driver Chethan of V5 Off-roaders of Coorg took the bull by the horns and plunged directly into the six extremely tough SS in style, winning 525 out of the maximum 600 points ahead of the others.

RFC_India_08Like in Chandigarh, the Bangalore track was crafted according to RFC International standards and it demanded the best of the 11 teams that saw action in this South Indian challenge where the driving and vehicle recovery skills were tested under extreme off-road conditions.

RFC_India_05“This is a great experience, completely new to us, but we kept pushing ourselves and our trusted machine on and on,” said Jegat. “They made us push our vehicle to its limit and also made us realise that a lot of upgrade is required on our Jeep to make it ready for Goa. I am also going to work on my physical fitness over the next few months to be completely ready for the competition ahead.”

RFC_India_11Apart from the test of supremacy of 4×4 by the teams, Force Gurkha also showed off its winning mean machine for the last two consecutive years (2014 and 2015) to the multitude of enthusiasts and general public.

RFC_India_12These qualifying rounds in the Punjab (North) and at Bangalore (South) augur well for the Indian aficionados of the RFC as these two regions are also the ‘most geared up and prepared 4×4 off-roaders for extreme races’ in India.

RFC_India_13The objective of taking the RFC to various regions of India from this year is on good standing with the overwhelming response from the participants and the spectators of these North and South chapters. Mission accomplished for giving the two regions with the most 4×4 population in India, a taste of the world renowned RFC.

RFC_India_14Meanwhile, no rest for these two Top Guns representing the North & South respectively, as they will be pitting their skills not only against the toughest of 4×4 Indian off-road ever assembled, but, also the best coming from Force Gurkha teams, current No.1 & No.2 of RFC India 2014 & 2015 season: comprising of Malaysians Tan Eng Joo /Alex Tan and Mervyn Lim/Hamizan, who are also past champions in the mother event RFC in Malaysia, nicknamed the “Fantastic Four.”

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  1. Rajesh Kudupaje says:

    Again some of my photography published in this magazine

    • 4x4magazine says:

      Hello Rajesh,

      we received the photos from RFC Secretariat with no information about the author. When we know who made the certain images, we always credit them to him.

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