28 teams from across India to participate in the country’s biggest and toughest off-road motorsport competition
Cougar Motorsport is back with the most awaited off-road motorsport battle on Indian soil! Season 8 of The Rainforest Challenge (RFC) India is going to be held in Goa from 23rd to 30th July.
This year, 28 teams from across India are going to compete for the coveted trophy. This includes 9 teams from Telangana, 6 from Maharashtra, 4 teams from Goa, 3 from Delhi, 2 teams each from Karnataka and Arunachal Pradesh and 1 each from Chandigarh and Kerala.
Mr. Ashish Gupta, Founder and Director, Cougar Motorsport, said, “Over the years, RFC India has emerged not only as the country’s most prestigious off-roading competition, but also a week-long congregation of off-roaders from all over India where they exchange ideas, experiences and technical knowledge. It is encouraging to see the sport growing with new talent coming forward every year. There are three new entrants this year as well and I am looking forward to yet another fantastic edition. I am excited to see what new tricks, techniques and surprises the contestants have in store for us.”
Launched in 2014, RFC India is the India Chapter of the Rainforest Challenge of Malaysia, which is ranked No. 3 in the Five Toughest Off-Road Races in the World by Skoda Motorsport (2018). 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.
The off-road motorsport competition tests the contestants’ driving and vehicle recovery skills, team spirit along with their physical and mental strength under extreme off-road conditions. Each team, comprising a driver and a co-driver, undertakes 26 Special Stages (SS) or challenges during the course of the competition. The event follows a point system, where the team with maximum points at the end of the competition claims the RFC India Champion title. The top Indian driver of RFC India 2022 will win a free entry to the RFC Global Series Finale to be held in Malaysia at the end of the year.
The winners of the previous editions of RFC India are Tan Eng Joo (co-driver Tan Choon Hong) of Malaysia, representing Force Motors, in 2014 and 2015, Gurmeet Virdi (co-driver Kirpal Singh Tung) of Chandigarh in 2016 and 2017, Jagat Nanjappa (co-driver Chetan Changappa) of Karnataka in 2018, Gurmeet Virdi (co-driver Chetan Changappa) in 2019 and Kabir Waraich (co-driver Dushyant Khosla) of Chandigarh in 2021.