The Pune-based Force Motors’ Team Gurkha bagged the first two positions at the gruelling Rain Forest Challenge India 2014 held in Goa recently. This was the first edition of the internationally acclaimed Rain Forest Challenge (RFC) in India.
Force Motors had entered three vehicles in this extreme off-roading event. Gurkha No. 120 driven by Tan Eng Joo and navigator Tan Choon Hong claimed overall victory with 1877 points after six days of gruelling action in the natural terrain around Goa. Gurkha No. 107 with Mervyn Wei Shiong at the helm and navigator Abdul Hamizan Hamid were edged out for the win by a solitary point and had to rest content with 1876 points for second overall. Both the winning Gurkhas were neck to neck throughout the six-day event which had a total of 23 cars coming under starter’s orders.
The third Gurkha (carrying competition No. 121) led by Sanjiv Singh and navigator Jay Shridhar was among the trio which cleaned up the maximum stages but could only go on to bag the 8th position overall.
The trio of Force Gurkhas for RFC was specially modified to meet the demands of top notch off-roading given that the Rain Forest Challenge is ranked among the world’s 10 toughest motoring events. Powered by the Mercedes-Benz licensed power train of 2.2 FMTech Common Rail Direct Injection engine and the proven G-32/5 gearbox, front rigid axle, long travel heavy duty shock absorbers, hydraulic steering adapted from the Balwan agricultural tractors, these vehicles could do off-roading like none other. In fact, every major driveline aggregate was from within the Force Motors portfolio, and the success of the cars in the event (against 22 from other rival makes) is testimony to the fine engineering and proven reliability of the Force Motors R&D team.
The Managing Director, Mr. Prasan Firodia, said: “I am extremely delighted with the results. This was a first of its kind event for Force Motors. We wanted to prove the off-roading capabilities of the Force Gurkha; we have not only achieved that but have also secured the top 2 positions. While a large part of this success goes to our drivers, it would not have been possible without the hard work and relentless efforts of all our team members. We are proud of the results achieved.”
The winning Gurkha No. 120’s driver Tan said: “This is the perfect result for me and my navigator Tan. I would like to thank the technical team for their support and backing throughout the extremely gruelling and tough special stages”.
Second placed Gurkha No. 107’s lead driver Mervyn stated: “I am pleased with the result. I believe as a team we tried very hard and the results reflect that.”
The Rain Forest Challenge was first launched in Malaysia in 1997 and is amongst the top 10 toughest motor races in the world. It is a global brand with presence in seven countries including Italy, Russia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Tunisia, China and Australia.
The event held in Goa subjected the competitors to incessant rain, steep slippery slopes, deep ruts, gullies, flooded rivers and landslides, all with interesting and unpredictable twists. The four levels of special stages were of increasing difficulty – Prologue, Predator, Terminator and Twilight. The participants had to tackle 30 special stages across a multitude of obstacles to be declared as overall winners.