Dr Mohammed Fahed VP and co-driver Rajeev Lal from Kerala win the Rainforest Challenge (RFC) India 2024
Ujjal Namshum (co-driver Chethan Chengappa) announced as the first runners up and Anand V Manjooran (Vishnu Raj) claim the overall third position
After a week-long intense competition, Dr Mohammed Fahed VP and co-driver Rajeev Lal from Kerala have emerged as the winners of the Rainforest Challenge (RFC) India 2024. The duo won the 10th edition of India’s biggest and toughest offroad motorsport competition with an overall score of 2165 points out of 2600, which they got after competing in 26 Special Stages (SS) that tested their off-road driving and co-driving skills, their team coordination and their vehicle’s capabilities under extreme off-road conditions.
Ujjal Namshum from Arunachal Pradesh and co-driver Chethan Chengappa from Karnataka claimed the second position with 2039 points while Anand V Manjooran (co-driver Vishnu Raj) from Kerala took the third spot in the ranking table with 1874 points. N Abinav Reddy (Vishuthi Varun Chakravarthy) from Hyderabad and Cedrick Jordan Da Silva (Mackvin Dias) from Goa also made it to the Top 5 with 1802 and 1781 points respectively.
RFC India was launched by Cougar Motorsport in 2014 as the India Chapter of the Rainforest Challenge of Malaysia, which is ranked among the top 5 toughest off-road races in the world and which has regional chapters in over 30 countries worldwide. Organized annually in Goa with approvals from Goa Tourism, it is the longest running international offroad motorsport competition in India.
The 10th edition of the mega event witnessed participation from 26 teams, consisting of some of the most evolved off-roaders of the country. The top three drivers of RFC India 2024 have won free entry to the RFC Global Series 2024 Finale to be held in Malaysia at the end of the year.
Apart from the Overall RFC India 2024 Champions and category winners, some special awards were also announced. Goan driver Cedrick Jordan Da Silva, the only driver who has competed in all the 10 editions of RFC India, was given the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’. Digvijay Sinh Parmar from Daman & Diu as well as Subhash Utekar were declared the ‘Rookie of the Year’ while Rajeev Lal from Kerala won ‘The David Metcalfe Jungleman Award’ this year. The father-son duo of Daulat Deepram Choudhary and Gaurav D Choudhary from Pune won the ‘Most Unique 4X4’ trophy. Team Mars won the ‘Environment Award’, the ‘Best Service Team’ award went to NC Garage from Kerala and Team Steel Heads got the ‘Team Award’ at RFC India 2024.
Expressing his happiness on winning the most coveted offroad motorsport trophy in the country in his fourth attempt, 38-year-old Dr Fahed, who is a paediatrician at an Ayurvedic government hospital in Kerala, said, “It’s a dream come true for me. RFC India is the toughest off-roading event in the country and in order to perform well, you need to be consistent throughout the competition as well as keep your brain engaged to come up with ideas on how to tackle each challenge. Unlike previous years when we played safe and tried to preserve the vehicle till the end, this year my co-driver Rajeev and I decided to go all out. Moreover, I had my family and my crew’s full support and they motivated me throughout to perform to the best of my ability.”
Congratulating the winners, Ashish Gupta, Director, Cougar Motorsport, said, “Off-roading is like a cult sport in Kerala and after years of sustained attempts by teams from Kerala, I am glad that the RFC India Champions trophy is finally going to God’s Own Country. It’s heartening to see that the level of vehicle preparation and competitors’ skills are now truly international and at par with anywhere else in the world.”
44-year-old Ujjal Namshum, who runs a tea plantation in the Namsai district of Arunachal Pradesh, was participating in RFC India for the third time this year. Recounting his experience, he said, “I have come to compete in RFC India after a gap of five years and this time I had a bigger and more powerful engine in my vehicle as well as the best co-driver in the country. Chethan is a brilliant strategist and he knows exactly where he has to be at any given point in an SS. This helped us save time and get the fastest timings in 11 of the 26 SS of the competition. Unfortunately, we had a few topples and since my vehicle was new, it took me a few days to get used to the car. This cost us majorly and we were unable to retain the lead we had taken in the first two days of the competition. It’s disappointing that we did not win but I thoroughly enjoyed myself, especially in the Special Stages that had speed runs.”
Day 1:
Ujjal Namshum and co-driver Chethan Chengappa in the lead after the completion of SS 1-4
The first competition of 4 out of the 26 SS was full of intense action amidst nonstop rain.
Ujjal Namshum from Arunachal Pradesh and co-driver Chethan Chengappa from Karnataka were placed at the first position with 363 points out of 400. They showed great coordination and off-roading skills throughout the day, because of which they scored a perfect 100 in two of the stages and were the second-best team for one stage.
Dr Mohammed Fahed VP (co-driver Rajeev Lal) from Kerala claimed the second spot with 320 points while the third position was taken by the RFC India 2023 Champion Cedrick Jordan Da Silva (Mackwin Dias) from Goa with 306 points.
Ibrahim Firaz Shaik (Imran Husansab Garag) was at the fourth position with 294 points while N Abinav Reddy (Vishuthi Varun Chakravarthy) from Hyderabad was at the fifth position on the scoreboard with 284 points.
Day 2:
Ujjal Namshum and co-driver Chethan Chengappa retain the top spot after the completion of SS 5-8
Ujjal Namshum from Arunachal Pradesh and co-driver Chethan Chengappa from Karnataka continued being on the top position on the scoreboard with 668 points out of 800. These points are based on the team’s performance in 8 out of the total 26 Special Stages (SS). Ujjal and Chethan managed to retain the top rank despite getting a DNF (Did Not Finish) in one of the SS. The duo made up for this by getting a perfect 100 in two of the SS and 95 points in one Stage.
Dr Mohammed Fahed VP (co-driver Rajeev Lal) from Kerala also retained their second spot in the rankings with 665 points. Anand V Manjooran (Vishnu Raj), also from Kerala, climbed up the ranking tables to claim the third position with 588 points. The duo worked really hard throughout the day and got 95 points in two of the SS as well as a perfect score in one SS.
Rambabu Mareedu (Kumaraswamy T) climbed up from the 8th position on Day 1 to the 4th position on Day 2 with 556 points while N Abinav Reddy (Vishuthi Varun Chakravarthy) from Hyderabad retained the fifth position with 548 points.
Day 3:
Dr. Mohammed Fahed VP and co-driver Rajeev Lal from Kerala claim the first position
Day 3 experienced less rains compared the earlier days, which saw a major shift in the ranking chart after the completion of Special Stages (SS) 9 to 12, Dr. Mohammed Fahed VP (co-driver Rajeev Lal) from Kerala, who was at the second position on the first two days, emerged at the top spot with 993 points out of 1200.
Ujjal Namshum from Arunachal Pradesh (Chethan Chengappa) slipped down one spot and ended the day at the second position with 913 points. N Abinav Reddy (Vishuthi Varun Chakravarthy) from Hyderabad and Bijender Singh (Gajender Singh) from Delhi climbed up two spots to claim the third and fourth positions respectively with 854 points and 836 points. Aniruddha Nandakishor Shete (Subhash Utekar) moved up three positions to make it to the top five with 824 points.
However, the number of water bodies they had to cross while attempting SS9 to SS12 meant that the men and their machines did not have any chance to miss the water. Apart from tackling multiple winching points, including some of almost 90-degree angle, the competitors had to showcase their vehicle’s capability as well as their own driving and vehicle manoeuvring skills in deep water.
Day 4:
Dr. Mohammed Fahed VP and co-driver Rajeev Lal from Kerala retain the top spot
The fourth day witnessed an intense fight among some of the most evolved off-roaders in the country for the top spot in the ranking table. On completion of Special Stages (SS) 13 to 16, the top three teams of the previous day managed to retain their positions.
Dr Mohammed Fahed VP and co-driver Rajeev Lal from Kerala ended Day 4 at the first position with 1340 points out of 1600. Ujjal Namshum from Arunachal Pradesh and co-driver Chethan Chengappa from Karnataka have also retained their second spot with 1243 points. N Abinav Reddy (co-driver Vishuthi Varun Chakravarthy) from Hyderabad were at the third spot with 1160 points.
Goan driver and RFC India 2023 Champion Cedrick Jordan Da Silva (Mackvin Dias) has climbed up two spots to take the fourth position with 1135 points. Anand V Manjooran (Vishnu Raj) from Kerala has also come up the ranking order by two positions to claim his place in the Top 5 with 1096 points.
Day 5:
Dr. Mohammed Fahed VP and co-driver Rajeev Lal from Kerala continue to be in the lead
After completion of 20 of the 26 Special Stages (SS), Dr Mohammed Fahed VP and co-driver Rajeev Lal from Kerala continue being on the top spot in the ranking tables with 1688 points out of 2000.
Ujjal Namshum from Arunachal Pradesh and co-driver Chethan Chengappa from Karnataka have also retained their second spot with 1515 points. Goan driver and RFC India 2023 Champion Cedrick Jordan Da Silva (Mackvin Dias) has climbed up one spot to take the third position with 1389 points. N Abinav Reddy (co-driver Vishuthi Varun Chakravarthy) from Hyderabad have slipped down one position to take the fourth spot with 1383 points while Anand V Manjooran (Vishnu Raj) from Kerala has retained the fifth position with 1341 points.
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