2018 Isuzu Rainforest Challenge Goa: Mucking About

One of the fondest memories as a child involves a rainy Pune afternoon where my dad and I tried to navigate my RC-monster truck across puddles and muddy pathways. Since then, twenty years have passed and so has the excitement of playing with toys. However, that’s not the case with everyone. This realisation came to me when I set off for the 5th edition of the Isuzu Rainforest Challenge in Goa. Here, I saw grown men doing exactly the same thing I used to do as a child, except their toys were much bigger and meaner!

Background Check

The first ever Rainforest Challenge, or RFC as it is popularly known, was held way back in 1997 by Luis J.A Wee. During my conversation with him, he said, “RFC was designed to be an extreme 4x4 event that could test the mettle of both man and machine.” And boy, was he right about that!

If you're one of the (un)lucky chaps competing in the tournament, facing heavy rain, steep slippery slopes, mud, ruts, landslides and even a flooded river becomes your daily routine. Here, in these conditions, not only must you dare to drive your 4x4 through tricky conditions but also compete with fellow nut cases like you. So it doesn’t come as a huge surprise that the RFC has earned the reputation of being one of the top 10 toughest motor races in the world. For perspective, the RFC is only a few positions behind the Dakar Rally, Isle Of Man TT and Pikes Peak in terms of difficulty.

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Competition Check

This year's challenge saw 39 teams competing for the grand prize of $10,000 (Rs 6.7 lakh approx.) and an automatic entry into the International Rainforest Challenge held in the tropical forests of Malaysia. This year’s event, which was flagged off on July 21, was divided into four legs. Surprisingly enough, the names of the four legs also happen to describe Arnold Schwarzenegger's career - Prologue, Predator, Terminator and Twilight. These were then further divided into 26 stages, or SS, which last over a span of a week.

As one can imagine, each of the SS involves some sort of death-defying challenge. Each SS has a 15-minute time limit. All the teams are required to "drive" their 4x4s across obstacles while completing certain tasks within this time. This includes climbing steep inclines, wading through a flooded river stream and doing stuff that would make you pinch yourself just to be sure that what's happening is real and not CGI from Tropic Thunder. If a team finished the SS in the given time limit without accruing penalties, they are awarded 100 points. Those who fail to do so has to settle for a DNF instead.

Technical Check

Thanks to a busy work schedule and a delayed flight, I arrived only on the second last day of the competition. By then, all the action had shifted into the dense forests of Goa.

After landing in Dabolim and a cab ride that took two hours, I finally arrived at the base camp in the lush hills of Quepem. After what felt like an eternity of walking through the mud and slush in the dense forest, I finally saw some of the participants and their intimidating machines. The off-road vehicles that assembled here ranged from Mahindra Thars to Maruti Suzuki Gypsys. There were even custom creations like the Mahindra MM550. And they were a sight to behold, what with their off-road-spec suspension, roll cages, winches and massive mud-terrain tyres that looked like they came straight off a tractor. Some ran their "modest" stock engines, while others packed V8 power.

Right, Now Let's Get On With The Action

The first event I attended was the SS 25. Here, the teams had to make their way through a river, winch their way up a 60-degree incline before making their way to the finish line.

This is where I had one of the scariest near-death experiences in my life. Gaurav Paidukle and his co-driver, Sayyad Sarfaraz, made their way up through the first incline. On the second incline, the spotter had to clamber through the mud, slush and thick trees to attach the cable to a tree while the driver put his foot on the throttle pedal ever so gently to try and avoid boulders and rocks. But alas, a loud snap and the cable broke, forcing Sarfaraz to make his way through the mud yet again to engage the winch on a different tree. SNAP! - the cable broke yet again. By this time, the car had gained a good amount of momentum while climbing through a boulder. The disengagement of the winch resulted in the vehicle almost toppling over, with the possibility of crushing everyone standing beside it, including me! Here, my fight-or-flight instincts kicked in and I did what any sane person would do  - I quickly ran for cover.

Luckily (for us), Gaurav managed to steady the ship and attempted the incline again. The third attempt worked like a charm for the duo, who somehow managed to finish the stage with no casualties and only minor bruises to the 4x4. However, as luck would have it, the duo exceeded the time limit, giving them a DNF. This is when I understood the intensity of the competition and the level of understanding one needs with his teammate to compete in the RFC.

There’s No Way Someone Hasn’t Died In This

A couple of extremely talented mechanics and a few quick repairs later, the 4x4 was up and running again. By then, the other team had arrived to complete the stage. This SS was pretty straight-forward. The 4x4s had to make their way through a slope, go through the river, take a U-turn, climb the incline, face the ditch, climb down the ditch, then climb up on the other side and then rally their way to the finish line. Overall competition winner, Jagat Nanjappa of Coorg made it look as easy as a school kid riding his motorcycle in an empty parking lot. Malaysian driver and runner-up of the competition, Mervyn Lim, made it look even easier with some excellent coordination with his co-driver, scoring 98 points out of 100. This was when I realised that experience matters more than fancy machinery.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

While Stage 22 to 25  saw the teams tackle the dense forest of Goa, the last leg of the event - 'Twilight' - was more tranquil, at least according to the standards set by previous RFC events. Held near the Rajiv Gandhi IT Park in Dona Paula, the track was less intense yet still confusing to navigate. The round started with the team with the least amount of points looping through the circuit. The stage ended by late afternoon when Jagat, leading by a huge margin, looped around the track before popping champagne on top of his 4x4. At the end of the last stage (SS 26), Jagat Nanjappa and co-drive Chetan Changappa had scored 2,006 points out of a possible 2,600.

Merwyn Lim, co-driver Alex Tan and their V8-powered FJ40 Landcruiser finished second with 1,849  points, while Gurmeet Virdi and Kirpal Singh Sandhu missed out on a hat-trick of wins after they finished third overall with 1,742 points.

There were some noteworthy performances as well. The only women's team consisting of Shruti Ranjan Pai and Sara Fanning, who despite being unfamiliar with the car, managed to finish the competition.

Parting Thoughts

As I made my way back to the hotel, I realised that the competitors, despite putting in a tough shift during the day, did not enjoy the same luxuries as me. Every year, participants are not only out through a thorough physical test, but mentally too. Unlike us with our cosy beds, they have to camp out along with their machines in the wilderness. While that may sound unfathomable for some, such conditions also breed true sportsmanship. For example, team MOCA from Arunachal Pradesh lent their own winch to their closest competitor who had broken theirs. Special mention should also be given to the mechanics, technicians and the marshalls whose sheer hard work made the event flow without any hiccups.

As cheesy as it sounds, the event ended with me never stepping on a beach and yet leaving for the airport with a huge grin on plastered across my face. Would I do it again? Heck, yes.