2017 Rainforest Challenge: Gurmeet Virdi and Kirpal Singh Tung Lead

The sheer, unbridled joy that one gets watching these monstrous SUVs take on obstacles is something else. We were in Goa recently catching up on the action at the 2017 Rainforest Challenge and unfortunately, had to come back midway. The special stages this time around were definitely tougher than the ones in last year's edition. This time, the special stages started off in the jungles of Kadamba and Quepem and then moves on towards the city. Here is our report for the first three days of the action, which covered the Prologue and Predator stages.

(The Iron Scorpion was the star attraction at this year's event. It was piloted by William Dwaine Jungen from USA)

Day 1

Special Stages 1 to 5 were held in Kadamba, Goa. The norm in the past edition of the Rainforest Challenge has been that the first day is usually an easy one, with the idea of participants finding their feet before the more challenging stages came by. This year, the organisers threw a curveball by putting some of the toughest stages I have seen in my four years of covering the rainforest challenge. For instance, just a handful of the 38 participants could complete SS 2 on the first day. Thrown into the mix was a night stage as well, which saw the participants toughing it out in the dead of the night as well. The stages included a lot of steep inclines, winching exercises and rock-crawling as well.

(Seeing the front wheels in the air was a common sight)

As is the case with tough stages, the first day itself saw a number of participating cars toppling and a few of them breaking their axles as well. The first stage had 4 special stages held in the day and one held in the night.

(Rock crawling can be quite dicey, one wrong move and you will either break your car or topple)

Gurmeet Virdi and Kirpal Singh Tung from Team Gerrari Offroaders emerged as the leaders at the end of day 1 with a total of 390 points out of a possible 500. Jagat Nanjappa and Chethan Changappa from V5-Offroaders were placed second and Siddharth Santosh with co-driver Prithviraj AC rounded up the top three for the day.

(The participants taking a moment to gather themselves before the beginning of a stage)

Day 2

The second day saw Special Stages 6 to Special Stages 9 taking place in Quepem, Goa. After a rather tough day 1, the stages held in day 2 were relatively easier and helped the participants find more confidence. The setting for day 2 was quite scenic too. The stages had a mix of winching, water-wading, inclines and a speed stage of sorts where the participants had to drive on a small stream and then climb up a hillock, in order to reach the finishing line.

(Steep inclines are trickier to tackle than it looks)

Most of the participants had a field day, trying to build up on all the lost points from day 1. At the end of day 2, it was Siddharth Santosh and Prithviraj AC climbing up the leader board and finishing first with 650 points. Gurmeet Virdi and Kirpal Singh Tung finished the day in the second position with 606 points and pair from Coorg, Jagat Nanjappa and Chethan Changappa were placed third with 588 points.

(The Rainforest Challenge saw participants from all walks of life)

Day 3

The third day of the 2017 Rainforest Challenge was held at the same venue as day 2 was. The stages of course were changed a bit and had become slightly complicated from the previous day. There were six special stages in total (SS 10-15) which the participants had to tackle in day 3. The stages were a mix of tricky and easy. Two of the stages were again speed stages where steep inclines and sharp, tight turns were to be tackled. The other stages included crossing a stream, winching up an incline and a bit of rock crawling as well.

(The first day itself saw a couple of cars toppling at the special stages)

The articulation and agility of the participating vehicles were tested to the extreme. The third day saw the lead going back to Gurmeet and Kirpal from Siddharth and Prithviraj. Gurmeet and Kirpal ended the day with 1072 points while Siddharth and Prithviraj finished with 1066 points, barely six points behind. Consistent at the third place were Jagat and Chethan with 1021 points. The competition surely seems to be getting even tougher by the day. We will be bringing you the final report in a few days' time.