Pune off-roaders ready to take on RFC India 2014 in Goa Participant Mr. Ramessh Belaaram Ahuja from Pune The first edition of the Rainforest...
Pune off-roaders ready to take on RFC India 2014 in Goa
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| Participant Mr. Ramessh Belaaram Ahuja from Pune |
The first
edition of the Rainforest Challenge (RFC) India will be held in Goa from August
8-14. With participants signing up from all over India and the world, Pune has
its own competing heroes. Representing Pune at the event this year are 58 year
old Ramessh Belaaram Ahuja and 32 year old Daulatram Chaudhary.
RFC is counted among the top 10 toughest motor races in the
world. Adapted from the mother event that was launched in Malaysia in 1997, RFC
India 2014 will see off-road enthusiasts and 4x4 vehicle owners negotiate a
250km stretch from North to South Goa, battling the forces of nature and the
blinding rain. As they manoeuvre through the slush in their modified 4x4
vehicles and try to make the best time in 30 Special Stages (SS) lined
throughout the course; their mental and physical capabilities will be pushed to
the limits.
A wine shop owner in GanjPeth, Pune; Mr. Ramessh Ahuja’s
alliance with off-roading is very recent. Owing to the lack of a national level
platform for off-road motorsport events in India; Mr. Ahuja would take his
Maruti Suzuki Gypsy 4x4 and go on long drives. A couple of years ago he became a
member of the Pune Pathfinders 4x4 P2 Team who have helped and supported him
turn his interest into a passion. Since then, Ramessh Ahuja has participated in
nine events– the Gokak Challenge, Karnataka and other locally organised ones
all over Maharashtra. His club members told him about RFC International, which got
him hooked to it and when the event came to India, he couldn’t let an
opportunity to participate slip.His age hasn’t deterred him from participating
in this extreme off-road event.
RFC is a test of one’s mental and physical abilities and isn’t a
challenge for the weak-hearted. With the course being designed by experts from
RFC International and most of his competitors being younger and stronger, Mr.
Ahuja has been training very hard, spending most of his free time working on
vehicle modifications and bulking up physically for the challenge. “As I
started to explore the world of off-roading two years ago, I got drawn deeper
into it. My tryst with off-road motor sports started quite late in life which
makes me more determined to explore all that it has to offer. At RFC India, I
will be up against stronger opponents, but I want to participate in an event of
this stature. My aim is not to win the trophy. My total focus is only on
completing the 30 Special Stages successfully,” he said.
Daulatram Chaudhary on the other hand is competing to win. A trader
by profession, he had developed a keen interest in motorsport events as a
child. He had participated in the 2012 and 2013 editions of the Mahindra Great
Escape. This proud owner of a Toyota Land Cruiser FJ 40 has religiously followed
all the off-road action on the RFC International scene for the past 5 years.
When asked about how preparations were underway for the event, he said, “I have
been working on my car since February; modifying it to suit the RFC India specifications.”
He added that he spends up to 3 hours daily on modification work for his car.
He said that RFC India is a platform for him to understand how international
events take place and what preparations go into participating in one. “I am
confident that I will win RFC India and will go to Malaysia for the mother
event,” he said.
Spread over six days, RFC India 2014 will be divided into four stages
– the Prologue, the Predator, the Terminator and the Twilight Zone. The
Prologue stage is proposed to be held close to town where competitors can
interact with viewers. In the Predator and Terminator stages, competitors will
have to fend for themselves while traversing the rugged terrain.The event will
culminate with the Twilight Zone which will be an overnight drive through
uncharted territory. The winning entry at RFC India will get a direct entry
into the mother event that will be held in Malaysia late this year. Ashish
Gupta, the Founder and Director of Cougar Motorsport Pvt. Ltd., which has
brought this international off-road event to India said, “We have participants
of all ages participating in the launch edition of RFC India. It is very
inspiring to see people from all age groups come out and participate in an
international event of this stature.”
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