Nanjappa-Changappa win RFC India 2018

Jagat Nanjappa and co-driver Chetan Changappa of team V5 Offroaders won the ISUZU Rainforest Challenge 2018.

(From left) Ashish Gupta (Founder & Director, Cougar Motorsport Pvt Ltd), Luis J.A. Wee (Founder & Creator, The Rainforest Challenge),RFC India 2018 Champions Jagat Nanjappa and co-driver Chetan Changappa, Ken Takashima (Deputy Managing Director, ISUZU Motors India Pvt. Ltd.) and Capt. J. Shankar Srinivas (Vice President – Service, Customer Relations, EA & PR, ISUZU) at the presentation ceremony.

There is a popular saying that goes, 'When the going gets tough, the tough get going'.

But the India chapter of the Rainforest Challenge (RFC) demands more than toughness — as Jagat Nanjappa and co-driver Chetan Changappa of team V5 Offroaders proved so by winning the ISUZU RFC 2018 here in Goa on Saturday.

A glimpse of the action at Special Stages 18-21 on Day 5 of the Rainforest Challenge India 2018.

 

At the end of Special Stages (SS) 21, the battle for the top podium finish had become a three-way battle between V5 Offroaders, Gerrari Offroaders and G.O.A. Fairmont. But, at the end, it was Jagat's off-road driving experience came in handy to go for the final push. The team from Coorg finished first with overall 2,006 points at the completion of 26 SS.

  Mervyn Lim (co-driver Alex Tan) of Fairmont finished second with 1849 points, while the defending champion Gurmeet Virdi (co-driver Kirpal Singh Tung) of team Gerrari from Chandigarh settled for third with 1800 points. Sanbir Singh Dhaliwal (co-driver Gurpartap Singh Sandhu) started off well by topping the leaderboard but few penalties saw him lose momentum, which allowed Jagat to move up and his team managed to keep up the consistency till the end.

The RFC India is considered to be one of the toughest off-roading event held in the country and this fifth edition was no different. The rocky terrains, mud and slush, steep incline to a Special Stage —  it can test the most skilled driver on the circuit.

Not to forget, the jeep too plays an important role as any other member in the team. The win ensures Jagat's Offroaders a direct entry to the main event of Rainforest Challenge in Malaysia, and the veteran is confident of putting up a good show.

"My jeep is basic so I hope that me and my co-driver will prove that we could still beat the best with a basic vehicle at the mother event of RFC later this year in November," Jagat said.