The Indian Rain Forest Championship (RFC) team emerged victorious in their first venture at the 2016 Grand Finals in Malaysia. Gurmeet Virdi and Kirpal Singh secured the first position in their category and also became the first ever Indian team to successfully complete the Grand Final of the RFC Global Series.
The duo achieved the top spot in the under-3,050 cc diesel category at the RFC 2016 Grand Final accumulating 1,361 points out of 2,400 attainable points. Overall, Team India finished 11th in the championship. Though the Indian team was comparatively new to this kind of international off-roading scenario, they proved their mettle against some of the seasoned campaigners in the competition. This win also turns out to be more special due to the fact that the duo was competing in a hired vehicle which they had not even seen till a few days before the competition began.
The Indian Team had won the Indian leg of the 2016 RFC in July, which earned them an automatic entry in the RFC 2016 Grand Final in Malaysia. This was Gurmeet’s second raid in the international arena but it was Kirpal’s first ever international off-road competition experience. Gurmeet was a co-driver in the 2014 RFC Challenge when Team India did a first ever foray in one of the most gruesome off-road championship in the world, but this time was driving to victory with Kirpal taking care of the navigation.
Gurmeet on winning the 20th edition of the motorsport said, “Kirpal and I had decided before coming to Malaysia that we had to concentrate on preserving our vehicle and staying in the competition till the end. Though we definitely dreamt of winning, our focus throughout the week was on avoiding penalties and vehicle breakdown. Now that the final results have been announced, I am finding it hard to believe that our dream has come true. The feeling is yet to sink in!”
