Delhi teams all set for an off-roading challenge
Fighting to prove their endurance in extreme offroad conditions, 41 teams are vying for the top spot in the Rainforest Challenge, a motorsport competition being held in Goa. Three teams from Delhi, each consisting of a driver and co-driver, are also participating in the event, and hope to win the honour for the Capital.
The competition is counted amongst the top three global motorsport events, out of the 51 editions being held across 21 countries. The winner will get an entry into the mother event to be held in Malaysia at the end of the year.
Ready for his second attempt, 34-year-old Pragun Arora, a participant from Delhi, says, “It’s the world’s ninth most difficult motorsport challenge. One has to be ready with the vital parts of cars and for the surprise stages, too. My first day in last year’s event was the toughest I’ve ever seen in a competition! I was in the game for four days. This time, I am preparing a stronger vehicle and have learnt newer techniques. I am also working on my fitness.”
The seven-day-long event will have 26 Special Stages (SS) or challenges, with four to six stages planned for each day.
Eric Benny, 40, former manager of the Indian National Football team, is participating in the event for the first time. “I’m a footballer at heart but driving has been my passion. As far as the competition is concerned, I’m not taking it up as a challenge. I’m going to enjoy the driving; there is no competition in my head,” he says.
Meanwhile, this is the fifth attempt of Bijender Singh, 46. About the previous years, he says, “It was a complete disaster! I faced mechanical failures in my vehicle from the very first stage, which continued till the very last. I had given up, but my co-driver kept me going and inspired me to complete the competition. Somehow, we crawled our way to the top 10. This year, I am going tougher on it.”