JK Tyre Orange Fury

Muck, slush and 4WD monsters

Touted as one of the most challenging offroading events in India, the 4th edition of the JK Tyre Orange 4X4 Fury was held in the stunning Dibang valley of Arunachal Pradesh. This is time that the tiny yet picturesque hamlet of Dambuk comes alive with cavalcades of high performance jeeps and SUVs. The three-day extravagance was spread over five stages and defending champions Gerrari Offroaders won the challenge finishing top of the charts with a total of 514.5 points.

While driver Gurmeet Virdi teamed up with co-driver Dushyant Khosla, the second vehicle was driven by Kabir Waraich and Yuvraj Tiwana.

Having taken the lead from the first day, the Chandigarh team stayed ahead of the

THE ASSOCIATION OF OFF-ROADERS FROM NAGALAND WERE RUNNERS UP WITH 398.5 POINTS

game because of their top notch coordination skills. Despite the difficulty in the 'Dance of the Sisari' stage where teams had to wade through a river and wince their way up an incline of 45 degrees to the finishing point, Virdi and Waraich stayed the course even though they began the stage with a handicap due to a 4X4 malfunction.

Speaking of his victory, Gurmeet Virdi explained "Despite the handicap, the team focussed on following through with the team strategy and working together to wrap up each stage. Our goal was to stick to strategy." Having won the Rainforest Challenge earlier this year, this is Virdi's second major win this year.

Not far behind from the 2017 Chandigarh champions, at second place was the Association of Off-roaders from Nagaland (AON) who mustered up 398.5 points.

Having started reasonably well at the beginning of the competition, the Nagaland team's Angulie Vupru and Sathish Kumar (drivers) and Neiketoulie Meyase and Yanren Jamio (co-drivers) kept the home team MOCA at their feet. MOCA finished third and needless to say were local favourites. Miranjeet Choudhury and Tsengtsing at the helmed MOCA while Purbajyoti Choudhury and Jeninder Mantaw worked in tandem with them.

Apart from the offroading event, the Orange Festival organised by the Arunachal Tourism Department also showcased excellent Motocross skills. Founder of the Orange Festival Abu Tayeng explained that the festival has grown from strength to strength. "This is an excellent platform for people to experience our culture and way of life. The festival is timed along with the orange harvest season and we have also included ATVs courses, ziplining, river rafting, archery, elephant rides and mud runs to cater to everyone's interest."

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1. Drive r and 2017 Champion of the JK Tyres Orange 4X4 Fury, Gurmeet Virdi makes his way across a swamp in the final stages of the fury. 2. Locals gather for the prize distribution ceremony. 3. Marshals gather to assist an overtuned vehicle. 2 3

1. The flag off ceremony underway at Dambuk in Dibang valley. 2. Participants manoeuvre their way around various stages of the event. 3. A cloud of burnt rubber emanates from a vehicle 1 2 3

1. JK Tyre & Industries Ltd, Marketing Director, Vikram Malhotra opening the event. 2. A participant pulls off a stunt at the Motocross event. 3. Deputy Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Chowna Mein with winners Gerrari Offriaders 4. The Gerrari...