Two from Karnataka participate in Rain Forest Challenge 2022

Kumar, 36, believes that off-roading in India is still in its nascent stages. “Off-roading is picking up gradually but not there yet. It still needs to get its acceleration in mainstream sports. Moreover, one should have the passion and the gusto to face the toughest and unprecedented challenges during the off-road pursuit,” he says.

Kumar, who is the driver, and Changappa, his co-driver, started off-roading in 2008. They have been participating in small events in some of the mountainous regions in Karnataka, including Madikeri. Kumar, an architect based in Bengaluru, was the winner in the 1611 CC to 3011 CC Petrol category at RFC 2018, first runner up at the Dambuk ‘Orange Festival of Adventure & Music’ 2018 and first runner up at The Palar Challenge 2020.

Talking about the track at Goa, Kumar says, “The terrain is going to be uncertain where we might encounter water bodies in most of the part. Off-roading is always met with uncertainty and with Changappa being my navigator, will play an integral role in winching the vehicle, analysing the track and its challenges to mitigate any sort of danger.”

Changappa, 37, has been an active member in organising some of the challenging off-roading events and trails for amateur off-roaders in Kodagu. He was an overall category winner of RFC 2018 and 2019, secured the first runner-up overall category in RFC 2017 and was the winner in the up to 1600 CC petrol or diesel category in RFC 2019.

Describing the vehicle that will be used for the challenge, Kumar says, “It took over 3-4 months to build the Gypsy and give it a new design. It has undergone several upgrades to suit the Goa terrain.”