BY: Zaki Salleh
IPOH: The Russian duo of Konev Sergey and Blinov Dmitrii claimed the overall championship title after completing the challenges at the Rainforest Challenge (RFC) Grand Finale.
Operating vehicle number 150, they accumulated the highest points, totalling 3,631, successfully overcoming all challenges.
The team also triumphed in other categories, namely the Prototype Category, Above 3051cc Petrol, and Portal Axle Winner.
Second place overall went to Thailand through Team Offroad Pattaya with 3,459 points, while the Malaysian team, Overlander 4WD Johor, secured third place with 3,415 points.
The achievements of Malaysian teams were commendable as five others also made it to the top 10 teams in the competition. These teams include Team Sabah, Team CST 4×4, Team Johor, and Mat Rock 4×4.
RFC ranks third among the top 10 toughest off-road motorsport events globally, alongside Dakar Rally, BAJA Race, Le Mans 24hr Race, and Isle of Man Race.
In its 26th edition this year, the competition involved 150 four-wheel-drive vehicles with 300 participants from both local and international settings.
Participants hailed from countries such as Russia, Mongolia, China, South Korea, the United States, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Japan, Italy, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Luis J.A. Wee, the founder and Director of Rainforest Challenge & Rainforest Global Series, stated that RFC has placed Malaysia on the world map of off-road motorsports.
He mentioned that since its inception 26 years ago, RFC has evolved with participant challenges intensifying over the years.
“For the next year, RFC will commence on November 26, establishing a trend for the event to take place at the end of the year. I am confident that the challenges in the upcoming competition will be more difficult, testing the skills and efficiency of the participants.
“At the same time, RFC has promoted our country’s green forests as the event has been broadcast to 70 countries through various digital communication channels,” he added.
