Thirty of the world’s best Winch Challenge teams gathered in Malaysia in December last year to contest the final round of the 2019 Rainforest Challenge Global Series (RFCGS).

The battle for the top awards in the Rainforest Challenge of Malaysia, the final event of RFC Global Series (RFCGS) for 2019, raged for 11 days from start to finish, with the protagonists coming from Asia, Europe and South America.

This year, the monsoon gave the participants the wettest start to RFC in 24 year, with heavy rain falling at Panau Hill on the first day of December, turning the battle grounds quickly into a quagmire of mud.

Despite that a record number of 42 Special Stages (SS) were held during the 11-day race at four major ‘battle stations.’ There was the Prologue SS (Panau Hill, Tanah Merah), Predator (Air Naga, Tanah Merah), Terminator (Istana Sangkut, Sg Rek, Kuala Krai) and finally at Gua Musang (RFC’Kesedar).

Real challenge

The RFC is renowned as one of the top ten toughest motorsport events in the world. With such a reputation just by completing an event like the 2019 finale gives any team the bragging rights of having achieved the pinnacle of 4x4 extreme off-road competition.

Just getting to the start line means you are already a winner in many people’s eyes; so to finish the event, you are extraordinary. 

Top level support

The Royal Malaysian Police forces were fully deployed for air and ground support including communications and overall security in this showcase off-road racing event of Malaysia.

A highlight for many of those involved as well are the refreshment stops with food and drinks at Petron fuel stations at Berlimbing and Laloh in support of the participants in their 150 vehicle convoy.

Three Types of
Racing Categories

The Rainforest Challenge has three different machine categories; R1 for prototypes, R2 for Modified Production and R3 for Standard. All face the same SS and take on whatever Mother Nature can throw at them. 

The RFC Grand Final 2019 was officially launched at Ibis KLCC hotel in Kuala Lumpur by Tourism Malaysia on November 29, a prelude to Visit Malaysia Year 2020. 

The route took the participants from Kuala Lumpur to the north-east state of Kelantan covering Kota Bahru, Tanah Merah, Kuala Krai and ending in a carnival at Gua Musang town (RFC’Kesedar). The first wave of the monsoon hit all these areas with heavy showers especially during the first three days making everyone and everything soaking wet and muddy.

Wet, wet, wet!

It was a wet, wet, wet, start on December 1 for the first day of competition

with continuous monsoon showers all the way from GRV hotel (Kota Bahru) flagging-off to Bukit Panau for the Prologue SS at Tanah Merah. The intensity of the rain and strong winds from the NE Monsoon was just like that of  2007, the year of the big flood. 

Battles of Panau Hill (Prologue SS)

There were only thoughts of competing from the teams, though, in spite of the pouring rain, there was no stopping man and machine from completing the 10 Special Stages on December 1 and 2.

Test of 4x4 Supremacy

The RFC is a race to test the best in man and machines brought into the event. It’s a test of driving and recovery techniques across multiple obstacles including using the right skills and strategy, articulation control, sense of judgement. To overcome all these, coordination between driver and co-driver will win the day. These are the daily routines of the racing teams during the 10 days of the extreme race.

Realm of the Water Dragon

After the exhausting battles at the Prologue SS, there was more action at the Predator of Air Naga (Water Dragon). All the leading teams from Russia, Malaysia, Ukraine, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Indonesia and Mongolia were in top form from the first four days of racing. At the Predator, it was more splashing and recovery action here as this place is not called the Water Dragon for nothing.

Terminator country.

By day five, it was into Terminator country (the third ‘battle station’) to continue the fight for supremacy in undulating and rocky ground with a “roaring” river (Rek River) flowing through it. You don’t want to be terminated here with just one more battle zone  (the fourth) at Gua Musang to go.

Mine host, Ismail Manaf

In spite of full scale 4x4 action and the fearsome ‘roaring’ river image, the two days here (Dec 6 and 7)) were compensated by a gracious host from Istana Sangkut resort, owned by Ismail Manaf, who provided culture and tradition for the participants after the SS.

The Fight to the Finish

Finally, by the evening of Dec 7 all had safely reached the final battle zone at the post-logue SS called RFC’Kesedar at Gua Musang, a carnival and action time open for spectator viewing.

For the competing teams this was their last fight to the finish line before the awards presentation. As it turned out, it was a great showtime in 4x4 action for the general public on Dec 8 and 9.  The Special Stages were hard and technical which took a heavy toll on man and machine but there was no let-up in the teams’ fighting spirit until the final stage, SS 42, of the Rainforest Challenge Finale of 2019, the 24th edition of RFC Grand Final of Malaysia!

What about the monsoon? 

This time Mother Nature cut the RFC some slack. The rains showers were heavy in the beginning of the event, but turned to light rain in the middle, and only intermittent showers at the end, the heavier second wave of the monsoon missing the RFC by seven days! 

All in all, another Rainforest Challenge; powered by Petron, the fuel & engine oil partner of the event, to be remembered.