THE Rainforest Challenge (RFC) in Malaysia is considered as one of the toughest off-road competitions in the world. For this year, the Grand Finals is slated to be held from November 23 to December 5—a 10-day onslaught in the province of Kotabahru, at the west side of Malaysia, about 400 kilometers north of Kuala Lumpur.
After finishing 45 races in 22 countries coming from Europe, Asia and South America, the RFC Global Series culminates at this tropical Southeast Asian country.
“It is the most internationally represented off-road event in the world—just like the Olympics,” said official RFC Philippine representative Atty. Robby Consunji.
“We’re coming at a time when the conditions of the grounds are very harsh, the weather is very harsh,” he added.
“But our Philippine contingent is ready for it.”
Pinoy pride
Bearing our flag is the tandem of Eduardo “Randy” Sobrepeña and Ronnie “Boxy” Malonzo from the Pampanga Off-roaders Club Inc.
The two captured the chance to represent the country after topping the RFC Global Series Philippines Championship Race staged in Pampanga from August 24 to 27—which was a grueling three-day off-road blitz.
“We aim to be one of the top finishers,” said Sobrepeña during a send-off ceremony sponsored by Petron Corp. at the Diamond Residences in Makati
During their speech, the team mentioned that they ought to duplicate the achievement of father-and-son twosome Larry “Typhoon” and Hirryan Mendiola back in 2010 wherein the duo finished second overall, while representing Team Land Rover Philippines.
Off-road race ready
Sobrepeña also alluded to their preparations the past months, stating that their vehicle setup, experience and mental conditioning are all primed up.
They will be driving a 1978 Land Cruiser FJ40, which sports a 2F Petrol Engine, with ARB lockers in its front and rear axles, backup and power takeoff winches, equipped with Motolite dual-battery system while being powered by Petron Turbo Diesel and Petron Rev-X Turbo HTP as the official fuel and engine oil, among others.
Aside from these, they have spent many hours watching videos of previous RFC participants in Malaysia to branstorm, study their equipment and simulate the various obstacles that were tackled.
Expect the worst
“We’re expecting the worst,” Sobrepeña, meanwhile, immediately replied without any hesitation when asked of what to expect in the challenge.
“We’re seeing 10 times as hard as what we experienced in Pampanga. Dapat ready,” he added.
Consunji then reiterated that the “pressure cooker” will be at a high.
“Mental training is crucial, as participants will lack sleep, will be choosing between food and fuel. It’s going to be a really stressful event, very emotional,” he stresses.
“Imagine 200 to 250 km of off-road conditions, it’s very remote. But these two have been seasoned off-roaders for many years now, so I now they can cope.”
Both Sobrepeña and Malonzo have been doing off-roading for seven years now, with the former having been the president of their club in 2016.
Pinoy enthusiasts growing
Consunji said that, through the recent event in Pampanga and the upcoming challenge in Malaysia, more Filipinos are now inspired to do off-roading.
“The number of off-road clubs are growing because of this,” he shared.
“One of the objectives of RFC Global Series is to bring the Pinoy to the international stage arena and aspire for excellence.”
Image credits: Ronald de los Reyes