Ujjal Namshum (co-driver Chethan Chengappa) crowned champs in ‘4x4 Extreme’ category

Sarjerao Kawade (Rushikesh Patil) from Pune took home the Overall Champion trophy in the ‘4x4 Modified’ category with 1633 points out of 2000 and Athul Thomas (Binil Babu) from Kerala won the ‘4x4 Stock’ category with 1247 points out of 1400. The three champions emerged after a week-long battle among 25 teams in the ‘4x4 Extreme’ category, 16 in ‘4x4 Modified’ and 23 in ‘4x4 Stock’ category, where their driving and vehicle recovery skills as well as the coordination between the driver and co-driver were tested among extreme off-road conditions.

Kranthi Kumar Vengala (Rajeev Lal PM) from Hyderabad emerged as the first runner up in the ‘4x4 Extreme’ category with 2052 points while Goan driver Viddesh Madgaonkar (Sahil Sadekar) took the third position with 1962 points. Shehinsha TP (Muhammed Nabeel) from Kerala claimed the second position in the ‘4x4 Modified’ category with 1572 points and Gagan Karumbaiah (Bopanna Maleyanda) was at the third position on the leaderboard with 1569 points. In the ‘4x4 Stock’ category, RFC India debutant Naku Hage Chada (Loda Punyo) from Arunachal Pradesh was declared the runner up with 1173 points and Sabu Xavier (Halvin Appanna) from Bengaluru took the third spot with 1144 points.

In the ‘4x4 Extreme’ category, defending champions Ujjal and Chethan fought hard to retain their title. Speaking on the win, Ujjal said, “Defending our title is hard to put into words; there is struggle, frustration, even anger along the way, and then this joy at the end that makes it all worth it. Winning is the icing on the cake, but it's really the process, the six days of racing, that we live for. We set ourselves a personal target this year: a perfect day, a clean sweep of stage wins. We achieved that on Day 4 of the competition and that moment was as precious for us as this win.”

On what RFC India means to him, Ujjal added, “I have raced all over the country but RFC India is the one event we build our whole year around. It's not just a race, it's a pilgrimage. We prepare for months the way you would say your daily prayers, and then we come here like pilgrims, to worship and to experience it fully. And it's not just about us competing; it's the spectators coming in from as far as Arunachal Pradesh as well as the whole atmosphere of a festival. Winning here, twice now, is the highest point of my career. This is our Mecca.”

The ‘4x4 Modified’ category saw Sarjerao Kawade and co-driver Rushikesh Patil maintain a consistent lead throughout the event, returning with a rebuilt vehicle and a markedly stronger campaign than their podium finish last year. Speaking on the win, Sarjerao Kawade said, “Winning the Modified category at RFC India 2026 feels incredible, especially after the setbacks I faced this year. Last year, I didn't fully understand how to strategize and give my best, but this year I prepared properly and came in with a clear plan. Even after a difficult first day with a breakdown, I knew I had to give 100% on the next track. The competition this year was extremely tough, with several strong participants pushing hard right until the end. To come out on top after all of that means everything to me.”

In the ‘4x4 Stock’ category, Athul Thomas overcame an early setback on the very first stage to secure victory. Speaking on the win, Athul Thomas said, “Honestly, this win almost didn't happen. I hadn't even planned to be at RFC India this year; I was set to compete in an event in Coimbatore instead, and it was only after that got cancelled that I turned to RFC India. We made a mistake on the very first stage, and that put us on the back foot for the rest of the competition. But I told myself not to look at what anyone else was doing; just trust ourselves and focus entirely on the track in front of us. That's what got us through. Winning this category means everything, not just to me, but to my team, my mechanics and everyone back home in Kerala who's been behind me.”

Commenting on the standout performances of this year's edition, RFC India organiser Cougar Motorsport’s Founder & Director Ashish Gupta said, “Chethan and Ujjal are among the finest driver-navigator pairs in the country and they fought hard to retain their titles, putting together five fastest stage times that changed the ‘4x4 Extreme’ leaderboard completely. Kranthi had some bad luck, including a DNF (Did Not Finish) on one of the stages, but it was still an outstanding effort. I was especially pleased to see Viddesh, only in his second RFC India, finish third overall. In the Stock category, drivers like Athul and Sabu impressed, alongside a wonderful surprise entry all the way from Arunachal Pradesh. And in Modified, Sarjerao came back with a rebuilt vehicle and led consistently from start to finish.”

On the 2026 edition, Ashish Gupta added, “This year's Stock competitors clearly found the event more demanding than last year, which is exactly what we wanted. When we introduced the Stock category, we genuinely didn't know how prepared people would be or how far they'd push their vehicles. So, we raised the bar this year and the competitors rose to meet it. What's been most rewarding is watching people move up the ladder the way we hoped they would, with drivers stepping up from Modified into Extreme. That progression is exactly why we built these categories in the first place. Add to that tougher tracks and more rain than last year, and it made for one of the most challenging editions of RFC India in recent years.”

Several special awards were also announced. The ‘Environment Award’ went to Team Hyderabad, the ‘Most Unique 4x4’ award went to Pravin Jadhav and the ‘David Metcalfe Jungleman Award’ went to Hamdaan Khan. Sameer Chunawala from Mumbai received the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ and the ‘Best Service Team’ award went to Ujjal and Chethan’s Service Team.