Terengganu——Challenges from the tropical rainforest

Basic Information: 

This off-road route is located in Terengganu, Malaysia. Since 1997, this route has become a rainforest off-road challenge race under the management of Luis J.A. Wee. The name of this race is the International Rainforest Challenge(RFC). RFC aims at a pure off-road race. Moreover, RFC has extremely high challenges for vehicles and drivers. Today, RFC is not as focused on commercialization as other races. And Malaysia’s extreme off-road environment has gradually become famous overseas. Terengganu has also become a mecca for off-road enthusiasts.

 Terengganu Overview: 

The off-road routes in Terengganu have long been known to countless off-road enthusiasts. But it still maintains its unique original style. Due to the special geographical features of the tropical rainforest. The sand mixed with rainwater forms unique mud roads. Coupled with the undulating terrain. Therefore, it has very high requirements on the passing performance of the vehicle.

For these reasons, the modification of vehicle passability and recovery performance has become the entry standard of RFC. Such modification can only be regarded as good-looking, such as raising the chassis and adding guards. When the off-road vehicle comes to Terengganu, the engine is usually re-tuned. And install differential locks and equip tow hooks on the front and rear of the body, and fix various bolts for recovery. Usually, these bolts and hooks on the car body need to be replaced by the driver himself. To strengthen the tacit understanding and integration between the driver and the car. 

Today, global off-road vehicle production is extremely squeezed by SUV models. Many off-road vehicle manufacturers have stopped the development and production of new cars. But their investment in cross-country events has not decreased. Another great charm of RFC is that it does not impose any restrictions on the service life of the vehicle. Therefore, we can often see classic off-road models in RFC.

Through the dense tropical rainforest of Malaysia. Drivers and teams will encounter many unpredictable situations. No matter how professional and experienced the team is, there is no guarantee that it will be foolproof on all road sections. This also created the uncertainty of off-roading in the rainforest of Terengganu. The "monopoly championship" that is common in other car races will never happen. Here, the ability to get out of trouble according to circumstances is far more practical than so-called experience and money. 

Terengganu’s terrain is very complex, with mixed mud, water, and rock sections. These have forced the team to choose off-road vehicles that have both passability and safety. Pure off-road vehicles like Buggy are not suitable for such road conditions. Here, the modified Land Rover Discovery series, Toyota Land Cruiser, Mitsubishi Pajero, and Jeep Wrangler are the protagonists. 

Looking at the green tropical rainforest. Walking on a road full of gravel, mud, and potholes. Challengers who arrive in Terengganu off-road may change their views on nature. Perhaps they can experience the joy of conquering nature on the Moab and Rubicon Trail. But here, they are more like struggling to survive in front of nature. Maybe, you are stepped on by nature if you don’t use the strength of your whole body.