" Be forewarned, RFC is not for the faint-hearted, come physically & mentally prepared "

RFC 2008 News Update, 5 May RFC 2008 News Update, 8th June RFC 2008 News Update, July RFC 2008 News Update, Oct The Beauty and The Beast The Invasion of the Baltic Knight The Unfinished Business Here comes the rain again Here comes the rain again - part II Snippets RFC 2008 OVERALL VIEW FROM THE EVENT DIRECTOR   OVERALL VIEW FROM THE EVENT DIRECTOR   This year, we did not have a chance to "settle our score with the Terminator" after all. Mother Nature always has the upper hand, if at all we are were to have our way, its when the natural elements are being kind to us, that's the conclusion. The earlier than expected monsoon rains did not help our cause. It made our advance scout team's work (Group C) even more difficult than our planned "pincer movement assault" on the Terminator, but we still had hope that we could pull it through during event days. The dry run during the recee proved it could be done, and also we had done it in 2005. But, alas, it did not turn out to be. The advance scout team C was overworked, even our Jungle Man 2006 winner Abd Ghani the chainsaw man had problems cutting through the obstacles in wet and soggy conditions when the monsoon hit them. And worse, all the earlier recee done had to be touched up again, due to the ferocity of the rain. Group C had to move in again on event days. Group A & B scouts had their own assignments to keep the convoy and Special Stages going. After Sg Kertiah, even group B could not make the final push pass Sg Terengganu Mati and Sg Puah. The monsoon storm from 6-8 December was something not seen for sometime. It was a real tempest, which made the going tougher, even at the supposedly easy tracks of Ulu Sg Loh. With the main convoy broken into several groups along the route, all previous plans had to be cancelled and regrouping was the only option to get everyone together. Thus, backtracking was the order of the day. But even that was a problem as many groups struggled in and out of the transport stages - all of which had turned into special stages. The essence of action in this year's RFC actually turned out to be the struggles along the difficult transport stages in our strategic withdrawal from one campsite to another. The "final straw that broke the camel's back" in this year's RFC was the massive landslide at the Hill of No Return, just 2 km from Hakka Junction checkpoint. That was when the order to retreat was given at 7 pm on 11 December. To continue means uncertainty of getting all the vehicles out of the Twilight Zone as Group B scouts could not make their rendezvous to the top of Terminator Hill thus, the pincer assault could not take place. That would mean that the competitor teams would have to help themselves to ascend Terminator Hill without help from scouts from group B. That would also mean further delay in getting out than the original plan. In the end, getting the foreign vehicles back to their respective countries on schedule via Port Kelang was more important than pushing through at all cost. Some would, of course, like to give it a try, but the overall good of the event must prevail at all times. Other than the weather and backtracking, it's good to see the newcomers and the regulars mixing around very well, from the competitor teams to the members of the media. Even the new foreign officials had a good time getting to know the locals and vice versa. Again, it's proven that the RFC is the annual meeting place of off-roaders from many parts of the globe. It's a joy to see that language and culture posed not a barrier to friendship among 4x4 enthusiasts from the Baltic to South China Sea. Thus, we have lived up to this part of the essence of the event, yet again. In hindsight, in a major event like RFC, managing hundreds of participants, media and officials with different cultural backgrounds, likes, dislikes plus guiding their machines through a rain soaked jungle has always been a challenge, and will always be. When the going gets tough, it's when the actual qualities of both man and machine will show their true strengths and weaknesses. The official support crew too and their hardware, both foreign and local, has also gone through its own rejuvenation and transformation, some requiring more time to adjust than others. The four upgraded Toyota Hilux were an added plus point for event operations, which were able to bring some of the marshals in time to our forward positions, they did not break down under the grueling conditions. But, nevertheless, in spite of the hardship which everyone had to go through, it is worthwhile to mention that all of them have that 4x4 passion in them which enabled them to pull through. Each year of the RFC poses a different set of problems, challenges and mix of people from various nationalities, but it has been worthwhile to finish yet another RFC. In the end, the phrase "carpe diem" in Latin (from the Roman poet Horace) - meaning to "seize the day" which also means to take charge of the day and to enjoy life, is also the motto of RFC. The overall view has always been to take charge of the situation as the days unfold, and to focus on the objectives of the event - no matter what the circumstances. This also holds true for those who wish to stay on target and focus on what they wish to achieve in life. Further improvements will, as always, be required to keep the event rolling into its next edition. The coordination with; and the balancing of different interests of the private, federal and state authorities with those of the event will always have to be maintained to its correct level of cooperation and understanding. The making of the RFC is the sum total of all these different parts in promoting the state and the country to the world of off-road adventure sports and tourism. Special thanks: Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Youth & Sports, the Terengganu State Govt, MTPN, Tourism Malaysia, UMW Toyota, Olympus, Warn Ind Inc, ARB, Magam, Tecnica, Equatorial Hotel, Awana Kijal, 4WD Equipment, Motorsports Association of Malaysia (MAM), officials, participants and the media.