India, March 6^th 2022 (GPN): The seventh edition of the JK Tyre Orange 4X4 Fury came to a riveting close today with Team Gulf First (open) winning their maiden title in event, billed as one of India’s toughest and most exciting off-road competitions. The edition was momentous as it had its first women participant, Aparna Umesh from Kerala challenging the stalwarts in the business.

Held in the backdrop of the famous ‘Orange Festival of Adventure & Music’ at Dambuk in Arunachal Pradesh’s Lower Dibang Valley, the two-day competition had 12 teams participating from various parts like Kerala, Telangana, Karnataka, Chandigarh, Delhi in Open category, comprising of extreme specified vehicles. An impressive number of local teams from the North-Eastern region were going through the paces for the coveted trophy too. While Team Gulf from Kerala registered their first win, defending champion MOCA from Arunachal stood second followed by NIOC from Delhi-NCR respectively.

Presenting the awards to the winning teams, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Pema Khandu said, “Orange Festival is an opportunity to showcase and promote eco-tourism activities which will ultimately help develop infrastructure of the region. On behalf of the state, I thank JK Tyre for promoting the rich heritage of not only Dambuk but of Arunachal Pradesh.”

The two-day event was flagged off on March 3 by Mr. Abu Tayeng, Director Tourism, along with Gum Tayeng, MLA Dambuk. The festival strives to showcase Arunachal Pradesh as a tourist destination.

The 4×4 Fury had the teams negotiate through natural and gruelling obstacles like swamps, steep riverbanks, boulder-filled riverbeds and tracks through rainforests. The stages were prepared by well-known national navigator Musa Sherif and Ashwin Naik.

Such was the route that on the first day itself, almost 80 per cent of the cars broke down as they all struggled to beat the boulders and rocks making it even more challenging.  Intermittent rains and tracks along dry river beds added to the excitement in the proceedings. Out of 24 cars participating only 6 could reach the finish line.

Speaking of her experience, Aparna said, “Off-roading has always been perceived to be male dominated. This is a dream come true for me but it is yet to sink in. We were facing some mechanical issues due to which I couldn’t participate in stage 2 and 3. I will be back again.”

This edition had a mass flag off start to increase the competition and challenges in the fury. With every season the stages have become challenging because of the terrain nature has to offer.

The night of Orange festival concluded with mesmerising performances by local artists. Orange festival is the first of its kind, where speed meets the music.Ends

JK Tyre & Industries Limited

The flagship company of JK Organisation, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd is amongst the top 25 manufacturers in the world. Pioneers of radial technology, the Company produced the first radial tyre in 1977 and is currently the market leader in Truck Bus Radial segment. The Company provides end-to-end solutions across segments of passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, farming, Off-the-Road and two & three-wheelers.

A global force, JK Tyre is present in 105 countries with over 180 Global distributors.  The Company has 12 globally benchmarked ‘sustainable’ manufacturing facilities – 9 in India and 3 in Mexico – that collectively produce around 35 million tyres annually. The Company also has a strong network of over 4000 dealers and 600+ dedicated Brand shops called as Truck Wheels, Steel Wheels and Xpress Wheels.

JK Tyre’s unwavering commitment towards innovation is reflected through its state-of-the-art global research and technology centre – the Raghupati Singhania Centre of Excellence – in Mysore, which houses some of the world’s finest technologies and techniques.

JK Tyre launched India’s first ever ‘Smart Tyre’ technology-and introduced Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) which monitors the tyre’s vital statistics, including pressure and temperature. The company recently rolled out its 20 millionth Truck/Bus Radial tyre becoming the first and the only Indian company to achieve this milestone.

It is the only Indian tyre manufacturer to be included in the list of Super brands India in 2019 for the seventh consecutive year. JK Tyre has been conferred the Sword of Honour for Safety across its plants by the British Safety Council, UK. The company entered the Limca Book of Records with the country’s largest off-the-road tyre – VEM 04.

JK Tyre is also synonymous with motorsport in the country. For over three decades, the Company has relentlessly worked towards shaping India’s positioning as the motorsport hub of Asia, developing the right infrastructure for the sport and promoting young talent in the arena.Ends