The Automotive Journey: Innovation, Failures, and Breakthroughs | Dr. Mohamed Fahed V P | TEDxCUSAT

Dr. Mohamed Fahed VP begins his talk with a personal backstory rooted in a deep passion for automobiles and motorsport, mentioning he learned to drive a jeep early on and that his love for the sport bordered on obsession. He describes how a Tata Motors advertisement featuring him as a driver brought him wider public recognition, which then motivated his team to push harder into the motorsport and off-road space.

He introduces the Rain Forest Challenge (RFC), explaining it is the third toughest race in the world after the Dakar Rally and King of the Hammers. RFC originated in Malaysia and runs across 16 countries, with India hosting its rounds in Goa for over 12 years. Fahed first attended RFC as a spectator in 2016-17, then as a team manager, before competing as a co-driver in 2018. He candidly admits he was physically unfit for the role — weighing around 100 kg at the time against an ideal of 80-90 kg — and struggled with endurance. During a critical winching stage, he blacked out, and his driver asked him to exit the vehicle, delivering a severe mental blow that almost ended his competitive career.

Rather than quitting, Fahed made a comeback. He sold his old jeep, bought a lighter second-hand vehicle, and began modifying it with technical upgrades including fiddle brakes, rear steer, and differential lockers. He competed at Bhoothathankettu in 2015 (where he lost), returned in 2019 with his upgraded jeep, won the event but was denied the trophy due to political disputes. He then won convincingly at a Kozhikode event — his first proper win — where no one could match his timing across two categories.

With growing experience, Fahed continued refining his vehicle. By 2020, a sponsor (identified as from Kerala) provided him a custom-built jeep. Despite the sponsor stepping back for nearly four years, Fahed and his team competed independently. In their first official RFC run, they finished as second runners-up — a historic achievement as no Malayalam team had podiumed before at RFC India.

For the 2023 edition, Fahed was approached by JSW, a major conglomerate entering motorsport. He joined their six-person team alongside Ujjwal from Arunachal Pradesh, described as one of India's most naturally gifted off-road drivers, and the legendary co-driver Chetan Changappa, considered possibly the best RFC co-driver globally. Against a formidable 11-person rival team, Fahed's team adopted a strategy focused on consistency — completing every single stage without a DNF (Did Not Finish). While competitors like Ujjwal's team had faster cars and superior co-drivers, they accumulated DNFs chasing speed, losing significant points. Fahed's team finished every stage, including a grueling 90-degree winching climb where they improvised with a misplaced anchor rope that caught on a rock and pulled them to the top. By Day 3, Fahed's team topped the standings. Despite Ujjwal pushing hard on Day 4 and gaining up to 4 minutes 10 seconds on individual stages, the accumulated DNF penalties on Ujjwal's side were insurmountable. Fahed's team became the first team in RFC India history to complete an entire event without a single DNF, ultimately winning the diesel category — a category that had only been won by a diesel vehicle once before in RFC India's history.

Fahed closes with a message of perseverance, noting that he was never celebrated locally — his neighbors and community often dismissed his pursuits — but that achieving something real in the face of doubt is what matters.