The Thar Fest returned after a six-year hiatus. Here’s how it went down.
Published on Nov 12, 2025 11:30:00 AM
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Follow usThe Thar is one of the most revered nameplates among Indian off-roading enthusiasts, and Mahindra is well cognizant of this. Once every few years, Mahindra holds the Thar Fest, where winning teams from various off-road club events held across the country compete with highly modified Thars in the Club Challenge, the finale to all the off-road competitions conducted by Mahindra that year.
This year’s Thar Fest was no different in that regard, and it took place in Goa’s Nagalli Hills from November 8-9. Mahindra even combined Thar Fest with Oktoberfest Goa 2025, so competitors could enjoy live music performances and a wide array of food and drinks after a hard day of off-roading.
The inaugural day of Thar Fest 2025 featured general attractions like an Off-road Experience course and an extensive display of the Thar’s predecessors, but was largely centred around the Club Challenge, where teams faced off against each other in two trials: the Demolition Derby and the Trailer Challenge. These were set in separate courses with flags placed at periodic intervals. Contenders had to pick these flags off their posts whenever they crossed them, adding points to their tally.
Unlike a traditional Demolition Derby, where a bunch of cars collide into each other until one remains functional, this event was more of the monster trucks crushing cars variety – crushing and crunching sounds galore. It entailed a short obstacle course comprising a brief uphill section, a ramp, a fuel tanker, and finally, several scrap cars upon which participants had to drive. A 10-minute time limit was levied for every driver.
It might not seem all that difficult to drive over a bunch of old cars, especially in modified Thars with chunky off-road tyres. However, many contenders struggled to get through the course, particularly due to the roofs of the scrap cars increasingly caving in after every attempt, making the path more uneven and therefore tougher to negotiate.
The Trailer Challenge was much more straightforward by comparison, with the task being to hitch a trailer to the back of your Thar, drive into a large ditch, get as many flags as possible, and make your way out without getting stuck – all within 10 minutes. Driving with a trailer is a veritable skill, even more so when there’s a time limit.
Once the points were tallied, the Club Challenge podium at Thar Fest 2025 featured Team Mud Fighters in third place (cash prize of Rs 2 lakh), Team 4x4 Beats in second (cash prize of Rs 3 lakh), and finally, Team Wayanad Jeepers in pole position, taking home a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh.
On the second (and final) day, Mahindra held a friendly off-roading competition among the media outlets present at Thar Fest 2025. No crushing cars or tricky trailer reversing for this one, though. Contenders participated in timed trials across two off-road courses with the same flag-based point system.
The first of these courses was tight and technical, even involving a section where drivers had to reverse in and out of a ditch between cones placed around its periphery; points would be deducted should you touch a cone. The second course was a much more open space, with cones placed at numerous points and flags right ahead of them.
After some adroit off-road driving, Autocar India took home the first-place trophy for the Media Challenge, marking a triumphant end to an immensely fun weekend.
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