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How very
Bing Crosby it’s been!
There we
all were dreaming, as usual of a White Christmas and what do you know?
There it was, more or less.
From the
week before New Year until the week after the celebrations, Suffolk
Rover Rescue members worked flat out to ensure that needy people were
catered for: Medical staff, Meals on Wheels and Carers were all given
free rides in our Land Rovers to get them to where they were needed.
Very well
done to all.
The club’s
forum once again proved itself invaluable when Pete B asked me to put a
post on there, asking members for extra vehicles as we were so busy.
We almost doubled the membership of Rover Rescue just from that post
alone!
Several
thank you letters have been forthcoming from organisations that we
helped and all in all, very positive responses from all.
By the
time you read this, the all new Suffolk Rover Rescue website should be
live. You will find it at www.suffolkroverrescue.org.uk.
Well what
a wonderful start to the New Year for probably the most well-loved
couple in the club! I’m talking about Wayne & Christine of course and
the loss of their much cherished 110. For those who don’t know, the
vehicle was stolen around midnight on Jan 1st from outside their house
while they were still awake and watching TV! The thieving scum forced
entry to the vehicle and towed it away!
Within the
hour an alert had been posted on around 20 LR forums, but to date
nothing has been heard (there’s a poster on page 15) As if the loss of
the vehicle wasn’t bad enough, all Wayne's recovery gear etc was on
board due to the Rover rescue standby!
In this
issue AGM fever, some Wadi bashing (no you don’t need a crewcut and
braces), MSA news and we have news of the first winch trial of the year.
Now read
on… DEANO
Top
It’s a
funny thing, life. Not that long ago the chattering classes and some of
those in the media seemed to be engaged in some sort of frenzy; trying
to outdo each other in the game of “bash the 4x4”. There was even a
website called “Alliance Against Urban 4x4s”, which incidentally was run
by a guy called Professor David Begg, who was at one time John “two
Jags” Prescott’s transport adviser. This site advocated, amongst other
things, the placing of mock parking tickets on OUR vehicles to show that
4x4s were not environmentally friendly and other such guff.
The
environment itself has been somewhat unfriendly recently and
suddenly, we are the knights in shining armour. Tales of four wheeled
drive heroism have been everywhere. We have been getting brides to the
altar, delivering meals on wheels, etc, etc. We are for now, the nice
guys.
Suffolk
Land Rover Owners Club has certainly played its part in this and in
particular those members who are part of Rover Rescue. Peter Bickley’s
house was like an Ops Room apparently. He organised vehicles for several
Care Agencies, both in Suffolk and Essex, so that their carers could get
to old people who might otherwise be unable to get washed, fed or ready
for bed. I do know that some members spent many hours doing this and I’m
sure the pensioners, etc. concerned are more than grateful. This is yet
another example of our members stepping up to the plate when things get
difficult.
The Mince
Pie Day was indeed a great success, with probably a record turnout.
Maureen provided her usual superb feast and I’m sure everyone had a good
day. Thanks to all those involved. We have arranged a busy and varied
agenda for 2010; hopefully you will enjoy at least one!
Happy
Rovering
Andy
Beevers – Chairman
^Top
Ok, so
apologies in advance – there’s not a single Land Rover in this article
– but then you just can’t hire them out there – believe me I tried!
So, what’s
Oman like? In a word - different. The people are very friendly,
genuinely glad to have visitors and the villagers are happy to see
vehicles trundling along the tracks to see them. Little boys and girls
wave and run along side and the more entrepreneurial of them manage to
sell trinkets they have made. The weather is warm to hot, the south is
green in the early summer and the North is green wherever the king says
it should be green!
But the
best bit? Yes, you can drive anywhere off road, you can hire vehicles
with 4 and 5 litre engines and a full tank of fuel cost £9. Yipee!
Ok, so
what to see and do. Well, we flew into Muscat and got a connecting
flight down to Salalah in the south – near the border with the Yemen –
you could drive it but be warned – vehicle hire in Oman comes at a price
– not so much the vehicle – more the additional km charge – barter – you
will get a deal. Most companies give you 200km per day – its not enough,
distances are large and its easy to take the wrong track. Take GPS and I
recommend a book called Oman Off Road published by a UAE company called
Explorer (ISBN 978-976-8182-48-7). Another warning here though, this
book is three years old – they like to make roads in Oman (another
reason to go now) and they don’t mind where or how the make them – but
most are made with a grader –that funny looking truck with a massive
blade half way along. So what you think should be the track, may well
have moved. But then hey – we are Dora’s explorers – as everyone knows –
getting lost is our forte!
From
Salalah you can travel north to see the Empty quarter – it’s a long
drive so be warned – as the name implies, its empty! We chose to do some
more local exploring associated with the Frankincense trade. The vehicle
was a Toyota Prado 2.7 petrol manual for those who care. So we headed
off to see the national park where the protected trees grow – to be
honest, you can give it a miss – and to be doubly honest we did – went
round in a 60km off road circle to try and find it (remember what I said
about the additional km charges!). Still we found it, we looked at the
trees…getting lost on the way was more enjoyable!
So we
decided to turn back towards Salaleh to see where the spice trade was
controlled and some of the coast line. On the way we had to give way
several time to camels – to say they don’t have road sense is perhaps
unkind, they just don’t care – as a species they’ve been around much
longer than Toyota!
There’s
some spectacular scenery in the south – namely the Travertine Curtain
(17deg04’11’’N 54deg26’46’’E) which I am assured in the wet season,
known as the Khareef, becomes a waterfall. But more interesting for me
on the drive along the rim of the wall was spotting a Chameleon in our
path. It was bright green and was walking in that odd way that they do,
swaying back and forth. By the time I stopped and we got the camera on
him he had changed colour to match his surroundings – a dusty brown.
From here
we headed south again to Khawr Ruri, once the palace of the famed Queen
of Sheba. It overlooks a strategic bay that was used to export the
Frankincense around the world, the original source of the country’s
wealth. The evening was rounded off by a drive down the coast to Al
Mughsayl so watch the sunset. So, that was our day trip in the south. A
number of days later we flew back up to Muscat and hired another car…
The car we
hired in the North was a 4.5 litre LandCruiser – dented, dusty and
scratched – the perfect hire car for Wadi bashing. Day one was a trip
south west past Nizwa to what is arguably one of the highlights of
exploring this area off road – a drive through Oman’s own Grand Canyon,
known as the Wadi an Nakhur Gorge in the area known as Jabal Shams.
This route
comes with a warning, its unwise to tackle it if there is any sign of
cloud in the sky as you drive along the dry bed of the wadi in a 3250ft
canyon with no escape, people have been killed in flash floods here –
so be warned! Anyway, it was lovely and sunny when we got there – so off
we set. Photos don’t really do it justice so by the time you read this
I’ll have posted some video on YouTube. We stopped for lunch at a
suitable spot in the shade for lunch, it was lovely and cool out of the
sun as the outside temperature had climbed to 38 degC. After completing
the track (it’s a dead end by the way – 7.5 km long) we retraced our
steps and drove around the back of Jabal Shams and up a very steep
switch back road to AlKhitaym to look back down on the canyon.
The trip
home, was eventful to say the least – on the main highway, shared by all
manner of large trucks, we had a blow out of a rear tyre at 120kph – I
have to say, all credit to the LandCruiser it didn’t sway, it let me
decelerate and coast to the side of the road. Changing the wheel in the
dark was eventful! Another tip and one I always do when hiring a 4x4,
before you leave check the spare tire and make sure you know where the
jack is located! So the second day, we had a problem – no spare, so I
called the hire company and they came out with a replacement car – this
was vehicle number 3. At first I was kind of excited when I was told it
was a big Chevy. Excitement turned quickly to disappointment though – it
was a new Chevy Tahoe – it was huge (now we are up to 5.6 litres) and
completely useless off road. Electronic 4wd controls that would not
engage into low on any descent was scary and despite some deft Candice
braking (remember that technique chaps?) it was still risky trying to
control descents on gravel in a 3300kg vehicle by brakes alone! Still,
going up was fun.
For those
fans of American automobilia, here’s a couple of pics of what they call
a ‘Family SUV’.
So, that
was a bit of adventure in Oman. If you get the chance, go there there’s
miles of tracks to explore. Just remember, watch out for camels in the
dark – they don’t have lights, haggle for a good deal and budget for
paying excess km (a good km rate is 0.060 OMR = 60 Baisa per km over
200km)
Happy
exploring.
Tim and
Karen Alden
^Top
Membership Renewal
Please
note: Memberships are due by 31st January. If you haven’t renewed your
membership by February 15th you will not receive anymore NOOZE.
Neither
will you be able to take part in further events or attend the AGM
(details elsewhere). To rectify this obvious oversight just fill in the
renewal form from the December issue of NOOZE.
Single Vehicle Winch Challenge
Badwell Ash - 21st February
Well the problems trying to obtain a
Clubmans licence seem almost insurmountable!
I have spoken to Darren today and we have an
alternative plan.
Forget about a specific winch event, how abut a
play in the mud, with winch vehicles getting themselves out of a hole in
normal Newbourne fashion.
Guidance and advice available to those who want
it.
No competitive element allowed, just a simple and
easy drive around, with the opportunity to have a winch now and again.
£15 per driver with the usual £5 for additional
drivers. This is because we have to pay extra for Badwell, whereas
Newbourne is balanced over the year.
As before, pre-book through Darren, but if not
enough names come forward it will be cancelled, i'm afraid.
Directions
From A14
follow A1088 north through Norton. In one mile turn right to
Stowlangtoft, Hunston & Badwell Ash. Once through Badwell Ash turn
right, signposted Badwell Ash Green. Site entrance approx ½ mile on
right. Grid Ref TM 000 693
Please
remember you must have a Clubman’s licence issued by the MSA for this
event (for details see page 16)
MSA Regulations Changes 2010
In light
of recent changes to MSA regulations, we have had to make some changes
to our MSA events and these are listed below. The Road Taxed Vehicle (RTV)
trials will now be called Cross Country Vehicle Trials (CCVT) this
allows the same 3 classes of vehicle as exists, within our event
Supplementary Regulations. The TYRO will become Cross Country Tyro. Both
of the above events will require any participant to be in possession of
a current SLROC club membership card and full driving licence, except
where Supplementary Regulations specify otherwise.
Any club
MSA event involving use of a winch in a competitive nature, whether for
self or team recovery, will require any person participating in
the event to be at least 18 years old and the holder of a current SLROC
club membership card.
Any person
wishing to drive at winch events will also need a full RTA
driving licence and be the holder of a MSA non-race clubman licence.
Any
person wishing to apply for a licence to participate in the winch events
should contact the MSA for a licence application pack from: Online at
www.msauk.org Or by post from: The
Motor Sport Association, Motor Sport House, Riverside Park, Colnbrook,
SL3 0HG
Or the MSA
can be contacted by telephone on 01753 765000. And ask for the
competitors licence section. Any queries on the reclassification of
these events should be addressed in the first instance to the club’s
Competition Secretary Terry Gant
A Note About Ages
Due to the
reclassification of events noted above and the fact that we cannot run
‘TYRO/Junior trials’ anymore, here’s a little clarification. The
Supplementary Regulations for TYRO trials allow the participation of 13
years and upwards, provided they are accompanied by a Full RTA licence
holder with previous cross country trial experience, unless driving a
‘Class 1’ type vehicle or soft-top where the minimum age is 15.
Similarly in CCVT, 17y.o’s may compete provided they are accompanied by
a Full RTA licence holder with previous cross country trial experience.
It is up to the competitor to ensure they are familiar with the SR’s.
The vehicle may only be driven between observed sections by a crew
member who holds a valid full RTA licence.
Trial Classes
Class 1 -
Modified
Class 2 -
Coil Sprung
-
90/110/130/Range
Rover/Discovery
-
All
vehicles 100/110” wheelbase allowed 1 shunt per section.
-
Vehicles
over 110” wheelbase - 2 shunts
Class 3 -
Leaf Sprung
Passengers At Trials ?
It is only
natural that our intrepid trial drivers both new and ‘seasoned’, like to
show their prowess to their family. It therefore seems worth mentioning
just whether passengers are allowed or not!
Cross
Country Tyro Trial
-
More
than one passenger can be carried only if the driver has a
Full RTA licence.
-
Under
16’s should provide a consent form signed by parent/guardian
-
All
passengers must wear an approved seat belt, and face forward in a
properly fixed, upright seat.
-
The
passenger sitting alongside the Driver during sections must be at
least 12 years old.
-
Passengers
who occupy the rear seats of the vehicle must not be less than 2
years of age, any child under 12 years of age or 135cm in height
must be seated using an approved ‘child restraint’.
Cross
Country Vehicle Trial
-
Only
one Passenger aged 16 or over may be carried on a vehicle.
-
Exceptionally,
the SR’s may reduce the minimum age to 14, providing the vehicle
is fitted with seat belts and either a manufacturer’s hard top, a
truck cab, or a rollbar.
^Top
I make no apologies for repeating this article once again. While
most members now have an idea what is required for their vehicles, new
members may not, and this is therefore aimed at helping them.
Wayne Peck, stalwart marshal and Scrutineer was speaking to me at
one of our driving days. He was unhappy at having to turn away three
vehicles that had absolutely no recovery points, or were too dangerous
to be driven around the site (and yet they were driven there!). I'm not
going into details of who these members were (they weren’t happy), but
Wayne thought that a short summary of basic preparation might avoid this
happening again. It’s a difficult subject to broach without sounding
patronising so we hope you will all take this the right way.
Wayne's First Law
First off is something that should be on your daily checklist:
Wayne spotted a battery lying on its side with no clamp in sight! Now
come on people you shouldn't be waiting for the MOT to come around for
the inspector to do your checks for you, you know it makes sense. In
Wayne's own words, "If you do roll it, the bonnet acts as a huge frying
pan with fuel and oil laying in it, a loose battery may hit the bonnet,
spark and Woosh! You're in deep trouble". So while Land Rover provide a
nice sturdy clamp, this doesn’t always hold the battery sufficiently but
a simple metal strap with a couple of holes drilled each end to take
bolts will solve that problem.
While
you are under the bonnet, look around the engine bay. Any leaks,
especially from fuel or brake lines need sorting immediately, sometimes
it's as simple as tightening a hose clip or pipe union. I bet you take
the time to spray some waterproofing around the wires on your petrol
motor so you don't look a Charlie in the first puddle you come to, so
take the time to look properly for the other stuff while the bonnet is
up
Staying beneath the bonnet, check security of the steering box on
Series motors along with the drag link if you can see it, and on coilers
have a wiggle of the steering shaft looking for excessive room in the
u.j’s because the Scrutineer will do.
Likewise have a look underneath the vehicle at the steering
joints/track rod ends. We’ve seen vehicles driven to the site, with the
TRE’s so badly worn they were refused entry to the courses and you have
to wonder how they made it to the site! Likewise the drop arm balljoint.
Add another check to your list while you’re at it: The handbrake.
This must be able to hold the vehicle on our scrutineering slope, that’s
why it’s there (the handbrake and the slope)! It’s a major fail point
and is quite easily adjusted.
Wayne’s Second Law
The dangers within:
That spare wheel you never bothered to bolt down in the boot, the
wheel brace that has been sliding around for weeks, even the box
containing your recovery kit must be bolted/strapped down securely.
Failing that, take it all out in the car park after you have
scrutineered and before you go out onto the courses.
Literally anything that is loose within the vehicle whilst you are
off road can inflict a serious injury. You may laugh, but I even use one
of the seatbelts to strap my flask of coffee down - it's not just in
case it falls on the floor and breaks - although that is a life
threatening scenario in itself as far as I am concerned. We’ve even had
vehicles turn up with shovels, spades and even an uncovered machete
lying on the floor between the seats. It’s very easy to overlook things
that are always there.
Stow it
all away securely or take it out.
Which finally brings us to:
Wayne’s Third Law
Recovery Points.
Now while it might be quite ok to drive the White Course at
anytime of year - unless your Paul and it's your first time off road
with the overhang and tow-hitch/plough on a Rangey (sorry mate it's just
an example)! – it’s been proved time and time again that while the Black
Course has it's usual impassable obstructions for some, so can the
normally mild Yellow Course! The dip beyond the tabletop proving too
much even for grizzly claws at times and as for the bomb-hole...
The point I am making here is that if you go onto the course and
get stuck, with no recovery points just how do you expect anyone to get
you out? Proper recovery points, I'm sure you realise, are imperative.
Don't be fooled into thinking those little egg-shaped plates with a big
hole in are any good for recovery because they're not. They were
designed to lash the vehicle to a transporter and that's all. Much the
same applies to the later front 'towing eye' fitted to Discovery and
Range Rover: towed by an AA patrol, or winched onto a truck maybe ok,
but stick a kinetic recovery rope onto that same towing eye, and it'll
probably be ripped from the chassis at Mach 2. What you should be
investing in is, a pair of 'Jate rings' which attach to the chassis with
high tensile bolts while Series/Defenders can use 'D-rings' (which
attach above the bumper using the bumper bolts) or ball/pin hitches
bolted straight through the bumper in line with the chassis rails.
However, do not forget to put a spreader plate behind each hitch
or you stand the risk of pulling the bolts through the bumper (don’t
forget the condition of the dumb-irons as that’s what the bumper is
bolted to). A standard tow-hitch will suffice for the rear but don't
underestimate the forces applied to recovery points, I've seen a rear
tow-hitch come off the back of a Series during a kinetic recovery, and
the rear crossmember was still attached to it! Likewise I watched a
towrope with shackle and part of a bulbar still attached, go sailing
over the top of the motor doing the pulling! Welded recovery points are
a no-no too; they should be bolted. Most bull bars have unsuitable
points, as they are not in line with the chassis. If you aren’t sure
what you need, pop along to the pub on a Wednesday night and ask any of
the guys who drive the course. They’ll love to tell you how to spend
your hard earned. One other deserved mention is the use for recovery of
these webbing straps. Most are not designed for pulling motors
out of mud, but for holding loads onto vehicles or lifting. Use only the
proper gear!
Finally
have fun and stay safe. DEANO
^Top
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