Another Pajero win: Swazi Reg Raid 2010
Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 4:46 pm
Hi all
I notched up the Pajero winnings a bit, showing that a Pajero can beat all them souped up Cruisers, Patrols and Jeeps
The Swazi Regularity Raid was held over the last weekend. It was the 11th of such events. The idea behind it is more a rally than a 4x4 event, but plenty of 4x4 skills are required. Over the two days one covers roughly 130Km per day getting from marshal to marshal, though one doesnt know where they sit. Then, there are hidden marshals which also take ones time. For every 6 seconds too early / late, one gets a penalty point = 10 points per minute late or early at a marshal.
At the start we got our "instruction" sheets giving us distance and average speed over that distance. One then needs to work out how fast one has to travel to make sure that one gets to the next point on time. Competitors start in 2.5 minute intervals and then the fun begins. One travels some roads, but mainly tracks, cow spoors, fence lines, rivers, through valleys and over mountains. Reall good fun.
Day one started off by us leaving as car No 6 at 06:12 on a cold and drizzly morning. we made good time and found the 1rst marshal in good time. We managed to get to marshal no 4 when the rally was blown off due to unsafe driving conditions. At this time only 36 cars managed to get to marshal 1. (68 cars this year)
We did get horribly stuck in a little river crossing (it was pure mud when we got there as car no 6, you can imagine what it looked like after 30 cars) The Paj just didn't have the grunt (like the big petrols also with more clearance) and ended up on our belly. Sorry, no pics. We had good fun making up lost time and the best on this day was driving through a young wattle plantation where the young trees keept us on the straight and narrow. One had no control what so ever. No one did, not even with muds. This already bordered on dangerous as sliding down all the way was a possibility. Luckilly we all took it really slow.
Oh well, after the call of, we headed back. Points for that day revealed that as only half the field managed to get to the 1rst marshal, that we ended up being closest to our ideal time passing the hidden marshal somewhere before the real mud began, which all the cars passed.
On the second day, we were again lucky as we were able to sleep in, have a lekker breakfast and with plenty of time in hand we then got our sheets and left the starting point at 8:55 as the 60th car to leave. This made us worried as we should have had plenty of churned up mud, but it wasnt that bad. We had a good time. See pics attached.
All went well and we ended up in first place followed by Sakkie (Isuzu Club) and a Jeep Rubicon in third.
I notched up the Pajero winnings a bit, showing that a Pajero can beat all them souped up Cruisers, Patrols and Jeeps
The Swazi Regularity Raid was held over the last weekend. It was the 11th of such events. The idea behind it is more a rally than a 4x4 event, but plenty of 4x4 skills are required. Over the two days one covers roughly 130Km per day getting from marshal to marshal, though one doesnt know where they sit. Then, there are hidden marshals which also take ones time. For every 6 seconds too early / late, one gets a penalty point = 10 points per minute late or early at a marshal.
At the start we got our "instruction" sheets giving us distance and average speed over that distance. One then needs to work out how fast one has to travel to make sure that one gets to the next point on time. Competitors start in 2.5 minute intervals and then the fun begins. One travels some roads, but mainly tracks, cow spoors, fence lines, rivers, through valleys and over mountains. Reall good fun.
Day one started off by us leaving as car No 6 at 06:12 on a cold and drizzly morning. we made good time and found the 1rst marshal in good time. We managed to get to marshal no 4 when the rally was blown off due to unsafe driving conditions. At this time only 36 cars managed to get to marshal 1. (68 cars this year)
We did get horribly stuck in a little river crossing (it was pure mud when we got there as car no 6, you can imagine what it looked like after 30 cars) The Paj just didn't have the grunt (like the big petrols also with more clearance) and ended up on our belly. Sorry, no pics. We had good fun making up lost time and the best on this day was driving through a young wattle plantation where the young trees keept us on the straight and narrow. One had no control what so ever. No one did, not even with muds. This already bordered on dangerous as sliding down all the way was a possibility. Luckilly we all took it really slow.
Oh well, after the call of, we headed back. Points for that day revealed that as only half the field managed to get to the 1rst marshal, that we ended up being closest to our ideal time passing the hidden marshal somewhere before the real mud began, which all the cars passed.
On the second day, we were again lucky as we were able to sleep in, have a lekker breakfast and with plenty of time in hand we then got our sheets and left the starting point at 8:55 as the 60th car to leave. This made us worried as we should have had plenty of churned up mud, but it wasnt that bad. We had a good time. See pics attached.
All went well and we ended up in first place followed by Sakkie (Isuzu Club) and a Jeep Rubicon in third.
