2008 Wahiba Desert Challenge |
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Not a pretty picture93 viewsWell, there had to be one of the beaming owner in the album somewhere.
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The start of a 2 day adventure108 viewsOverall, car performed really well in all desert conditions, but doesn't do so well on side slopes or full on straight and soft dune climbs. Find an easier approach with plenty of power on and she'll climb the sandy equivalent of Everest!
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Over the sands96 viewsInitially tried the car with all up weight - full auxiliary (115L)and main (85L) fuel tanks, dual spare wheels, and roof rack. Car had a marked tendency to tail end slide when on side slopes, especially in soft - really soft sand.
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View the Nissans saw105 viewsRecovery strap pre-shackled to the rear recovery eye and secured with a bungey strap to the rear door ladder saves a lot of time when running against the clock - and having to recover a bogged in Nissan!
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Brits and their tea!106 viewsWhenever there's a problem to solve - put the kettle on. After running out of fuel, 18km from the nearest balcktop and fuel station, 3 of the team's cars waited for the return of the other two with fuel. What does one do at times like these? Have a nice tidy up inside, dust off the sand and put the kettle on for a cuppa tea.
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Almost there118 viewsAlmost at the top and still scrambling to keep momentum to reach the top of this awkward dune. The tussock grass mounds can be seen in the foreground and on the plain below and almost always made it difficult to maintain all 4 wheels in contact with the ground at the same time as keeping sufficient momentum to reach the top. Challenging all the way!
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DiscoDancers Desert crossing84 viewsThe team consisted of two LR3 V8s, a Disco II V8, and two Nissan Patrol Safaris. 168 km of dune crossings over 2 days with a camp overnight mid-way. Awesome!
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Flat out!77 viewsThis ascent was really soft and required full out power of the V8 to get up. At one stage the car was sliding sideways towards the camera nose directly up the slope with 4 sizeable rooster tails of flying sand. Not what the books tell you, but momentum has to be gained and maintained from the bottom all the way up.
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The team photo103 viewsTaken at the finish point - just 60 km from the nearest blacktop road! A Challenge indeed, especially as at this point fuel in 3 cars was close to the red line with 20 litres of reserve between all 5 cars!
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Dune Descent91 viewsNo picture seems to do sand dunes justice in terms of their scale and beauty. This was a 100 metre dune (according to the GPS track profile anyway)in the driest, softest sand that behaved like a liquid as you descend the slope. Low 1st, DSC and HDC off and feathering the throttle was the technique used and the descent happens under full control.
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Pause for thought109 viewsAlways worth a look at the terrain ahead to establish the best route to use to make the ascent. Frequently the direct route is the worst, but the tussock grass and mounds on the plains below the dunes almost always prevented sufficient momentum to be gained for an easy ascent. Raw power and gritted teeth were often required to make the top on the 1st attempt.
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