44 ~— Friday, September 25, 1992 - North Shore News

AUTOMOTIVE

All 50 vehicles
made it through
mountain course

From page 38

MCL manager Arnold Smith
attempted to rescue the severely
inclined Rover by doing the course
in reverse, but he also got stuck in
two feet of mud on a steep in-
cline.

Smith managed to back out
safely, but to the chagrin of
Range Rover owners, off-road
expert Peter Partridge was sent
out in his Toyota Landcruiser to
rescue the Rover, He also got
stuck for a few minutes but even-
tually managed to crest the rise.

After about half an hour, the
errant Rover was pulled
backwards out of the mud, and a
slightly embarrassed Range Rover
owner, David Lawrence, managed
to extricate it from the infamous
gravel pit.

Lawrence said the road just

44 1 gained new
appreciation for
those grab
handles on the
roof that most
people never
use. =F

gave way on one side. Given the
soggy conditions, I tend to believe
him.

Undeterred by the delay, Ar-
nold Smith fed the rest of the
Rovers, into the next stage, the
“mud-pit,’’ a tortuous kilometre-.
long section of mud, _ rock,
‘stumps, twists, turns, and
precipices.

As I hung on for: dear life, |
gained new appreciation for those
grab handles on the roof that
most people never use. Arnold, an
experienced off-roader,. calmly
explained. the benefits of - the.
Range Rover’s coil spring suspen-
sion and long wheel travel.

It was obvious that the Range
Rover will tackle roads, er tracks,
that appear untraversable. | was
truly impressed at its off-road
performance.

-As a side note, on the way back

_ on the same track, | sat ‘in the

back of a vintage 1965 Land
Rover with a traditional rear leaf
spring suspension.

The difference in ride was phe-

- nomenal.

1 was thrown around like a
pinball in an arcade machine, and
had to use my own legs as shock
absorbers, somewhat akin to
riding a horse.

By comparison, the Range
Rover has a wallowing, bouncing
feeling, much more comfortable,
particularly for rear passengers.

Its self-levelling suspension,

telescopic shock absorbers and

‘a sharp rise.

coil springs help to keep the vehi-
ele level, no matter what the in-
cline.

Somewhat surprisingly, all the
Range Rovers made it through the
mud pit the first time, ready to
challenge the next obstacle: a
steep climb up a racky stream bed
on the ski hill.

With the roar of the Rover 3.9
litte V8 engine in our ears, the
sound of rocks bouncing off the
undercarriage, and the smell of
burning tires, the Range Rover
scrainbled courageously and
furiously up the rocky incline.

With a lot of sweat, a few tears,
and fortunately, no blood, we
made it over the top of the hill.
There was a tremendous feeling of
exhilaration and relief, a sense of
relief that we were still alive, and
a sense of disbelief that we had
actually done it.

Though we made it up, I
doubted that ail 50 vehicles would
make it due to the deteriorating
condition of the loose, rocky sur-
face.

But, one by one, all 50 Range
Rovers made it to the top.

Some even had small children
strapped into the back seat who
appeared to be enjoying the ride
more than the adults. If } hadn’t
seen this feat with my own eyes, I
would have had difficulty believ-
ing it.

By this time, the group was two .

hours fate, but after a nice hot
lunch and pep talk, everyone was
ready for the return trip. Partici-
pants were given the option of
taking the easy route back or
returning via the ski hill and mud
pit. About half of us (the
demented half) decided to brave
the difficult route.

By this time, the mud pit trail
had been churned into a black
ooze. Fortunately, nobody sank
into a bottomless quicksand.

The second vehicle, however,
was unable to negotiate a par-
ticularly slippery section preceding
With a lot of
coaching from onlookers and a
few rocks and logs thrown in for
traction, it and every other vehicle
made it through and back to the
access road.

By the end of the day, most
people were damp and cold but
still excited by their accomplish-
ment.

Sitting by the fire that night,
there must have been many stories
of mud bogs, high-centring, stall-
ed engines, broken spoilers and
bent sway bars, all of which were
perfectly true.

A typical Range Rover day.

13820 - 104th Avenue, Surrey, B.C.

GUILDFORD MOTORS

L.)

Proto Greg Wilson
WHEN ONE Range Rover gets stuck on a one-lane track, all 49 Range Rovers behind it must walt
patiently until someone else pulls him out.

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