[pdev29]

guys where are the pics???

[Ravveendrra]

Great fun!

After winding up at the AKC 2011, we drove up the old Bhor ghat. What used to be a nightmare with gargantuan traffic jams is now a short sweet drive up after the traffic (and the jams) moved to the expressway.

We arrived at the EXAMM venue just in time for lunch as we had to do a couple of things on the jeep (like fit a new Diesel tank). Tejas and his team were ready for us with all the paperwork done and handed us our kits - the prized EXAMM T-shirt, a certificate (needs to be framed pronto), the thoughtful combiflam + band-aid + deo (to be used liberally, esp on socks shoes etc.)

We chose to stay at Sancheti in order to avoid the commute as well as to enjoy the luxury of ample parking. The rooms were clean with fresh clean with clean linen, the bathroom had plenty of hot water on tap.

Lunch was simple fare but tasty and hot. All refreshed we set off for the much touted mud drag.




The weather held though it was cloudy. As I parked the car and walked to the venue I was happy that it was not raining and was eagerly awaiting the event (first in India). Most of the team had decided not to run in the mud drag as it would put too much stress on our puny machines. Since our team was not running, I was looking forward to a quiet afternoon watching the competition and hob-nobbing with other like minded souls. So I hitched a ride on Mr. Gulbarga's footboard to cross the little stream between the road and the venue as I wanted to keep my feet dry.

The weather Gods had other things in mind and must have been laughing into their sleeves at my hopes of a quiet afternoon. The rain over the previous days turned the whole area into some kind of a quick-sand filled swamp. Trouble started in the parking lot for participants. One after another, the jeeps, gypsies etc. started getting stuck. They were winched, towed out and parked on drier ground - only to have them sink in again! It was getting impossible to drive even 10 feet without getting sunk. Hmmm. . . .seems we were going to have an interesting afternoon after all. Soon the parking lot was filled with scenes of jeeps pulling out other jeeps only to end up getting stuck as well, now both the rescuer and the intended beneficiary were victims.

The organisers were well prepared for this and called out the big uns. Out came the local farmer with his tractor and hey presto he was 'The Man' and jeepers were begging and beseeching him to pull their poor stranded vehicles out. Now being the poor farmer that he was, all this adulation went to his head and the cocky chap (high already from the 'advance' given by the organisers) went and got his tractor stuck right in the middle of the jeeps. After much "left" "right" "pudhe" "maghe" "jorr se" "dheere" etc. the man gave up and went to get a buddy of his - another tractor. Things went on well with the second tractor pulling out the first and both of them went around pulling out jeeps of the highest bidder for a bit. More of that later. Having had my fill of this sideshow, I ambled along to the track to have a dekko of the main event of the day (other than the dinner planned for later). Ahem, did I just say "ambled"? Make that "trudged through mud/slush into which my legs sank upto the calves".



The gypsies did fine on the track as they floated over the mud. Anything heavier ran the risk of getting stuck and sinking. Many had to be towed out. A few did well. I guess it was their tyres and the tyre pressure they were running.



IMHO - we need dedicated vehicles for mud-drags. Something in the range of 500+ bhp with wheels taller than the driver and a cabin perched on top access to the cabin being via a ladder.

Back in the parking lot - both tractors were now well and truly stuck and nothing the esteemed farmers did could extricate the workhorses. So off went the chaps to include the local JCB guy into their cartel. The JCB guy gleefully agreed to a share in the spoils for the day and dutifully extricated both tractors and about half a dozen jeeps. He hit paydirt when a few more jeepers got stuck and paid him a king's ransom to have their beauties extricated from the mud. Mud drag over, we headed back to the hotel for a much needed shower and change of clothes.

Duly freshened up, we set off to the venue when we received a call informing us that in keeping with the TBHP spirit, the organisers, under pressure from the local policeman (another TBHPian no doubt) had declared any form of intoxicants taboo. Now, this did not bother us one bit and we proceeded to the dhabha to meet up with the folks and to have a hearty dinner. The snacks as well as food were great but the highlight was the jalebis and thanks to Gogi we relished "jalebi rolls". Anyone else interested in them will have to contact him and place orders well in advance (with an advance thrown in).

As we went to sleep, we remarked that the trail would be good on the next day as the weather still held. I realised that our hopes for a firm track were dashed when I woke up around 2.00 or 3.00 a.m to the sound of a steady downpour. After uttering a silent prayer that the rain cease, I went back to sleep and to my dismay the rain was still beating a tatoo on the roofs.

Got out of bed to discover that it was a beautiful day. I missed Lonavala in the monsoons and this was about as good as it could get. Mist and fog combined with a steady rain. Made me think of all the hot corn on the cob, bajjis and steaming tea. Unfortunately, it also dashed all hopes of getting a semi-dry trail.

We watched the rain all through breakfast (the Sancheti's idlys and vadas are totally avoidable. The khichdi and pohe are the only decent things to eat. Once done, we bundled into the jeep and set off behind the leader to the trail. The drive via Bushy dam and onwards was beautiful with mists and fog enveloping everything. The streams were full and the waterfalls were roaring away in full form.












Another TBHPian at work?

Yes, we hear you loud and clear. Over and out.


Soon it was time to get off the tarmac and a stream beckoned. The stream began with a 'chicane' which proved more difficult than it seemed to many. Driving further brought us to obstacle 1 and the proceedings soon started in earnest with the obstacles in the form of water crossings, dips and climbs.





























The rain which had never really given up now started in earnest and past the first set of obstacles the ground turned to slush once the first few vehicles passed.








The rest of the day was a collage of rescues which proved challenging and interesting. They were made more challenging as it was difficult to even stand, walking was done with great care and pushing a jeep meant one or other would slip and fall.

Things wound down as evening fell and we made our way to the hotel to scrub ourselves pack up and push off home.

Thanks to the organisers for a wonderful and eventful event. The planning was just perfect and management was excellent. Unfortunately, the weather gods did not play ball or did they just up the ante and make things more interesting? Perhaps we will know next year!








Cheers,

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Good morning to all.

Apologies for getting onto this thread so late. EXAMM had kept me away from work and i got busy with pending appointments.

I would like to thank everyone who came and participated as well as everyone who helped us out.

I'll put up a more detailed write up soon as well as the timing sheets for the mud drag.

[vikramvicky1984]

Dear all,

This was my first OTR and I attended as a passenger. My sincere thanks to one and all for the great experience.

Some things I would like to mention:
1. The camaraderie between fellow tbhpians was the high point for me. Freshers like me were inducted into the circle in no time.
2 Everyone was willing to pass on/share their knowledge and experience.
3. I expected/was afraid that the big guys would be arrogant about their machines & knowledge, but was proven completely wrong at the very first moment.
4. I observed that people who performed the best at the obstacles were not the ones with the best done up jeeps, but the one who were patient & completely followed the instructions of the spotter. ( josh se zyda hosh kaam aaya).
5. Apart from the jeeps, Jiggy's hilarious jokes & comments were unforgettable. I spent a lot of time being next to him so that i didn't miss out any
6. Sad point: I lost my tshirt due to my mistake

Thanks a lot everyone. I am looking forward to attending all future OTRs

WARNING to all who are reading this & have not been on an OTR: Attending one could be highly detrimental to your financial condition, weekend partying plans, parking space, sweet dreams (you might see bighorns & mudzillas). At your own risk

[pdev29]

so finally i am feeling much better after 3 days. Sunday night after returning from EXAMM i realized i was no t fit to drive. Cuts, rashes, blisters, swollen feet and what not.. thanks to rain and recovery. I decided to leave my car at cosset and went with a friend of mine. Next day again in lonavala to pickup my monstar

uploading few pics what i have received from all the participants. it will take time as its over 100.

[pdev29]

second set. one more to go.

[pdev29]

some how my net is faster today

[pdev29]

few more. damn i didnt know there were so many pics.

[Ardy]

A fantastic event. I regret not being able to make it and the pictures are making my envious of all those who made it.

Hopefully, I shall be there next year for both AKC and EXAMM.

Cheers,

[V-16]

Originally Posted by 53BHP

Gogi

Nice narration. Keep it coming. How did your MM do?

Rohit

Rohit, firstly we missed you and Stieger at the events. I heard there was some emergency, i hope it is all solved, whatever it was.

It was my first tryst with the MM550. Before this i have always used and confidently so, my Cj with its Hurricane power but let me tell you this MM550 is another beast altogether. Im happy to tell you that i was as at ease with the MM550, eventually as i am with the CJ. There are certain restrictions in the CJ though due to the NDMS and the comparative lack of sheer monstrous torque, in which area the MM550 just goes ahead and ahead by yardsticks. Well it did perform very well and you will see that in the pics and videos that some participants have clicked and sent me to post on my own. Thank you Jiggy for not puicking on me and being the designated photographer, videographer and passenger, who also threatened to jump out on almost every obstacle that had a promise of articulation and decline. Eventually he was very much at ease with the whole thing.

Originally Posted by maddy42

Gogi Bhai Thanks for the update. Was waiting for the update and your post once again confirms that you should write for a movie. Ek baar tho try karlo

The mud drag strip looks amazing. Hope we get some awesome videos of the same.

The mud drag was amazing Maddy and i have maybe just one video which i will post asap.

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

Oh man, the pictures and the narration are like rubbing salt into the wound -- for me having to miss the event this year :-(

It is obvious that all folks had great fun in this superb event and the O team has done a great job.

So, where are the results of the drag race, who all competed, who all won, timings etc. The fun aspects, juicy tid-bits??

Khan Bahadur, you and Spidey were missed along with the entire Bangalore dare devils. Make sure you're there next time.

Great Report Ravveendrra and fantastic pics. You have a penchant for writing, you should give it a shot.

.....So lets continue,



The Drag was great fun, as you have read from reports above. Unfortunately, as i was involved with helping in the rescue of the vehicles and myself from the almost waist deep slush in certain places, there i was not able to take much pics. The rain also was not helping much, as i have already sacrificed one camera and two phones to moisture, so i was more careful this time.

It was a sight to see the JCB first rescue the tractors and then rescue itself. Whenever it got stuck, it would just push its strong arm into the slush and push itself out of the slush. Amazing. I hope someone got pics or a video if the same.

It was almost crossing 6:45 pm so we lead the last pack to Sidhu Dhaba. Reaching there, the stench was so overpowering (there was manure in the slush of course) that i requested my host Jiggy Bhai to consider going back to his house, where we were staying and wash up before we had dinner. We immediately rushed and had a luxurious warm bath, changed and arrived back.

Sidhu's was buzzing with participants. There was a good array of food and it was being enjoyed. I was veruy happy with the decision of the organizer's to keep liquor out of the dinner scene. Everyone was requested specifically that there should be no drinking and driving. I dont think anyone broke that rule. Kudos to all for this.

Some pics of the dinner at Sidhus.






Attachment 580197











The humble Jalebi Roll



Hot Jalebi, placed on a crisp hot Butter nan, folded and then just simply devoured. Cant get simpler or tastier than that. At first when i offered it, people thought i was crazy (a notion which a lot of people still believe but dont tell it on my face for the sake of politeness, i guess) but when i urged them to take a bite, soon more were ordered, all after a full dinner and dessert binge.
We had almost 3-4 butter nan jalebi rolls after finishing our full dinner.


.......More to come!!

[fazalaliadil]

Originally Posted by V-16

It was my first tryst with the MM550.

The mud drag was amazing Maddy and i have maybe just one video which i will post asap.

It was a sight to see the JCB first rescue the tractors and then rescue itself.

We had almost 3-4 butter nan jalebi rolls after finishing our full dinner.

Gogi Bhai,

Your 550 was doing effortless wonders.

It was a pleasure meeting you Soumya, Gautam, HV Kumar, Prasad, Amol, Devang, Tejas and so many others and it looked like we all had met before, dil se dil ka rishta kind.

If you think the mud drag was amazing, then you should have seen the action behind it.

With about 30 Jeeps sucked in slush, in different agonizing positions and one lone tractor trying to rescue them demanding 500 for each rescue, that "tractor mama" would have made a cool 20K had he not got stuck himself. followed by a huge applause by the stuck Jeepers.

There were most unsuccessful attempts (bound not to succeed as they were doing only what should not be done to recover a vehicle). One particular Jeep had all its 5 occupants jumping in tandem in it as they believed the weight+jumps would free them and see them through. When they realized the futility, they abandoned the Jeep and indulged in Mud wrestling.

I can just go on and on about so many chaotic, fun filled incidents all happening at the same time that it was difficult to decide which one and where to watch.

In this action (I had no plans to take part in the drag so parked the Lynx in a comfort zone area) I reluctantly went to my Jeep to drive it out of the parking and it looked suddenly too short,, only to realize that it had landed itself up to the differentials in slush of a kind I had never seen.

Luckily, a little later, I was towed out for about 10 feet by Shams Ahmed and the 4X4 Scorpio, like a bird let out of a cage...full of glee, I went about driving out of the trap like a 'side winder'...to hard ground (road) and didn't realize that thanks to me, the Scorpio was stuck after freeing me.

Two tractors, 30 Jeeps and a near miss JCB....all stuck in a 3 acre plot and you say the action was on the mud track?

Not to forget a million martyred (flattened) crabs and a very witty announcer who was fluent in Marathi as much as in English or any other spoken language.

Oh yes! that Jalebi roll was getting to be a bigger hit as it went around.

Enjoyed the food and company at Sidhu's, especially the kebab/snacks.

Regards,

[V-16]

CONCLUSION:


We all retired after the sumptuous meal, back to our respective abodes. We were the last to check out of Sidhu, along with Tejas, Devang, Amol, Allan and others.

All along the rain had got fiercer. We drove slowly and snugged away to get up at 5:00 am. The rains sounded unforgiving and it was like this all night. After a quick bath and change we reached Sancheti where almost everyone was on time. The Breakfast had been delayed by 20 mins, i guess the rains had played havoc everywhere and its effects were rampant.

The breakfast was hot and pretty good.


The Kit bag handed to each registered participant, whether driver or passenger




The 4X4 Coffee Table Book by Autocar, given to the prize winners of the Drag.




The Exo team was ready with their Walkies all charged and handed to them at the morning fully charged, after their extensive use on the previous day.

The walky sets charged and ready




It was decided that each group of jeeps (Four groups) to be driven in with two lead marshals and a sweeper. One of the lead Marshals would do the obstacle only to show how the obstacle is to be tackled. No other marshal would do the obstacle as this would add time and we had to finish the trail before sundown and return back.

The cars were lined up and though they were slated to leave in the order of the numbers given to them, it was not possible because the cars were parked differently. Then some participants came in late, so the had to have their breakfast. In the meanwhile it was decided not to delay the flag off at all and on the dot, the first batch of Jeeps were dispatched with a lead marshal. I was supposed to lead the second batch
but i was then asked to be the sweeper of the third pack to make sure no one was left behind. Prasad lead the group before me.

We crossed the beautiful winding roads of Bushy dam and INS Shivaji to reach the first obstacle. Im sorry i have no pics for the same as it was raining and i was getting in and out of the Jeep to maintain the line up.


Marshal cars were parked on the green, and the others on the road. The ones on the green were the ones in line up to go first in attempting the first obstacle. See the three marshal vehicles, my Jeep and the two monstrous Gypsies parket while a brownish Jeep gets ready to tackle for the obstacle 1.

At Obstacle 1




The first obstacle was actually a series of obstacles, each requiring a great skill level on the part of the driver and spotter. Here if the spotting was not spot on, the jeep would slide in the rut and then a rescue operation would have to be undertaken. Unfortunately, i find that its the most difficult obstacles, that invite the ego of the driver. A few didnt want to take instructions from our spotters, fair enough but at least listen to some spotter. This was not going to be possible without some very precision spotting and articulate driving.

Tejas was heading out with the first batch here and was just finishing spotting for his group. The ever helpful Soudagar brothers, Imran and Faisal were to spot from there on. Although i am familiar with Imran's spotting skills, its his brother Faisal who i saw spotting for the first time.
Faisal, you did some awesome spotting, immaculate and perfect. Thanks.

By this time we had lined up the jeeps in such a way that none were blocking the road. One by one the Jeeps were being sent in and everyone realized they would not be able to cross this unless someone with ample experience was spotting fro them. I must mention the couple in the Rust MM540 (or was it a 550?) here. First the husband who walked upto me and asked me if his wife should do this obstacle. I asked if she was willing and on an affirmative answer we egged her on. Though nervous at first, she displayed guts. Before going in she asked if there were any tips and i replied, "just listen to one person, the marshal in the orange jacket. His name is Faisal, hes going to make some gestures with his hand, be sure, you listen to him and dont get confused by any other person shouting instructions at you."

Amazing Malti



Andy, its about time you bought Malti her own Jeep


Malti, concentrated on Faisal's precise instructions and drove her MM540/550 perfectly past the deep rut which had destroyed the ego of many an experienced driver before her, displaying cool composure and amazing driving skills. Congrats to both of them, husband and wife. Kudos. We hope to see both of you more often. and

I was the last vehicle and the Rut looked really inviting. There not being any other vehicle behind me, i tried my vehicle at the rut. I have a series of videos taken by some friends of the crossing. There are a series of three videos all part of obstacle one.

‪OTR-EXAMM 2011 Obstacle 1‬‏ - YouTube

‪MOV00953‬‏ - YouTube

‪OTR-EXAMM 2011 Obstacle 1 continued‬‏ - YouTube

This lead to obstacle two which was obstacle one of last year's Examm. I found that many more vehicles could attempt this one than last year. I feel there has been some change in the incline and the path seems to have got wider, maybe all part of nature and erosion. Still a solid and challenging obstacle. I dont have pics of the climb. Someone was taking some videos or pics, kindly post.

Then one drove to another rut which was also very challenging but of done properly, was really smooth. I found that in many of these obstacles, people tend to gun their vehicles. Wrong move. If the incline is not very steep and if the crawl can be used to conquer the climb then stepping on the gas is more detrimental and may lead to excessive spinning of the tyres and a failed attempt. Just my thought.

The weather was continuously becoming more ferocious and the overcast sky was constantly changing colour to various shades of dark grey. We were very much on schedule till here, having attempted obstacle one. Kulwinder Singh of Maxxis tyres, in his 2WD Kaiser was carrying the food packets from the chicken routes and keeping up with us. From hereon it would be almost impossible for him to follow us, as even the chicken routes had become challenging and needed a 4WD of some pedigree to be driven on. We bid adieu to Kulu, and transferred the food packets to another white Gypsy and moved on. Not knowing what was in store for us up ahead.

I was now leading the last group to the next obstacle.

Vehicles lined up to move to the next obstacle




Just above after the obstacle was what i call "The death incline".
In last year's Examm this was the highlight. A long winding road leading down in a curve with a huge rock sticking out as if to deliberately make you change course, a very skill oriented decline, especially with the weather conditions. On reaching there we were told that the obstacle was cancelled as after a few jeeps had gone through, the last jeep almost toppled over. This would mean dire straits if any mishap had happened. You can judge by the video itself.

The Death Decline- How to correct a decline gone wrong.




The incline was deadlier because of the terrain. Thank God the driver of this vehicle was experienced, else i shudder to think what could have happened. We always tell drivers that when the vehicle displays tendencies of a roll on a particular side, the driver must immediately turn the steering towards the incline or on the direction of the roll. I cannot find a more fitting display of nerves and fantastic control over the Jeep. Here i can absolutely say that the roll over was 100% saved due to the drivers experience and pure right technique used. Kudos to the driver. Something to learn here.

Death Incline slide and awesome control Video

‪Examm 2011 MM550 Slide down death decline‬‏ - YouTube

An absolutely right decision taken by the organizers here to abort the obstacle. At no point is life more important than thrill.

The Jeeps following me were taken on by another marshal and taken further to the next obstacle from the alternative route. Allan and me stopped to check the route and i found it very slushy but doable. It was almost washed out but i guessed a vehicle with crawler gears or any Jeep would be able to undertake the incline. Yes there was a danger but no so much which would let me stay away from the thrill. I asked Allan if i should try it and i guess he was just looking for someone to ask him that, he just jumped into my car and said "Chalo, if you're willing, im willing"

My Try with some commentary by Jiggy who first refused to sit with me saying im nuts and then was regretful as expressed in the video

‪Examm 2011 Otr‬‏ - YouTube

Jiggy has taken this video but not fully, as it started raining as i almost reached the ground. You can hear in his comments thats it started raining.

The MM just crawled the entire slope cleanly without a single slip and also effortlessly cleared the slush pit. Thanks Allan for your inimitable spotting (while in the Jeep) and encouraging presence.

After that we drove straight to a spot where we were supposed to move out of the road crossing a river bed and then adjacent to it. Unfortunately a few cars after being stopped moved in and got gutted in the slush. Rescue operations were going on and Allan got down there and i moved on to the side of the river from the chicken route as this was not doable.

It was a sight to reach there to see more than 7-8 jeeps stuck in deep slush while the others attempting the rescue were getting stuck too. The vehicles in the line up were stopped from getting in there and were backed up to move to the next obstacle. Unfortunately or fortunately, rains had played spoilsport. This hilly terrain was largely made up of mud which gave way under incessant rains and turned into slush of quick sand proportions.

Getting the jeeps out was task but well done by the co-ordination of all. By the time there was a long line up of vehicles all wondering whether to get into the slush or not. We thought this was the best time to distribute the lunch packages, The stuck vehicles were not going anywhere as the recovery vehicles were divided between rescue operations in the last obstacle as well as this one. The lunch was distributed to most of the persons in the morning itself, during flag off. Unfortunately, due to rains, Sidhu lost a couple of boxes, containing almost 50-60 lunch packets to rain and so had to go make fresh biryani again. Now that takes time so we decided that one jeep stay back and get the lunch to the trail, which happened in clockwork timing. There was some mix up there as i believe a few, very few persons didnt get lunch. I will proudly say that most if not all the Exo team immediately volunteered to offer their lunch packs to those members who had not eaten. I remember, personally collecting at least 15 lunch packets and leaving them with Soumya in his CJ (which was the lunch distribution centre) to be distributed later if anyone was left without lunch. After that i do not know of anyone who had to forgo lunch. From the Exo team i personally apologize f someone went without lunch that day, except for the entire Exo team who did not have a morsel till that time.

Tejas had moved to the next obstacle with the Jeeps which were lined up and left me and a few other marshals for the retrieval of the stuck vehicles. On walkies we communicated and found that the vehicles were getting stuck even ahead and unfortunately here was no chicken route around it. so we decided to move to the earlier obstacle for retrieval. Vinod Nookla was himself involved in retrieving the last vehicle, an Invader with highway tyres from the slush pit.

We decided to call the further obstacles off as there was no way to get to the next without crosing the next where also vehicles were stuck and retrieval was in process. Tejas, Abhishek and a few others were handling that and we decided to move with the first convoy of vehicles back towards Lonavala.

All in all an eventful and an action packed day. I would have loved it if participants could have done more obstacles but the weather God's had other ideas. I did hear some grumbling amongst some participants but i explained to them that it is nothing that anyone could do. This year's obstacles were different from last years and were almost Virgin territory so one did not have an idea what havoc rain would bring down.

Regarding certain obstacles cancelled, i think instead of getting angry try thinking that it was for our own benefit this was done. If someone had toppled or injured oneself, that would not be very acceptable right? One must be thankful that the organizers took the right decision in the right time, to leave certain obstacles like the death incline and the river bed crossing. We all should be thankful we are safe, instead of holding a grudge.

I dont think anyone went without food, i dont think anyone did not enjoy and i certainly dont think anyone felt as if they were taken for a ride. Food if distributed in the morning will tend to become a bit cooler than piping hot. This is all about adventure and if one can sleep in dormitories, stand in waist deep muck and rough it out in the weather, its a small price to pay of the food is not piping hot. Im also sure no one cribbed about it.

Im sure everyone went home with a through and first hand knowledge about retrieval techniques, winching, and how to pull a stuck vehicle out from various places using the tow strap and steel tow rope. Think about it.
My own tow rope lies with Sidhu at Sidhu Dhaba as i used it on his jeep on the day of the Drag.


Made a lot of new friends and put a face on the handles i have been interacting with. The Hyderabad team had drool worthy machines. One has to learn from them how to build and take care of one's machines. Finally met Ravveendrra, Fazal Bhai, Shams and so many others whom i was looking forward to meeting. It was a pleasure guys. Fazalbhai its a personal pleasure meeting someone like you, calm, composed and deep. I learnt so much just watching you. True Hyderabadi Nawabi style sir!! Maza aa gaya aap sab se mil ke!!

Missed the Bangalore daredevils and the Chennai Tigers for this event. Next time for sure!!


Lessons to be learnt for next year:

1) Control the amount of vehicle entries strictly. No leniency to be shown to friends and mates. These guys are not considerate enough to let you know before hand and cant walk in in the last minutes taking advantage of your relationship. I volunteer to handle entries next year.

2) Let this be an "By invitation only" event. Invite enthusiastic people to join in. No thick headed marshals not participants. Let it be for like minded people.

3) Take entry only of prepared vehicles. a lot of vehicles came under prepared. Thars, Invaders and Gypsies running on HT tyres. What do you expect. Driver skill goes into the drain here. Have participants informed that their vehicles will not be allowed with highway tyres. Its very difficult to stop anyone from doing an obstacle. We have seen it.

4) Involve marshals with specific duties. Every friend cannot be a marshal. Let him help you out but marshaling is serious stuff.

5) When a walkie and a marshal Jacket is given to you, it means something. I found some instances where walkies were lying with some random friend or person and marshal jackets were worn by some other person who was not a marshal. Please realize that the behavior (or misbehavior)of that person makes the entire XO team and marshals look like fools. That is a vicarious liability

6) For everyone (not specifically pointing to anyone) including marshals, participants and organizers: Kindly keep your Egos at home and if you cant handle that then keep yourself at home too.

7) Lets Rock 2012 with the best Examm event to date.

All in all a great event, some lessons learnt and everyone had a great time.

Ciao and see you at the EXAMM 2012. Organizers, take a bow!!

[Desmosedici]

Last one was good and looking at the pics and the narrations, this one just got bigger and better. I guess this time more people were roped in to manage the show and last time it was just a handfull who went about creating EXAMM. Great Work by the EXO Gang! Looking forward to attend 2012 after missing it this year.

[Jaggu]

Ahh finally i got time to catch up with the thread. Excellent coverage Raveendra and Gogi! You have become an expert now Gogi bhai, but as usual absolutely humble following your spotters and navigator to the T!

[ashoknb]

i got a slight glimpse of the exo heroes and their vehicles when i ventured into lonavla alone in my gypsy to onlook the event . the afternoon traffic from the main road was hell hence i ventured from the sinhgad end which meets the ins shivaji road somewhere near the bridge . hope to be in the circle soon .