[Ym-enjn]

Great stuff guys! It is good to see that all this is actually happening in our very own India.. I can go through these pics and videos again and again several times. Cheers!!

PS: Good good collection of Offroad machines..

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by Ym-enjn

Great stuff guys! It is good to see that all this is actually happening in our very own India.. I can go through these pics and videos again and again several times. Cheers!!

PS: Good good collection of Offroad machines..

Yeah, the collection was awesome! The convoy was a sight to behold!

[V-16]

On from the last obstacle, we headed towards the next obstacle

Patrick, having cleared me successfully, leading the way on foot



The next obstacle was only a few feet away, a huge slushy ditch almost 10 feet deep at some areas. On had to enter the ditch, find ones way around the ditch avoiding huge boulders and certain parts with deep mud and climb out to the ditch to enter the green grass pastures.


See the depth of the ditch



I asked Jignesh to have a go. As we studied the method the vehicles ahead of us adopted, Jignesh developed cold feet and almost backed out. Me and Tejas pushed him to get over his initial fear and Tejas offered to ride with him and guide him through this obstacle.




As you will see in the video, it worked, both, for Jignesh's confidence and the Jeep which crawled out easily. Hear the conversation between Tejas, Jiggy and some others

YouTube - EXAMM OTR CJ performs in Slush

We entered a huge green patch where people were just driving around, having fun.



The FJ enjoying the Pavna Lake view



Soon we left for lunch as it was really late in the afternoon and we were all famished.



The lunch was organized at someone's pvt farm in a shed at the highest point in the farm. As can be seen it was a temporary structure at the moment where we were served food.

The Lunch Venue



The Lunch:Chicken Curry-Potato Bhaji-Dal-Rice-Roti






Tejas at your service saar!!



Everyone enjoying their late lunch.




A satisfied UBS post lunch



Sleeping beauties




The great view of the Pavna lake form the property.




more more more more

[pdev29]

Monstar performed really well after SPOA, we did full articulation test Tejas will putup those pics.

here is one small teaser pic of it.

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Great writing Gogi. You forgot to mention the very tricky sliding slope entry just before the ditch which become so dangerous after a while that the Thar bulldozed it's way through some dead bushes to create an alternate route. Please write about that too.

[pdev29]

Gogi you are making it real for people who couldnt make it, keep it coming.

you and Soumya are lucky guys both got a good deal on yourm Jeeps. Soumya got a deal of buy and start using it.

Gurkha performed really well, diff locks are something to die for.

Offroad scene in India has taken a new path now, Thanks to all the participants.

keep posting.

send your feedback at info@extremeoffroaders.in

[V-16]

.....so o to the final leg of the EXAMM trail.

A nice drive through the wilderness amongst great weather. We came to a point where there was a steep decline but a really short one and then a small patch to build momentum to undertake a steep climb. Please remember that each climb was slushy and grew more slippery for the following vehicle, thus making the challenge more drastic for each follower.

This overview will give you an idea of the terrain. Notice the boulder ahead of the Rhino in the first picture, thats where the incline starts from




I was noticing the techniques adopted by drivers proceeding me. Very few were able to make it in the first, second or even the third shot.
I found Arka there whom i had a small discussion with and he advised me correctly. "Crawl up the slope' he said "gently tapping the gas and do not over accelerate or your Jeep will wheel spin, loose traction. Dont worry its a cake walk for the Hurricane. Go for it".

Arka gives me much needed tips and words of wisdom before i take on the climb.



With these words of wisdom, i gathered myself and plunged into the incline following each word like a dictat. Needless to say, i was on the top effortlessly. My respect for the CJ had "Crawled" up a few notches higher after this experience. Thanks for the timely advice Arka. You were great all through!!



Others also taking on the incline





Some more driving lead us to a deep decline, curvaceous and bent. Thats a bit tricky but was luckily not too long. Thsi lead in a round about track to the place below, on the banks of the Pavna dam which was a slush fest




Yours truly, taking on the decline



Below most Vehicles were engaging in a slush fest. There was a huge place to play around in the mud and a lot were indulging,

Slush Fest




some more daring than others






One winch did not suffice as can be seen in the Video

YouTube - EXAMM OTR CJ stuck in slush

So two Jeeps with winches had to be employed and managed to pull Deepak's imaculate CJ3B from the deep slush.



Jiggy smiles at the setting sun. At the background, the lovely Pavna Lake



After the slush fest we decided to call it a day. There were a few more obstacles to manage en route to Lion's point at Lonavala where we were to assemble and move towards Karjat for the AKC

It was a beautiful full moon night and the moon was shining like a bright HID light from the sky. The other lighting was our very own from the headlights of our vehicles.

The breathtaking moonlit sky

[MileCruncher]

DKG's petrol powered Hurricane CJ3B taking on the first obstacle

YouTube - EXAMM - DKG.AVI

[V-16]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

Great writing Gogi. You forgot to mention the very tricky sliding slope entry just before the ditch which become so dangerous after a while that the Thar bulldozed it's way through some dead bushes to create an alternate route. Please write about that too.

Thanks "Teju"
I did Tejas but not in great detail i guess, read below and ill explain a little in detail
Actually i have been mentioning earlier too that with every earlier 4X4 passing through an incline, decline or slush, the task/obstacle for the 4X4 following it got more difficult. Add to it rain and that was the perfect mix for the madness that ensued.

Originally Posted by V-16

We drove to a path with thick foliage on either sides at a slant. One side was barbed wire ridden and the other was a sheer deep drop. In between lay a path, thin and boulder ridden. One wrong move or slip would land you in the ditch for sure and too much avoidance would take a toll on your underbody.

We tried to remove some stones but found that they were bigger under the earth and were not stones but boulders. Here again i was guided expertly by Patrick. Thanks again boss for being so helpful. Notice the shrubs on the side, well that was the sheer drop. Patrick stands with his hand on his hip supervising every move



I every step and every obstacle i was learning and registering the advice from the experts. Each obstacle was making me a wiser person not to mention a more experienced offroader. No rash advice given even from those whom i expected it from.
The Thar was making its own road through the dense foliage.

In the above scenario the slide was so tricky that as shown and said above, the rescue team and some of us tried removing the stones. On digging deeper we found that it was merely the tip of the iceberg. The small little harmless stones were actually huge boulders impossible to move without earth-moving equipment. The only other option was to cross it carefully. I inquired from Arka and Patrick present there, (gladly and luckily) whether we could take the vehicles out from the outer side of the stone. Both said it could be done but then that left no margin for error and if by chance any newbie or anyone else made the slightest miscalculation then there was only disaster awaiting to happen. The slide would result in the vehicle rolling into a deep chasm i couldnt even see the end of due to thick foliage.
We couldnt take the Jeep any upwards as the incline/slant was so steep that the Jeep would have slid in the chasm anyways.

Not worth taking a chance. Patrick's Jeep took the lead and effortlessly sailed through, driven by his son. Kudos to that kid, he really knows his stuff and why not? With a guide like Patrick, you dont expect less. Then was my turn and i could see Arka and Patrick both sweating (for my sake) but trying to keep a very cool and composed air so as not to freak me out. I jumped in and followed Arka and Patricks directions to sail through effortless ly. In the meanwhile Behramhai, being himself had taken it upon himself to create an alternate path with the Thar ploughing through some thick and thorny bushes, creating a path which a few moments earlier did not exist. Hats off Behrambhai. He was aided by Cyrus his son and a few other participants, besides the M&M recovery team.

The pics speak for themselves. Sorry i couldnt take more pics as i was more involved in the driving aspect.

[V-16]

Originally Posted by pdev29

Gogi you are making it real for people who couldnt make it, keep it coming.

you and Soumya are lucky guys both got a good deal on yourm Jeeps. Soumya got a deal of buy and start using it.

Gurkha performed really well, diff locks are something to die for.

Offroad scene in India has taken a new path now, Thanks to all the participants.

keep posting.

send your feedback at info@extremeoffroaders.in

Thanks Devang. I can relive every moment of this otr. Yes Soumya has a wonderful CJ and he has become a seasoned off roader after this one OTR.

The conclusion

After the slush fest we drove through a very steep and very curvaceous incline. Add to that the danger of one side being a sheer drop of God knows how many feet and the other side a hill like structure. Clearing that there was a series of sharp descents, quite short ones but steep and slippery nonetheless. The factor that made this a tad more difficult was that it was night time and there was no light to guide us except the moonlight. Also the availability of various paths made the choice difficult, as to which one was the right one. Here we missed the spotters and someone to guide us along the right way. I think this is one area which could be looked into. Network was almost not available in most of these areas so if someone was left behind, it could be disaster.

The path was narrow and tricky, making it impossible for any vehicle to turn back. We were in a convoy of vehicles when we cleared the obstacle (the "S" shaped sharp curved steep incline) we suddenly realized that there was no one following us. Did we take the wrong path? what could have happened? There was no way we could turn back so we stopped there in the middle of no where and a few of us left to retrieve our steps to where we could see someone. After walking for awhile we heard some sounds of a vehicle revving and some people shouting. We realised that a vehicle was stuck, thus blocking the entire path. The path was so narrow that it was difficult for anyone to stop on the sides to guide, especially since it was pitch dark.

As we neared towards the sounds few traces of light tore through the dense foliage and we saw a recovery vehicle stuck. Amol, Vinay (aka CJ3B) Me, Jiggy and a few others stood there guiding the drivers. our first task was to get this vehicle out. Its rear wheels were in the ditch and had he not stopped, it makes me shudder where he could have slid. We winched him to a tree and with a few helping hands, manually lifted the rear from the ditch and the Jeep finally made it. We then successfully got each vehicle out. I think there were in excess of 20 vehicles and the line now extended almost to this place from where we had stopped.

We arranged for one of us who knew the road out and made him the lead driver, all of us following him. A good 45 minutes later we hit the tarmac, Vinay was driving my CJ with ME and Jiggy besides him, when i realized that my Jeep was overheating. So we stopped and filled water in the radiator. Courtesy Arka who had a five litre Mineral water bottle in his Jeep. The best part of an event like this is the camaraderie. ONe person stops and the whole lot stops to see what happened. Way to go.

At Lion's point amidst tea and corn pakoras we took stock of our vehicles. USB's vehicle had some problem which could not be fixed without a welder, that could be done only in the morning. It was around 10:30pm and we were tired, hungry, thirsty. My Jeep had a leak in the Radiator. There were others, a MM540 and a Gypsy whose 4X4 was not being engaged and Paras's Gypsy with a carburetor and shock absorber problem. Alok's Gypsy had a broken gear mount and could be worse. A Bolero with a broken exhaust and many more. We had dinner at Ramakrishna's at Lonavala and decided it was not wise to move to Karjat that night with so many brakedowns. Wise decision.

For me this was a fantastic event. Well organized, well planed and well though of. Kudos to Devang, Tejas Allan and Mohan (who unfortunately could not come because his Gurkha had a broken power steering) and all of you involved with the planning and execution of EXAMM. Take a bow guys, for your first organized OTR was a thundering success. Thanks to the M&M recovery team, Behrambhai and Vinod Nookla. Thanks to UBS, Sharat, Arka, Patrick,Vinay Small niggles exist everywhere so take feedback as you are rightfully doing and you can only get better. I loved it!! Thanks Devang, Tejas, Allen and Mohan for a wonderful time and kudos to your hard work put in selecting the tracks and the recce.

I think i passed my EXAMM. Did you??!!

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by V-16

For me this was a fantastic event. Well organized, well planed and well though of. Kudos to Devang, Tejas Allan and Mohan (who unfortunately could not come because his Gurkha had a broken power steering) and all of you involved with the planning and execution of EXAMM. Take a bow guys, for your first organized OTR was a thundering success. Thanks to the M&M recovery team, Behrambhai and Vinod Nookla. Thanks to UBS, Sharat, Arka, Patrick,Vinay Small niggles exist everywhere so take feedback as you are rightfully doing and you can only get better. I loved it!! Thanks Devang, Tejas, Allen and Mohan for a wonderful time and kudos to your hard work put in selecting the tracks and the recce.

I think i passed my EXAMM. Did you??!!

Thanks a lot Gogi for those kind words and encouragement. Appreciate it.

Please continue your narration for paper 2 of EXAMM as well (Sawarsi) as and when you get time.

[fazalaliadil]

Amazing! Just hooked on to this thread. Keep it coming.

[pdev29]

Thank you gogi,

all this was because you guys, you all were the participants and the ones who made it a huge success.

Khan your spidey rocks
Robbi you have titanium Ba**s
Jaggu and Vijay it was good to see you guys
Arka dont know how to thank you for all your support
Sharath i skipped by hear beat when you were landing in
Hyderabad passion for offroad made you come so far, thanks for your participcation guys.
Patrick saw you helping people many times, thanks for sharing your skills and experience
Thanks to all bombay boys

guys where are the pics??? videos?? cmon bring it on.

[V-16]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

Thanks a lot Gogi for those kind words and encouragement. Appreciate it.

Please continue your narration for paper 2 of EXAMM as well (Sawarsi) as and when you get time.

Unfortunately, I arrived at Sarawasi with a little over 6 litres in the tank thanks to the last pump which had no petrol in stock. My Jeep was also suffering form a terrible "Death Wobble" which got so pronounced by the time i reached Bombay that had i carried on in Sarawasi, i would have definately involved in an Incident. To top that as soon as i hit Sion, my chutch pedal got disengaged. Its now at the mechanic's getting fixed and ready for its next OTR.

In a way i think that my CJ is very reliable and lucky (touch wood). Not once during the entire stretch of three days did it break down. In fact on the way to Bombay, it gasped out its last breath due to starvation right when was about to switch off the ignition to fill her up in the pump at Pen.

I do have a few pictures of Sarawasi but i left immediately after the first obstacle as i realized i was gravely short of fuel. Every time i reached the top of the steep climb, my engine shut off in the climb, right at the top. After four trys and the same thing repeating itself, i reached the conclusion that due to the near vertical angle of the Jeep in the incline and due to acute shortage of fuel in the tank, the angle was starving the Jeep of fuel. Both Arka and UBS also agreed that was the cause.

Thankfully i could manoeuver the Jeep back in reverse to the starting point, having learnt well the dos and donts when in such a situation(keep steering straight, use brakes and come down gradually). Anyways i took the alternative path and came down the same and felt i have achieved something atleast.

By that time all my fuel suppliers had left (Soumya in particular) for the next obstacle and i didnt want to burn any more precious fuel trying to follow you guys to somewhere i didnt know. So i left for Bombay.

Sorry i couldnt say bye to any of you. the weather was fantastic and i will love to go do the Sarawasi trail again sometime when you guys again are heading there.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

More momentum (2 Low) + Gravity downhill + slippery terrain + longer terrain + lower crawl ratio = more speed = more jumpiness = lesser time to correct steering = more dangerous.

I merely suggested doing it in Gypsy speed. The slope was only about 100ft long, almost leveling at the end. If the Jeep was really too fast, it would have surely toppled after turning 90 degree so fast, but it didn't. None of the fellows who did in 2nd low had any incident except for me.

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Did you see MP Sreenivasan tackle the climb down? He did it right after you. He did it in 1st Low, gave the right steering inputs, and **probably** tapped the brakes (no de-clutch) where required (tap-release-tap-release) so as to not lock the wheels or stall the engine. He did it the best out of the lot - none of the others came even remotely close to the skill he exhibited.

He is a master Jeeper unlike me, and he knows his Jeep better than the back of his hand. Wish I had seen him do it. But I did see him do lot of amazing stuff since I was his passenger most of the time.

Originally Posted by fiery enzyme

+1. The slope could be done both in 1st and 2nd low.

Yes, but 1st low needed really good MT tyres to stay glued to the slope.

Originally Posted by gsferrari

This isn't a "contest" or an effort in one-upmanship. So many variables here like tire pressure, weight in the car, weight distribution, clutch condition etc. Please don't get into heated arguments about the right/wrong way to take the descent. Us poor Gypsy guys have only 1 option = 1 Low at high speed with brake tapping like a manual ABS.

I think you are mistaking the mood here. We generally have such technical arguments in every OTR and later in reports too. It is not about one-upmanship. If we all become yesmen and stop debating, where is the learning?

BTW, braking in slippery surface is a dangerous affair. Result can be very unpredictable. I guess you did it very carefully.

Originally Posted by jack33

@Sharath, Cannot comment on the gear to use in a particular terrain without physically being there , but the trick is not to get the wheel locked either by braking or nearly stopping them by using 1st low.So when ever you feel that you are about to slide, just give a little throttle so that the wheel won't get locked.
Also when in 1st low stead of using 2nd low, you have the option of reducing the speed just by releasing the accelerator, while in 2nd low you may have to brake.

Jayesh, you are the man! That sounds like the best answer. Neither the official spotter nor I had the best solution. The Jeeps in 1st low went down skidding, the Jeeps in 2nd low went down little faster. And braking was not a safe solution. Pressing accelerator to avoid skidding in 1st low sounds like the best answer. I need to practice that to get it right. Damn, my Jeep is still in the garage. Good thing I brought it up, I have learnt something new.

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Let us discuss this in detail, it will be a lesson for the future.

Exactly. However, it looks like Jayesh already provided the right insight.

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

Mine was the lead car and i went down boringly slow in 1st low. Agreed, the terrain was virgin then but it was still slippery. Also, i don't understand why steering inputs were required? The path i took was absolutely straight and only once you reached the base which was only 15-20 degree incline, did you need to steer slightly to the right to approach the slushy part of the next obstacle.

You had the right tyres to do it in 1st low. I ran into a big rock in my path, hence the correction was required.