[ruzbehxyz]

Attended an on field course at Learn Offroad - Level 1 Offroad training.

Over some years, I have done some basic offroading and overlanding. However getting certain concepts cleared was the key for me. Thanks to Dr. Tejas Kothari, the one day course was not only fun but also knowledgeable.

The entire group of 5 cars with a mix breed of 4x4's met at the gate of Learn Offroad. We had two Endeavours, one new Thar, one new Fortuner and one Tata Telcoline. One vehicle got cancelled.

We started off with a good 1.5 hours lecture from Dr. Tejas. The lecture included stuff like basic offroading, 4WD's, tyre pressures, differentials, vehicle inspection etc.




After the lecture, started the actual training on various obstacles.
The first obstacle was where your vehicle goes down a steep slop and you have to come up in a controlled manner. After you come up, you need to a go over a bed of pipes.






After this, we proceeded to a hump. Your approach angle needs to be good here. Here the vehicle will articulate with one/two tyres in the air.




Over the day, we tried and crossed many obstacles, with expert guidance from doc. On some occasions we had to do each obstacle twice to get it right. The more you practice, the better.

Some more photos.























At the end of the course, two of us had opted for certification which included a written paper and an on field examination. We passed it and were finally given our certificates.

This was a day well spent, with some good knowledge from doc. Hope to do many such trainings in the near future.

[Ray379]

Recently, 9th of April 2022, I had the opportunity to learn how to drive offroad experience the same under the watchful eyes of someone who teaches this.

A bit of background first-
I stay in Mumbai and have been driving for the last 12 years. Being from a middle class background, all that we could ever afford were regular hatchbacks and recently a Sub-compact SUV. Even though I was always passionate about driving fast and experiencing driving offroad, had to satiate myself to driving within speed limits and on the road. I have owned a Swift and now own a Nexon Petrol and a Tigor EV.


I had been following this page called "Learn Offroad" on instagram (https://instagram.com/learnoffroad?i...MyMTA2M2Y=)for almost 1.5 years, and had always wanted learn offroading. However, not having a 4x4, meant that I could not experience it. Recently, they started a new course for 2WD vehicles to do their course and I contacted them to be a part of their first batch (Guinea Pig Batch as Dr. Tejas termed it )

The experience-

Speaking to Dr. Tejas, he assured me that the car was not going to get harmed in any way and that recovery vehicle and help would be provided in case I ended up getting stuck.
Day before the session/experience, Dr. Tejas sent over some reading material and some videos to watch for us to be better prepared for the course over WhatsApp.

The venue is about 100km from Mumbai near Adlabs Imagica. We were greeted by Dr. Tejas and Ankit. To start us off, there was a brief theory session in which the workings of a differential, the importance of tire pressure and advantages of 4WD over 2WD was explained.

Now began the real test, of both the drivers and their 2WD cars (The cars which the participants had brought- Tata Punch Petrol AMT, Tata Nexon Petrol MT, Kia Seltos Diesel AT, Compass Petrol AT and a XUV500 Diesel AT).

We went through a ditch which was atleast 6-7feet deep with a rut at the start of the ascend. Except for a minor scrapping of the lower portion of the front skid plate on the Punch and the Compass, all other cars went through without any issue.

Next was driving with a spotter which is extremely important considering one cannot see the road right in front of the car while driving (especially in the "SUVs" currently in vogue where being able to see the bonnet is considered more important)

After this, we went on a trail for about 1.5 hours during which we went on a steep incline, on a rocky river bed and through loose soil.

All in all, it was a brilliant experience and highly recommended for anyone who wants to learn how to drive their 2WD cars through trails and be aware of the pitfalls and how to recover from the same.

Hope this helps others!

[ashis89]

There's an article about off-roading in today's Bangalore Times. It quotes Dr. Tejas in several sections. Excellent read!

[ruzbehxyz]

Article in today's Times of India, 27-Sep-2022.



Source: https://m.timesofindia.com/life-styl...w/94454010.cms

[ruzbehxyz]

India's top 4x4 SUVs tested by Autocar at Learn Offroad in October 2022.





Vehicles in the lineup.
1. Land Rover Defender.
2. Isuzu Dmax Vcross.
3. Mahindra Scorpio N. 4WD.
4. Mahindra Thar. (2nd generation).
5. Jeep Compass Trailhawk.
6. Jeep Meridian.
7. Jeep Ranger Rubicon.
8. Force Gurkha.
9. Toyota Fortuner 4x4.

Read full story here: https://www.autocarindia.com/auto-fe...of-muck-425866

https://youtu.be/Idp3pQsJE-8

[ruzbehxyz]

Learn Offroad Winter competetion 2023.

Date: 22-Jan-2023. Venue: Learn Offroad grounds.

Organized by: Learn Offroad (Dr. Tejas Kothari).
Supported by: Ankit Tank and Kapil Thacker.




The trophies for first 3 winners.

Sponsors:
1. Yokohama tyres (gave 28% discount vouchers to all participants).
2. RiteBite Max protein (hamper for all participants).


The hamper

The competetion was designed in such a way so as not to damage any vehicle and more on team building and group fun. Besides this the competition was only for people who have done courses at Learn Offroad.

Participants:
Ford Endeavour 3.2 (2 nos).
Izusu Vcross (2 nos).
Mahindra Thar Petrol AT (new).
Mahindra Thar Diesel AT (new).
Mahindra Thar Crde.
Toyota Fortuner (old).
Force Gurkha.
Jeep Wrangler unlimited.
Jeep Meridian.
Jeep Compass Trailhawk.


Format:-
• There were 15 people participating.
• They were divided into 5 groups of 3 each.
• For every challenge the groups members were changed.
• The best time for the group wins 5 points, second group wins 4 and so on and last group wins 1. If you do not finish then you get 0. So all members of that group get the same group points
• These will then be tallied at the end for the 1,2,3 prizes. In case of a tie, a tie breaker round would be arranged.
• Each member must drive atleast once in any of the 5 challenges.


Challenge 1: Life and Minefield
• A track will be given to you with a start and end point.
• You select one member from your team to drive and the others can spot if needed.
• On the track there will be some areas which will be demarcated as mines and some as lives. If your tyre goes over the mine, you will get 30 seconds added to your time for each tyre that goes over the mine. If you collect the lives, 10 seconds will be cut from your final time.


Challenge 2: Blindfolded Chinese Whispers
• An obstacle course will be setup and the driver chosen from that group will be blindfolded with a walkie next to him on channel 1.
• Then 20 feet away will be another spotter who will be on channel 2
• Blindfolded and static in another car will be the relay person who will hear the instructions from the spotter on one walkie on channel 2 and then convey the same to the driver on channel 1.
• There will be no communication directly between driver and spotter. It has to be relayed.
• Again, there also there will be mines and lives with same time format.


Challenge 3: Towing Challenge
• This is a three vehicle game.
• One is the towing vehicle, one is the dead vehicle and one is the braking vehicle at the back.
• You have to tow the 2nd vehicle through a series of obstacles using the lead car and the last car will act as brakes.
• If the middle car touches the brakes then a 30 second penalty will be imposed per time / per second of the brake lights being on.
• If the middle car bangs into the front one, then a 1 minute penalty will be imposed.


Challenge 4: Sand Ladder Challenge
• This is a game of labour.
• Point A and point b will be given to you.
• You have to drive your vehicle from point A to point B with only the right tyres on sand ladders. You will only be given 4 ladders so your team needs to keep running back and forth every 4 feet to read just the ladders. Here the extra member will be of help!
• Every time each tyre is off the ladder, you get a 30 second time penalty.


Challenge 5: Speed Relay
• Again a three car challenge.
• There will be a starting box. Your time starts and you pick up a flag and run and get into your car. Buckle up and then start the car and go through the track. Finish the track and come back to the end box. Switch off the car, run with the flag and give it to the next car who does the same track and then he give similarly to the third car.
• Total time will be counted.


Some photos of the event:






















Winners.

Thanks to Dr. Tejas Kothari (Tejas@perioimpl) to host such a wonderful event.

[ruzbehxyz]

Some videos of the event

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4hzZKUhQvs

https://youtube.com/watch?v=74LTRR7A9i4?feature=share

https://youtube.com/watch?v=jzuLgG-wPes?feature=share

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXoKEsJ066Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ftpb_ONytAM

[ruzbehxyz]

Learn offroad celebrated it's 3rd Anniversary on 18th July 2023.


The Jimny on display.


Hormazd Sorabjee, Editor, Autocar India.


Dr. Tejas Kothari.

The 3rd year celebrations included an experience with the new Maruti Suzuki Jimny on a curated course and an off-road trail that had to be completed as a convoy.

After being briefed about the activities and given a list of dos and don'ts, participants were divided into two groups. The first group got to experience the Jimny before lunch, while the other group used their personal vehicles, and vice-versa post lunch. Participants had a chance to win various goodies, including subscriptions to Autocar India magazine.

Post lunch, the group headed for the trail drive that involved getting in a convoy of around 20 off-roaders that included Ford Endeavour, Mahindra Thar, Jeep Wrangler, Isuzu D-Max V-Cross and Mahindra Scorpio N. The trail was led by a Jeep Wrangler, which guided the whole convoy through steep inclines, a river bed, big ditches and a steep decline right before the river that marked the end of the trail.

Read full story here: https://www.autocarindia.com/auto-fe...ud-bath-428778

[ruzbehxyz]

Learn Offroad completes a milestone - 200th Level 1 civilian student has signed up for training.