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Old 11th July 2010, 07:10   #16
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Originally Posted by Red Liner View Post
YouTube - Jeep Rollover - Funny

OMG, this was not funny at all. I think now Spotters are going to be under more pressure during OTR's :-)
OK Venky, do you think that was a DRIVER error or A Spotter's blunder ?
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Old 11th July 2010, 10:42   #17
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OK Venky, do you think that was a DRIVER error or A Spotter's blunder ?
Both. The driver for going aggressively on the throttle when he should have just crawled. And the spotter waving to the right when the driver could have just made it straight.

Did i pass saar?

Last edited by Red Liner : 11th July 2010 at 10:43.
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Old 11th July 2010, 11:02   #18
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In the trail, at times, for various reasons the steering/wheels may turn to a direction not intended. During those times it is for the designated spotter to take control of the situation.

Here is one scenario from EXAAM Day 2. IIRC, Jaggu did not know which way the wheels were turning and had to rely only on the spotter If the spotter had not paid attention and stopped him, this would have been a candidate for toppling over.

Offroad Spotting Techniques-cimg2092.jpg

PS: Also, my SPOA'ed Gypsy makes it very easy to spot for -- enough of ground clearance to see what's happening. (Am saying this before someone comes and says that the THAR makes it easy for spotters because of it's IFS and R&P Steering -- just kidding
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Old 11th July 2010, 21:39   #19
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the video accident looks like a driver error to me
the only error that the spotter did was not to tell the driver to slow down
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Old 12th July 2010, 09:51   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by headers View Post
OK Venky, do you think that was a DRIVER error or A Spotter's blunder ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Liner View Post
Both. The driver for going aggressively on the throttle when he should have just crawled. And the spotter waving to the right when the driver could have just made it straight.

Did i pass saar?
Quote:
Originally Posted by xtreme power View Post
the video accident looks like a driver error to me
the only error that the spotter did was not to tell the driver to slow down
Hi Guys,

Don't you think, if the Driver moved towards his Right (RHS) he would be in a better(more stable) position.

The Spotter is seen directing him towards, the Driver's Left(LHS)

Regards,

Arka
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Old 27th July 2010, 16:04   #21
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In South Africa the following apply to any serious obsticle:
1) Get out your vehicle and walk the obsticle your self, you need to picture where you need and want to drive - find the easiest route walking the obsticle up and down - sometimes afew times,
2) Get one person you trust to show the way - I will never listen or look at the spectators next to the obsticle, they like to see drama and accidents. Get one person you trust.
3) Use hand signals, dont say / screem left right - stop - Right - it is very confusing and will end up in gaos - show the direction, close your hand in a fist means stop, tap down means slow - boths hands straight forward.
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Old 28th July 2010, 14:38   #22
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3) Use hand signals, dont say / screem left right - stop - Right - it is very confusing and will end up in gaos - show the direction, close your hand in a fist means stop, tap down means slow - boths hands straight forward.
Thats a nice point. Can you give us some more pointers?
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Old 28th July 2010, 19:29   #23
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Thats a nice point. Can you give us some more pointers?
In SA we have a navigator driving with, his responsibilty is to get out and guide the driver the best route over the obsticle. Normally both team members will walk the obsticle first and then decide on a route - The navigator will help the driver to stay on the decided route.

The hand signals is very simple and not confusing, only when going very steep up or down makes it in some cases very difficult te see each other. I found hand signals works much better, as the navigator can stand outside the obsticle (safe) and still guide the vehicle. In some cases with a lot of spectators its impossible to hear the other person.

See the attached pic of my navigator. You will see that he has both hands up slightly towards the right, from my side he is indicating me that I must turn in that direction, in a nutshell we use as follows:
1) Both hands about head height
2) Small waves show the driver to come forward
3) Turn your hands towards the direction you want him to turn - as per picture - you can point more aggressive if you need to turn sharper
4) tap down if he needs to go slower
5) Close your hand if he must stop
Attached Thumbnails
Offroad Spotting Techniques-screenhunter_06-jul.-28-14.12.jpg  

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Old 28th July 2010, 21:52   #24
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Excellent pointers Wild_Card, especially points 4 and 5 which am going to start practicing
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Old 29th July 2010, 14:57   #25
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Excellent pointers Wild_Card, especially points 4 and 5 which am going to start practicing
You can almost use any signals, as long as the driver understand the navigator.
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Old 2nd August 2010, 11:37   #26
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Nice points Wild Card,

On my recent OTR, My Front Crash guard got sightly bent after an impact with a stone. I was just concentrating on the navigator moves, & he thought I saw the Obvious big Rock!!.

I also had to re-weld my silencer mount joint that broke due to impact below.

The question is what do we do if we do not have experienced spotters?
is the only option to jump out & see it every time? especially need help while reversing on rocky terrains.

Hand signaling sure helps, especially when a TDI is Roaring between you & the Spotter.

Some points the spotter can communicate other than the ones listed are
1. If the wheel is about to lose traction / lift
2. Recommend changing gears (H->L or 2wd->4wd)
3. Signal Engine kill to discusses strategy or to take pics


Cheers
Sunil
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Old 10th August 2010, 21:09   #27
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Quote:
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Some points the spotter can communicate other than the ones listed are
1. If the wheel is about to lose traction / lift
2. Recommend changing gears (H->L or 2wd->4wd)
3. Signal Engine kill to discusses strategy or to take pics
I dont thnk the spotter will be responsible for any of the above, gear change is the driver`s responsibility and should not be told by a spotter - Maybe in some serious conditions he can request the driver to kill the engine - but this wont be the norm.

In the case of no experienced spotter, I will walk the obsticle - and inform my "un-experienced" spotted where I want to place my wheels. In other words, he will just guide me as I told him where I want to drive.
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Old 10th August 2010, 22:42   #28
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But ..... why do you do OTRs ? . To learn right ? . What will happen in real world conditions when you are alone ?

Don't give answers like , Don't go OTR alone .

Is it impossible to do without spotter ? .

Last edited by black12rr : 10th August 2010 at 22:43.
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Old 10th August 2010, 22:55   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by black12rr View Post
But ..... why do you do OTRs ? . To learn right ? . What will happen in real world conditions when you are alone ?

Don't give answers like , Don't go OTR alone .

Is it impossible to do without spotter ? .
Nothing's impossible. In a real world, if i need to go off the road in an emergency, i will do it without a spotter. Hell, i'll take my honda of the road. The point is OTRs are not emergencies. If you go alone for fun sake, yes it is possible to do an OTR alone, but you should be aware of the risks, make sure someone knows where you are, you have enough medical & recovery gear (and a winch equipped vehicle) and you are sensible enough not to try anything stupid. If you get stuck, you can abandon your vehicle in worse case scenario and walk back (always mark your trail so you don't get lost) and get help, but if you get bitten by a snake or topple and get hurt, then it's a problem which may have a sad ending.
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Old 11th August 2010, 07:38   #30
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I have driven offorad alone more than once, by that i mean one vehicle with a person to spot.

Going alone without anybody could be dangerous.

The best spotter i know and trust is James,but we do need to adopt just the visual hand signals as opposed to verbal and hand signals.
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