Quote:
Originally Posted by khan_sultan In any given OTR, there are MORE spotters than drivers. All of us, as drivers (and spotters also), at some point or the other would have heard something similar to this: "Left...left.., go back... turn the steering... turn the other way... your left... watch that rock... nooo noooo.... back out... ooohhhhhhhhhh..."
All, at once, while you have no clue to where your tyre is pointed & where the trail is. The problem is that you can never listen to all these instructions at once and if you do, then you are bound to get yourself & the vehicle into some seriously awkward situation
So, let's compile the good, the bad & ugly ways of spotting, the driver responsibilities (towards spotting), the spotters responsibilities etc. |
Excellent Topic. I love it how after every major OTR, new interesting threads come up and we can all learn from mistakes. Quote: - Should we volunteer to spot (out of kindness, eagerness, enthusiasm etc etc..) or should it be the driver who should ask to be spotted?
|
If there are many people around already spotting, i would not say anything unless the driver asks. Only if i think something dangerous may happen, i step in, tell the driver to stop, inspect the terrain again and then decide his next course of action. Quote: - How many people should spot? One, two or the whole junta?
|
Ideally one. Or maybe two if the spotter can't stand in front of the vehicle and spotting needs to be done on left and right sides. And three only if the vehicle needs to back up as well. Quote: - Should we shout "left/right... no.. no.. your left/right" OR should we use visual means of spotting using our hands? What are the various hand signals to use?
|
Hand signals are the best IMO. Best is to stretch the hands out like the traffic policeman. Quote: - Should anybody/everybody do spotting -- including off-road tourists/newbees?
|
NO. What i have noticed is that newbies are too eager to spot / &/or please. I have rarely seen experienced guys jump into the bandwagon if there are already too many spotters. Ideally, a newbie spotter should be accompanied by a pro and the driver should know about it. If the newbie spotter is making a mistake, the pro should immediately step in and warn the driver (who needs to concentrate on both of them). Quote: - Is spotting an art/skill that comes from offroad driving experience??
|
I would say yes. Quote: - Should people realize that spotters have to be experienced drivers who understand the 'intricacies' of off-roading, vehicle behavior, terrain condition and driver capabilities.
|
Yes. But i only spot for Jeeps. I am not well versed with gypsies so i leave that to gypsy drivers to spot. I think that you should spot of vehicles that you know about. I only spot for other vehicles when i'm hundred percent sure of what will happen / or not happen. Quote: - Should the driver trust the spotter -- blindly?
|
Yes and no. Always walk the terrain. After that you trust your spotter. This trust is important when a correction is required which makes you deviate from the path you have already walked upon.
Again this spotter relationship comes after many otrs that you and the spotter have done together. I have started to trust allan and devang now completely and many times i do not walk the terrain completely, HOWEVER, i still get down and see the descent for myself. Quote:
And many many more questions, observations around the art of off-road spotting.
|
I'll add more in due course. There are a lot of points that i want to make in this thread. |