Coverage of the action at Slab Common
The challenge kicked off with the first round being held at the army training base of Slab Common in Bordon. The site is mainly sand, however the torrential rain over the weekend provided competitors with water hazards that would prove treacherous to all who tried to fare them throughout the course of the day.
Things kicked off with the mandatory scrutineering, with all vehicles being checked for safety reasons, and any editions or changes that had to be made for upcoming events. With all vehicles inspected, the drivers were welcomed back to the off-road circuit by All Wheel Drive Club leader, Neil Whitford. With formalities out of the way teams were issued with maps, and sent on their way.
The start line saw a bit of banter between the poll positions, a battle of the engines got things off to a good start. Then drivers poised themselves for takeoff as Neil raised the klaxon, to get things underway. The horn blared as vehicles sped away from the start looking for their first punch.
The first punch on the map was a flooded ditch with a fallen tree providing an obstacle very close to the punch. The access was very narrow and the punch was on the left hand side of the track, meaning that the only option was to reverse up to it, which was the option that the first competitors took. Their vehicle was quite the spectacle, a jeep that had its body lifted to extreme levels off of its chassis . They started off well, getting the vehicle all the way back to the punch with ease.
They scored their points, and started to make their way out. They had made it across the deep pool of mud and water the first time, it was a lot harder the second time. The driver got the Jeep in as far as he could get, but the mud stopped him from getting any further, with the water coming up to the cab, any other . His navigator did his best to wade through the sludge, however his best efforts weren’t enough to stop him being submerged up to the neck in the murky waters. Antics aside he got the winch rope out and ploughed through the mess; with the points in the bag.
The special stage was next on the agenda, with Zoltan Guzi attempting the stage first. The trial consisted of a gate system. All of them numbered but on both sides; the vehicle had to go through each one until it reached the end then had to make its way back through them. The gates were set up along the sides of a small gulf, giving the driver a series of difficult climbs, and dangerous drops. Zolly was off to a good start easily making his way through the first series of gates, however the next ones required a bit more precision and effort.
Zoltan relied on the sharp eyes of co-driver Lee Marchant to navigate the truck up and down the verges. The truck made it through the gates in a commendable time, giving them a well earned 250 points.
Moving on we caught up with Zoltan again this time attempting to make his way out of a punch. This particular one entailed a sharp drop followed immediately by a steep incline. This was awkward as the car needed to be going slow enough as to not damage anything on the descent, but then it had to have enough momentum to clear the hill in front of it. With the aid of a few extra horses under the bonnet Zolly cleared the climb effortlessly.
The next punch we saw was a lengthy one, a mini special stage in itself. We were greeted with obscenities as the winch rope of the white 90 leaving the punch snapped its winch rope. Stranded, they asked for assistance from the next truck in line for the punch. Zolly was queuing for the punch so was taken from the track leading to the punch and positioned for assistance as the truck made its way out of the punch were repairs could be made. Zolly then got straight into it. Completing the early water run within seconds, next he face a steep climb, straight into a hairpin turn to the punch, which lay directly after a drop and climb combination.
The climb and turn took a bit of manoeuvring, but he got there in the end. Lining up for the hill to the punch, the punch had been attempted quite a few times already so the mud was loose and tracks had been dug, resulting in Zolly being halted a matter of feet from the punch. The winch was deployed and Zolly got what he came for.
I then moved on to one of the competition favourites, Adrian Turner. He was just making his way out of his punch as we arrived. Fallen logs and branches provided the challenges in this one. However it proved no problem for Adrian who’s tray-back just ploughed through the wreckage. Just when you thought it was going to be a perfect attempt; he clipped one of the posts supporting the wire that sectioned off the punch bringing the whole line down. Un-phased his co-driver wrapped the wire back up, telling Adrian that he was ‘A f***king vandal!’ Motivational stuff.
The weather over the weekend made the challenge all the more difficult than it already was. The continual downpours left punches flooded adding an extra element to each and every punch. By the end of the day many competitors were left with that sinking feeling, as when time was up, many competitors were still stuck out in the proverbial mud. Those who made it back looked as if they had enjoyed their time out on the site. With mud and smiles across their faces, those who returned huddled around the AWDC trailer to hear how they did. The results are as follows:
http://www.awdc.co.uk/data/awdc.nsf/3058615008991a0d80256c7000783371/5b55bb722044f2c68025740e0076b5ec/$FILE/Round%201%20%20Results.pdf
The event was a big hit with competitors, proving that the Howlin’ Wolf Challenge could prove to be a favourite with challengers throughout the year. Thanks for reading, and we look forward to Round 2 – Wales.
Frankie Guzi