01/06/2003

 

 

DAVE JONES RANG UP ONE DAY AND ASKED OF I FANCIED GOING DOWN TO WOODLANDS TO MEET THE RHINORIDERS GANG. I KNEW IT WAS LONDON AND SAID YES. WE MET AT MINE IN LIVERPOOL ON THE SATURDAY NIGHT AND HAD SOME DINNER AND SET TO SLEEP. 3 HOURS LATER WE WERE ON THE ROAD, WE HAD TO PICK UP A COUPLE OF PASSENGERS ALONG THE WAY, JJ ( A LANDROVER DRIVER ) AND JIM MALKIN ( FROM OVERLAND COMPONENTS. WE HAD 255 MILES TO GO AND AFTER GOING 180 DAVES TRUCK MELTED A WHEEL BEARING AND HAD TO BE SENT HOME ON THE BACK OF A FLATBED (AA) RECOVERY WAGON. WE ALL PILED INTO MY TRUCK AND WENT TO WOODLANDS. WE WERE MET ONSITE BY JOHN SACKLEY AND ENTERED THE COURSE TAGGING BEHIND JOHNS VIT. WHEN WE GOT TO THE MIDDLE JOHN ASKED IF I WOULD LIKE TO DO A RUN CALLED " ROAD TO HELL". YES I SAI ( DOH )
JOHN TOOK US TO LOOK AT IT AND JIM MALKIN TOLD ME TO GO FOR IT ... SO WE DID .... READ ON

 

START OF THE ROAD TO HELL

 

IN WE GO

 

OVER THE FIRST DROP AND INTO THE SLUDGE

 

POWER ON AND CLIMB THE BANK

 

 

SAME BANK FROM A CAMERA BEHIND ME

 

I DIDN'T REALISE AT THE TIME HOW STEEP THE DROP INTO THE SECOND HALF WAS, GOD ITS NEARLY VERTICAL

 

WE MADE A FEW YARDS OF HEADWAY, BUT THE GLOOP WAS TOO WET AND WE WERE NOT HEAVY ENOUGH TO SINK DEEP ENOUGH TO GET TRACTION.

WINCH TIME

 

JIM GETS OUT, SINCE IT WAS HIS IDEA TO DO IT.

 

 

CLUTCH ON THE WINCH TO FREE SPOOL

 

THE 6000LB WINCH ON THE FRONT OF MY TRUCK PULLED ITS HEART OUT FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES TRYING TO FREE ME

 

IN THE END TO GET OUT WE HAD MY WINCH DOUBLE HAULING AND THE WINCH OF THE LANDROVER YOU CAN SEE WAS ALSO PULLING ON US. OOOOPS WHERE HAS THE SIDE OF MY VIT GONE

 

LOOKING BACK I NOW KNOW THAT THAT HOLE IS NOT FILLED WITH WET MUD BUT SOGGY CLAY. THATS JOHN SACKLEY IN THE BLUE T-SHIRT IN FRONT OF MY VIT. THANKS FOR SHOWING ME THAT RUN JOHN ... U GIT ... HEE HEE

 

THE FOLLOWING ARE TRUCKS THAT WERE THERE, SORRY I DID NOT GET TO MEET THE OWNERS BUT IT TOOK OVER AN HOUR AT NICK INGRAMS TO JET WASH MY VIT, TOP BLOKE NINGRAM. HOPE YOUR MISSUS WAS NOT TOO PEEVED WITH THE DRIVE .. SORRY

 

JOE

 

 

 

TONKA

 

TALKING OF NINGRAM ... HERE HE IS

 

AND MR SACKLEY'S AWESOME BEAST GOES TO PLAY

 

 

 

 

 

THIS NISSAN WAS IN THE MIRE FOR AGES BEEN THERE DONE THAT ... NOT GOING BACK IN EITHER

 

 

 

 

 

THANKS TO ALL FOR A GREAT DAY.
WE HAD PROBLEMS GETTING HOME AND IN THE END I NEED THECLUTCH CLEANING OUT AND NEW BRAKES. WE WILL SEE MOST OF YOU AGAIN THIS MONTH AS WE HAVE THE LANERIDERS TRIP ON THE 8TH JUNE AND THEN THE MIGHTY TONG ... NOT SO FAR FOR US THIS TIME.
IF YOU HAVE ANY DECENT PHOTOS OF THE DAY SEND THEM TO ME AT SIMON@TONKA-TOY.CO.UK
ALSO IF YOU WANT ANY OF THE FAB WORK THAT WAS ON TONKA THEN RING JIM MALKIN AT "OVERLAND COMPONENTS" ON 01565 777677
AS I GET MORE PHOTOS FROM THE DAY THIS FILE WILL GROW SO KEEP CHECKING BACK FOR UPDATES TO THIS GALLERY