08/06/2003

 

 

WELL .... THE LEGENDARY LANERIDER GOOD WEATHER WAS ONLY WITH US FOR AN HOUR OR SO. IT ABSOLUTELY HAMMERED DOWN IN THE AFTERNOON. I THINK THIS CAUSED A FEW BAD FEELINGS ABOUT THE SITE, IT MADE THE WOODS A BIT MORE DIFFICULT THAN IT WAS LAST TIME DAVE AND I TRIED IT TWO WEEKS AGO. OVERALL THE PERCEPTION IS THAT MOST PEOPLE HAD A GOOD DAY. IT WAS A BIT ROUGH ON THE VEHICLES THAT TURNED UP WITH NEAR STANDARD ROAD TYRES, IE THE DISCOVERY YOU WILL SEE IN THE PHOTOS. THE FIELD SITE IS ONLY A COUPLE OF WEEKS FROM CONCEPTION, BUT WAS IN GOOD FORM. SITES LIKE THIS ARE AS EASY OR AS DIFFICULT AS YOU WISH TO MAKE THEM. PERSONALLY FOR ME, I LIKE GETING INTO THE THICK OF IT AND DOING RECOVERY OR WINCHING OUT. IF ALL YOU WANT IS A VEHICLE THAT CAN GO ROUND THE SITE WITH NO TROUBLE THEN I FEEL THAT YOU WOULD SOON GET BORED DUE TO THE LACK OF A CHALLENGE. ON THE WHOLE IT WAS A GOOD TURN OUT AND AFTER PAYING THE SITE FEES, THE LANERIDERS CLUB CAME OUT WITH A FEW QUID AS WELL. SO IT NOT ONLY LOOKS LIKE THE CAMPING WILL BE FREE AT THE SUMMER WEEKEND BUT ALSO THE BBQ OR SOME OF THE BEER. SO THANKS TO ALL WHO ATTENDED. I HOPE NONE WERE PUT OFF FROM FUTURE EVENTS.

 

 

WE FILLED THE WINDMILL PUB CAR PARK WITH ZOOKS ..... WHAT A SITE TO SEE.

 

AFTER SORTING THE MONEY OUT FOR THE SITE, WE SPLIT INTO TWO GROUPS. ONE FOR THE FIELD AND ONE FOR THE WOODS. I LED THE WOODS GROUP ROUND THE RUN FIRST AND INTO THE WATER. TAGGING RIGHT BEHIND ME WAS THE REGULAR CAR OF THE HARPERS.

 

FOLLOWING BEHIND THEM WAS A MINT CONDITION DISCO ON VERY ROAD BIASED TYRES, NOT GOOD FOR THIS TERRAIN.

 

FOLLOWING THEM ANOTHER REGULAR VIT. JAMES HOLLOWAY AND SUSIE.

 

HERE YOU CAN SEE SUSIE BAILING OUT AS WE HAD TO STOP DUE TO THE DISCO NOSE DIVING INTO THE MUD AND NOT HAVING THE GRIP FROM THE TYRES TO PUSH FORWARDS. ROB HARPER BACKED UP TO PULL THEM OUT BUT WE FIRST HAD TO DIG DOWN TO FIND THE TOW EYE, A JOB I HAD TO LEAVE TO TERRY HARPER AS I HAD A CALL FROM JAMIE STATING THAT HE HAD SLID AND NEEDED RECOVERY HELP

 

WHEN I GOT TO JAMIE THIS IS THE SIGHT I WAS GREETED WITH.

 

DUE TO THE WET CLAY HE WAS UNABLE TO MOVE BACK OR FORTH AND HAD GOT WEDGED IN THE WIDTH OF THE TRACK. HE USED HIS WINCH ATTACHED TO MY VIT AND PULLED HIMSELF OUT. ITS GREAT BEING ABLE TO WINCH OUT OF TROUBLE.

DEBBIE IN HER NEWLY PURCHASED SAMMI

 

THE DISCO HAD GOT FREE FROM THE FIRST MUD HOLE BUT ITS TYRES WERE CLOGGED UP AND WAS UNABLE TO CLIMB THE HILL OUT. DUE TO THE WEIGHT DIFFERENCE OF THE DISCO TO A ZOOK, WE WERE UNABLE TO PULL HIM UP THE HILL SO HAD TO CALL JIM, WHO ARRIVED WITH THE TRACTOR.

 

NO PROBLEM

 

THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME WE HAD SEEN THIS VIT IN THE FLESH ... SOOOPERB... BUT IT ALSO WAS UNABLE TO CLIMB OUT DUE TO A VERY WEAK CLUTCH WHICH GOT REAL BAD AND ENDED UP BEING WINCHED TO THE TOP OF THE HILL BY THE HARPERS.

 

JON ROWLANDS HAD TRIED TO DROP INTO THE RIVER AND THEN UP A BANK A SHORT WAY UP THE RIVER, UNFORTUNATLEY HE NEVER MADE IT INTO THE RIVER EVEN. THE GROUND IS SO SOFT HERE AND THE FRONT END OF HIS TRUCK WAS WELL DEEP

 

TIME FOR THE MUDTOY, THIS IS AN AWESOME PIECE OF KIT AND USING A SHORT SNATCH ROPE ,SOON HAD THE SAMMI FREE.

 

JON AND HIS CO DRIVER WERE LAUGHING AND ENJOYING THE DAY, WHEN IT CAME TO REVERSING BACK OUT I ENDED UP USING TONKA'S WINCH TO PULL THEM SIDEWAYS THROUGH 90 DEGREES TO ENABLE ME TO GIVE THEM A JUMP START. THEY WERE SOON ON THERE WAY.

 

WHICH IS MORE THAN CAN BE SAID FOR DAVE SMITH ( VITARA BREAKERS ... NUTTER ) HE HAD AN ABSOLUTE GREAT TIME. NEEDS MUD TYRES AND A LIFT NOW DAVE. WE HAD TO PULL DAVE OUT THE POND AND THEN TOW HIM UP THE HILL BEHIND TONKA

 

MY COUSINS (MARK) KIDS OUT HAVING A SCREAM IN THEIR NEWLY FIXED LIGHTWEIGHT( THANKS AGAIN TO JIM AND CRAIG AT OVERLAND COMPONENTS FOR THE REPAIRS )

 

LANDCRUISER BEAST ... UNSTOPPABLE ALL DAY ... WELL DONE ... REALLY NICE KIT.

 

A FRIEND OF DAVE SMITHS, SHOWS HOW THIS HILLOCK SHOULD BE TACKLED, YOU WILL SEE DAVE SMITH DO IT IN A MOMENT.

 

JAMES AND SEAN IN THE LANDY.

 

THE NEWLY DUG WATER RUN, STILL WAITING FOR RAIN

 

ERRRRRRR DAVE SMITH ATTACKS THE SMALL HILLOCK .......... AT SPEEEEEEED !!!!!

 

COMING IN FOR ANOTHER GO

 

BIG AIR .... DAVE YOU NUTTER HEE HEE

 

BUT LANDS OK

 

JAMIE IN THE NEW KAP JIMNY

 

JAMES HOLLOWAY

 

AND DAVE SMITH ALL FAILED THIS CLIMB, VERY WET AND SLIPPY THOUGH

 

LOOKING SORTED NOW JAMIE

 

"TONKA"

 

DEEP WATER RUN THIS IS GONNA BE

 

AND OUT

 

JUST TO PROVE THE DEPTH, TONKA GOES IN WITH MARK DRIVING.

 

AND OUT

 

LOOKS LIKE YOUR OLD ONE THIS JAMIE

ONCE AGAIN THANKS TO ALL WHO ATTENDED, AS WAS SAID ON MSN LAST NIGHT " ITS HARD TO PLEASE EVERYONE"
THE END RESULT WAS 2 VITARA AXLES BUSTED, 1 DRIVESHAFT, 1 CV JOINT, 1 CLUTCH ( ALL VITARA ) SAMURAI REAR SPRINGS, LANDCRUISER REAR LIGHT AND BODYWORK. IF YOU BROKE ANYTHING ELSE THEN LET ME KNOW AND WE WILL ADD IT TO THE LIST.