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NEWSLETTER / NUUSBRIEF DECEMBER 2014
P.O. Box 36086, ANNLIN 0066 Fax: 086 505 0484 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.jeepclubsa.co.za
The Jeep Club South Africa caters for what we believe in - family fun in our Jeeps!
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Bridgestone 4x4 Club Challenge 2014.
The road to the finals.
Hi to all the” Jeepers “out there that might be interested to hear
about the 2014 Bridgestone Club Challenge final that took place
at the Doornrivier 4x4 route, approximately 13km outside of
Zeerust over the past weekend, from my perspective.
About 13 months ago I purchased a toy for myself (dads present
to himself). A 98 XJ 4lt Country as a project, to eventually bring
it back to its former glory. The intention was to first get the XJ to
a presentable position before joining the Jeep Club SA and
hopefully partaking in events offered.
IN THIS ISSUE
◊ WOLWEKLOOF (GP) ◊ MARKUS KRAAL(WP)
◊ NON STOP ADVENTURES (KZN)
◊ VITA NOVA CHARITY DAY
(GP) ◊ BRIDGESTONE FINAL
(NATIONAL)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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For more information and photos see www.jeepclubsa.co.za
Or visit us on Facebook, Jeep Club South Africa
NEWSLETTER – DECEMBER 2014
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When registration opened for the Bridgestone Cub challenge I started getting calls from a certain Mr
Muller to join the club and come enter the challenge. With no tyres to speak of and no recovery points
fitted to the XJ, I kept saying that this is a project and therefore the XJ was not ready for events. Alas, the
persistence won through and I then duly joined the club and entered the event, (just to make the numbers)
after hastily fitting recovery points and fitting new tyres. To be honest the arm did not have to be twisted
too much as I was dying to see what the XJ was all about.
On to registration and scrutineering on
the Friday afternoon, being very
nervous as I had no idea what to expect.
On arrival I was pleased to see a few
familiar faces I had met on days I had
accompanied Neil to fun events, and
was soon introduced to all present.
These guys made me feel part of “The
Family” from the get-go, with
assistance and advice that I have never
experienced before. Thanx guys!
The Saturday sees us all meet at Outrek
Pad for an awesome day of obstacles
and being impressed with what the XJ
is capable of. My son Michael as
navigator and I had no idea of the penalty system used and in our first obstacle were trying to decide what
would lose us less points, going over a pole or stopping, reversing and retrying that gate, In the end we
killed the pole only to discover after the obstacle that it would have been better to stop and reverse. So one
learns. Then to score our first 100 points on an obstacle, we could not believe our luck, to be totally
deflated at the next obstacle by having to be recovered. Hero to zero in one obstacle. At the end of the day
we must have been the most surprised team to discover we had placed second overall, because remember
we were only filling slots to make the numbers and have some fun. The fun part we had in bucket loads. A
big thanks to all assisting in the event to have made it that awesome, and I take my hat off to the marshals,
having to stand there all day, doing their thing and still have a smile on their faces in greeting, even at the
last obstacle of the day.
On the way home that evening the
thought turned to the problem of
trying to explain to the missus that
we now had to go to JHB for the
finals as this was never in the thought
pattern. We were only making up the
numbers remember.
Neil was appointed as club captain
and started discussions with the team
members about the logistics of
getting the vehicles and team
members to Zeerust. Eventually
everything was sorted with the
vehicles being transported to JHB and
NEWSLETTER – DECEMBER 2014
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the teams flying up picking the vehicles up then driving to Doornrivier 4x4 approximately 13 km from
Zeerust on the road to Gaborone on the Friday afternoon.
On arrival we were warmly greeted by the
organisers and fellow competitors alike and
invited to braai with them that evening, with a
cash bar available. We were all very impressed
with the venue, with camping facilities under
the shade of trees ( what type? I have no idea,
but they have thorns) a huge roofed area that
housed the bar and kitchen and tables and chairs
to seat everyone.
07:00 Saturday morning we had drivers briefing
then documentation and scrutineering in order
of teams allocated, Jeep team were 7th
out of the
ten teams, after which the teams moved off to
obstacle one. At scrutineering the wheelbase
and chassis height of the vehicles were
measured and a formula was applied to
determine a score (normally to the negative)
which was then added to scrutineering score plus your bonus score (for having Bridgestone/Firestone tyres
etc) and your score at the respective challenges (your score at challenge divided by 10.ie:750 scored gave
you 75 bonus points). This total was then the score you started with.
Mark Hutton Brown and Johannes Pienaar (Jody) in their TJ started with 42 points
Kim Kelly and Sean Kelly in their Sahara started
with 10 points, John and Michael Ramshaw in XJ
started with 40 points
Off to obstacle one, with a scenic drive to get there.
We eventually started this obstacle at
approximately 13:10. The whole team (plus
captain) were allowed to walk the obstacles
together and discuss how to drive them, thereafter
the captain had to stand to one side and the crews
had to remain at their vehicles until called to start
the obstacle. Here I would like to say a huge thanx
to Mark and Neil for all the invaluable knowledge
shared with us on the walkthrough and throughout
the day.
Obstacle 1 & 2 were steep decent and assent
respectively with loose rock surface, this was a bit
intimidating for me, as I have never driven on this type of surface before and the angles seemed incredible
to me, but the advice given by Mark and Neil got us through.
NEWSLETTER – DECEMBER 2014
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After obstacle 2 there was a
lunch spot with boerewors rolls
and cool drinks/water available
to all. The drinks went down
very well as the temperature
was hovering around the 31
degree mark. Then off to
obstacle 3 and the surprise of
the event. From the start of the
event to the start of obstacle 3
we travelled approx. 22km
through this beautiful farm
seeing some wildlife on the
way, with a giraffe as the
highlight.
Arriving at obstacle 3 we were a bit disappointed to discover
we now had to use the Ford Ranger Oddesy vehicles at each
of the following obstacles, bar the 10th
obstacle, where we
would drive our own vehicles again, to level the playing
field? This is where the wheels came off for us as we were
used too
much smaller
and nimbler
vehicles.
At obstacle 6
it started to
rain lightly
and we ended
up sliding a
bit in the
blindfolded
obstacle, but
we managed
to complete
it. Arriving at
7 conditions had deteriorated to the point that the rest of
the obstacles were cancelled as one could not control the
vehicles anymore. Just walking was a experience as one
would “grow” by about 10mm with each step taken, with
the mud sticking to the bottom of your shoes. Getting the
vehicles out of the route and back to the campsite became a
complete obstacle in itself.
So only 5 obstacles were scored as that was the last obstacle to be completed by all teams before the rain
came. That evening all were treated to a spit braai with a cash bar running again. The Sunday morning
09:00 was the prize giving with a breakfast, after which we all said our goodbyes and headed back to JHB
to drop the vehicles at the respective collection points for transport back to Cape Town, then to the airport
and home again.
NEWSLETTER – DECEMBER 2014
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I think we all still had a fun weekend, other than having to drive those barges, and I would like to thank the
rest of our Jeep team for being such awesome people.
A big thanx must go to Bridgestone, Opposite Lock and Conqueror for their involvement in this awesome
Hobby? Pastime? Maybe lifestyle? of ours, and to the folks that assisted the organisers in any way. Once
again these special folks we call marshals need to be commended for their welcoming and friendly
disposition towards us folk that come from the big flat rock as we were called.
Somehow Michael and I managed 7th
overall, with Mark and Jody 8th
and Kim and Sean 29th
.
Kim really struggled with those big Fords, but never once let that get her down. You go girl!
The scores were as follows :
NEWSLETTER – DECEMBER 2014
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KZN Region November 2014 Outing
In November we went to Non
Stop Adventures near Thornville,
just outside Pietermaritzburg. We were greeted by the owner
Piet at the front gate, and he
gave us permission to go wild
and drive where we wanted on
his property. The farm offered a
small river crossing, some nice
decent inclines and declines as
well as a few sand pits for us to
play around in. It was another
great way to spend a Sunday,
with Jeeps and friends.
NEWSLETTER – DECEMBER 2014
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Wolwekloof – Gauteng Outing
The Gauteng Jeepers went to a
new venue, Wolwekloof which
is situated in the Reyton area.
Met by a friendly host the Jeeps
set out for a fun filled “Rocky”
day. Wolwekloof is also home
of Trompie Off-road Academy
where some of us had some fun
on the academy track.
Wolwekloof proofed to be a bit
of a challenge with the
numerous rocky climbs, but as
always, everyone had an
awesome day doing what they
love most, driving their Jeeps.
NEWSLETTER – DECEMBER 2014
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We pride ourselves on being Nature lovers and this fact was proven again when one of the vehicles
noticed a nest with new-born chicks in laying on the side of the road. Our heroes stopped their vehicles
and rescued the babies.
NEWSLETTER – DECEMBER 2014
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Markus Kraal – Western Cape Outing.
It was a hot Friday
afternoon with a temp of
33 degrees as the Jeep
Club members quietly
arrived and set up camp
on the luscious green
grass. By night fall all
had arrived and settled in
as François casually
attended to the chicken
potjie he was preparing
for some of the members.
After dinner we all
settled around the fire to
chat about the route and
our expectations of the
weekend.
We had a good turnout of
13 vehicles. After an evening of socialising on the Friday, we all met at 9am in the parking area by
Christies’ house for a debriefing of the day’s plans. Craig and Neil welcomed and thanked all for attending
and Christie was more than happy to debrief all of us on the trail and what could expect.
It was stunning sun
shining day to view
the spectacular
views of the
Cedarburg
Mountains, fynbos
and flowers that
were in bloom. We
set off from the
parking area and
started with a gentle
climb which wound
through the
mountains.
There were a few
challenging
obstacles with the
first one being a 40degree incline with lots of loose rocks. The drivers could feel the loose rocks being
thrown out from under the vehicles but with steady momentum and accurate guidance from Ian Newton
and few others, we succeeded in conquering the first grade 4 obstacle. On reaching the summit, we all
NEWSLETTER – DECEMBER 2014
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gathered for a Jeep
group photo, where
we then continued
down to the
midpoint of the route
to meet Christie at
the bush camp. He
had some fires ready
for us to braai. This
was the time to tell
jokes, stories and
reflect on excitement
so far and what was
still ahead.
On route to
Dwarsrug, rated a
grade 5 obstacle, we
were blessed with
more views of
blooming flowers
across open fields
only to be met with a sand and mud pit which managed to distract us long enough before
summiting Dwarsrug which
rewarded use with
spectacular views of the
orchards, farm house and
camp site in the valley
below the cliffs.
Shortly thereafter, we were all back
at our campsites. We cleaned up in
preparation for the feast prepared
by Christie and his wife and
family, starters, roast lamb, salads,
homebacked bread and jam, and to
finish off chocolate pudding and
ice cream. With all stomachs filled
we all gathered back to the fire.
Till late the fire was burning with
bouts of laughter from various
groups as we all mingled together.
In conclusion, a hearty thank you to Christie for an enjoyable and super trail at Marcuskraal, with
outstanding camping and chalet facilities, with many of us vowing to return in the near future. Thanks to
all for attending, yet another well organised Jeep club SA Cape Town event organised by Neil Muller and
Mark Esterhuizen.
NEWSLETTER – DECEMBER 2014
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VITA NOVA (Gauteng)
When the Gauteng Jeepers
had their monthly event at
Wolwekloof in October 2014,
the owner asked us if we
would be interested in helping
out at his Annual Fund Raiser
for the “Vita Nova” home for
Individuals with Down
Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy.
We always try and give back
to the community and we are
happy to say that 60 Jeeps,
laden with goodies, showed
up to help this worthy cause.
NEWSLETTER – DECEMBER 2014
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The Residents arrived shortly after Nine and
were helped to the various vehicles where
they were taken out on the route and had a
wonderful time assisted by various members
of the community.
A large donation (cash and goods) were received and on
behalf of the Jeep Club South Africa, we would like to
thank each and everyone who played a part in making this
day a roaring success. Thank you also to everyone who made donations, these were greatly appreciated by
everyone at the Vita Nova Centre.
NEWSLETTER – DECEMBER 2014
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NOTE: THE OPINIONS OF WRITERS IN THIS PUBLICATION ARE THEIR OWN AND DOES NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE OPINION OF THE JEEP CLUB SA. THE JEEP CLUB SA DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE ON THE BASIS OF RACE, COLOUR, RELIGION, NATIONAL ORIGIN, SEX, AGE OR DISABILITY.
Disclaimer: The Jeep Club South Africa has no connection with the website www.jeepclubrsa.co.za and dissociate itself from any publications on this web site.
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MEMBERS PARTICIPATION
Your enthusiasm, participation, support and positive attitude will ensure that the Jeep Club SA grow as a family orientated pleasure club catering for the “loves” in our lives - our families, friends, outdoor adventure and needless to say - our Jeeps!
The Jeep Club SA caters for what we believe in - family fun in our Jeeps!
Please print this Newsletter in colour and distribute it amongst your friends and family without access to Internet facilities.
Thank you for your participation and support.
Make sure your companion, kids and friends also read the newsletter and know what we are up to next!
HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY - HAVE FUN OUT THERE