YEA 150 at Mafeking Rover Park

(By: Andy Fox)

I remember now in the smokey dim past, having a toggle and getting badges, ahhhhh yes how did the Reef Knot go…then I found girls and the idea of Arkala and the Tribe seemed to be a little less than relevant.

They were good days…..

So imagine the surprise when we found out the second last race of the Victorian State Championship was going to be held at Mafeking Rover Park.

The Rovers were awesome enough to lend us their facility to go racing…..

If you get a chance and would like to get away, bush walk and get some serenity, check it out…. http://www.mafekingroverpark.com/

There are camping facilities and bunks available

The scene is set, 20 cars a 7km track with more twist and turns than a snakes belly and 20 laps segmented into 2 heats.

Total race distance was 140 kms. One of the highlights was a 4wd track that was inclined at approx 30 degrees. The Rovers usually winch up it, we raced down it….

Prologue:

We had an okay run, given we were first on road and the track was slippery from the rain and dew the night before. We had a ball. The action quite spectacular, you guessed it not so fast.

Overall we qualified 10th out of 20 cars and 1st in our Category. The field was split into 2 groups and the Heats were run.

Heat 1:

With 10 laps on the counter the idea was to keep the car clean and tidy on the track, carry momentum and make sure the other guys could not keep up.

The plan worked. We started 1st position in our Heat and were not passed.

The track was tight and very technical. Most of it was in second gear with third 3 times and first 2 times. The constant assault back and forward was playing hell with Karen my Navigator. For the second time this season she suffered from motion sickness from lap 5 out of 10 to the end of the heat. I have to say she has the toughest spirit of anyone I know. She did not tell me of the issue until we were back in the pits. A great commitment to the Championship and the success of the day.

We made it to the end of the Heat, carried some great speed and found our groove. The truck is really working. For this event we chose to use the Mud Terrains instead of the AT’s based on the mud in sections of the circuit and the possibility of rain. They worked a treat screaming like a cheesy American movie as we hauled the 2.4tonnes up on the dirt. The Muddies clawed the ground and gave good steer all day. They just never gave up.

In retrospect the AT’s would have been a better choice given that the rain never came. The AT’s have a better edge and give more grip on the gravel and dirt sections of the track.

The Final:

All the finishers in Heats 1 and 2 were put into one Race, and seeded by time from fastest to slowest. We started 10th again.

In the Navigator seat was Cameron Lyne. Cam races a Super 1650 Buggy and qualified second outright and on the first lap broke a driveshaft. He was good enough to jump into the Patrol with me so we could finish the Race.

The aim was to make sure we won the Class and gave the other guys in the Buggies a good run for their money. At one stage we were running 5-6th outright and carrying some really good speed. Then the strangest thing happened.

We got bogged. I could not believe that the truck was stopped dead from 50 kmh, it was like a vortex. The recovery guys sped to our assistance and had us pulled out in 7mins.

Suffice to say that killed the day’s progression and set us amongst a group of cars that were creating massive dust for us. Cam and I worked our butts off to stay in the game and ended up 1st in Class and 9th outright for the weekend.

In the beginning I though it was going to be a giant pain getting in and around all of the tight corners and the thin tracks. But after 20 laps I have to concede that we had an absolute ball.

The track was well thought out, the facilities were really great and the racing was spot on.

All in all a brilliant weekend.

In terms of the Championship we have now got enough points to win the Production 4WD Category with one round to go.