THE
4X4 CLUB – ZIMBABWE
Newsletter
No: 94
SEPTEMBER
2012
P O Box HG 594
Highlands Harare Zimbabwe The
Motor Sports Club House, 2 Annan Road,
Eastlea, Harare.
The
Chairman and Editorial Team:
The
4x4 Club is affiliated to the Zimbabwe Motor Sports Federation - ZMSF
Our
Club is a member of the Mashonaland Motor Sport Association Club House,
situated at: 2 Annan Rd. Eastlea. It is
available for hire for weddings, conferences, kid's parties, 21st
birthdays, etc.
News,
comments and opinions expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of
the Club or the Committee
THE EDITOR’S
DESK - Michael and Pat Gill
Please note our new Cell
phone numbers above.
As
you are no doubt aware there is a whole new collection of vehicle
"safety" regulations; fire extinguishers, reflectors, etc. While I laud the attention to this side of
the road safety it appalls me to see the physical state of the cars on the
road. At night you can be sure to see
more than a dozen one eyed vehicles on a short trip. Headlights that do not dip, or cannot, drivers
who wobble down the road at 40 kph in a 60 or 70 area, the use of emergency
biscuit wheel tyres on the daily run, the lack of tail/brake lights and
indicators and so on. I believe that the
Police need to have a whole change of attitude to motor vehicle safety. Why can they not have a dedicated Traffic
Section that has staff trained in proper vehicle safety. It would also be nice if the Officer also had
a driving licence.
Not
the classic "You are lucky, today we are checking wiper blades, not
tyres" to a car with different size bald tyres. Yes, it happened to a good
friend.
NEW
MEMBERS:
Marcus and Felicity
Campbell-Reynolds: The new owners of Rudolph the ex
Curas- Thompson Land Rover Light Weight.
marcuscr@zol.co.zw
Jason and Kelly Willcox: Are the new owners of the late Dudley
Hubbard's Jeep. They have a lot of work to do to it before it will be road
worthy again but Jason is really fired up and I know it will not take too
long. jason@fvc.co.zw
Solly and Mienke
FERREIRA: Friends of Anne and Rick Colls. Solly came out to Bush Pig and liked what he
saw.
We
welcome the families to our club and look forward to seeing you and your new
vehicles out on events in the not too distant future.
MEMBER'S
NEWS:
Margie Gibson: Congratulations to Margie
who has had an awesome trip to the Olympics. She was chosen to go as the team physiotherapist. Hard work, but very rewarding. Well done and thanks for your help at the
Bush Pig. Margie is selling her Disco
but is keeping her other 2 Landies. Any takers??
Greg Stead: Our congratulations to Greg and his driver on
becoming the Africa Rally Champions.
Remember last month we told you that they were in the running. Well their last rally win in Tanzania
clinched the deal.
Flossie Greenway: We give thought to Flossie who is off to
South Africa again for another bone op.
MEMBERS
CARS:
Gareth Geach has created another Land
Rover. Actually a very bent, rolled LR
90 which they bought off an auction. Stripped,
bought and made parts, painted and then towed their Off Road trailer out to
Bush Pig 2012, all in a few weeks. That
has got to be a record. Let us not
forget that Ashleigh played the major part in all this.
DID YOU
KNOW?
OFF-ROAD
TOWING CAN DAMAGE YOUR 4X4
By IOL
Motoring Staff
Thanks to the
advent of electronic all-wheel drive systems, modern beetle-crushers are extraordinarily
competent. You no longer need to be an experienced bundu-basher to get out there
- way out there. On the face of it your
luxury 4x4 with electronic everything has torque to spare for towing and there
are super-tough off-road trailers on the market.
But
there is a weak point - right in the middle.
Towbar
manufacturers are warning that extreme off-road driving with a trailer attached
can stress the towbar - or the tow vehicle - beyond their design limits. In some cases it can force the vehicle and
trailer to interact in a way they were never designed to do.
A towbar should
handle a deflection of 15 degrees above or below the horizontal but in certain
situations you could flex the rig a lot more than the towbar can handle.
If you go
beyond that - especially when the trailer is hanging down over a crest - then
the hinging effect is lost and the two vehicles effectively lock together,
transferring the forces directly into the chassis of the 4x4 or the frame of
the trailer.”
INSTANT
PROBLEMS
Depending on
how strong the components are, the towbar may break; its mountings points may rip
out of the chassis or it could actually fracture the ball - usually at the
narrowest part of the neck.
“In a worst
case scenario, such as when you're climbing up a river bank with steep sides,
the trailer can literally hang on the ball, to the point where the trailer
wheels are off the ground,”
“A similar
thing can happen when going through an 'axle-twister', when you get a lateral twist
of more than 25 degrees, the maximum the ball is designed for.”
WALK IT FIRST
4x4ing
involves venturing into the unknown but be aware that there are limitations to
each link of the chain, even with big wheels and the appropriate tyres.
If you
encounter a serious obstacle, walk it first; if you think it will twist or bend
the coupling beyond the angles mentioned here, try another route. Damage caused
by this kind of overloading doesn't always show up immediately, sooner or later
it could fail, with disastrous consequences.
ZAMBIAN
MONEY
TAKE NOTE!! In Zambia - The Dollar, Euro, Rand or Pula,
etc. will NOT be accepted anymore. Change your money before you get to the border,
even the Kazangula Ferry will only accept Kwacha.
FIRE
WARNING
What
do the experts say?
We
often drive our 4x4s along twin tracks at this dry time of the year. Have you seen the way dry grass collects in
the chassis, etc.
The so-called
cross-members — support structures which crisscross under the car and form part
of the chassis – intersect with the exhaust system. Grass collects there, and
the heat from the exhaust system can set it alight.
Off-roaders should
consider either asbestos exhaust bandaging, or move the whole
system. The
bandage is wrapped around the entire exhaust, fixed in place with wire or metal
straps. Many game rangers choose to move
the exhaust system completely, due to the risk of veldt fires. A sealing compound used on the undercarriage
of some vehicles, which is used as a noise insulator on the underbody as well
as inside the car, under carpeting, seems to be quite flammable.
The grass is
just a lighter or catalyst. Once that compound catches fire it’s over.
(I once took a 20 ltr drum of dry grass out from the chassis of a
Hilux that had just had a Service by a major Auto Dealer….Ed.)
Keep
these tips in mind
• Check
for grass and small seeds around the exhaust pipes, prop-shaft, in areas like
on top of your petrol tank (if possible).
Also check the
grill and radiator area and on the inside of the wheels and the suspension
system.
Check inside
the engine bay, especially if you don’t have a grass protector fitted.
Don’t rush it.
This is one aspect of your trip on which you cannot take short cuts.
Set a reminder
to stop and check.
These last three items are from the very
interesting 60 page Isibonela Adventures Off-road & Outdoor E-ZINE news
letter. A South African publication by
Alan Goodway. Look it up on the
web.
CHINESE
PROVERB
Man who run in front of car get tired. Man who run behind car get exhausted.
Man who run in front of car get tired. Man who run behind car get exhausted.
PAST
EVENTS:
BIG SKY - BUSH
PIG 14th–16th
September
A new venue, a farm on the Shamva
Road. Bush Camp next to a lovely dam,
temporary showers and ablutes put up by the farmer. His staff made a fire for hot water. A good caterer for our three meals a day. What more can you ask for.
For those who do not know, the Bush
Pig is a 4x4 team event, 2 cars, 4 people, which takes place out in virgin
country. The organiser seeks out short
routes of about 300 to 500m in a variety of diabolical bits of terrain. The teams are not allowed to see the course;
when called they can walk it in the allowed time, say 5 minutes, and then try
to complete the course as quickly as possible.
The course is not usually driveable unless your partner pulls you
through the mud, vertical rocks and banks etc. and then you help him through. When both cars and all crew and equipment
exit the course the stop watch stops.
Exciting and exhausting and a bit rough on the cars. These are usually SWB Jeeps and Land Rovers
with powerful motors and deep water equipment and knobby tyres.
The courses were interesting. Back and forward across a rivers; up high rock
"gomos"; across mud fields and even a test of changing a wheel
without the use of a jack. Note that 4
tests were done after sunset on Friday night and some of us got back to camp
after midnight.
We all had our
moments of glory and disaster, you win some and loose some. Yes there were vehicle failures, diffs and
half shafts, burst cooling and even recovery equipment failures like the bar
and winch that came off. It took three
cars and most of an hour to get my car out of a mud hole, in the dark, leaning
at 45 deg. in clouds of smoke. We had
lots of fun!!
Our major
sponsor was Big Sky shop, Telford Mica and Fuchs lubricants who supplied a wide
range of prizes. Many thanks to Brian Cocker, the Farm Manager, for his help with the terrain and ablutions.
We received a lovely thank you note
from the Mutare boys who won the event.
"On behalf of the Mutare Lamour
team, I would like to say thank you for a great weekend, we all had a fantastic
time and really enjoyed a well run Bushpig event. Please could you pass on our
thanks to all the sponsors, marshals and the catering team, if it was not for
them we could not have spent this most enjoyable 4x4 weekend that we have had.
Kind regards Ed, Gareth, Michael and
Chris. "
The
winners: Team Lamour: Gareth Barry / Ed Danby Michael and Chris Maas. (from Mutare)
2nd: Hells Angels: Trevor
Butler/Chad Bruford Aubrey Bennett /
Hamish Perry
3rd: Piss Cats: Adrian Watt
/ Jason C. Smith Gary Buchanan/ Zeb Laubscher
4th: Bush Rats: Jim Perry /
Gerry Emerick BJ Lawry / Alan Fulton
5th: Kick Ass K's: Mass Kirk /
Steffan Kirk Jesper Kirk / Matt K
Edwards
6th: Grunting Hooligans Peter Benzon/Dylan Weare
Shane Ellis/ Brett Webb
7th: Kalahari Scorpions Mike
Gill/ Murray Upton Mark Benzon /
Tony Rowley
8th: We don't Know: Tim Thorburn / Tyron van H
Dale Kiggen / Geoff Clack
9th: Team Fugley Grant Weare / Seb Ahrens Malcolm Attwell / Jason Young
Our Club has a
very big thanks owed to Peter Benzon, Carol Weare and Roger Ellis, and their
helpers, for all the time spent organising and running the event. It is good to see that there were three
Father/Son entrants, check above.
We would also like to say a big
thank you to the Beatrice Country Club for all their past years of dedicated
hospitality. But a new venue was
definitely in the asking. After the
International Motor Cycle Enduro at Halstead Estate, it just seemed to fit the
bill this year.
FUTURE
EVENTS
Dungbeetle
Mutare 16th – 18th
November,
At
last we managed to get the Mutare boys to Harare for Bushpig. And, not only did they win the event they
decided that this was such a good concept for a competition that they are
changing Dungbeetle to run on similar lines.
That is to have two cars working as a team to get through the
stages. Venue will be at Smallbridge
Dam, a lovely scenic venue with really good facilities.
Make
a note in your diary NOW, 16th – 18th
November. They will send out flyers
in due course.
BULAWAYO JAMBOREE
MATABELELAND
4 X 4 CLUB MEMORIAL JAMBOREE
DATE:
6
& 7 OCTOBER
VENUE:
LAKESIDE
ENTRY
FEE: $30
LOTS
OF FUN TO BE HAD BY ALL.
Please
phone Cheryl 071 209 836 or 09 60372 / 63033
MY GPS
I have a little Satnav
I've had it all my
life
It's better than the
normal ones
My Satnav is my wife
It gives me full
instructions
Especially how to
drive
"It's 60
kilometers an hour", it says
"You're doing
sixty five"
It tells me when to
stop and start
And when to use the
brake
And tells me that it's
never ever
Safe to overtake
It tells me when a
light is red
And when it goes to
green
It seems to know
instinctively
Just when to intervene
It lists the vehicles
just in front
And all those to the
rear
And taking this into
account
It specifies my gear.
I'm sure no other
driver
Has so helpful a
device
For when we leave and
lock the car
It still gives its
advice
It fills me up with
counseling
Each journey's pretty
fraught
So why don't I
exchange it
And get a quieter
sort?
Ah well, you see, it
cleans the house,
Makes sure I'm
properly fed,
It washes all my
shirts and things
And - keeps me warm in
bed!
Despite all these
advantages
And my tendency to
scoff,
I do wish that once in
a while
I could turn the damned
thing off.
4x4 Club Diary - 2012
These dates change as the year progresses, but flyers will be sent out before each event.
September 29 / 30 Hwange
Game Count for info
October
6 - 7 Bulawayo
Jamboree Lakeside
Bulawayo
October 27
- 28
Three Hills (full
moon) Makumbi
November
10
Corporate Day /Tree Planting Donnybrook Park
November
16 - 18 Mutare
Dungbeetle
Smallbridge Dam
December
9
Christmas Run
SOAP Fund Raiser
DONNYBROOK
To enter Donnybrook Park on
a non-event day it will cost you $2
per car, providing you have you membership card. Non-members will be charged $20 per car. You must sign the book at the gate and put
your name, your Club and membership number.
Do not pay without signing the book.
Please note: If you wish to go to Donnybrook to play and there is
another event on, then the organizing club can charge what they like for you to
enter. They will have hired the entire
complex for that day. Please don’t try and argue with the gate attendant, they
will just be doing their job. Either
pay-up or go away and come back on a free day.
WEB SITE / FACE BOOK
Have
you had a look at our Web Site? Grant
Weare has done a really good job of updating it. Go to:
http://www.4x4.co.zw
Motor Sports Association Club House
MSA Membership: The Club House bar works
on a Swipe Card basis and any member of an affiliated club can join. Pay your $20 Club House subscription and get
your card. Bar prices are double for
non-cardholders.
Hall for Hire -
Hire
our affordable Club facilities for parties, Wedding Receptions, meetings,
seminars, courses and other functions.
Assist us in this way to obtain funds for the Clubhouse.
CLUB FORUM
A forum for the club has been created. Click on the following
It will be linked back to the 4x4 website in due
course but register in the mean time.
Please pass this link on to anyone you think may be interested in
posting on the forum.
YOUR 4X4 COMMITTEE FOR
2012.
CHAIRMAN TIM THORBURN timthorburn.zim@gmail.com 0772.645.518
TREASURER KELVIN WEARE weare@telfordmica.co.zw 0772.326.687
SECRETARY CAROL WEARE theweares@zol.co.zw 0733.400.496
VICE CHAIRMAN MASS
KIRK kirk@afriglobal.com 0772.261.682
CHF MARSHAL/EVENTS ROGER ELLIS ellisr@barzem.co.zw 0772.219.154
MEMBERSHIP PAT GILL gill@zol.co.zw
0778.731.288
EVENTS / EQUIPMENT GARETH GEACH garethg@sunlite.co.zw
0772.283.524
EVENTS PETER BENZON petebenzon@hotmail.com 0775.009.218
EVENTS JASON YOUNG jason@telfordmica.co.zw 0772.918.878
ENVIRONMENT MUZZA BLACK muzza@zol.co.zw
0772.241.000
NEWSLETTER MICHAEL AND PAT GILL gill@zol.co.zw 0778.843.843
Michael and
Pat GILL
Phone: 04.494028 (M) 0712.400.243 (P)
0778.731.288
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