THE
4X4 CLUB – ZIMBABWE
Newsletter
No: 101
May
2013
P O Box HG 594
Highlands Harare Zimbabwe The
Motor Sports Club House, 2 Annan Road,
Eastlea, Harare.
The
Chairman and Editorial Team:
EDITORS Mike & Pat GILL (M)
0778.843.843 (P) 0778.731.288 gill@zol.co.zw
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
We
now start a new century of Newsletters number 101; we have a new Chairman,
Peter Benzon and we have a bit of advice for campers. Some may know that we have become part of the
Mountain Bike fraternity, as part of their ROC, (Race Organising Committee) Our 4x4 Club members are ideally suited for
this as the MTB's spend a lot of time "Off Road" and that is what we
like doing too. This association has
introduced us to some wonderful tracks and their highly organised events would
be a lesson to us all for our events.
Their next major event is the ZSPCA fund raising race in August. The Blue Cross in the Eastern edge of
Zimbabwe from the lowest (the Save River bed) to the highest (Mt Nyangani) The
MTB's part of the event is all on dirt, with about 100ks per day for the 5
days. No, they walk up the Mountain, but
ride to the base. Our job has been to
follow and sweep the route for casualties or go ahead and check the route and
set up time keepers at the end of the days ride. This year we intend to spend four days in
Gonarazhou on the way through to Chilo Lodge where they start. Would anyone like to join us for the Gona
section?
CHAIRMAN'S
CHATTER:
I would like to thank the
club for allowing me to become the new chairman and a big thank you goes out to
Tim Thorburn for being the chairman for the last four years and tirelessly
helping the club follow the right path and become one of the biggest
motorsports clubs in Zimbabwe.
After the AGM we are lucky
to have some new blood on the committee and I would like to welcome: Matt Kelly
Edwards, Jesper Kirk, Wilma Hoefnagels and Ashleigh Geach. We are looking
forward to some new ideas.
We have got a packed
calendar of events coming up which is great for competitors but it gets tough
for our marshals who stand in the sun all day and watch the drivers have fun.
(We really are grateful to them). So in
that vein I would like to appeal to the club for help to spread the load. If
you would like to Marshal on one of our events such as "Night Extreme" or "Bush Pig" don’t hesitate to get hold of our Father
Marshal Roger Ellis.
Have fun in your 4x4s, Cheers Peter Benzon (Chairman) 2013
AGM:
As
always it was a good day and the review of the last years events made us
realize how active our Club is and all the work done by the outgoing
Committee. Many thanks to you all and we
are fortunate to have a few of the old team still in the "Leper
Colony" At long last Tim has
managed to retire and young Peter Benzon has been nailed to the Chairman's
Post. It is good to have so many "young" members in the Committee and
we wish them luck and strength in the coming year.
The
meeting was well attended, much playing on the 4x4 tracks after the meeting,
and demo drives given to the interested spectators. Many of us took Rick Stainton's
little 4x4 Go Kart for a test drive. An
impressive 2 seater fun machine that can do some amazing things.
YOUR 4X4 COMMITTEE FOR
2012.
NEW
MEMBERS:
The
Umfurudzi Expedition brought us four new members and we have had glowing
reports from them about how much they enjoyed the event.
Clint
and Romy Mayes: Clint is a farmer at Mukuyu Winery and has a number of farm 4x4's.
They came on the trip in their Hi Lux Pick-up with their three little
daughters in the back.
Vaughan
and Janice Bessell: The Bessell's own a LR Defender
and two Discoveries. They came on the
trip in the Defender and spent their time going round getting camping equipment
ideas. They had not done anything like
this before and loved every minute.
Though I might add that Janice came to this country overland with
her parents in 1972 in a Land Rover.
Kevin and
Michelle Stainton: Kevin joined us on the Thursday morning with his son Henry. They were in a Toyota Vigo. This is now a family affair as brother Rick
joined us last month.
Rob and
Dot Franklin: Rob owns a Nissan Wolf and Toyota Surf.
He took the Surf on the trail but was not able to get it into 4 Wheel
Drive so managed to do the whole drive in 2WD, with difficulty.
MEMBER'S
NEWS:
Another car reborn. Lloyd Clarke rescued a 1952 Willys-Overland,
what most would call a Jeep. It is a
pick-up had an all wooden tray which rotted and now supports a Toyota metal
tray. The original 6 cyl Hurricane
engine had to be binned so it runs on a Ford F100 motor, gears are still a
problem but he did managed to drive across Harare to show us the vehicle. What is interesting is that this was the
truck used by Rupert Fothergill of Operation Noah fame. This was the animal
rescue operation when Kariba dam was filling in the 1950's.
IN VEHICLE
STORAGE SYSTEMS
Many
members have seen our "in car" storage system. What follows may be useful.
4x4
Magazines are full of ads for wonderful metal drawer systems that they will
bolt into the back space and you have quick access to your food and equipment.
It
is purpose made to fit, is heavy and costs a lot of money. So what alternatives do you have? Expensive
plastic Ammo boxes?
We
have used cardboard "archive" storage draws for many years. I told
Pat they would fall to bits half way through Namibia but they lasted for at
least ten years of travelling and now act as storage cases in the garage for
ropes and canvass etc. The new ones are already well travelled. Advantages – They are very light, dust proof,
very cheap, can be packed on top of each other or side by side (Duct tape or
glued together if needed); can be picked up and taken into a holiday cabin or
your tent with all your equipment and clothes; do not rattle and damage other
packed items. Being 550 x 340mm they do
not take up a lot of floor space yet can hold 46 ltrs of food, clothes or what
have you. AND when you get home it takes minutes to return the wagon to its
usual Moms Taxi.
A QUICK FIX
When
camping there are masses of loose untidy things; rolls of extension leads,
cargo straps, etc. A temporary fix of
something loose or a lid that will not stay closed. Enter cheap, common Masking Tape. Throw a roll
of 25 -30mm wide Masking Tape into the car and enjoy some order. Those ratchet Straps, with their ever busy
hooks, can be rolled up and taped. Lead
light wire can be rolled up, taped and packed quickly. This tape can be torn off quickly and thrown
in the bin, no searching for that belt or strap or elastic band you used
before.
PAST EVENTS
UMFURUDZI
PARK EXPEDITION APRIL 2013
This
event really caught Members eye and they spread the news and we gained several
new Members. What a fantastic time we
lucky ones had. Wonderful crowd, no
vehicle trouble, good weather, good 4x4 trail driving and what a place. The plan was to meet at the renovated
National Parks Main Camp, drive next day past caves and rock art to a rustic camp
above the Gwetera River and Pot Holes. Day
two another slow drive to the side of the Mazoe River where we played in the
sand and swam in the river and several camped on the 'beach'. Day three was a shorter, but tricky in
places, drive to Hippo Pools camp. The "Trekkers"
hit the showers and sat and watched the river and a few animals on the far
bank. Day four the birders got a chance
to spot the Narina Trogan while others chilled out or repacked their cars. A
short 2 hour drive back home on a fairly quiet main road. What more could you want? A special thanks to
Tim and Kelvin for all the hard work and planning, production of a special
booklet for each car with all the route data, GPS points and points of interest
shown. You guys are amazing! Our leader Kelvin with Tina, Pam and Maria had
to endure walls of grass seeds and finding the overgrown track for us happy
people to wobble along behind. With all the stops, some for fallen trees, some
for unwanted spiders in the car, it was a very social journey.
35
Adults and 6 children, 2 punctures, a couple of flat batteries (Fridges), 17
cars.
|
Kelvin Weare's
description of the drive:
’’’The expedition was challenging, enjoyable
and most importantly SUV friendly! The route took us on a full
circumnavigation of the Umfurudzi Park, a jewel in the Zimbabwean bush -
from the lawned camp site in the South of the park, complete with
clinically clean ablution facilities, to the Shona ruins, onto the
Portuguese Fort, past Beryl Rose and onto Gwetera Potholes. Down though the
bamboo vlei to the escarpment above Natural stone with magnificent views
and then to the old hunters camp on the Mazoe River. A night at Hippo Pools
finished the 4 night expedition.
Many thanks to Jan Stander, you have a very special park, thank you for
sharing it with us.’’
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COMMENTS – ENVIROMENT AND 4X4s
Our eagle eyed member, Margie Gibson, sent us a copy of
and story of damage to the soil and vegetation caused by vehicle wheels. It seems that when a car drives on certain
types of soil it compresses the soil for a wide area and this damages plant
life. They say 4.8m wide. This could be a very contentious subject and we may
have a chat round the camp fire one evening.
Your Editor has seen, and made, tracks in the Namibia desert which
they say can be there for hundreds of years.
We have also seen parts of unused roads in Hwange where there was only
an Elephant track and no sign of the old road, till we cut the bush and drove
on again. I wonder what the result of the film and safari crews endless
wandering over the Serengeti has done.
What of the vehicle chases through the bush to shoot, dart or collect
animals, has this produced everlasting tracks? Obviously some areas are much more prone to
lasting damage but how are we, lay persons, expected to know what damage we
could be doing?. In Umfurudzi Park we had roof high grass in the center of
the track.
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FACEBOOOK
Are you keeping up with
our Facebook page? The4x4
Club-Zimbabwe.
Members
are always adding little bits and pieces and sending pictures. Right now it is
full of the Umfurudzi Expedition.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Night Extreme. Saturday 27th April from 4 p.m.
Come and watch, if you are not driving or helping with Marshalling. Donnybrook Park. See the Comp Cars doing their best on the 4x4
Courses at night, which gets harder and harder as it gets darker. A good crowd and lots of entertainment and
good catering.
Motor Show:
17-18-19th
May We will have another stand at the Motor Show this
year. Ashleigh Geach is the coordinator
and would love to hear from you. I know
she will need a lot of help.
Big Sky Bush Pig:
Big Sky Bushpig
Is coming soon this year as it has swopped dates with the Jamboree. Now it is Friday 24th to Sunday 26thMay 2013.
so it's time to get your gang together again or find new team mates. Get
your car fixed after the Nite Xtreme. We are on the same Farm as last year but
the manager, Brian (now he knows what we do) is keen to show us new areas to
play. We look forward to seeing you there!
4x4 Club Diary - 2013
These dates change as the year progresses, but flyers will be
sent out before each event.
Event types
(A). Competition
cars. (B). Social event, any car. (C). 4x4 Touring/SUV
April
27 Night Extreme
(A) Donnybrook
MAY 17-18 Motor Show (B) Info
only
MAY 25-26 Big Sky Bush Pig (A) T.B.A.
JUNE 13-16 Bush Clearing(C) Chizarira
AUGUST 3-4 English
Rules (A)
Jamboree
Launch(B) Donnybrook
AUGUST 12-13 Away
Weekend (C) T.B.A.
August
24 -25 Course Building(B) Donnybrook
SEPTEMBER 7 -8 Jamboree
(A) Donnybrook
OCTOBER
11 -13 Matabele
Jamboree (A) Bulawayo
OCTOBER
19–20 3
Hills (C) Chinamora
NOVEMBER
t.b.a. CLUB 20TH ANNIVERSARY
NOVEMBER 22–24 Dungbeetle
(A) Mutare
DECEMBER 8
Christmas Run (B) Local
A = 6; B
= 5; C = 5. Events left this year
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.
Michael and
Pat GILL
Phone: 04.494028
(M) 0778.843.843 (P) 0778.731.288
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