Malayisa- International Rainforest 4x4 Challenge (1 Viewer)

[cicak]

Since I have my two 70 Series vehicles as Marshal vehicles I am posting a quick pictorial of the 10 day event.

Days 1-2 staged Prologue event in a muddy field.

Days 3-9 out in the jungle
Day 10 back to civilisation and celebration.

Well that was the plan. After day 6 it became a rescue operation to evacuate all participants back to a single point for recovery by boat (by Fire, Army and Police departments) leaving some 65+ vehicles in the Malaysia Jungle due to 3 rivers being impassable.

Some pictures of the RFC 2007 and Aussie boys and others in Action or Recovery haha. It was a RFC to remember. I shall publish my diary of the 2007 RFC on my webpage this week and then publish the link here.

Aussies John and Steve after falling through the RFC practise bridge in the prologue - the real ones are in the jungle.

MMM showing he only needs a 3 wheeled NISSAN to beat the Toyotas!

Wong and Clay posting fastest time in SS12 by some 25 seconds - s*** this car is fast. Go Toyota's.

Italian BJ40 restored with wood veneer dash,carbon fibre panels etc and a LEXUS 4.7 V8 it was quiet yet when it went past you knew it was a V8 powered beast.

Another Malaysia C109 was also fast all week BJ40 with a 1JZ under the bonnet.

John and Steve posting one of the fastest times in SS14 from my marshal point in SS14 I could also see them post a fast time in SS13 so fast I could not put my 400mm lens on and snap a picture.

Aussie David Metcalfe in action on SS14 he was last competitor for this SS.

SS14 to Camp 2. When I walked back down the hill after driving up and winching the "easy hill" the Sg Ebei Crossing I find My 2nd vehicle "RED" having a rest on its side. A small driving error caused it to roll and in fact saved us from being stuck in the jungle as we turned back (SS15 and SS16 were complete) to perform our real original job of RESCUE (for the competitors) from the other end of the TWILIGHT ZONE. However that turned to cr*p when we go there and the campsite was under water and the river a raging grade 5+ river. Then the rescue operation started with 178 people and 65+ vehicles and 8 walkking trackers to remove from the jungle.


No doubt there will be many stories published worldwide from the 50+ foreign press (marathonrally.com I deserts are everywhere I rallyraid, 4x4 and suv magazine being one) on their view of the event.

Official scoremaster crossing Sungai (river) Ebei just before it was closed due to the rain. He almost rolls it into the river here.

Red crossing the baby mudhole which we believe there is now a MEDIA vehicle stuck in here (buried) it took us almost an hour to pass this hole as a ISUZU (first vehicle in) dumped itself in the mud hole and was rescued 3 times and then a JEEP which followed me took a really stupid line (far right) and took another 30+ minutes to winch it out. Even the ARMY landrover (ZULU 1) drove it!. This mudhole became a mini elephant mudhole for the convoy on its return to the BOAT out zone. Drivable but if your vehicle was sick or poorly prepared it caught you.

My YELLOW stuck in the hill after climbing the hardest hill of the return trip I dropped it in a stupid hole a 1 meter winch and I was out. This hill became hell for most people on the way out. No pics from me as it was raining so hard we could not take pics. Took 4+ hours to get 14 vehicles up this 200 meters of hill as only 3 drove it. In fact it took us some 11 hours to drive the 47k from camp 1.5 (SS143) to the SAWMILL at the exit at Kampung Laloh.

Stu crossing the collapsing bridge in the Volvo C304. This bridge after I was the second across it in YELLOW (I winched across for saftey rather than drive). Then we lopped down a tree and made the left hand side a 2 logged platform as we knew someone would fall of the bridge (In fact MMM slipped of the right on the way back). After the VOLVO, YELLOW crossed and I deemed it unsafe for anymore in the failing light. The rest of the vehicles including me driving RED crossed in pitch black (the hardest single thing you can do in the jungle) with only a torch and side lights for guidence. The repaired bridge stood the test and was used by all 60+ cars on their jungle backtrack.

The rescue of CLAY (1st from left) , LANCE 3rd from left and STEVE 6th from left. They were the first rescue boat (and first rescue) in on DAY 10.

MMM 1st on right and John 3rd from left) being rescued on DAY 11.

Nissan comment. There is almost no NISSANS in Malaysia. MQ/GQ is rare (a few LWB and SWB) and GU non existant as NISSAN agent did not import them. Toyotas and JEEPs are common here JEEPS stopped after the XJ grand cherokee in about 97 and trhe YJ. 80's are too big for the jungle so you see BJ40's and LC II's (what became the PRADO) here. Foreign competitors usually have LR, JEEP, SUZUKI or a TOYOTA.
As for the RAIN yes there was lots the conditions are no more than we might encounter on a normal really bad weekend in the jungle except it kept raining and trhe rivers did not get a chance to drop. Moonsoon is monsoon and it rained at time for 18 hours or more continuously at times.

JungleGecko

 

[JohnnyC]

nice pics sounds like a tough trip

 

[hoser]

Thanks for sharing! I'm calling you when I go to Malaysia.

 

[450 DUDE]

Nice shots!
I saw that event last year on tv , wow thats serious wheeling!
Thanks for the pics and captions.
I looks just a little more difficult than getting out of the mall parking lot this time of year.


ken

 

[Volunteer]

Thanks, enjoyed the thread and pics.

 

[Arjun75]

That Is Some Serious Wheelin.

Great Pictures.thanks

 

[cicak]

Ok Answer time - I have just got back from "the recovery of the Australian and Sri Lankan teams vehicles".

We travelled some 380K northeast to the sleepy hollow of Laloh via Gua Musang some 380K northeast of Kuala Lumpur. (for reference. 100K=62Miles.

When I left Gua Musang late this morning (28/12/2007) the Aussie and Sri Lankan vehicles were out of the jungle and we had driven them 94K south of the Jungle Exit point to Gua Musang where Max and Marcus were waiting for a car transporter to do the final shift to Kuala Lumpur at around 3.00pm as all three vehicles were suffering problems.
Steve your truck had serious brake problems and oh yes the ANTS!
Sri Lankan vehicle has a stuffed head gasket failure. Almost no ANTS!
Davids vehicle has idle problems and even worse the ANTS had really taken hold of this truck!

Here are pics of the recovery. I arrived at 6.30pm yesterday and MAx/Marcus had already recovered Max's truck leaving the 2 ozzie and one sri lankan comp trucks to collect. This is my view of the events.
Max and Marcus left Kuala Lumpur at 7.00am ON 27/12/2007 and took 4.5 hours. We left at 11.30am in the YELLOW do everything 4x4 and took 7+ hours as I badly burnt my hand at the middle part of Genting Highlands when YELLOW did more than its usual I wanna a hot radiator stop and blew the hot steam over my left hand. Driving for next hour with my hand in a glove sticking ICE down it to save the skin assisted. Jason and the rest just slept. The rest of the trip I had a blistered left hand but it was mearly a scratch.

A recovered vehicle from before we set off.

8.30pm we head into the jungle for a quiet what I thought was a 13K drive. However as we start driving the boys inform me it was actually a 32k nite drive! The river (Sg. Rek) had dropped some 7+ meters. I had 3 passengers in YELLOW (Bright yellow 1987 TROOPY) all drivers for the 3 vehicles we were to recover. Yes were were alone at nite in the big bad jungle. there were at least 6-9 obstacles to pass 2 of which water crossings.

First obstacle was a sink hole. YELLOW crushed the plank with the rear wheel as we crossed it dropped a little and carried on. OOpps one to fix on the return.

Next was a shocker a double small log crossing of one vehicle length each first was a big log one side (12 inches across) and a double log pairing other side which was at least 12" higher than the left side - scary s***e!. Side lights and a torch to guide me over. Max and Jason sit in the back giving me s*** as I'm trying to watch (I tell Jas and Max to can the chatter so I can watch Marcus better haha) Marcus with the torch directing me. Safely across we pass mud holes and sink holes for many K's.

Then there is a HUGE bridge (I count 22 steps at 1.66m is a 36Metre bridge) with 4 logs of 2ft diameter each to run the wheels on. The cross slats and runners have all been wiped out by the waters which covered it recently. The water is still racing hard underneath it. With no recovery if I fall for hours I am guided by Marcus safley across.
Then it is a series of avoiding holes and glimpses of the river by headlights lights.

Narrow muddy crossings where the dozer has pushed dirt into a river to make a crossing one slip and you are in serious s***e.

Then there is the long mud bank where 3 PTO winces for one vehicle was required for the 50+ meter pull at the other side is a pajero from a local villager, STUFFED it got swamped by the rising muddy river water as he left it for the rising water. It is ruined completley covered in a layer of MUD.

Finally more vehicles then the 2 Aussie trucks are sited. Max and Jason are dropped here and I continue with Marcus the remaining 4-5k to Kampung Miah to pickup the Sri Lankan vehicle. ANTS in the vehicles ANTS ANTS ANTS ANTS! On the way there is vehicles which have been rolled hard others with smashed up panels and windows missing. All showing signs of the tough jungle action others are ok.

Some are missing plasma ropes they have been taken. This does not impress any of us.

We start our return journey the Sri Lankan LR in front Me behind we reach Max and Jason at the AUssie camp and I am tail.

The big bridge is fun see the pics. Jason has fun in the NIssan which keeps stalling due to no idle. The diesels eat it this is their terrain.
The big bridge

The big river crossing

Safe at last

What you saw by headlights.

By headlights before you crossed by sidelights and torch guidence. Oh yes and that advice - my grandmother can do this hold hand bag in one hand and steering with one finger from the other. Nice help.

The NIssan on the bridge

Nissan Safe

Then there is the muddy bank no longer the serious heartbreaking climb thanks to the bulldozer however if it rains its the same again.
Then it s the small bridge and that sink hole Jason falls in it in the Nissan and drives out as there is no winch cables to assist. I make it 2nd attempt.
The small bridge.

Then we are crossing Sg Rek and saftey at the sawmill some 3 hours later.

But wait we we need more adventure and the nite is still but young we decide to drive at 11.30pm to KL. We mill around having coffee etc and finally of at 1.30am to KL. We get 64K down the road when the Sri Lankan LR overheats however adding water does not help and by 74K we realise its a head gasket. Yellow tows it the last 20K to Gua Musang where we all assemble and assess the situation its now 5.30ma and its taken 5 hours to travel 94K. The BJ73 Toyota is sick no brakes or shocks. The Nissan will not idle and the LR is overheating. 7.00am and my body has had enough I crawl literally into the back of YELLOW and sleep on top of the two hi-lift jacks and straps for 3 hours guess I was real tired. To pass the boredome between 5.30 and 7am we test out the Landcruiser to see whats wrong we change all the wheels for fun, take off the steering arm and try and straiten it however nothing will make this baby driveable except new front DISCS and PADS and 4 new SHOCKS. Sorry John and Steve. By 11.30 favours have been called and a car transporter is on the way for the 3 sick babies. Marcus and MAx will escort them home in their Jeeps and follow the transporter. I am heading home with my two kids and Peter in YELLOW. Jason gets a lift in a JEEP with central locking stuffed and they have to climb in the windows haha.
We arrive home 5.30pm after being away for the past 30 hours with almost no sleep, no showers, no spare clothes and sitting in the noisy YELLOW taxi.
The LR at end of TOW and yes I keep up my track record of pulling a landrover in each RFC I attend.

As at right now the 3 sick babies are 50kM from KL.
Dave - cicak