pugwash Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 i think part of the problem is tim. to get a vehicle across the channel from most parts of the country is a bit of a hassle- by the time you have then driven to Portugal/ Russia/ Croatia etc etc you are looking at at least 2 days travel either way. if the event is a 2-3 dayer then you have to take a week of work realistically. most people seem unwilling to take a week off to spend hald of that driving to do 2-3 days of competitive driving. I am always surprised that more people don't do Australia though- always thought it would be a good one to do and you don't need to do more than 2 days travelling to accomplish it- and you can take a bloody good holiday at the same time driving round the outback! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark90 Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Jez, I'd love to compete further afield but, right now, time is a major problem - getting a few days is fine, getting a week is not That's my big problem at the moment which seriosuly limits what events I can do and where That and not having a vehicle built i think part of the problem is tim. That's a little unfair, he's not that bad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollythelw Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 True Jim, just to be awkward though... frieght the car to finland, fly into Helsinki, drive 3 hours to russia - quickest way we've found, there in a day. I like the idea of scouting in Russia...... thats a good one Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted October 25, 2006 Author Share Posted October 25, 2006 Chris - dont worry about a lack of language, I don't, I have a lack of money to keep me from needing to worry about lack of language! Seroiusly, having been offroading to France and Belgium I have not found language to be a major problem, I do maintain it is a psycological barrier to a lot of people though. Perhaps one day a nice easy Lagoda class... Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bull Bar Cowboy Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 I am quietly bolting and welding bits onto the truck at the moment and not saying nothing ........... just watching.................and smiling ................. I have driven off road in 18 countries excluding the UK............. but not Russia ........... yet. Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollythelw Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 true Chris, very true good the hear Ian - always nice to see someone building rather than talking about building Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishbosh Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 We may be European but ....... Speak for your bluddy self!!! Mutter mutter, I am English first, British second. european is a political state of mind! Ahh..... that's better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishbosh Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 I am quietly bolting and welding bits onto the truck at the moment and not saying nothing ........... just watching.................and smiling ................. I have driven off road in 18 countries excluding the UK............. but not Russia ........... yet. Ian But you have had a fair bit of a head start on most of us Ian....., besides, two countries per decade isn't much to brag about is it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will_warne Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 I like the idea of scouting in Russia...... thats a good one Will Well ,not so much scout but find out exactly what needs building Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollythelw Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 besides, two countries per decade isn't much to brag about is it! thats unfair Bish - does continental drift count as well Ian? hat coat gone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bull Bar Cowboy Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 But you have had a fair bit of a head start on most of us Ian....., besides, two countries per decade isn't much to brag about is it! You’re just jealous ……….. just because I was in the air force when Pontius was a pilot, and I served in the trenches with John Wayne ……… Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollythelw Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 was John wayne at the Battle of Hastings then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishbosh Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 was John wayne at the Battle of Hastings then? dunno, but I'm sure I saw him fighting Cleopatra .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bull Bar Cowboy Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 was John wayne at the Battle of Hastings then? God lord no …………. long before that period in my life. Wayne was pleasure to have around, a bit like a few people that I know to today, he would take on anything as long as he had a fag in one hand and a hobnob in the other……………… Pontius wasn’t such a bad bloke either, but he didn’t have a lot of time for carpenters………. Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollythelw Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 he would take on anything as long as he had a fag in one hand....... John wayne was gay????????????!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Speak for your bluddy self!!! Mutter mutter, I am English first, British second. european is a political state of mind! Ahh..... that's better! well said that man. signing the country up to the EU is the act of a traitor in my eyes, bring back national pride (no NOT the gay match you fools). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bull Bar Cowboy Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 John wayne was gay????????????!!!!!! Nah …………… he always walked like that……………. Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daan Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 The English channel. As well as being a physical barrier it has become a psychological barrier to people's thinking. We may be European but I think that a lot of the time we feel very seperate to the rest of continental Europe. The cost of travel across the channel does not help either; while it may not be a lot of money in the long term it is another barrier to international travel - IMHO anyway. ISTR that a ferry company charge more than twice the cost for a vehicle with a trailer than for a vehicle on it's own... not good value!The other thing, I think, is that we do not, as a rule, speak foreign languages in the UK (not to defend that, it is a bluddy disgrace!). If we go to Portugal, Croatia, Netherlands etc., we are at an instant perceived disadvantage as we have no idea about the language. Even if we did a language at school then it is French and, chances are we were not good at it and have forgotten most of it - I know that that is not universally true. At a guess, most European schools teach English as a second languge - many younger Europeans seem to speak very good english. Chris all excuses... And you guys wont change either because say europe union and shedloads of people are start to shout again ending up in 3 pages of banter, very off topic. Sometimes I wonder why I made the trip to your country; you guys complain but wont change. sorry, Thought its my turn for a rant. Anyway, Malaysia is 13 hours from heathrow, to ship the car out there takes about 3 weeks. the event is 10 days, so with a bit of jetlagging and looking around in KL -A beer tastes so good with the temperatures over there- you've had a nice two weeks away with some great holiday pics (if your camera is resistant to 100%humidity), while the people back home are in the middle of some snowstorm in the uk. Daan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bull Bar Cowboy Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Tut, tut……………. Only 5 out of 10 for the rant Daan ………………. But yes I agree with you whole heartedly and can empathise from your standpoint. I like Malaysia too…………come to that I like lots of other places as well…………..in fact I would leave this god forsaken hole tomorrow and never return ……….. if it wasn’t for the golden handcuffs………… Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filipe Santos Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 We have 2 RFC in Portugal. one organized by Portuguese (in Vila de Rei in October) and the other organized by the Spaninsh people but also in our country (Portugal - city of Murça in Setember). Both take 5 days and have similar rules. Here are some photos from Murça competition. Filipe Santos Portugal Estradareal@sapo.pt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bush doctor Posted November 5, 2006 Share Posted November 5, 2006 all excuses... And you guys wont change either because say europe union and shedloads of people are start to shout again ending up in 3 pages of banter, very off topic. Sometimes I wonder why I made the trip to your country; you guys complain but wont change. sorry, Thought its my turn for a rant.Anyway, Malaysia is 13 hours from heathrow, to ship the car out there takes about 3 weeks. the event is 10 days, so with a bit of jetlagging and looking around in KL -A beer tastes so good with the temperatures over there- you've had a nice two weeks away with some great holiday pics (if your camera is resistant to 100%humidity), while the people back home are in the middle of some snowstorm in the uk. Daan Well said my Dutch friend. The easiest thing to do is find 3 teams, share a 13.6m container get orf yur arses and go it is awesome but the event changes from year to year depending on weather conditions so even though there is a plan anything can happen. Even though there is no rainforest as such in Portugal the event is ran along the same lines as Malaysia you travel a route marked at intersections by tape, clearing obstacles as you go, we didn't have to build bridges on the routes but we did build the bridge shown in the RFC Portugal thread going down into the river so that we could run the SS, we also had an SS on a building site in the centre of Villa De Rai which was a 20 min DNF and half way around the course you had to build a bridge and dismantle it after the car was accross there are timed SS along the route during the day and you camp at night. One main differance in Portugal is that due to the fire hazard we had food brought to us at night as we couldn't have fires. Both events are very tiring but thats what its all about. One day in Malaysia we had a night SS that finished around 4 in the morning we left the camp about 9am on a transport stage through the jungle which included winching for hours on end we eventually reached camp 7am the following morning and had an SS down a river at 9 The same in Portugal we started Saturday morning ran a speed SS during the day had a couple of hours at the camp then drove to Villa De Rai for the SS in the town which started about 10pm and went on until about 5am then started again at 9am had 2 SS during the day (one included the winchman running about 400m down a rocky hill followed by the car around a marker then back up to the start/finish box) at the end of the day we had prize giving which went on until after midnight then we left the hotel at 1:30am and drove to Santander almost non stop (Which side of the road should I be driving on ) Like it says on the label CHALLENGE. and as this is a Landrover forum 1 life Live it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeagent Posted November 6, 2006 Share Posted November 6, 2006 i certainly agree with Daan when he pointed out about doing countless playdays and winch challenge events over here costing as much as getting out there and doing it properly. thats partly why i don't bother with playdays, even a local one would cost me £50-60 upwards in entry fee and fuel, and thats if i dont break anything.... the trip to Morocco this summer cost us around £2300 all in... for almost 3 weeks... yes, i know it was a guided tour, and i know a lot of it was following a convoy, but we did more off-road driving in the 11 days we were in Morocco than most 'weekend warriors' do in a year.... and if you add up what you spend driving around quarries and farms over the course of a year... the language thing is difficult sometimes, but as Jez said, a few key phrases and a note pad, you'll be OK... its amazing how many people speak english abroad anyway... i'm not into the winch challenge scene, more into overland type stuff, but when i've got more cash (now i'm not a student) i'd like to toughen the truck up and do some more challenging events..... but it wont involve the scorpion challenge, thats for sure..... i'd say get out there and do it, i've done the 4x4 thing in Australia, Morocco, Austria, etc and the experiences you go through when you are realy 'out there' are so much better than following a load of suzukis around a quarry in the midlands. I'm not having a dig at you lot that do play days and challenges over here, just trying to point out that there is another way, and its more accessable that many of you might think..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted November 6, 2006 Author Share Posted November 6, 2006 the language thing is difficult sometimes, but as Jez said, a few key phrases and a note pad, you'll be OK... its amazing how many people speak english abroad anyway... I think we all know that in our consious minds. None of us is master of his own psyche though and that is where the barrier lies for most of us. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daan Posted November 6, 2006 Share Posted November 6, 2006 None of us is master of his own psyche though and that is where the barrier lies for most of us.Chris Thats why entering the event would be such a good thing . Daan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filipe Santos Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 Thats why entering the event would be such a good thing .Daan Some more pictures of Rainforest Portugal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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