Big Red 4x4 - ASCC Townsville Round 1 2004 Comp Report

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Navigation: Home :: Comp Reports :: ASCC Townsville Round 1 2004

ASCC Townsville Round 1, 2004 - Comp Report

Dates: March 20-21 2004
Duration: Weekend

Glen Zipf had decided to start another Australian Short Course Competition at Black River about half an hours drive out of Townsville and to garner a bit more local interest to start things off he invited several of the teams from Brisbane to go up and compete….

The lead up started straight after the Brisbane ASCC and we only had 4 days to make repairs and empty the trucks of every thing so they could be transported up on a TNT car transporter, naturally enough not everything got fixed but although mine was o.k. for the offroad bit, it had extremely bad wobbles onroad and I didn’t get time to find the cause before it went so I had to leave a note in the truck to warn anyone who drove it. A week later My navie Chris and I left to join the truck in Townsville.

Friday:

We jumped on the plane at 9 pm and traveled up with several others with sheety and Dave already mucking up.

Sheety had dined on eggs before the trip and had the hostesses discreetly spraying air freshener around, Dave of course loudly commented that as everyone knew who it was she may as well spray Sheety direct!!

When we arrived at Townsville we were picked up by other competitors, officials and locals and driven to the Bohle Barn hotel for the night where after chatting with Fester in one of the rooms Sheety left him a memento and seconds later Fester emerged from the room and chucked up… it just cracked us all up when Fester came over to tell us.

Saturday:

We had an early start and after a communal Breakfast we headed out to Matt’s property at Black River in the trucks to help finish building track one, the Townsville guys had done an enormous amount of work getting the area ready for the competition with a rally cross track, grassed camping area and the Kowari Gorge all completed.

Several of the competitors had a play on the rally cross track while others wandered around inspecting each others trucks looking for new ideas.

The spectators started arriving and the food and drink stalls got ready then after a quick drivers meeting we headed off to track one to start the fun!

Track one:
Les had the honor of going first and by the time he had winched a few times and they had changed the track layout to make it achievable it was nothing like the original so we started again with Chris going first this time.

Matt brought out the newly completed bright yellow Kowari Nissan GU Ute that they had only got ready at 8 pm Friday night and promptly flopped it on its side after the front right dropped into a hole while the left was a fair way up the bank, he was soon righted with the help of several competitors and fired it up to complete the course with the only damage being a huge dent in the front mudguard.

Our turn arrived and we started off by dropping down off the bank into a dry [mostly] creek bed with scattered large boulders all the way down it which we carefully picked our way through until the first exit out of the creek bed beside Matt’s hole.

We drove up the first bit but because I didn’t have the front locker on we lost traction on the left turn and had to reverse for another try then had to do a five point turn to get round the corner and managed to hit the bunting.

Next we dropped back into the creek bed with a three point turn before going up the huge washout to the finish.

The Production class had their turn and with a few hours to go before the night run in Kowari gorge started, most of the drivers had a play on the rally cross track to keep the crowd amused.

Saturday night:

Kowari Gorge:
Production class had their run through a different route to the modified class and then it was our turn to provide the entertainment for the huge and very vocal crowd lining both sides of the whole gorge run.

Fester score the dubious honor of going first for the modified class but as he climbed the log wall he almost slipped off the side of the dirt table top and had to be strapped to keep him upright while he drove it off the top, the logs were then rearranged to lessen the danger.

Fester then had to drop into the creek bed and lined up for the climb out now known as CV hill but as he tried to conquer the climb his 80 series broke a drivers side CV joint and he was towed out and headed up to one of the floodlights to change it so he could get another go.

Time was against us and with six or seven trucks to go it was decided to continue the next morning and we left for the motel at about midnight.

Sunday Morning:

Kowari Gorge:
We were the last team to start but as Luke had popped a bead we had our turn while he and his navie changed the wheel.

We started at the top of a watercourse by dropping over a dug out mound and had to then keep to the left of the markers which put the truck on a side lean for about 20 metres or so until we had to drive into a dam then turn right as we exited the water.

A hard left turn as we dropped into the mudhole was a pretty tight squeeze for my GU Ute and we then had to try driving around a log fan which had been muddied and badly chewed out by all the other competitors whilst at the same time lining up for the climb over a huge isolated rock.

It took us several goes to finally get enough grip to climb the rock but we made the climb up the log wall to the top of the dirt mound easily and then dropped off the other end while trying to turn hard left to get between the marker posts.

Next we dropped into the creek bed and lined up for CV hill but the bullbar dug into the bank so we had to drive the left wheel up the side bank before straightening up and punching it up and over the climb.

We dropped backed into the creek bed and after driving over a large rock and through a mud hole we lined up for a 3 metre high vertical bank.

The first try saw the bullbar dig into the bank but the side bank was an overhang so we couldn’t use it to clear the bullbar, we tried to stay back from the bank and drop the clutch at high revs to bounce the front up but it just slammed into the bank forcing dirt in through the winch slot and filling the space between the winch and the bullbar!!

We reversed back and continued up and over the logs then through the log bowl before turning left over a large log into a rock bedded section with a huge hole in it.

Most trucks had little trouble squeezing between the bank and the hole but both Matt’s and my GU Ute’s got stuck in the hole.

We tried several times to get past the hole but when I finally got the front up the little mud covered ledge the front slid around the hole and I ended up with the front wheel in the hole and the bullbar up on top of the ledge and the rear wheel lined up for the hole…not a good position to be in!!

Les soon winched me through the hole and I then continued on to the finish without further trouble.

Vertical Assault:

Several of us made it up the first hill which consisted of a double step up of wet clay thanks to the presence of the water truck.

The next hill stopped me dead as the bullbar dug into the bank.

Paul had his three goes but didn’t make it so he stepped out to let his wife Mitzi have her go, Jeff the commentator did a bit of stirring by telling the crowd that if Mitzi made it up the hill Paul would have to wash the dishes and do the housework for a month….the crowd went berserk when she made it up first go!!

Les made it up second go and these two were the only ones who made it within the three goes; when Jeff asked whether the prize should go to Mitzi the crowed all cheered for her but they had another attempt each with both clearing the hill and then they had another go, this time starting further up the hill, they both made it again so they declared it a draw.

AFTERS:

The competitors went back to the camp area to get their trophy’s and pump up tyres and a short drag race developed around a couple of trees with fester joining in until he popped a bead on a corner and nearly rolled his truck.

The Brisbane guys headed back to the Bohle Barn Hotel to clean up and drop their trucks off at Kowari Motors to be shipped back to brissy.

We had a big communal dinner before heading to the airport, of course as soon as they spied the car racing machines it was on again and the wheelchairs were being sized up for races until security made their presence known.

Our plane arrived and the passengers [including some surf life saving girls who had apparently won the surf boat races] alighted to a humungous arms up cheer.
Should have seen the surprised look on their faces…especially the other team who alighted just after the winners, they received a huge cheer as well!!

The sense of camaraderie between the competitors made the whole weekend one of the funniest and memorable weekends in a long time.

Shane Gerrish (AKA Big Red)

To see the Townsville ASCC Results, Click here.

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