Day 2 began at around 9.30 am and all of us were brimming with confidence from our achievements from the previous day. We started off with the ‘Sarpanch’ challenge. Manish walked us through the obstacle showing us important points of reference before we got driving. This obstacle needs to drive up and incline, take a turn, navigate the jeep through mud and very slippery rocks, then come down again. The way the jeep slips when you are turning in downwards does give you a scare. The key is to let the vehicle go in the direction it wants to without trying to force it into the opposite direction. Idle crawling in 4 low mode is the key. We completed this under the watchful eye of Manish.
Post the Sarpanch, we were introduced to Spotting. However experienced you are as an off-roader, there are times when you need a spotter to navigate you through an obstacle. Manish gave us a crash course in hand signals that are used during spotting. That was followed by a spotting exercise where we would clear an obstacle based on Manish’s hand skills only. No walkie talkie instructions here.
Next up was the ‘Boneyard’. Here, you initially drive the Thar though a deep pond that is enough to wet your tyres to slippery levels. Post that you drive up a steep incline filled with ruts and deep holes that are enough to break your jeep. You have to be extremely careful with your throttle inputs and momentum while navigating this challenge.
Continued…
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