Trialling involves somebody setting out garden canes as gates around 6 feet wide, and assigning a number to each gate in the section, in order, from 12 to 1. The aim is to drive between each without touching a cane or stopping. One of my additional aims is not to break the Landy.
The whole 'drive between them' thing is made more difficult by choosing the intervening terrain which is steep, twisty or otherwise not nice. Some of the slopes need the assistance of hands to walk up, and little craters that you could hide your sister in often serve to swallow a wheel or two.
The more serious triallers stand and assess gates, criticise the setting out and meticulously walk the course noting pebbles and the grainflow of gravel scree. They monitor the condition of the course as the other competitors edge their way around, noting how traction breaks this way and weight distribution transfers that. During their drive, they time to perfection adjustments on the steering, and use just enough power to traverse an obstacle, giving more time to assess the next twitch on the wheel. In short, their performance is meticulously accurate and they often score well.
I have a more relaxed way of looking at trialling, my hobby and stress relief at weekends. Most of the time I walk the course unless I'm eating, drinking, chatting or otherwise engaged. I draw up to the start line of the section, smile and chat with the points-taker. As I pull away the stereo goes on loud (and generally this opportune moment is taken to fold the mirrors in on the first section of the day). I use the WOTUI system (wide open throttle until impact), put my foot down and hang on to see where the engine and axles take me and generally go home last in class, but perfectly happy. Some purists frown on my system, but most people tolerate it.
I do have some hiccups which are avoidable. Not always walking the course, and changing dedicated navigators as they get scared, can give some interesting routes around the venue, taking in features such as gates from other sections not yet used, random gates from the current section in the wrong order, farmer's gates diving pasture or even trees, foliage and other fittings and fixtures because spectators distract me with lewd and misleading comments.
Offroad Playdays
These 'pay and play' days can be good fun, without the competitive aspect, and a great laugh with friends. They provide the opportunity to see where the Landy won't go, and where I can't afford to let it go. If I get scared before it lets go, I'm happy with the performance, but due to my low terror threshold this can be before diff-lock engages.
Green laning
I enjoy greenlaning as a relaxing form of motoring rather than the hardcore offroad play that I know some laners have. Let's face it, the lane network is as much a playground as any quarry or rutted offroad site, but the lanes are shared with the rest of the public and they must be borne in mind.
We have a very delicate public image which I believe is moving from the mud-soaked hardcore 'Let's offroad' pseudo-bikers to a responsible bunch of clean-shaven professional thin people who repair more than we break. Public imaging is a very stereotyped ballgame - consider a foxhuntsman, and in your knee-jerk imagined image fhe's in a riding hat, red jacket and on his (not her) horse, with whip, bugle and a hundred hounds milling at his feet.
I tend to drive with the difflock out, so there's some spare performance to reverse me out of the ditch that the 'wrong' ruts led to, 200yds after they began so innocuously.
Working
The LandRover is, and always has been, a very useful tool, and mine has worked well earning me money. It has pulled treestumps, harrowed fields, moved furniture, towed mudbound cars at country shows and rescued stranded friends stuck in their roadgoing car in half an inch of snow - off a cliff (Simon). It's a very reassuring feeling knowing that you can set off and get there, no matter what.
Of course being van-shaped it has carried equipment for everyone from undergraduates to the Scouts, but with seats too it can act as a minibus back from the pub for twelve (current record) people.
Transport
First and foremost it is my runaround transport, and with comfy seats, decent stereo and a heater that's so simple my mum can drive it (although she doesn't like to...). It's my individual, hardcore workhorse plaything.
