The roar of the machines,the thrill of driving, Off-roading is all the adrenalin rush you could ask for

Off-roading is an overused term in  recent times and it must be due to the accelerated exposure the common man has been receiving by means of all the races being held in and around our beautiful state. But unfortunately, there are more doubts than understanding in the minds of people about this exhilarating sport.

What is Off-roading? It can be defined as, ‘the activity of driving or riding a vehicle on unsurfaced roads or tracks made of materials such as sand, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, and other natural and manmade terrains.’ But in the real sense, it just means driving over, or under, things that one would usually avoid while sitting in the cockpit of a fourwheeler. And the vehicles used for this sport are just as awe-inspiring and rugged as the sport itself. These are some real mean machines which have been modified and often ‘built’ from ground up by off-roaders or car enthusiasts. Various 4WD (four-wheel drive) vehicles are used, but the most common are the Maruti Gypsy and Mahindra’s Thar, 540D & 550D.

Living on the Edge

This sport is far beyond mere entertainment for those involved. It is more of a lifestyle. The spirit of this adventure has gone too deep into their blood and brains that they now buy 4x4s only for the sake of going off-road. And, several automobile manufacturers have started concentrating on developing fully off-road oriented machines. But the vehicles still have to undergo various upgrades in order to truly perform off the road. The off-road vehicles
necessarily need to be equipped with several ways to make swift movements across rough terrains such as rocks, sand, mud, grass, articulation and slush pits. The list goes on. The modifications that an off-road vehicle pass through depends on the driver and the form of off-roading activity the vehicle is intended for.

The possibilities are endless. In Kerala, the main modifications found on such vehicles include, strengthening pivotal points in the vehicle, adding manual or automatic differential lockers, upgrading to mudterrain tires, lifting the vehicle a few inches, fitting snorkels (for increasing water-wading depths and providing cold air-intake for the engine), freeflow exhausts and various recovery gear like Winches, Hi-Lift jacks, Towstraps etc.

It is mandatory in most events and races to have a ‘spotter’ or ‘co-driver’ in the car, who assists and guides the driver through special obstacles. The skills of a co-driver in guiding his driver through the track is what will get them the trophy in a race or his skills is what will help the driver get his vehicle out to safety during various track race drives and forest fun drives. Having a capable co-driver really ups your chances of winning in any form of racing, it’s just the same here too. Kasargod’s Musa Sherif is one of India’s leading co-drivers and is an avid off-roader himself. He is the codriver of Gaurav Gill, four-time INRC (Indian National Rally Championship) champ and the winner of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship 2013.

All Work, All Play

Gone are the days of ‘play less, work hard’ in order to build a happy life, and relaxing retirement. People work harder and harder every day because they want to lead a comfortable life. Even the richest man on earth could working hard to keep his billions on track. Because he needs to make his tomorrow a smoother and creamier.

In a world like this, who would want to get behind the wheels of a heavilymodified and aggressive 4×4 having a much-extended ground clearance, fitted with a monster off-road tyres and drivetrains, while jumping in your seat trying to navigate on mud tracks and inhaling hot, dusty air and smoke? The ones having off-roading in their DNA.

Flywheel is blessed to have a powerful team of fearless off-road maniacs with such a DNA who are constantly involved in off-roading activities and are quite used to with the phenomenon of uncanny adrenaline rush. Which is why Flywheel has a separate wing for showcasing the off-roading life and is named as FAST (Flywheel Automotive Support Team).

Catching Fire

The number of off-roading events happening on rough terrains in the countryside have been increasing lately after drivers and viewers have started to enjoy adventure and fun in equal measure. ‘Dirt-2 Racing’ organised by MechOutlawz by a private engineering college in Kollam district was FAST’s latest encounter with mud. The event got life in Kannanalloor on March 13 which was inaugurated by Ronny Varghese, RTO, Kollam. The chief guest of the event was Hani Mustafa (Autoexpert and Chief Editor- Flywheel). The Flywheel track organisers included Aravind Sasidharan, Sujeesh Kolothody, Abi K Santhosh and Rajmal Babu.

Out of 35 heavily modified off-road automotive participants, 16 were petrol and 19 were diesel engines. Kurian Kurian won the first prize in Petrol segment and Jose Cheerankuzhi came first in the Diesel category. Runner up of both Petrol and Diesel categories was Suraj Thomas.

Words by Hani Musthafa      Photographs from Nithin Nambiar