Yorkshire Off Road Club Event Descriptions
It should be remembered that ALL our events are designated “none damaging” unless otherwise stated. The term “none damaging” means that the organisers make every effort to ensure that the event is suitable for the vehicles entered in that event PROVIDING that those taking part drive the course in the expected manner. There is no guarantee that a vehicle will not sustain damage to the bodywork or mechanical parts although the aim is that this should not happen. It is likely that any damage to your vehicle during an off road event will not be covered by your insurance company and you should bear this in mind before taking part. Fun though it is, this is motorsport and MOTORSPORT CAN BE DANGEROUS !
Damage to vehicles taking part in our events is rare but it would be irresponsible of us, as a club, to suggest that this is a cast iron guarantee.
Driver Training Days
These are none competitive events designed to give members and prospective members an introduction to organised off road driving and off road motor sport. One to one tuition in your own vehicle is available on the day with our more experienced members taking you through the basic skills and techniques required to tackle hill climbs (and how to fail them), descents, side slopes and soft ground. There is no additional fee for training.
As an added attraction, at some events, we will also include optional trials sections that you can try your hand at and once again training, hints and techniques are freely available from our clubs experienced trials drivers.
These events are run under an MSA Promotional Permit which allows for the carrying of passengers in the rear of the vehicle and the carrying of children under the age of 14 however there are some safety restrictions that have to be applied although most vehicles capable of carrying passengers on the road will already comply with these rules.
Off Road Trial (Click here for Tyro trials)
This is the traditional off road, competitive event, run under an MSA Off Road Trial permit . All our trials are aimed at road going vehicles and we expect vehicles to be driven to the event and driven home again afterwards, preferably in the same condition as they arrived although perhaps not as clean ! In some clubs this is known as an “RTV Trial” although this, as a term, only relates to the eligibility of the vehicles and has no bearing on the possible severity of the trial.
A trial consists of a series of small courses or “sections”. Each section is divided into a series of sub-sections marked by pairs of canes know as “gates”. The gates are numbered (usually 12 of them) and as you progress along the section you pass through each gate in turn. In the event that you cease forward motion or touch one of the gates, you will be awarded a penalty point for each gate you failed to pass through cleanly. A good trials driver is able to read the terrain in advance, choose a line that will give him/her the best chance of completing the section and remain in complete control of the vehicle at all times. An element of luck helps too !
At some of our trials, vehicles with a wheelbase over 100 inches are allowed 1 “shunt” per section to help level the playing field on tight twisty courses wher a longer vehicle may find it difficult (or impossible) to navigate the section. This is at the discretion of the clerk of course and can apply to all sections, specific sections or may even be limited to certain gates in a section. You will be told at the driver briefing which of these, if any, apply. A “shunt” allows the driver, prior to ceasing forward motion to stop and reverse within the boundaries of the section before continuing forwards. Normally this is used when the vehicle has failed to make a tight turn and requires a “shunt” to avoid hitting a gate. from time to time a shunt may also be used to give a better line through a difficult piece of terrain.
Off road trials are the cheapest and easiest form of competitive motor sport to get involved with. if at any point in a section you feel that the terrain may be damaging or is beyond you or your vehicles capability simply stop. No one will think any the worse of you for doing so, in fact knowing your own limits is a quality to be admired. There is always the next section to try and you ARE doing this for fun – we do not encourage “machismo” as a trait in our competitive members.
Because we set our trials, like all our competitions, to try and suit those taking part, our pre-booking system allows the clerk of course to judge the experience level of those entered and the vehicle types that will be taking part. Using this information the sections can then be set out appropriately. Sections can also be altered on the day should someone decide to turn up in a 130 crewcab when all the pre-booked entries were 90’s although we prefer not to do it that way round !
Challenge Events
The challenge event format seems to be rapidly growing in the UK at the moment and several of our members have been taking part in these events both in the UK and internationally. We have developed our own brand of these challenge events to allow normal road going vehicles to compete on level terms without the expense of fitting winches, diff locks etc…
We have now been running variations of these events since the club was first formed and they have become a regular part of the club’s calendar. See the events page for details of the next challenge event.
Other Events
As an MSA recognised off road club we have a number of different competitive events that we can run as and when members feel they would like to take part. If ANY member of the club wants to try to run an off road event of any kind he/she is welcome to do so following approval by the clubs’ committee. This approval will normally be granted providing that the member has arranged for the use of land, got support from enough members to cover the cost of the event and that the event can be covered by an MSA permit. The committee will give whatever support it can to help during both the initial planning stages and in the running of the event following approval. This gives a huge scope for variations of off road driving for sport or recreation. The best place to raise one of these event ideas is at the club night, during the “formal” meeting. Details of club nights can be found on the events page. Alternatively if you are already a member post a message on the club’s email list.