King of the 4X4s: Top, a participant attempted to pull the 1.5 tonne-Ford Ranger as others cheer him on. Above, one of the members of the Four Wheel Drive (4WD) Association Labuan demonstrated his skills in negotiating off-road tracks. Pictures: The Brunei Times
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
AN ADVENTURE could start anywhere. Mine started off at the Premier Motors Sdn Bhd on a drowsy Friday morning where 13 Ford Ranger 4X4 and 50 participants gathered to have their breakfast and flag off through a nine-hour ride through Temburong, Limbang and Lawas before arriving to our final destination, Labuan.
This was the Ford 4X4 Adventure to Labuan organised by Premier Motors Sdn Bhd.
Marshall 1 for the flag-off was Hj Khairul. Seeing that it was my first, I was expecting to learn and see a few things during the trip.
Incessant radio chatter, telling jokes and coordinating to see whether the road was clear to overtake the slower vehicles filled most of the initial trip from Temburong.
Enthusiasm was at an all- time high as drivers would stop at certain points to see some of the sights Sarawak has to offer. Kuala Penyu for instance is a small town with a great selling point, partly because they have a monument of turtles looking at every direction.
Now, despite being half an hour late for every checkpoint, the team managed to make up time as they arrived an hour and a half early before the ferry departed to Labuan at 4:30pm.
Two hours after their arrival, the team went straight to their destination, Pancur Hitam village. It is a nice seaside village overlooking the bluest seas, clean surroundings and beautiful sandy beaches. Our place to stay for the next two days was Pohon Batu beach.
By the time we had settled in at the beach, we were greeted by the villagers and entertainers, as well as guest of honours from the police and the 4WD Association in Labuan. The Scooterist Association also joined the shindig to welcome the Ford Ranger owners.
Participants were entertained with some of the night life, live band and karaoke while having dinner provided by the village head Hj Jumaat.
Once dinner was over, the loud rumblings of karaoke began to fade away and gradually replaced by a good night's rest under the stars.
Day two started off with some really cold wind at 6am. For some reason, the night air at the beach was quite warm, despite the sea's proximity.
All hopes for a cold breeze were dashed under sweaty sleeping bags as many of the participants slept outside their tents and were seen squirming on the grandstands and around the general area.
No matter. The sense of dankness quickly dissipated after a very cold shower at a nearby public restroom.
After a nice warm breakfast, participants gathered around to cheer on some participants competed in a tug-of-war against one of the Ford Rangers.
This was not the normaltug-of-war. It was a show of strength to see how fast a person can pull a 4X4 over more than one metre.
Naturally, all the testosterone-induced machismo emerged and the fastest they could pull the 1.5 tonne vehicle for one metre was at an astonishing eight seconds.
By mid-afternoon, participants drove off to one of the three nearby tourist attractions in Labuan, the archaeological mystery Chimney, the Labuan Bird Park and the Museum of Marine Biology.
Once the sightseeing was over, the Ford delegates then carried on to watch a demonstration by the Four Wheel Drive (4WD) Association Labuan. The members showcased their skills at driving on off-road tracks by going through slippery mud tracks and rough terrains.
It was a rough-and-tumble through possibly some of the most dangerous driving outside of rallying. Staring towards the edge of a two-metre chasm and coming out of it without any injuries, was a feat only a professional 4X4 driver was able to pull off.
The slick slide of mud further inside the dense forest track, and the drift and curve was a whole different experience than that of the day before, where we saw nothing but solid tar pit roads. This was another type of monster driving.
The track was unforgiving, but it had probably been driven on so many times that the driver must have known it fairly well as he was navigating through the craggy patches and greasy road with enough finesse that it was scary and exhilarating at the same time.
However, the fact that he did successfully navigate through the terrain was due to the golden rule when driving a 4X4 vehicle through these types of terrain, he said. It was to let the steering do the driving and go with the flow.
To fight for control over the wheel, he said, would mean to lose control altogether.
Once the demonstration ended, participants returned to the resting area, exhausted but eager for more. Later in the evening, they were put to the test as the villagers challenged the men to a friendly match of football.
The one-hour match was like any other. There was karaoke blaring over the beach, children playing around and some spectators from the village littering the area. The final result was 2-6 to Labuan. Not too shabby.
On the final day, there were changes in the plans due to a another event already in place at the beach. The clean up session was cancelled and instead of a city tour of Labuan, the Ford Ranger representatives were invited to attend a wedding.
It was a pleasant surprise unlike any other. They went and attended a real home-cooked, family-oriented, live band playing wedding. After spending a short time at the wedding, the delegation started on their long journey back to Brunei.
It wasn't the type of off-road experience that anyone expected. The road was tar-pitted and it was smooth riding the whole way.
There was little in a way of obstruction in terms of fallen trees, land slides or driving dangerously close to a deep ravine.
The road trip had initially served to show Premier Motors' appreciation towards the customers for purchasing their 4X4 vehicles. It is through such activities that participants were able to test their driving skills and also the reliability of their 4x4 Ford Rangers.
At the same time, participants confirmed the Ford Ranger Built moniker and its reputation as the king of 4x4s.
In light of such an event, I did learn a few things about the king of 4X4s. The Ford Ranger was built to be tough. The proof is that the one car I had the privilege of riding in had only suffered a belting problem since it was purchased seven years ago.
Moreover, when the same 4X4 was put to the test with a small hill, it did what it was expected to do with ease.
The trip however had a deeper meaning behind it. Whether the participants realised it or not, it was a trip to get to know and create a bond with one another.
It was a trip for brothers to share their experiences together, friends to have fun with activities, and parents to spend time with their children.
It was a trip for enthusiasts to come together and enjoy. And they sure did.
The Brunei Times
This was the Ford 4X4 Adventure to Labuan organised by Premier Motors Sdn Bhd.
Marshall 1 for the flag-off was Hj Khairul. Seeing that it was my first, I was expecting to learn and see a few things during the trip.
Incessant radio chatter, telling jokes and coordinating to see whether the road was clear to overtake the slower vehicles filled most of the initial trip from Temburong.
Enthusiasm was at an all- time high as drivers would stop at certain points to see some of the sights Sarawak has to offer. Kuala Penyu for instance is a small town with a great selling point, partly because they have a monument of turtles looking at every direction.
Now, despite being half an hour late for every checkpoint, the team managed to make up time as they arrived an hour and a half early before the ferry departed to Labuan at 4:30pm.
Two hours after their arrival, the team went straight to their destination, Pancur Hitam village. It is a nice seaside village overlooking the bluest seas, clean surroundings and beautiful sandy beaches. Our place to stay for the next two days was Pohon Batu beach.
By the time we had settled in at the beach, we were greeted by the villagers and entertainers, as well as guest of honours from the police and the 4WD Association in Labuan. The Scooterist Association also joined the shindig to welcome the Ford Ranger owners.
Participants were entertained with some of the night life, live band and karaoke while having dinner provided by the village head Hj Jumaat.
Once dinner was over, the loud rumblings of karaoke began to fade away and gradually replaced by a good night's rest under the stars.
Day two started off with some really cold wind at 6am. For some reason, the night air at the beach was quite warm, despite the sea's proximity.
All hopes for a cold breeze were dashed under sweaty sleeping bags as many of the participants slept outside their tents and were seen squirming on the grandstands and around the general area.
No matter. The sense of dankness quickly dissipated after a very cold shower at a nearby public restroom.
After a nice warm breakfast, participants gathered around to cheer on some participants competed in a tug-of-war against one of the Ford Rangers.
This was not the normaltug-of-war. It was a show of strength to see how fast a person can pull a 4X4 over more than one metre.
Naturally, all the testosterone-induced machismo emerged and the fastest they could pull the 1.5 tonne vehicle for one metre was at an astonishing eight seconds.
By mid-afternoon, participants drove off to one of the three nearby tourist attractions in Labuan, the archaeological mystery Chimney, the Labuan Bird Park and the Museum of Marine Biology.
Once the sightseeing was over, the Ford delegates then carried on to watch a demonstration by the Four Wheel Drive (4WD) Association Labuan. The members showcased their skills at driving on off-road tracks by going through slippery mud tracks and rough terrains.
It was a rough-and-tumble through possibly some of the most dangerous driving outside of rallying. Staring towards the edge of a two-metre chasm and coming out of it without any injuries, was a feat only a professional 4X4 driver was able to pull off.
The slick slide of mud further inside the dense forest track, and the drift and curve was a whole different experience than that of the day before, where we saw nothing but solid tar pit roads. This was another type of monster driving.
The track was unforgiving, but it had probably been driven on so many times that the driver must have known it fairly well as he was navigating through the craggy patches and greasy road with enough finesse that it was scary and exhilarating at the same time.
However, the fact that he did successfully navigate through the terrain was due to the golden rule when driving a 4X4 vehicle through these types of terrain, he said. It was to let the steering do the driving and go with the flow.
To fight for control over the wheel, he said, would mean to lose control altogether.
Once the demonstration ended, participants returned to the resting area, exhausted but eager for more. Later in the evening, they were put to the test as the villagers challenged the men to a friendly match of football.
The one-hour match was like any other. There was karaoke blaring over the beach, children playing around and some spectators from the village littering the area. The final result was 2-6 to Labuan. Not too shabby.
On the final day, there were changes in the plans due to a another event already in place at the beach. The clean up session was cancelled and instead of a city tour of Labuan, the Ford Ranger representatives were invited to attend a wedding.
It was a pleasant surprise unlike any other. They went and attended a real home-cooked, family-oriented, live band playing wedding. After spending a short time at the wedding, the delegation started on their long journey back to Brunei.
It wasn't the type of off-road experience that anyone expected. The road was tar-pitted and it was smooth riding the whole way.
There was little in a way of obstruction in terms of fallen trees, land slides or driving dangerously close to a deep ravine.
The road trip had initially served to show Premier Motors' appreciation towards the customers for purchasing their 4X4 vehicles. It is through such activities that participants were able to test their driving skills and also the reliability of their 4x4 Ford Rangers.
At the same time, participants confirmed the Ford Ranger Built moniker and its reputation as the king of 4x4s.
In light of such an event, I did learn a few things about the king of 4X4s. The Ford Ranger was built to be tough. The proof is that the one car I had the privilege of riding in had only suffered a belting problem since it was purchased seven years ago.
Moreover, when the same 4X4 was put to the test with a small hill, it did what it was expected to do with ease.
The trip however had a deeper meaning behind it. Whether the participants realised it or not, it was a trip to get to know and create a bond with one another.
It was a trip for brothers to share their experiences together, friends to have fun with activities, and parents to spend time with their children.
It was a trip for enthusiasts to come together and enjoy. And they sure did.
The Brunei Times