FAQ's

Do I need to have my own vehicle.

As long as you can get to the events, which tend to be a little way from the nearest bus route, no. I think all members have a vehicle of some kind though.

So what kind of a vehicle do I need

If you want to drive it off-road then any kind Land Rover vehicle is required by our club. If you don't want to drive your car off-road but simply help out, ride along in others vehicles etc. It doesn't matter. Most folks have either have either one of the Land Rover family come along and get it dirty.

Will I damage my vehicle

We have a range of events and participation in any, or all, parts of them is optional. If something looks like it might scratch your paintwork - don't do it. We respect the concept of 'Shiny' vehicles. You will get your car very, very muddy though.

Do I need any extra equipment

What equipment you might need depends on what types of events you take part in. In order you will probably want to get them, here is a list. I suggest getting the first three before coming to your first event.

Warm clothes
Thermos Flask
Big bottle of water for washing lights, number plate etc.
Fire Extinguisher (Every car should have one anyway)
Better tow points/Rope bridle: Standard towing eyes are not good for pulling out of mud, there are ways to make much better removable tow points. the rope bridle is to allow a tow to happen evenly across both sides of the car and costs about 15-20 pounds.
Mud tyres: There comes a time when you realise that road tyres are a lot of fun when it's slippy but you would like to be able to steer occasionally. This assumes you take part in events where it's muddy. i.e. ones in Scotland.
Vehicle modifications: At this point you are probably not still talking about the family car and the range of things you can do is ridiculous - how about six inches more ground clearance and tyres that would look large on a tractor. Change that puny engine for a 3.5 litre V8. Or add a winch capable of pulling down a house.

What is scrutineering

Scrutineering takes place before any kind of trial event - your vehicle is checked to see it meets safety and competition regulations. Simple things like:

Do the brakes work?
Does the vehicle leak more than it should?
Is it road legal?
It the battery secure?

Specific modification are only required for RTV and higher events, where regulations require an extra spring must be fitted to the throttle cable to ensure engine cut-out if a cable snaps, and that suitable recovery points must be available.

What is a shunt.

During each section of a Trial, any vehicle with a wheelbase of more than 100 inches may, once, stop, reverse (keeping one front hub inside the course) and go forward again. This must be preceded by the driver shouting 'Shunt'. i.e. you must decide you are going to take a shunt before your forward momentum stops, not once you are stuck.

If, during the course of a "shunt", you hit a previous gate, you will be given the score for that gate (as though you had hit it!)

This is intended to reduce the advantage Shorter vehicles may have in making tight turns.

Are children allowed at events

Yes, but must be kept under control. They may not be allowed in vehicles during competitions, but usually there is no problem. There may be cattle or sheep in the field at some venues so keep them under control. (Similar rules apply for dogs)