4x4 of the best
up to the challenge
N
ick Bolt got involved in the winch challenge scene way back before he was old enough to drive. His dad Chris, a long-time 4x4 enthusiast, brought the off-roading skills he’d learned as a Devon farmer to bear as a competitor with Challenge South West – and before long, Nick was learning the art of rigging a recovery. But then Nick passed his driving test – and straight away, Chris proposed a role reversal, putting his son in the hot seat. ‘It’s amazing how much more you can see when you’re not in the driver’s seat,’ Chris told us. ‘We decided that it made sense for me, as the more experienced off-roader, to be in this position. Besides, it gives Nick a wonderful opportunity to hone his talents behind the wheel.’
Words: Gary Noskill Pics: Steve Taylor
And hone them he did, making immediate waves in national-level events aboard a tastily prepped 70-series Land Cruiser. Nick wasn’t just honing his talents behind the wheel at the time, either, as he was an apprentice at Devon 4x4 at the time, and the skills and knowledge he was picking up under the tutelage of Simon Buck allowed him to take the lead in what was a lengthy build process. If you know about Devon 4x4, you can imagine what learning his trade there did for Nick’s sense of what can be achieved with a challenge truck. So you won’t be surprised to learn that his first thought was to take an angle grinder to the Land Cruiser and convert it to a pick-up. ‘We got fed up with crashing the rear hardtop into trees and breaking the windows,’ says Chris. ‘So Nick thought it would be a good idea
Slimline front bumper went on board to support the truck’s single Warn 8274, whose only mod is that it runs an uprated motor to speed it up. The change to Plasma didn’t come until after our photoshoot – Chris and Nick must have been one of the very last teams to take part in a challenge event on steel cable
64 | MAY 2023
10pp 4x4 of the Best May 23.indd 64
4x4 11/04/2023 00:58
