Odyssey Challenge Hardcore hillclimbs in the promisingly named Devil’s Pit

Odyssey Challenge does a deal with the Devil to send competitors running up that hill…

Words: James Watts Pictures: Tomasz Jarecki

The Viking 4x4 Club has reached the midway point in its annual six-round winch challenge series, sponsored by Odyssey Batteries. This third event of the season was held at Devil’s Pit near Luton, the most southerly site to which the Midlands-based club ventures.

This round was sponsored by Full Flex Springs, whose bespoke 4x4 lift springs and coilovers are designed to specifi c vehicles’ sprung loads and offer completely customisable spring rates.

Another club had run a big twoday event the week before this one and as result many teams were still fi xing their trucks. With it also being holiday season, entry numbers were a bit down on the previous round – but for those who did make it, their reward was to be blessed with glorious sunshine. Three events and not a wet one in sight – that must be some sort of record!

The good weather attracted a lot of spectators, which is always great to see for organisers and competitors alike. The dry ground meant loads of grip, which was a bit unfamiliar to many of the competitors – and most teams fi nished with their cars so clean, they hardly looked as if they had been to the event at all.

Devil’s Pit has some very steep hills, which makes it ideal for punch hunts. However the terrain was completely tree covered, which is also ideal… for getting foliage into moving parts like wheels and cooling fans, not to mention the vehicles’ cabs. Driving over debris like fallen trees and branches can be tricky, as it only has to fl ick up to get caught and cause damage.

As always there’s a timed special section which acts as a tie-breaker (this proved necessary in the previous round after the leading two teams fi nished on the same points), and this was set out in one of the site’s valleys. It was run in an outand-back format, with one punch to be collected in each direction.

Sounds simple, right? In practice, it was anything but, with drama and carnage aplenty. Dariusz Mirkut’s car decided to die on the exit – in fact, it caught fi re briefl y, but thankfully they went out just as quickly quickly. He couldn’t get it started, though, so other teams tried to winch him to the top – but with no engine running his hydro-steer didn’t work. He did manage to get it running in the end and fi nally cleared the section, whereupon Rob Curling went for it… and came out on the end of his winch rope after breaking a propshaft.

Worse yet, having made their way underneath the car to investigate, Rob and co-driver Paul Hitchman discovered that not only had the prop let go, one of the suspension brackets locating its axle had come out in sympathy. So that was them out for the day.

Later on, Paul Curling put his truck on its side on one of the sections, allowing co-driver Andrew Rossiter to demonstrate a textbook recovery in front of the onlooking spectators. Paul’s Safety Devices cage did its job to perfection, so a quick check over and they were good to carry on.

Mat Bain had a bit of bad luck on the way through all the foliage, though, when a branch managed to push its way into his engine bay and take out a steering hose. Annoying, but a quick fi x – hose back on, fl uid topped up and back into the fray.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t to last. Mat has suffered with engine problems at the last few events and the issue reared its head once more, sending them home early with a misfi re that wouldn’t clear.

Round 2 winners Scott Haines and James Watts, on the other hand, were going great guns again. Clearing punches swiftly and cleanly, they managed to collect all the punches and run the special section by 1pm. But then, just as they fi nished the last punch and got ready to head back to the pits to collect a second card, their crank pulley came loose. They had to tighten it up to carry

on – but a few punches into their second card, it happened again.

Not content with just this, fate was to decree that they would blow a CV joint. The dry ground puts immense stress and load on the cars’ drivetrains, so this was not unexpected – and neither was Scott and James’ response, which was to get in there with the spanners, change the CV in double-quick time and get back out in a bid to fi nish their second card.

And they managed, too – though just as they claimed their fi nal punch, they also managed to roll. But as always, the sportsmanship in the winch game shone through as fellow competitors rallied round to make sure they were okay and get them out of trouble. Not only that, they then towed the stricken vehicle back to the pits as oil had fi lled its air intake and the engine could not be started. It may be a competition, with teams competing against each other, but when push comes to shove everyone looks after each other.

Dave Adams and co-driver Tom Britten had a nearly fl awless day… until, with just one hour to go, a rear propshaft snapped. They had made good progress throughout and had a fantastic time so were happy to call it a day.

Simon Ward and the Alphafab team had made a huge effort the day before to get their car ready for this event, even going so far as to change its engine. With co-driver Leigh Jefferies doing a superb job on the ropes, the car’s winch motors where worked really hard – leading to two burned-out motors just after midday. Cue a pit stop to fi t replacements, after which they were back out to try and fi nish their card.

Overall, with the hills at this event being so long and so steep, co-drivers had to work really hard. Running up and down multiple times really took it out of them, turning it into a battle of endurance for crews as well as their vehicles. No-one found it easy, though some found it harder than others…

For Ben Mark and co-driver Chris Sutcliffe, the event had the added complication of being their fi rst time at Devil’s Pit. Unsure on what to expect, they had to navigate their way around the site to fi nd the punches – though for a pairing who are always steady and take their time, this was no problem.

Ben and Chris are known throughout the club for their consistency and for really looking after their car. However they too found the dry ground hard going, making it pretty much impossible to slide their car around. As always, though, their steady pace means they keep the load down and minimise the risk of breaking drivetrain parts. They did snap one rope, but that didn’t stop them completing all the punches and getting on to their second card. That apart they had a perfect day.

Richard and Lianne Evans had had their fi rst even competitive event at Round 2, and now they were back for their second. They were slightly better prepared this time, had less nerves and knew what to expect – and once again, they got stuck straight in. Unfortunately so did their gearbox, when a broken selector yoke and left it wedged in gear, but with the offending item removed they were able to carry on… until half an hour before the end, when their only winch packed up. More lessons learned, then, as they always are with every issue you overcome – and with 19 punches on the card, one more than their previous event, this was another outing that was as worthwhile as it was enjoyable.

It was also worthy of second place in Class 1, on 2441 points. A great result – let’s see if they can keep going with this rate of progress and secure the top spot at Round 4. They’ll have Dave Adams and Tom Britten to beat, though; for now, it was these two who got the Class 1 win with 3609.

In Class 2, third place went to Rob Curling and Paul Hitchman on 601 points. Second were Paul Curling and Andrew Rossiter with 4191 points. But Johnny and Tracey Johnson, whose car was still battered and bruised from the previous weekend’s event, simply kept going all day without fault. They completed all the punches and started a second card to take the class win on a hefty 8376 points.

This would have placed them third in Class 3, which is doubly impressive as this was where the competition was at its most fi erce. With more entries here than anywhere else, Mat Bain and David Burton battled to third place on 8025 points. Second went to Ben Mark and Chris Sutcliffe, steady as they go, on 9987 – but there was no catching Scott Haines and James Watts, who took the class and overall wins with a haul of 12,323.

Every team who took part deserved to give themselves a pat on the back after what was a very tough day on some extremely taxing terrain. The vehicles had been worked hard on the bone-dry ground – and the co-drivers had taken themselves to the limit on the steep hills. And with the following round scheduled to take place at the fearsome Deep Scar near Kettering, there wasn’t going to be any let-up!