leisurewheels.co.za SEPTEMBER 2019 27
Left: As the day dragged
on the ruts got deeper
and deeper, but the Disco
soldiered on. Below
right: A map of the tricky
Vleesbaai 4×4 route.
Bottom: The service park
and crew were always
ready with refreshments,
fuel and driving advice.24-hour sand driving record ADVENTUREDRIVE
would not have a computer
thinking that we had a flat tyre.
However, we would have no way
of knowing if we were losing
pressure along the route and
had to keep that in mind.
Under the Disco’s skin
is a 3.0 V6 diesel with two
turbochargers. Power would
not be a problem. This Landy
churns out 190kW and 600Nm.
Transferring this power to
the ground is a permanent
4WD system with a transfer
case controlled by the latest
incarnation of Land Rover’s
famed Terrain Response
system. This is coupled to the
air suspension system that
alters ride height depending
on conditions. Mechanically,
the Land Rover is as strong as
anything but would the fancy
electronics and computers
survive 24 hours of abuse?There are a couple of
sand-driving routes in South
Africa that we could have
used for this challenge but we
wanted a location that would
be both challenging, exciting
and allow us to keep up a fair
average speed.
We eventually settled on
the Vleesbaai Dune route near
Mossel Bay. This 4×4 play park
is located on the coast and
offers a variety of challenging
sandy tracks through the
dunes. We marked out a route
of around 10km, which was
manageable logistically while
being entertaining enough that
it didn’t become tedious.
Sand driving is one of the
most challenging yet rewarding
forms of off-road driving. It
requires a unique skill thatmarries momentum and
precision. We needed some
drivers. Fortunately, we have
a number of professional
drivers in our phone book
but we wanted to show that
it was possible to attempt a
record like this with a variety
of drivers, from Average Joe to
the seasoned pro.
Teaming up with me behind
the wheel was the highly
experienced Phillip Kekana and
professional driving instructor
Michele Habig. Kekana started
his career as a hearse driver
and fills his days as a driving
instructor and stuntman, who
has worked alongside Idris
Elba and Paul Walker. He
was also the first black South