32 SEPTEMBER 2019
remove those and clean it out
as a precaution. The drivetrain
and electronic components need
airflow to work optimally and we
weren’t going to risk the vehicle
this close to the end.
The final stints were interesting.
The track was extremely rough.
Suspension and braking bumps
started taking their toll on the
vehicle and the drivers; the
speed slowed, the volume on the
TouchPro infotainment system
went higher. All we had to do
was keep circling, the end was in
sight. A record was in sight!
As the clock returned to 4pm,
the odometer clicked over to
533km. We had managed to do
533kms in our 24 hours, or 53
laps of the Vleesbaai 4×4 route.
That figure is negligible, most
importantly we drove a brand
new, stock standard Land Rover
Discovery for 24 hours, in sand,
without major incident, in
comfort and on the same four
tyres on which we started.
Quite an achievement, we reckon.
Over the course of the record
run, the Discovery averaged
around 30 litres/100km, using
just under 160 litres, which is
actually not bad at all, given the
conditions it was subjected to.
Was it hard work? Yes,
most certainly. Could we have
pushed the car harder and
gone a bit further? Probably.
But breaking cars is no fun.
That evening we reinflated the
tyres, deployed all seven seats
and drove to dinner. The
following day we did the return
400km trip to Cape Town. The
record-setter morphed back into
an impeccable highway cruiser.
That 530km might not sound
like much, it is less than a trip
from Johannesburg to Durban,
but that’s on a highway. This is
in sand. And driving in sand is
a whole different ball game.
What we have done is set a
benchmark, by doing something
that we are not sure has ever
been attempted. We drove for
24 hours on a tough sandy, 4×4
route where we could have got
stuck hundreds of times, but it
happened only once. Is it a crazy
idea? Probably. Can the distance
be improved, Maybe. I would love
to see other teams and vehicles
try. Over to you.
ADVENTUREDRIVE 24-hour sand driving record
Main image: The
record-setting drivers;
Reuben van Niekerk,
Michele Habig and
Phillip Kekana.A SANDY PARADISE
The Vleesbaai 4×4 Dune Trail started
as a bit of fun. Today, the 4×4 trails
and sandboarding form a large part
owner Riekie van Rensburg’s operation.
The entire route is about 12km long, if
you include the myriad tracks of the so-
called Hardebaard (tough) play area.
Another interesting obstacle is One
Bar Hill but, most challenging of all,
especially in hot and dry conditions, is
Lang Duin (long dune).
Once you’ve completed the loop, you
have to scale Lang Duin – and it’s
notoriously tough, especially if other
vehicles had churned up the sand.
Overall, the trail is rated between
Grade 3 and 4. This is a bucket list
kind of place and the closest you’ll get
to ‘driving on a beach’ without actually
driving on the beach.
More information: Riekie van Rensburg
@ Tel: 082 784-8238.TOP (UP) OF THE
MORNING, OLD CHAP!
The Discovery proved thirsty in the
sand. Since there’s no filling station in
Vleesbaai, we had to make a plan.
TopUp, a company based in nearby
Mossel Bay, came to the party with
a 400 litre fuel bowser (with a 12V
pump), filled to the brim with 50ppm
diesel. This allowed us to refuel the
Landy each time it made a pit stop.
TopUp runs service stations in
Mossel Bay, Robertson, Despatch and
Witsand, with plans to expand the
network. The company also supplies
high-quality engine lubricants.
More information:
topupservicestations.co.zaleisurewheels.co.za