Landrover Defender 90 Offroading
Off Roading is a recreational pursuit popular among a small sub-section of the owners of four wheel drive or all-terrain vehicles. The term "Off-Road" refers to a driving surface which is not conventionally paved such as sand, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks and other natural terrain. These terrains can sometimes only be traveled by vehicles designed for off-road driving (such as heavy-duty trucks and equipment, SUVs, ATVs, snowmobiles, motorcycles, mountain bicycles) or vehicles that have extra ground clearance, sturdy tires, and in some cases, front and rear locking differential. Notable examples of vehicle manufacturers that produce a type of off-road vehicle include AM General, Land Rover, Ford, General Motors, Jeep, and Toyota.
Types of off-roading
There are numerous categories of off roading, with something suitable for all levels of experience and equipment.
Some of the major categories of off roading are listed below.
Dune bashing
Dune bashing involves driving over sand dunes, frequently associated with tourism in the Middle-East. It is illegal in certain parts of the world due to the damage caused to sensitive coastal dunes.
Greenlaning
Greenlaning or "Two-tracking" is one of the least 'extreme' categories. It is generally suitable for any four wheel drive vehicle, even with factory tyres and equipment. The term greenlane refers to the fact that they routes are predominantly along unpaved tracks, forest tracks, or older roadways that may have fallen into disuse. For a lot of greenlaners, the main emphasis is on enjoying the countryside, and accessing areas that may be seldom traveled by motor vehicles, rather than exploring the performance envelope of their vehicle.
Mud Plugging
Mud plugging involves finding a large area of wet mud or clay and attempting to drive as far through it as possible without becoming stuck. Usually, the stock tyres supplied with four by four vehicles are completely inadequate for this type of off roading, and Mud-terrain tyres are required. Strongly attached recovery points are also recommended to enable the vehicle to be towed out when it becomes bogged down. Next to traction, momentum is a big factor in success.
This activity has a competitive form known as Mud bogging.
Rock Crawling
Rock crawling is a highly technical category of off roading. Vehicles are typically modified by adding very large tyres, modifying the suspension components to greatly increase axle articulation, and also by changing the gearing to allow for very slow speeds while traversing obstacles. It is quite common for a rock crawler to have a spotter - an assistant who will go on foot alongside or in front of the vehicle to provide information to the driver on obstacles or areas of terrain that they may be unable to see.
Rock Racing
Rock Racing is very similar to Rock crawling in the fact that the vehicles are driven over rocks, the difference is that there are no penalties for hitting cones, backing up or winching as is done in rock crawling.
Trials
Trials are probably the safest form of motorsport. All progress is made at low speed, and the emphasis is on skill rather than finishing first. However, trialling can be highly competitive. Trials take many forms, but the most common in the UK is the club trial. An area of land (often farmland or woodland - with permission - or a disused quarry) is set out with pairs of garden canes. Each pair of canes is placed just wide enough to get a standard vehicle (usually a Land Rover) through without touching. Ten pairs of these canes are set out, and the competitors drive through them one at a time. The person setting out the course will normally attempt to make driving between and through the gates very difficult, by including side-slopes, steep hills, water and mud holes, rocks and strategically-placed trees in the course. The object is to drive through the canes without touching them, or allowing the vehicle to stop. Ten gates make a "section", and a day's sport might include six or seven sections, driven by between five and fifteen vehicles. The object, obviously, is to end the day with as few points as possible. Vehicles vary from standard road-going 4x4s to wild and highly-modified vehicles which can seemingly go anywhere. Driver skill is at a premium, as old Series Land Rovers can often be seen beating modified and specialised vehicles costing thousands of pounds.
Winch Events
Winch events often involve attempting to access areas that would be impassable without the use of the aforementioned winch - this can include traversing deep gullies, steep slopes and so on. Most off road vehicles that have been prepared for this type of event will typically have two winches, one at the front and one at the rear of the vehicle, each with a rated pull of over 9,000 lb.
Off-roading Events
In some countries, off-road activities are strictly regulated, while others promote cross country off-road endurance events like the Dakar Rally and Baja 500 & 1000 that are considered a test of navigation skills and machine durability. Off road parks also host a number of events as it might be the only legal place to off-road in the area.
Off-roading Organizations
Due to the extreme criticism of the sport of off-roading, many organizations and associations have been formed to show a united front in the battle to keep public lands open to off-roaders. Some organizations such as the Blue Ribbon Coalition and Tread Lightly are not off road clubs at all and are solely set up to fight land closures and to promote enviromentally friending off-roading.
Criticism
Off-Road vehicle activities have been criticized by conservation groups who contend that the continued use of an area for off-road activities can lead to permanent disruption of top soil, silting of local waters, and the disruption of breeding habitats. The off-road community, however, points out that most off-road activities are done responsibly, and that most damage to the off-road environment is caused by urban sprawl and irresponsible users of the off-road environment.
Via: WIkipedia
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
No rating 
