Offroad Adventures at Tixover
The Daihatsu Sportrak was really going to be put through its paces today. Would it hold its own against the army of Land Rovers?
With the craze around spec sheet stats and hatchbacks producing horsepower north of 400, it seems people are starting to forget there are more ways to have fun in a car than just going fast. Chief among them is off-roading, something that up until very recently I had never done before. Enter my friend’s Daihatsu Sportrak, bought for the specific purpose of larking around in the mud and subsequently equipped with suitable tyres. As lockdown was easing up to the point that fun outdoor activities could resume, we headed up to Tixover, located to the West of Peterborough near the A47.
The Sportrak at the start of the day. It was going to get a lot muddier.
The ride over wasn’t as bad as I had feared with the chunky off-road tyres. I expected the tyre and road noise to be unbearable, but it seemed to me to be more refined than the cabin of my Peugeot 205! Ok that isn’t exactly setting the bar high, but considering the cars are from a similar era I would say that is impressive. No issues in having a conversation with the person sitting next to you. The engine in this car seems very misplaced in an off-roader. Instead of a torque generating monster of a diesel engine, the 1.6L petrol unit is a lightweight, all aluminium affair with peak torque at a high 4800rpm and peak power found at above five grand. Designed as an early lifestyle SUV, it was based off the larger (and bigger engined) Fourtrak which had a whole host of names depending on where you bought it around the world. I guess it wasn’t going to take us long to find out how suitable it really was.
The other members of the motley crew. Eddy (R) the Sportrak’s owner and Aaron (L) who was in desperate need of a pair of wellies of his own.
Having met up with another friend we proceeded with our scouting lap of the course to get an understanding of the layout. As my very first experience doing proper off-roading it was a little nerve wracking to say the least. To the uninitiated the bouncing up and down in the cabin whilst you go up and down slopes at angles that just aren’t natural for a car, certainly gives you pause for thought. Once you get over the initial trepidation it is thrilling, much the same way as a rollercoaster is, with the added element of ‘are we going to make it’ at times.
You don’t really appreciate how high the front end of the car gets off the ground until you step outside. Now is probably a good time to mention that the Sportrak had a partial internal roll cage.
The staple cars of the day were unsurprisingly Land Rovers, though there were more Discoverys than there were Defenders, and many were in a state that I can only describe as ‘straight off the farm’. Clearly most people here had a lot more experience than we did, and many had also brought their vehicles on trailers to ensure they were going home even if their off-roader ended up doing head stands or having a bit too much to drink.
Land Rovers are the unsurprising staple of off-road courses.
We weren’t the only Daihatsu there but we were a bit outnumbered.
A suspiciously good looking Vauxhall Frontera appears. More on him later.
Some vehicles had been shortened to aid in their off-road capabilities.
The Sportrak however behaved admirably, those extreme mud tyres really making all the difference. The grip they provide was phenomenal, almost endless and the car had a secret weapon over the heavier British staples – it’s lack of weight. At times we saw Land Rovers equipped only with all terrain tyres, struggling more than we were to get up slopes and it all came down to inferior grip cancelling out any advantages in sheer grunt. That’s not to say the Sportrak actually lacked grunt in the end, the low range gearing really was working wonders.
The Sportrak proved very capable, with the dedicated mud tyres providing freakish amounts of grip.
Daihatsu wasn’t the only Japanese brand in action today.
Towing and rescuing is a team effort.
As I said earlier ‘straight off the farm’…
Armed with my camera I set about getting shots of the car with its front end flying up into the air, as it progressively got dirtier and dirtier. There was plenty of other action to take note of as well, including an off-roading buggy that I had earlier witnessed go up a long near-vertical slope. It then set about whizzing around at speed, backfiring its engine as it went, before making the odd leap through the air. Sadly, I didn’t manage to get shots of it airborne, but it was still impressive to watch before activity came to a halt with intervention from the marshals.
By far the most capable vehicle of the day. It went up a near vertical slope and could travel through the air with enough speed off a ramp.
Best to stay clear when it kicks up mud on a speed run.
Time for more laps around the course and by this point Aaron had spotted a Vauxhall Frontera that looked to be in pretty good condition from the outside. Not sure I can say it finished the day in particularly great condition, however. As we made it round the back, to the most treacherous part of the course, with the deepest mud and water that just about everyone who went in got stuck, the Frontera charged forward and buried itself at an angle. For us this provided a great opportunity to do our first tow in the Sportrak, and Eddy got the tow rope from out back to pass to someone with more appropriate gear for wading into the water to attach it to the stuck vehicle. A couple of minutes later and the Frontera was free, the Sportrak once again proving its worth. Unfortunately, the Frontera had different ideas and, with almost magnetic attraction, it charged straight back in and got stuck once again. Sighing, we put the tow rope away and carried on round.
The back area proved a real challenge even to those in the most prepared and appropriate vehicles.
The Frontera from earlier was well and truly stuck…
…but at least it made a good prop for posing!
He wasn’t the only one taking a swim though.
Getting the Sportrak ready for its very first tow.
The Frontera came out without much difficulty after a few moments.
However he went straight back in with unsurprisingly similar results.
The thick muddy clay really sticks to your tyres, but the clever tread means it is easily dislodged.
Now it was my turn to go behind the wheel. I felt a lot better at this point having done many laps as a passenger and I quickly found it to be a lot easier than I had expected. The old mantra ‘As slow as possible, as fast as necessary’ certainly held true. Feathering the throttle as best you can going up slopes to ensure you don’t lose grip, before easing off the peddles for a controlled drop down the other end. Throttle control was harder than expected as you must really tense your right leg so as not to bounce on it as you go across ground, which would otherwise make everything worse. The most interesting part of my drive was when I went over a mound that was both steeper than I expected and ended with more water at the bottom. I ended up powering through before charging up the hill, turning the inside of the cabin into something like a makeshift bouncy castle.
A scene that looks straight out of a safari gone wrong in the Serengeti.
The Frontera lives! But for how much longer?
Eddy surveys the carnage.
Superior tyres proved to be the major determining factor in whether you got stuck or not.
But some situations go beyond tyre tread. It will take more than a simple tow to recover this vehicle.
We almost got through the day without getting stuck ourselves, but the law of sod came into play on out final run with Aaron behind the wheel. Going down a very steep bank into water we were suspended at 45° and unable to move forward or backwards. Despite splattering ourselves (both inside and out) we couldn’t get free and had to call for a tow. Thankfully, the engine wasn’t submerged and was still running fine, and we quickly came free as soon as help arrived.
We finally got stuck ourselves on the final run. It’s hard to tell but I am angled at 45° in the back of the vehicle. Aaron’s expression sums up the situation.
Thankfully towing us out was easy and straightforward. Attempting to rescue ourselves prior had resulted in mud splatter inside and outside.
The car ended the day much muddier than it had started. Just how it should be!
Inspecting the damage. if you look carefully you can still see the battery!
Having let air out of the tyres at the start of the day, Eddy pumps them backup for the return journey on the road.
On a better day the adventures would have ended there, but the final incident proved more costly than we initially expected. The entire radiator has been submerged into the muddy water and as it dried out a thick layer of clay was completely blocking the airflow. After about fifteen minutes on the road home, the engine light came on as the temperature gauge needle was at its maximum, so we were forced to pullover. Opening the bonnet, the coolant expansion bottle was bubbling like an overfilled kettle. Thankfully, we had stopped it soon enough, so the coolant only dropped to its minimum marker and not lower, but as we were unable to unjam the radiator the car finished the day on the flatbed. It was cleaned up back to working order once home and we’ll have to chalk that one up to inexperience.
However this was short lived as we encountered blocked radiator induced overheating. The puddle under the car is from the expansion tank overflow once it boiled over. We certainly looked out of place on this quaint residential road.
Despite the unfortunate end to the day, I had a great time on my first outing and was really pleased with the photos I took. I hope you like them as well and if you have any great memories off-roading then make sure to leave them in the comments down below.
Despite the issues on the return journey the Sportrak proved to be a champ that lives to fight another day. Their cheap asking prices on the second hand market make them an attractive vehicle for those looking to get into off-roading.
If you enjoyed this blog then please consider leaving a tip below.
