I’ve done some crazy things in my years of motoring, but I don’t think anything could have prepared me for this experience.
For Christmas I bought my younger brother 5 driving laps in an off road rally V8 buggy from a company called Off Road Rush located near the Gold Coast.
We’re both rev heads so we were pretty excited to turn up and see what these machines could do, but it was definitely unknown territory for us. You didn’t have to clutch kick or rev up these beasts like a drift car, in fact when you pick up speed in these buggies the front wheels lift up off the ground so you have to brake hard into the corners to keep it controlled. You didn’t have to change gears around the track either; once the driver had the buggy in 4th gear he stayed in 4th the rest of the way around the track.
These buggies were so interesting, with the steering wheel turned only a quarter of the way to the left or right had the wheels at full lock so there really wasn’t much of a turning circle. The suspension was very impressive too; when the buggy got air you were expecting it to hit the ground hard, but the transition from being in the air back onto the ground was very smooth.
I must admit I was a little jealous when I was sitting on the sidelines watching my brother out there tearing up the track with dust going everywhere and the buggy getting air off the jumps. So when the owners said spectators could pay to have one of the pro drivers take them out for a lap I was one of the first people to jump at the opportunity!
I got my race suit and helmet on and climbed through the roll cage where I was strapped in by a harness. The pro driver didn’t hold back, he was flying through the track and I even had to pull my helmet visor down further because there was mud going everywhere!
When I saw the big jump approaching fast I was so excited! The buggy got so much air I was even lifted up out of the seat and the harness was the only thing holding me safely in the vehicle.
It was a great experience and I would recommend this to anyone. I hope you enjoy the video!
If you’d like more information about Off Road Rush experience visit: http://www.offroadrush.com.au
The V8 Buggy tearing up the off road track.
The track is located in Alberton near the Gold Coast, QLD.
Me getting ready to suit up.
A nervous thumbs up!
Getting air off one of the jumps.