Preparations continue...

Since our deployment has been postponed we have some time to aquire additional skills. Jan (aka Jack) - another guy on our team - works for the defence driving center. He arranged for us to have a course in all-wheel driving. We figured this could come in handy when we have to navigate the dirt trails down in Africa. And with the rainy season coming up these will transform into muddy gullies.

This was my first experience with all-terrain driving and in one word it's AWESOME! After being taught the basic academics of 4x4 driving we took the vehicles into the field. In this case the standard Army Mercedes Benz 290GD. The training center caters to all vehicles from the new FENNEK recon vehicle to the Leopard II tank and has various tracks to practice on.

(brand new FENNEK reconnaisance vehicle. Pity we're not taking these along)

After a leasurly morning drive in the loose sand and woods the instructors had a treat in store for us. In thew afternoon we were allowed on the track that's used to test the limits of our terrain vehicle. This particular track is usually off limits for the regular course. Just the other day one of the cars toppled over and was totalled because it exceeded the 38 degree roll angle. But it's just amazing what a 4x4 is capable of if driven with tact. It requires a different mindset compared to normal driving. The key is patience and anticipation.


(Jeroen full of confidence, urging our car forwards...)



(...Jeroens' car 5 minutes later)