Date: Sat, 6 Apr 2002 23:53:15 EST
Reply-To: EUROMOG@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Wessels <EUROMOG@AOL.COM>
Subject: SyncroMog Goes to Moab (long)
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Hello Volks,
Two weeks ago I trailered my Syncro to Moab Utah. I went two years ago with a
Unimog and had a blast on the trails. We have an annual Mog gathering there
the week before Easter and last time I received the "Elegant Driver" award.
Well, it was a little more challenging this time to say the least. This was
the first time out for the SyncroMog on slick rock and rock crawling. We ran
five trails in five days. Most of the trails had a 4 rating. One day was a 3
(Hells Revenge) and another was a 4+ (Pritchett Canyon).
The first day we were up at 6:30 and off to breakfast then on to City Market
to get lunch supplies. This is a staging area for many groups from all over.
To say there were a few curious lookers about the SyncroMog is an
understatement. It is amazing how many people never new the Syncro was built.
Many thought I stuffed a Toyota front suspension (copy of the Syncro if you
ask me) under it.
Our first trail was Cliff Hanger. The Unimog group had never gone this trail
before so no one knew what to expect. It started off with a drop down a
cascade of 12" to 18" steps. No biggie so far but the 3 foot drop off 50 feet
later was fun!! There were many interesting and challenging obstacles along
the way and with each one I gained more confidence. Early on I was using more
of a buggy driving style than rock crawling. The lack of really low gears
meant I had to take things with more speed to keep from stalling. This
resulted in a more acrobatic attitude for the Syncro with the front wheels
off the ground on almost every large obstacle. The Syncro quickly became the
most photogenic of the bunch and put a smile on many faces. There was one
obstacle that some of the Unimogs could not make up without a snatch rope.
After watching many of them attempt it was my turn. I picked my line and went
for it. Although I couldn't tell from inside they said my front wheels were a
couple of feet off the rocks twice as I skipped over the steps and boulders
and to the top. Everyone cheered as they all got some great shots. Later at
lunch some of the Moggers said I needed a 4000lb weight penalty! In the
afternoon the winds really kicked up and there was a lot of blowing sand. The
last portion of the trail ran along a ledge that had a 1000 ft drop. In the
middle of this section was a pretty big 4 ft drop. I decided to watch the
Unimogs and pass on this last section of the trail. I know I could have got
down but the small landing pad on the way up for me was just more than I
could stomach. I did have to get snatched a couple of times on the way out.
Those stairsteps at the beginning of the trial would just kill my momentum
and the engine would stall.
The second day was on Metal Masher. Overall this is a pretty easy trail but
with several spots that are very difficult without a bypass. The first tough
spot is a narrow sluice with stair steps. The big Unimogs had a very tight
fit but made it through. I had been running 15lbs of tire pressure and I got
my first "snake bite" on the very first step. I quickly backed up to a flat
spot and changed the ruined tire. The second big stair step popped the front
wheels up pretty good to the delight of the camera men. At the top of the
ridge we had lunch at an area that has some very deep bore holes. This area
was prospected for Uranium mining back in the 40's and 50's. We dropped a few
rocks and soda cans down these bore holes. Some would rattle down for almost
30 seconds. We continued along the trail to the most difficult obstacle of
the week.....Widow Maker. It is a 50 to 60 degree slope of Slickrock about as
tall as the Syncro is long. Unimogs have trouble getting up it. It eats Jeeps
for breakfast. I was last in line so there were several Mogs on top to yank
me up. I drove up to it and slipped the clutch to push my bumper up to climb.
Once the front tires made contact it climbed straight up until my spare tire
dragged in the sand. I was then vertical with my front tires dangling, rear
tires touching the rock and the spare keeping me from smashing the tailgate.
They grabbed the front bumper and looped a snatch rope around it. The engine
never stalled the whole time. Once they had the slack up I let out the clutch
and climbed my way up with the help of a Unimog keeping my front end down.
Once the front tires cleared the top I over ran the tow rope and climbed up.
As they undid the tow rope I watched in my rear view mirror as a Jeep tried
the same as I .....then watched him tip over and roll. On the way out of the
Mesa it was a great sandy gravel road. I took it fast ahead of the Unimogs. I
came out of a wash with the front wheels airborne and the two Suzuki's that
were ahead just pulled over to let me by.
To be continued...
John Wessels
European Motorsport
Livermore, CA
http://www.euromog.com
