By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
THEY can find themselves racing on a variety of surfaces, emulating anything from a rally to speedway, against an assortment of cars.
An off-roader has to be ready for anything – and that’s a major part of the attraction for the 70 or so members of Geelong Off-Road Buggy Association (GORBA) .
Secretary Andrew Jennings said off-road buggy racing incorporated various forms of motorsport.
“Our sport encompasses several disciplines, from rally or gymkhana-type events to speedway or even go-karts,” he said.
“There are also obvious differences for us. For instance, speedway drivers only go around in one direction whereas we’re always turning left and right.
“We find ourselves driving on varying tracks, from gravel to farm tracks or paddocks – it can be really rough. It could be an endurance event or it could be a sprint event.
“The track length is always different, the number of laps can be different and there’s such a varying degree of cars.
“We have four classes of open-wheel buggies, two of cars and two of four-wheel drives.
“Often different classes will be competing at the same time on the same track even though different vehicles have different advantages.
“They all race at the same time, with cars placed in their individual class.”
Andrew said most off-roaders were multipurpose vehicles able to adapt to all conditions.
“The driver has to be adaptable as well. Success can often depend on how well the driver knows themselves as to how hard to push their car.”
The off-road buggy group was an off-shoot of Western District Car Club about 25 years ago when a handful of members found their passion in buggies instead of production cars.
GORBA is one of five off-road clubs in Victoria, with members utilising Geelong Motorsports Complex at Avalon as their base and travelling around the Victoria to compete.
“It takes bit of time and effort but it depends how hard you want to go,” Andrew said.
“We have $3000 and $40,000 buggies all competing for the same thing but often you’re competing against yourself, trying to improve lap times.
You don’t have to have the brightest and best buggy to be competitive. Often it’s driving skills that are the difference between winning or not but you improve as you go along.
“And there are always club members happy to share some tips and advice and everyone in the club tries to help everyone else out. There’s always help with a repair if you break down.”
The club will host a Mallee Shield round at Geelong Motorsports Complex, Beach Rd, Avalon this Sunday, with free admission.
Further information is available at gorba.org.au or by phoning Andrew on 0428 582 263.
