Main Briefing
When you arrive you will sign a safety disclaimer and will be given name badges and score cards (if appropriate). In this briefing you will be given an overview of the activities which you have chosen and general site safety.
If score cards are given out you need to keep these with you or the instructor may have a group score card depending on the group size. This is like your driving licence, points on this licence are essentially like points on your driving licence, the less points that you have the better you are doing. The points are given for missed obstacles, knocking over cones and making errors, these points are given by the instructor.
Vehicle Briefing
Once you get to the vehicle you will have a short informative briefing about the quad bike.
The instructor will go through the controls of the vehicle and the various safety features of the bike. It is of paramount importance that you always keep your feet up on the foot plates whilst on a quad bike. This one of the only vehicles that you can run yourself over in whilst driving!!
Spectators and participants who are waiting for their turn will also be given a safe place to view the activity from which will usually be behind tyres.
You will then have a walk around of the course so that the instructor can explain how to complete the course effectively. This course is not timed and is about accuracy and understanding so take as much time as you need at all obstacles!
Course Description
The first obstacle that you will come to is the cross log. This can be completed by keeping the speed continuous but slow and ensuring that you do not stop with two wheels over as you may find that you get stuck and points will be given.
The next obstacle is the off set cross logs. To conquer these you will need to hold onto the handle bars firmly as the logs will kick the steering out. It is also important not to stop accelerating as the bike will stop and the back wheels will just spin and points will be added to your licence.
The next obstacle is a bit trickier… A Left wheel side riser. For this obstacle you need to take your time. Before you get to the side riser you will need to have a good look at where your wheels are, this might sound strange, however, when you are on a Yamaha Grizzly 125 quad bike the wheel arches overhang the wheels so they are not where you might expect them to be! Next line up the left front wheel with the log and using continuous power approach the side riser. Once you are up on the riser you will be tempted to steer off of the riser, keep the steering nice and straight and both front and back wheels should be on the riser and the bike will be at a slight angle.
Next we have another cross log which you would tackle the same as the first one.
After driving up through the tree line (where after it rains there is a water splash to contend with) there is another side riser but this time it is the right wheels that you will be lining up. Remember to have a good look at the wheels and take your time.
Next we have cross log corner. Here we have placed logs on the corner to make it more awkward to steer around the corner without knocking over the cones. You can do this by using positive steering and keeping the speed continuous. This is another obstacle where if you stop you, will get stuck.
We then have another left wheel side riser, however, this one is slightly more tricky than the first as we have placed the obstacles before and after at slight angles so you need to anticipate your next move after this side riser.
Then onto the rumble strip rolling road. To tackle this beast you need to put the power on, as the rollers under the wheels will stop the quad bike from moving. If you stop on the rolling road then you will not come off so easily.
The next obstacle is a right wheel raised side riser with a slight difference… we have raised the far end of the riser so that as you travel along it the angle of the quad bike is increased which makes keeping the quad bike on the riser slightly more difficult and the temptation to put your foot down will increase, which you must not do!
Straight after the right wheel raised side riser we have a left wheel raised side riser for you to contend with. Same rules apply as the right.
Next we have double logs side by side for you to get all four wheels on and keep them on. What you need to do is line up one wheel and keep the speed continuous and don’t be tempted to steer off!
Now for our infamous limbo bar. This will be the only time that we will tell you to sit right back in the seat. Then put your head down to the side and try to get though with out knocking the bar off. Be careful though as if you hit the posts which hold the limbo bar in place with the quad then the bar will come off.
Then its down though the trees, making sure to cover the breaks so that you don’t go flying into the hedgerow and getting stung by nettles. You will then see a strange obstacle which is the seesaw.
When you come to the seesaw the instructor should be there waiting for you with their hand up. Drive to the instructors hand then apply the breaks. The aim is to make the seesaw balance exactly and then put the power back on a drive slowly off of the seesaw.
Our last (but by no means least) obstacle and it is maybe one of the trickiest. We have raised 2 logs next to each other so you need to keep all 4 wheels on the logs. When you approach the obstacle you will need to give a bit of power to bump the quad bike up onto the obstacle you will then need to back off the power but not until all four wheels are on the obstacle, if you back off the power before hand then the front wheels might fall off. Also if you go too fast and give too much power the quad bike will bounce and the front wheels will again come off of the obstacle.
And finally it is back to the start finish where your instructor will give you any advice if required to help you on your scored round!
Once the walk around of the course has been done you will be given one practice lap and one scored lap.
Once you have completed all of the trials and tribulations of this course to a satisfactory standard you can take part in our crazy and extreme Quad Dug Out Section which is carried out on a 450cc Kodiac 4x4 quad bike.