Put on your ‘vellies’ and stoke up the braai. As we speak, hundreds of 4×4 enthusiasts and their families are descending on the picturesque Rust de Winter campsite and picnic resort, on the banks of the Elands River, Limpopo, to celebrate the 22nd running of the Toyota sponsored 4×4 Jamboree. This is the 34th time this unique gathering has been staged at the historic campsite, the home of the organising 4×4 ATV Club of Pretoria.
Some of the 4×4 challenges include a 50 km mountain test, as well as an all-day gymkhana. The routes laid out by director, Peter Claasen, take competitors out of the campsite, past the Rust de Winter dam and into the hills in the south, providing a stern challenge to all the crews. Competitors must navigate everything from steep rocky ascents, descents to river crossings, loose gravel and thick mud. It takes approximately six hours to complete, while a variety of imaginative and diverse short driving tests within the Rust de Winter area entertain the large crowd of family members and supporters.
Over the years the jamboree has grown from a small gathering of die-hard 4×4 owners in specialist vehicles, into a jamboree that attracts enthusiasts and their families in mostly standard production 4×4 and 4×2 modern-day SUVs and leisure bakkies.
One of the other major sponsors of the Rust de Winter 4×4 Jamboree is Continental Tyres and the manufacturer used the event as an opportunity to introduce its much anticipated ‘General Grabber MT’ tyre to the public. This launch follows the successful first test over 18 days and 7 300 km during the General Tyre 4×4 African Adventure. Continental Tyre S.A. is proudly notching up its 16th consecutive year as associate sponsor of the Jamboree.
This will be the first opportunity for a wide range of dedicated off-road enthusiasts to see this tough new tyre in action. “The Rust de Winter 4×4 Jamboree is the preserve of hard-core 4×4 enthusiasts and offers some very challenging and competitive driving conditions that put the drivers, vehicles and tyres through punishing terrain,” says Gishma Johnson, Corporate Communications Manager for Continental Tyre SA.
“When we showed the superb new Grabber AT at Rust de Winter last year and surprised many people with its performance on the event, we had lots of interest in a more specialised mud-terrain tyre specifically designed for serious off-roading and the real 4×4 enthusiast market. Hence the decision was taken to import the Grabber MT, which not only enables General Tyre to effectively compete in this segment, but will give the brand as a whole far greater market presence and credibility as a serious contender in the 4×4 sector,” Johnson explains.
