2001 Team Trophy Challenge

Navigational challenges makes an excellent event even better

What do you get when you mix 25 teams of two trucks with two drivers, two co-drivers, two days and one night of brutal competition, no sleep, broken parts, all in a breathtakingly beautiful forest?…One serious weekend.

By Jack W. Peters, Photos by Dan Plaster

Tillamook Wilderness, Oregon, Participants come from as far as California and Canada to compete in one of the Northwest’s most grueling and scenic off-road events.  The seventh annual event, brought out 25, two truck teams with four drivers per team.  The aspect of having four members per team makes this event unique.  “The key is to have a clear leader out of the four drivers.”  “Without a leader, things deteriorate, then it just goes down from there,” said assistant and guide Tom Telford.  Due to lots of tight turns and technical driving, trucks are limited to a wheelbase of 107 inches.  Jeeps, Range Rovers, and Toyota’s were the vehicles of choice.

A tough event was made even more fun and challenging with the addition of navigational challenges.  And why not?  Off-road driving and navigation has always gone together, like breaking down and getting lost.  Actually events like this one provides an excellent excuse to learn how to navigate in the backcountry, as if getting lost and freezing to death wasn’t enough.  Two navigational challenges were included, a night Nav Target hunt, and a time-speed-distance rally.  Teammates used GPS to race against the clock and the competition.

Nicely equipped Suzuki Samurai includes a dash mounted hand-held GPS
receiver, with matching yellow motorcross bike for good luck.

The short obstacle course started things off, requiring teams to negotiate a narrow, marked trial that zigzagged up and down hills, and around hairpin turns.  Points were docked for backing up or running over course markers.  The next challenge was to move an engine block about 15 yards from one circle to another without moving it by hand.  Various methods were used including suspending the block between tow straps or winch cables.  A few clever teams figured the quickest way was to use their winch to suck the block up the front bumper, then drive to the next circle.

The rest of the day was spent trying to finish a brutal 60 mile loop obstacle course. 

Actually the term obstacle course might be generous considering there were many areas too rough to drive through.  Co-drivers had to run winch cables up incredibly steep hills and cliff faces.  Winching the trucks up was the only way to get through these areas, even the most capable trucks and drivers could not make it under the truck’s own power.  Using the winch also helped save u-joints, hubs, and other helpful drivetrain parts. 

Sue Currey, the only lady driver in her black CJ.  She said she is not intimidated by the guys, as she negotiates a very technical hill know as “Airplane.”

This type of off-road maneuvering is not easy.  The co-driver is outside picking the best line, while the driver operates the truck and the winch at the same time.

Co-drivers got a serious workout running   winch lines up steep inclines better suited for goats.	A Jeep finally makes it up and over the notorious cliff faced hill of “7-UP.”

Most of the teams that finished returned to the pits by 5:00 PM.  This provided a welcomed few hours to grab some calories and make needed repairs before it was time to head out again.  As the sun was setting behind the mountains, it was time for the night navigation exercise to begin at nine.  Twenty-one navigational target flags were hidden across a couple of mountainsides.  Special shaped hole punches were used to verify the flags had been found. 

Dan programs the top secret navigational targets as waypoints in a GPS
receiver before going out to photograph the night exercise.

Twenty-one targets in the dark, they have to be easy to find right?  Wrong, the positions were well hidden, up and down hills, with only a vague description of how to find them.  We got a preview of the description sheet before the event started.  Out of the 21 flags, only ten included latitude/longitude coordinates.  The others included perfectly clear and precise directions based from the previous target like, “NW of Top, 250 yds, Through brush, Tree.”  This type of navigational challenge is this great practice for learning how to find your way around in the backcountry.  Besides using GPS, it was also necessary to read a map and compass, all while holding a flashlight.

Participants quickly discovered that you had to get out of the trucks and go look for them.  This stumbling around in the dark took most of the night.  To make matters worse, unmarked logging roads branched off and looped around in every direction making it anyone’s guess if you were on the right track to find the target.  GPS receivers were not only necessary to help find the targets, but also to keep from getting lost.

Teams tried to find the targets as fast as they could, without giving the position away to the team behind them.  They were fighting sleep and the clock, knowing that the next event started at 6:00 AM.

What would be difficult to find in daylight takes a little longer at night. Two GPS receivers were helpful, one mounted in the truck, the other to take on the run.	Lucky participants find the first navigation target. After punching their ticket, it's off to find the next twenty.

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During the 5:00 AM driver’s meeting the last two teams came rumbling into camp, barely enough time to get ready to leave again for the time-speed-distance rally.  The rally course was a sizable loop with six checkpoints.  The goal was to drive the average speed specified between each two checkpoints.  Speeds varied based upon how technical the terrain was.  Coming into the next checkpoint too early or late results in docked points.  This is harder than it sounds considering the difficulty of the unknown terrain, and that speedometers are practically useless.  GPS receivers provided current and average speed data to determine how fast to drive.  Co-drivers instructed drivers to speed up or slow down while groggy drivers had to keep their eyes on what could loosely be referred to as a road.

By 10:00 AM, the survivors started rolling back into camp.  After three rollovers and many breakdowns, 13 teams finished out of the 25 that started on Saturday morning.  After the scores were tallied, four teams made it into the finals.  The rest of the competitors and spectators joined the lucky final four finalists to see who would come out the winner.  The first challenge was a timed driver skill game requiring the placement of tennis balls on top of three baseball tees.  The tees were placed on steep hillsides.  Co-drivers had to lean way out of trucks to place or remove the balls without dropping them or touching the ground.  The pressure was on knowing that any mistakes would eliminate their team’s chance of wining.

It was then back to the engine block exercise.  The rules were tweaked due to the few clever participants who made it a little too easy the previous morning.  Trucks could not drive down into the pit where the two circles were located.  Teams had to park a truck on each side of the pit over 100 feet apart.  The engine block in one circle, was suspended between winch cables.  Winch operators used their skill to drop it into a second circle without moving it by hand or touching it on the ground first. 

Drivers of team one, Lendard Trudel and David Lund did it perfectly, which propelled them to an overall victory.  The excited group explained they were tired of taking third place four years in a row.  They had worked hard and paid their dues, this year it was time for them to win.

Promoter Doug Shipman (left) presented the trophy to the willing team of
Todd Haught, Jeremy Israel, Lenard Trudel, and Dave Lund.

So who is this man responsible for dishing out all this punishment?  Doug Shipman from Portland, Oregon is the originator and promoter of this event for the past seven years.  After learning the schedule of events, we were pretty sure he has some kind of sadistic side, but actually he is one of the nicest wheelers you’ll ever meet.  Doug runs a Land Rover specialty shop and owns about 20 of the British trucks.  He also operates an off-road tour company and driving school.

Although this is an amateur event, wannabe drivers or trucks best not apply.  This is an extreme weekend not for the faint of heart, or for those afraid of a little damage. 

As tough as this challenge is, it’s also big fun.  Participants and spectators alike have a great time taking part in this well run program.  The Team Trophy Challenge provides a truly unique and rare opportunity to test driver and machine to the limits.  We can’t wait until next year!  For more information, contact Doug at (503) 661-3220.

Top Finishers

1^st        Leonard Trudel  &  David Lund

2^nd       Don Harman  &  Karl Talburt

3^rd       Gary Yates  &  Mark Stevens

4^th        Andy Telford  &  Jeffrey Crume

The photographer gets a ride

No one really forgets his or her first time.  For me it was in 1993 during a 400 mile desert race in Central Oregon.  During the Team Trophy Challenge, promoter Doug Shipman gave the thumbs up to allow one of the teams to take on a photographer passenger.  Our hero, Dan Plaster enthusiastically agreed, this being the first off-road competition he had ever participated in.  Now the challenge was to find a willing team that could come up with a back seat.

The Andy Richman and Andy Marshall team from the Portland, Oregon area gladly obliged, being nice enough to fit a back seat into their very serious looking Scout.  This Scout and Land Cruiser team 16 was ideal to hook up with because they had been doing so well.  They had completed all of the previous events with no problems.  Finishing with good time in the rally would make them a contender for an overall win.

0433, we awoke from a few hours of sleep to the rumble of engines.  The wake up call gave us just enough time to brew a pot of coffee for the driver’s meeting at 5:00 AM.  By six, the remaining teams were fired up and ready to go on adrenaline and caffeine.  Dan was no exception, as he grabbed his camera gear and jumped in the back of the Scout.  OK, so the early morning ride was a little cold and rough, but it was a great time.  Unfortunately it was a short time.  The Land Cruiser teammate was knocked out due to ignition problems.  One truck cannot finish without the other, ending the day early.  A disappointing end to what started as an excellent beginning.  These guy will be back next year undoubtedly stronger than ever. 

Even though Dan’s ride was cut short, it was probably long enough to catch race fever.  Once taking part in an event, it’s almost impossible to ever be just a spectator again.

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