Silverstone Malaysia 4x4 Jamboree 2000
6th - 8th October 2000
Shah Alam Stadium, Selangor, Malaysia.

JeepNation, based in Singapore, some 400 over kilometers from Shah Alam Stadium, Selangor, Malaysia, spotted 19 vehicles, or more than 30 participants for the event. (400 km is quite a distance for a country who's longest highway is less than a quarter of that!) And yet there are participants who have come from corners as far as Thailand and even Hong Kong. At least in this respect, the organising committee's goal of "promoting and fostering goodwill, harmony, interaction and friendship for 4x4 enthusiasts within Malaysia and the World" seems achieved.

The event gardnered support from some of the other major clubs in Malaysia and overseas as well, with entries from Penang 4x4 Adventure Club, 4x4 Adventure Club Kuala Lumpur, 4x4 Adventure Club Selangor, Johor 4WD Club, Land Cruiser Club Malaysia, Land Rover Owners Club Malaysia, Kelab 4x4 Raub, Pahang, PJ Hash Club, The Spirit of 4x4 Thailand, Off Road Federation of Thailand, Hong Kong Land Cruiser Club and more.

And here is a high profile event for the 4x4 community indeed. Months before the event, news about the Jamboree is flooded the mass media across Malaysia, on major radio and television stations and in our familiar 4x4 Magazine (International) edition as well. With the overwhelming turnout, Silverstone Malaysia 4x4 Jamboree 2000 has broken the Malaysian Book of Records by gathering 3 folds more 4x4 vehicles that the 112 vehicles record set in Johor in 1999.

When that faithful Friday, 6th October 2000, came, the otherwise quiet city of Shah Alam came alive with banners and signposts all pointing to the stadium and it's Off-Road Track. From as early as 8 am, the whole area was teeming with activity.

It was all a brilliant setup. Facilities and amenities to make participants and visitors comfortable has been catered for. There were good toilets, nice food stalls, carnival and games for the children and absolutely wicked off-road tracks for the "Off-Road Man" to go wallow in. And the stakes for winning were high, the heavily modified 4x4 are battling for the "Off Road Man of the Year" title and prizes for the events are worth a whopping RM$30,000 in cash and prizes.

The scene at the event HQ was surprisingly calm. Afterall, the organising committee has been working round the clock for more than 3 months and all possible preparations has been done. And then Murphy Law strikes. Except the one thing that was beyond control - the weather. Everywhere, we see sweaty people, really wet people. But as with so many other 4x4 events, the motivation of the 4x4 person simply cannot be hampered by small contingencies like the heat, even when the threat of heat exhaustion remains a very real possibility.

OFF ROAD MAN COMPETITION

Participation at the various events remain strong, despite the sun's best attempt to grill participants to a well-done tan. The Off Road Man Competition continues to draw in new faces and vaterans alike, all out to conquer the courses. Our press release describes participants in the Off Road Man event as "exponents". And this is by no means an exaggeration. JeepNation has found out from some of the officials in charge of the course that the excavator had a field day ramming really deep trenches to bogg down the meanest of 4x4 machinery. And tough indeed! As just about every 1 in 4 competitors found their vehicle on its side as tyres lose contact of the steep side walls of the trenches. In every course, competitors had to make good use of their recovery skills and equipment to cross the finishing line, before the stipulated DNF (Did Not Finish) line. A really tough way to spend one's weekend!

OFF ROAD CLINICS

While the guys from JeepNation, hampered by equipment, or spirit, are unable to participate in the Off Road Man Competition, they were game for the Off Road Clinic held under the blessed shade of the building. Eagerly, they sought out the knowledge necessary to up their off-roading skills, perhaps to draw from the experience of the seasoned 4x4 campaigners who play trainer for the day.

The lessons covered include; the principles of 4x4, safety aspects, recovery techniques, equipment and care for environment and other aspects of off roading. It was all well, really, if not for the language barrier, as the instructors occiliate between Malay and English, leaving those non-conversant in the Malay Language in a daze. Mental note: bring along a Malay speaking friend the next time.

FAMILY AND SUPPORT ACTIVITIES

Given the heat on Saturday, the tele-match style games were not as well-participated as planned. This improved on Sunday, as schools of children got in line for the games installed for them. In the good spirit of fun and get-together, generous prizes were given to participants just for trying. Generous prizes like digital sports watches for example.

Joy rides in modified 4x4 vehicles had a good turnout as families unaccustomed to such jumbo machines took the opportunity to have a feel in them. Maybe its the air-conditioning in these vehicles or the feeling of ramming through mud pools, the people who took the joy rides seem pleased.

In addition to the frenzy of activities, there was also a 4x4 product exhibition where participants could get great deals from.

BEST DRESSED 4X4 & MACHO 4X4 CONTEST

Here's a segment that we just had to mention. Besides getting down and dirty in the mud, the event also had its own "beauty contest" where dressed up vehicles could pit their dashing good looks against other dashingly good looking 4x4. In all a small contingent of pagents lined up for the panel of judges, which included 2 judges from JeepNation as well.

The results? Well, naturally, none of JeepNation's vehicles could qualify for the "Macho 4x4 Contest' although a certain red Pajero Mini does look "macho" in its own right, if not for it being cute enough to be trampled over by the big boys. The good news is that our very own Pajero iO did bag the 3rd prize. Before the tongues start wagging about the results being rigged, we have to disclaim that the owner of that white iO did not participate in the judging of his own vehicle.

We will feature that pretty vehicle and others in due course.

IN THE END

This was the first time that a Jamboree of such scale be organised and on this note, the event has been pretty well done. While there were minor quirks in the course of the event, the weather being a major culprit, participants generally enjoyed themselves, and friends from all over the country and across nations could meet up again. We look forward to Jamboree 2001 and an even more successful event!