Story courtesy of guest Compass writer, Jeffrey Aronson, Editor of Rovers Magazine .
RTV (Road Taxed Vehicle) Trials Courses have been a staple of Land Rover events in the UK for decades. New this year, the Pacific Coast Rover Club and the Association of North American Rover Clubs will bring these “vehicular games” to Overland Expo Pacific Northwest on Sunday, June 30th at the Deschutes Expo Center in Redmond, Oregon.
Whereas off-road trails can require a lot of acreage, a Trials Course can include, in a much smaller space, the same challenges you’d encounter overlanding in off-road conditions.
A Trials Course relies on the driver’s knowledge of their Land Rover and its capabilities. The driver navigates through a series of narrow gates, each pole numbered consecutively, that twist, turn, climb and descend— without stopping or reversing. Touch a pole, miss a gate, stop and/or reverse and the participant receives the penalty points indicated by the number on the flag atop the pole. The driver with the lowest point total wins the event.
The challenges will include side slopes, suspension articulation mogul fields, ascents, descents, off camber turns and more. No two trials courses will be the same; however, they will all include similar off-road situations. The Land Rover off-road driving adage, “as slow as possible, as fast as necessary,” applies to trials courses. Speed plays no part in a trials course.
Any Land Rover model can compete as course rules account for longer-wheelbase and newer, wider vehicles, through the use of a “shunt” – called out by the driver or navigator in advance of an obstacle – which allows for a stop and a repositioning before entering gates.
Trials Courses are not just vehicular games; an overlander is likely to encounter many of these challenges when exploring landscapes off the beaten track. Tackling a trials course is an ideal way to learn the driving dynamics of your vehicle.
The Trials will take place in the Overland Expo Training area on Sunday, June 30, at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. and is open to all Overland Expo pass holders to participate as spectators. The exhibition will be performed by the Pacific Coast Rover Club.
