About

About the Series

The Engel Challenge Series is a series of four separate 4wd winch challenge events run over the course of the year in Victoria, so far in 2009 three rounds have been held:

• Round 1 – was held on the 5th April 2009 at Coorobora Neerim North
• Round 2 – Albury 4wd Engel Challenge was held on the 6-8th of June
• Round 3 – Ateco Warn 4×4 Challenge was held on the 15-16 August at Bindaree Willow Grove

The Engel Challenge series has been running since 2007 and is a unique competition in the Victorian 4wd calender being that the deciding winner of the competition is based upon points scored across all four rounds of the series rather than upon any individual round. As a result the series generates a lot of competitive rivalry between individual teams as they vie for a podium placing when the series finally being round 4 comes to an end.

Each round sees a new location the tracks, challenges and terrain tackled by the competitors change each time offering a unique challenge which if not tackled correctly can have a huge impact on final placings within the series. The tracks are layed out with an emphasis on challenging the handling, maneuverability and pure raw power of the vehicles whilst challenging the navigator and driver of the teams physical endurance with torturous terrain involving water crossings, hill climbs, traversal of deep ruts large rocks and generally punishing tracks make it very clear that vehicles need to be fitted with a good winch and teams have clear communication and their team work down pacted.

About Round 4

Round 4 sees the series return to the eastern side of Victoria being based in Noojee.  Noojee is situated 107Km’s east of Melbourne in the Baw Baw Shire, for round 4 a new property has been sourced for the event which will provide new and challenging terrain for all competitors of the event.  The event will be running over three days with the Sunday being open to the general public to attend as spectators.  This round will run over three days being the 16th, 17th and 18th of October.  The event will be open to the public on the Sunday entry will be $15 per adult kids under 16 are free tickets will be available at the gate.

The Engel 4wd Challenge series is a CCDA sanctioned event, for more information about the CCDA visit there site at www.ccda4wd.com.au

About the Team

For round 4 of the 2009 Engel Challenge Series a new team has been formed to tackle the challenges of organising and running the event. Hilltop Events was formed by three members of the four wheel driving community:

Aaron Guild. Aaron is from Offroader, Aaron is one of the co-owners of the Online Magazine Offroader and spends a lot of time attending numerous four wheel driving events. Aaron has been involved in the Rovering Section of the Scout Association for a number of years and has extensive involvement in assisting in the running and organising of numerous large scale events some exceeding the range of over 1000 participants. Aaron has not participated directly in a 4wd comp before however has had some experience in 2 wheel drive motorsport including making an XD Falcon fly. In addition to his previous experience in event management Aaron has extensive skills in Online PR and Web design and software development (yes he’s a geek but he also drives a Hilux so he can be forgiven)

Bryan Ross. Bryan is from Unlimited Industries, Bryan has been involved in the four wheel drive competition scene for a number of years participating in events such as Ateco, Cliffhanger and has been a previous entrant on several occasions in the Engel Challenge Series. Bryan Nav’s for Alister Grove in the GQ Patrol and has been heard to remark on more than one occasion that “a driver is just a chauffeur the Nav does all the work”. Bryan brings years of experience to the team from his experience in competition as well as general support and participation in events. As the owner and operator of Unlimited Industries which specialises in off road performance and 4WD accessories along with Custom work for many a Comp Truck you can be assured that Round 4 will be a gruelling and challenging competition for all entrants.

Ross Hovey Ross is also a co-owner and the General manager looking after day to day operations of Offroader . Ross has extensive experience working in the hospitality and recreation areas and brings a wealth of experience in Logistical management. This coupled with his experience as a Rover working on numerous large scale events brings a unique set of skills to the organisation and running of the event. Again whilst Ross has not previously participated in 4 wheel drive competition events he has extensive experience racing in 2 wheel drive motorsport having raced under Rover Scout Motorsport in state level competitions across Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.