Mahindra Off-Road Academy
The Mahindra Off-Road Academy teaches you the tricks to conquer more terrains
I started this beautiful day by accepting an invitation to experience what Mahindra’s off-road academy is like, located in the hills of Igatpuri. This 28 acres of land has been dedicated to nothing but making an off-roaders wet dream come true and wet it indeed was with the clouds rolling off the mountains every once in an hour as it poured down on this off-road facility with a few hints of a thunderstorm but all in all, this served as perfect off-road weather.
All of us were given a proper briefing on the dos and don’ts
The facility is located right beside Mahindra’s Igatpuri engine plant and sits right in the centre surrounded by mountains and dense vegetation. The academy has 4 courses to chose from – Getting Dirty (Basic), Trail Survivor (Intermediate), Global Explorer (Advance) and Mahindra Certified Off-Road Trainer. The course offered to us was the Trail Survivor. We had 6 obstacles to face and some of them are similar to the tasks given in the Getting Dirty course but it being more technical, focuses more on driving techniques and vehicle dynamics. If you’re a first timer, it’s no compulsion that you’ll have to complete the first course to be able to do the next, however, that being said, you must complete the Trail Survivor course in order to complete the Global Explorer course.
We were taught about the different mechanics each car had and their advantages/disadvantages
As we reached and entered the off-road facility, we were greeted with a convoy of Thars and two Scorpios with the front bumper removed to make the approach angle better. After driving through a trail of bumps and muck, we reached the meeting point located beside the Balancing bridge obstacle. We began the course by being brought up to speed with the basic requirements in an off-road vehicle in terms of equipment, design and drivertrain. We were taught about the different versions of the Thar present there and how each of them was special in their own way.
Our first obstacle being shown to us by demonstrating what not do
We were also asked to drive each vehicle we had at our disposal and were asked to not hold back from driving all different generations of the Thars available in order for us to develop our sense of understanding towards the dynamic capabilities each individual generation has to offer with their drivertrains and learn to evolve our driving style into something more diverse and not focus on getting the hang of just one of those cars. We started with our first obstacle called ‘Home Run’. This obstacle was a steep narrow decline followed by a few metres of muck and a sharp right into a ditch that teaches you about throttle input, clutch control and departure angles. We were introduced to the obstacle by first a demonstration of what not to do and that is try and climb such a steep decline, needless to say this was a very easy and fun obstacle and everyone cleared it with little hesitation.
Dusk turned to dark but as you can see it didn’t break our spirits
Our next obstacle was called ‘Zig Zag’ and this obstacle was all about reading the terrain and not driving in a straight line. As the name suggests, it’s a climb uphill with the surface offering little or no traction making it necessary for you to drive zig zag and letting the four-wheel drive system make the most of the traction provided to it, upon clearing this hill climb you’re greeted by a downhill decline that’s very bumpy and we were insisted to pick our lines of approach and ditch the zig-zag driving and focus more on clutch and steering control. This too was cleared by everyone and the only true obstacle turned out to be the sun setting and fog rolling in off the mountains making visibility a concern.
Manish, our instructor, guiding and helping us angle our approach
This led to us calling it a day and heading back to our hotel rooms and resting before we started early the next day with our next obstacle being ‘Pond Rush 1 & 2’. This one was fun with having us drive through water and hitting an incline and another water-body followed by a narrow tilted path that made you primarily focus on following your lines through tricky situations and narrow paths along with getting used to the splashes of water and the feeling of the car tilting and going sideways every time the terrain permitted it. We were beginning to get used to the constant fluctuation in weather and types of challenges the obstacles posed to us. Our next task was called ‘Sarpanch’.
Watching the Thar work it’s magic in its natural habitat
The Sarpanch obstacle is named after Mahindra’s own line of tractors
The obstacle would earlier require you to tow a tractor up and around the hill to simulate what towing and off-roading feels but unfortunately some changes were made this year and this time around the course pretty much remains the same without having to drag a tractor. It was a steep incline followed by another even steeper incline helping us really focus and plan our approach angles in advance thereby learning the importance of momentum while off-roading.
The Scorpio was used by the instructors to demonstrate the obstacles
We were warned about snakes being present at the course and to keep distance from tall grass as we moved onto our next obstacle called ‘Slush Pit’ that required us to cross a pond and follow the water downstream as the path got steeper and eventually left you in a tricky situation with a wheel up in the air as you slowly crawled out of that little man made ditch created with the intention to teach you to be patient and understand how a vehicle’s dynamics and weight distribution can play an important role in clearing technical sections.
Understanding the obstacle before we attempt to tackle it
We moved on to lunch which was served at the bunker located next to the balancing bridge. While lunch was served, we were taught how to tow a vehicle and the requirements from a tow and types of tows along with their advantages and disadvantages. Towing seemed very easy but as we learned, it was one of the most dangerous ways to recover momentum and we were warned about the kind of accidents they’ve caused when not in the hands of a professional. With each passing task, it changed our perspective towards how we saw off-roading. To a lay man, all it takes is a vehicle with high ground clearance and good tyres but rest assured there was a lot more to it and with each passing second, the excitement didn’t seem to cease and only grow.
Throttle control is key in this fun but difficult obstacle
The only mode we used throughout was the low range four-wheel drive
Finally moving on to our final obstacle called ‘Rock Crawl’. Even though this sounds pretty easy but ended up being one of the trickiest obstacle that requires the driver to focus on throttle input and steering. You may think how hard could crawling over a few shallow ditches and rocks could be but mind you, one mistake could lead to you getting the car stuck like a seesaw or rocking chair just struggling for traction as you’ll just go from side to side trying to find traction with one side of your vehicle floating, simulating a seesaw.
There is nothing more fun than to splash a puddle of muck and not have to worry about pedestrians
Anyway as this obstacle progressed and you get the hang of it, it ends up being pretty fun and it will make you want to clear it all over again. I’d like to mention that all of these obstacles were conducted with professionals present around the course, always guiding you and granting you a helping hand whenever you managed to find yourself in a tricky situation and serving as a safety net of experience and understanding of the course. There was not a second that any of the activities felt a tad too far or unsafe in any way with a medical team and car always being present at each obstacle along with a car for snacks and refreshments.
As you can see, patience and angle is key
Our batch consisted of all sorts of age groups and even female off-roaders, some of whom were quite experienced and broke every stereotype out there as they cleared each obstacle with ease and technicality. We headed back to the bunker where the certificates were given and pictures were taken. All in all, it’s an opportunity that teaches you a lot and leaves you with a sense of accomplishment as a driver, changes the way you see a dirt track and helps you look at it in a more technical way. If you’re an off-road junkie or wish to get on the off-road bandwagon or you want to experience this and get some real professional guidance under a safe and controlled environment then look no further and get ready to get your hands dirty and skills put to the test.
Further Reading –
Mahindra Himalayan Spiti Escape
Mahindra Royal Escape