Banish blunders in the bush

You'll learn how to handle water...

The extensive one-day course covers a wide range of subjects including traversing slopes, negotiating trenches and ridges, driving through water, mud, sand, the importance of correct tyre pressures for different circumstances, winching, vehicle recovery and equipment, plus technical discussions of all key components of off-road vehicles.

All practical aspects of the course is under the guidance and personal supervision of qualified and highly experienced staff and successful course participants receive certificates of competence after completing the course.

Hone those skills

Isuzu brand manager, Ryan Visagie says the Isuzu Off-Road Academy will give existing and potential Isuzu customers the opportunity to improve their off-road driving skills and to experience the Isuzu KB in a controlled and safe environment.

The Academy is based at the Gerotek vehicle testing facility outside Pretoria but courses will also be conducted at various off-road tracks throughout the country whenever there is demand.

You'll learn how to handle sand...

Attendees will have the opportunity to hone their off-roading skills in the academy's powerful Isuzu KB 3.0 and 2.5 litre D-Teq Double and Extended cab bakkies.

The Isuzu KB D-Teq engines which are the current 72-Hour speed and endurance record holders, combined with the superb Isuzu chassis, form a formidable off-road combination, as I found out again recently when I attended the new Academy.

Book now - and save

The one day driving course costs R1999. However, the first 500 customers will be offered a special launch rate of R1000. Interested customers can book a spot on the course through the Isuzu website www.isuzu.co.za or by contacting the Academy on +27 (0) 11 431 2000.

The Academy will use only its own branded Isuzu vehicles and no other vehicles will be permitted on the course.

I attended the first course, presented especially for the Motoring Media at Louvain, a challenging farmland course between the foothills of the picturesque old Montagu Pass and Joubertina in the Klein Karoo.

You'll learn how to handle dirt...

The route covered numerous of tough obstacles but under the expert guidance of the Academy staff even lesser experienced members of our group managed to complete the course without becoming bogged down or coming unstuck.

All you need to know

What is impressive about the course is that it is designed to benefit both blue-bearded off-roaders and novices alike and I certainly learnt more about vehicle recovery and the combined use of different driving modes (low range, 4-wheel drive, high-range four-wheel drive), the application of differential lock, the correct use of braking techniques under different circumstances and getting over steep inclines after stalling a vehicle than I've ever known before.

Even a few die-hard off-roaders on course with us learnt a few useful (damage and injury-avoiding) basics of towing a vehicle out of sand, mud or water.

Just like an advanced driving course, this off-road academy will benefit everybody, particularly those who are venturing into the challenging terrain of Botswana and Namibia perhaps for the first time.

Get into the right gear... and the right gear, geddit it?

And the odd pebble or two...

In the same way the Spirit of Africa competition showcased Mitsubishi originally and now Amarok, the Academy presents GMSA with a perfect way of showcasing its two flagship models.

More details on the academy, course content, images and value added services such as official Isuzu Off-Road Academy gear, are available on the official Isuzu website www.isuzu.co.za

Isuzu KB bakkies, which are the top sellers in South Africa along with Nissan and Toyota, are all covered by a 120 000km/five-year warranty and a comprehensive roadside assistance package.

Visagie says by introducing the off-road driver training academy GMSA hopes to go a step further by giving customers the peace of mind that comes with knowing that their vehicles are being driven correctly and safely on any terrain.

Operation Rachel

Isuzu 3.0td Attart Off Road Park

This is not the South African course, but it gives you an idea or two, doesn't it?