We all know what proper preparation prevents, and Troy Bennett takes pre-planning to the next level on a Mazda BT-50 event on K’gari Fraser Island.
Imagine you’re a car company launching a new vehicle. You’ve jetted in a pack of motoring journalists eager for test drives; photographers and videographers are set to document this memorable event and soon there’ll be positive stories and reviews flooding newspapers, magazines, websites, social media and YouTube. Marvellous. Unless, of course, the vehicle breaks. Or gets stuck. Or anything else that’ll spoil the show.
With dual-cab 4×4 utes making up an ever-increasing chunk of Australian new car sales, launching or showcasing these multi-talented vehicles is imperative for car brands. Take the Mazda BT-50.
A stalwart on the ute scene and with a loyal following, owners don’t just want to know how it performs at the work site or cruising the highway; many want to see how it goes over the rough stuff. That often means tough terrain and remote locations, vastly increasing your chances of “will not proceed” dramas. Proper preparation and experienced experts mitigate such problems, and that’s exactly what we encountered this month as Mazda invited journalists to sample the 4×4 BT-50 on the sandy tracks and open beaches on Queensland’s K’gari Fraser Island. It being the world’s largest sand island, organising such an odyssey isn’t to be taken lightly.
Troy Bennett is just the sort of chap you want helping to co-ordinate it. Off-road expert, rally driver, problem-solver, safety guru and event planner… he also knows how to use a set of spanners when things get tricky. Chatting to him, it appears those sticky situations are few and far between, mainly due to considered preparation – imperative for such events. Troy divides his time between homes on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula and Outback NSW, near Mildura. From here he runs the annual four-day Sunraysia Safari Cross Country Rally, the largest rally in Australia in terms of competitive distance (1200km). His father was a mechanic and did forest rallying in the 1970s and 80s, campaigning Ford Escorts, Datsuns and Nissan Stanzas. “I grew up in a workshop, which was fantastic,” Troy explained.
“I was given an apprenticeship with Bob Carpenter, the godfather of cross-country rallying, very much like the Dakar Rally. I took time out of Uni to go out and learn how to run an Australian safari, splitting the next few years between education and rallying.” He was involved with Mitsubishi’s cross-country rally program, driving a Pajero iO which he owns to this day.
“It’s a tiny thing, effectively a Lancer in a wagon body with a transfer case,” he said. “It’s a little rocketship with turbocharger and direct injection, so is huge fun to drive.” Across the years Troy’s worked as a rally and performance driving trainer, did durability test driving for Holden, was Motorsport Australia’s safety adviser and currently helps numerous car companies with engineering calibration. He’s also much in demand for an expedition like Mazda’s sandy showcase. “We hope for the best and plan for the worst,” he said. “We’re very risk averse, and focus a great deal on the lead work. We’re probably OCD about planning contingencies.” Troy and his colleagues conducted a number of reconnaissance trips to Fraser Island (good work if you can get it), looking at route options, timings, the difficulty of the tracks, weather implications and possible diversions.
“For the event we carry a paramedic, satellite telephones and UHF radios,” he explained, “as well as coordinating with local emergency services so they know where we are.” But what about specifically preparing the vehicles? As the journalists were reviewing BT-50s the public can buy, it’s key to keep them in factory specification for fair evaluation. “The cars are standard, as that’s the point of it,” Troy explained.
“Our pre-prep has a Mazda approved technician go over the BT-50s, make sure they’re all to specification, tyre pressures are the same between them all, fluid levels are right and puts the scanner on them to ensure there are no fault codes.”
Tyre pressures for the Fraser Island drive was agreed upon: 24psi due to plenty of rain making the sandy tracks hard-packed and much easier to navigate than really soft sand. Lower tyre pressures mean better grip, traction and comfort, and is something all owners should be across when sand driving. Troy said after many years working with Mazda he knows the BT-50 is highly unlikely to present any problems.
“We know it’s capable and are confident in the quality of the vehicle. But you always must be prepared for the unexpected. The standard and experience of the driver makes a huge difference when off-roading.” I’ve no idea why he looked so accusatory at me at that point. The most likely problem on such events is, as expected, flat tyres.
Thankfully, no flats on our two-day test on Fraser Island, where the biggest drama was the cake tin emptying too quickly at morning tea. It made carrying a technician, numerous spares and a paramedic with us seem like overkill, but that’s why these guys are the professionals.
I noticed the BT-50s were thoroughly cleaned each evening, despite journalists set to go sand driving again early the next morning. “You have to factor in lots of salt and sand for somewhere like Fraser,” said Troy. “We wash the cars down each day to protect the life of them: salt water’s the enemy of all vehicles. Get salt water in a terminal and all of sudden you’ve got a fault code, and interlinked systems mean the whole dash can soon light up like a Christmas tree.” Supplies are also key. “On rallies I carry way too much stuff,” Troy said.
“Plenty of water, coolant, oil, radiator hoses, drive belts and at least two spare tyres. I convince myself they’re all needed. All of the lead up work before the event begins means it should run smoothly. We’ve got contingencies if someone gets injured, there’s a technician if there’s a break down, and a couple of back-up cars. That way we ensure the safety of participants and vehicles.”
Most of these learnings have come from a life spent in one of the hardest and most punishing forms of motorsport – cross country rallying.“I’ve learnt if you’re not prepared with the right equipment, and the right vehicle prep, you’re going to have a really bad time,” said Troy. Motoring journalists? Well, they get to have the good time as others have already done the hard work for them. ACM