We got everything you want, honey we know the names
We are the people that you find, whatever you may need
Guns N’ Roses lead vocalist Axl Rose wasn’t referring to the rainforest when he was howling away the band’s hit song Welcome to The Jungle.
The song, which appeared in the band’s Appetite for Destruction debut album in 1987, was about the seedy and dark side of Los Angeles. It had a catchy metallic tune and was even featured in the 1988 Dirty Harry movie - The Dead Pool. Guns N’ Roses band members also played extras in that movie.
Nevertheless, Borneo Safari 2016 had some similarities with the urban jungle theme of the almost three decade-old song - the real jungle is just as dangerous but can be fun enough to keep the adventurous coming back for more.
This year’s event, held from Oct 30 to Nov 6, drew a record crowd - 983 participants and 364 vehicles, according to Borneo Safari 2016 organising committee chairman Faez Nordin. It also claimed to feature the most difficult course in the event’s history.
The entire 500km route, which starts and ends in Kota Kinabalu, runs along the foot of Mount Kinabalu and across the districts of Ranau and Kota Marudu, and also includes nearly 40km of hardcore stretch comprising abandoned logging trails and river crossings.
Foreign participation included those from Portugal, China, Japan, Ireland, Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei and Russia.
The Borneo Safari also came with Special Stage series where competitors in their modified vehicles pit against others in slope climbing, river crossing and other offroad challenges.
Isuzu Malaysia, the Diamond sponsor of the event, also prepared a special unit of its seven-seater mu-X sports utility vehicle for the drive. No modification was done to the mu-X’s 2.5-litre variable geometry turbo system (VGS) with 136PS and 320Nm of torque and its five-speed automatic transmission to ensure the vehicle ran as stock as possible.
However, the vehicle’s body was raised by some 120mm and other modifications included the installation of heavy duty 16-inch offroad wheels with 35-inch Maxxis Trepador extreme offroad tyres, front and rear bull-bars with winch, heavy-duty side steps, snorkel, LED front, side and rear light bars, roof rack, fuel tank and radiator protectors and steering rod reinforcers.
Accompanying the mu-X “Monster” were three D-Max pick-up trucks - a 3.0-litre and two 2.5-litre variants - which had been similarly modified and had completed previous editions of Borneo Safari.
As the mu-X was based on the rugged D-Max platform, Isuzu Malaysia was confident the mu-X, though marketed as a lifestyle vehicle, had the required DNA and robustness to pass the Borneo Safari acid test.
Flagging off from Sabah Tourism Board office in Kota Kinabalu, the convoy headed towards Kampung Garung campsite in the interior, passing by Tampurali and Ranau.
Even though the D-Max units had been fitted with larger extreme offroad tyres and carrying a full load of four persons with cargo area filled to the brim with food and other provisions, they drove almost like any standard vehicle straight out from showrooms.
Aside from the noisier extreme offroad tyres, stopping distances were also a bit longer as tyres with chunky tread blocks were not as quiet and grippy on tarmac as road tyres.
Ride comfort was not compromised even as we drove the D-Max fast on gravel roads towards Kampung Garung where we set up camp. The campsite was so deep in the interior that mobile phone coverage was not available and unspoilt greenery (except the parts where the vehicles used) was all as far as the eyes could see.
Even the two streams that ran by the campsite had crystal clear water.
Accommodation was a large canvass tent held in place by ropes and poles, with camp beds and Coleman sleeping bags providing the bare necessities for nightfall.
City slickers will find the first night in the jungle very unsettling without their usual fix of air conditioner comfort, flushing toilets and social media.
The hardcore section of the event starts a few kilometres from Kampung Garung campsite and daily rain had made the already muddy trails more slippery and treacherous to man and machine. This punishing terrain had held back the expedition’s scheduled progress by two days.
Even with hiking boots, there are still risks of slipping and you feel like you are walking on a messy patch of mashed banana peels. Mud easily caked up our boots and tyres, so grip was almost non-existent.
The first obstacle was a muddy trench at least 1.5m deep that grew bigger as more vehicles went over it.
A 4X4 pick-up truck whose front-wheel system had failed, had to be winched out to gravel roads as it could no longer complete the hardcore section using rear wheel-drive alone. Next was a steep quicksand-like slope which required 4X4s to drive up at full-speed and take advantage of momentum to reach the top.
Another eye-popping challenge was a long downhill slippery slope where drivers had to avoid obstacles from damaging their vehicles.
In these difficult times, participants who were complete strangers would band together in dirt and mud to help each other overcome obstacles and complete their mission.
Even on the non-hardcore section, the untarred road from Kampung Garung to Sorinsim campsite can be dangerous after rain. One of the 4X4 chuck wagons skidded on a wet patch and rolled over, injuring the four persons inside. They were then rushed to Kota Marudu hospital for treatment.
In the end, the mu-X completed the challenge without any breakdowns, won the event’s Vehicle of the Year’ award and earned the “proven-at-Borneo Safari” badge.
As to the talk that Malaysians were not willing to do dirty and dangerous jobs, the participants of Borneo Safari would disagree.
It’s these sort of unexpected and thrilling adventures along the way that keep the outdoor and 4X4 adrenaline junkies returning to Borneo Safari year after year.
