While ensconced in the comfort of my car and following Graeme Robertson's Bandit Racing off-road buggy, I couldn't help but notice how 'fat', how daunting the black beast appeared. Further more, knowing that I was to shortly drive the custom racer (the first in what Graeme hopes will be a long line of Bandit Racing machines), my anticipation grew. Wouldn't yours too if you knew an improved Subaru EJ20 B4 twin turbo engine backed with a custom sequential automatic transmission powered the vehicle?
On arrival at a distant farm, Graeme kicked the EJ20 into life, and it sounded like no other Subaru flat four I had heard before. It was more like a high revving inline four, through its large high mounted four-inch muffler. Backed off the trailer it was time to take my place in the driver's seat. I was on a high even before sliding through the cage, anticipating what it would be like driving a 'car' weighing 1000kg, powered by a 300 horsepower engine, with 600mm of suspension travel and a top speed in excess of 200 km/h - on dirt!
The Sport
Pay Television has off-road racing covered - occasionally we see a few seconds of action on a commercial station, while those spending some of their leisure time perusing the shelves at the local newsagent have a shot at spotting an import mag covering the subject. In the States it's huge, with numerous associations, stacks of events and an array of vehicles so diverse, so amazing that even Mr and Mrs Pleb have something to crow about.
That Australia has arguably the best conditions for off-road racing anywhere in the world and more space than one can poke a stick at would theoretically indicate that we too could have a flourishing sport. However, it isn't like that, perhaps due in part to a smallish population having been bombarded with an array of motorsport, with a number of categories regarded as user friendly.
Unfortunately, reality dictates that off-road racing isn't - user friendly that is!
Indeed, spectator numbers at most off-road racing events are so small that sponsorship (and most of the usual ingredients needed to make a sport flourish) simply aren't there. I guess that to a large degree it also comes down to marketing, such as how dirt rallying has overcome many obstacles via the introduction of 'closed-loop' special stages. The most famous being the Perth based Rally of Australia Super Stage that attracts in excess of 25,000 people, thanks to an incredible spectacle being confined within a viewable arena.
Likewise, off-road racing is spectacular, certainly on a par with top level rallying, but with a few undeniable differences. For example, the off-road racer can be anything from what seems to be nothing more than a high riding EH Holden utility, all the way up to A$200,000 American imports. Styles range from the traditional VW Baja buggy, to full-on purpose-built buggies, modified full size four wheel drives, to space frames donned with fibreglass panels designed to make the vehicle appear like a modified 4WD. And list goes on.
Also, whereas rally cars are based on production vehicles and that the only restriction with an off-road racer is in the builder's mind, it results in some amazing creations. Part of the design strategy is the capability of jumping huge buildings in a single bound while covering the types of terrain that would literally stop a rally car in its tracks. Perhaps a better title would be 'extreme rallying'?
Unique Package
Whereas hybrids and some very unusual creations are par for the course in off-road racing, there are rules and regulations pertaining to the various classes. Mind you, in Class One these are very open, which has allowed Graeme to do virtually anything he liked. Through being involved in the sport for the best part of a quarter of a century, Graeme has picked up lots of ideas along the way, to the point where a few years ago he was inspired to move away from farming to pursue his self-taught engineering prowess. Through this, he has been able to fabricate a huge amount of componentry suited to the needs of the serious off-road racer.
His Bandit Racing buggy is of course the showcase, a relatively low budget attempt at proving how Aussie ingenuity often wins over the so-called big guns, a la the 'septic tanks'. Fact is, in this country at least, some dig deep into huge petty cash tins and lash out on a complete American vehicle. An instant winner is the aim, but not necessarily the result.... more so if Graeme has anything to do with it.
His buggy is, for all intents and purposes, a 'rough cut' prototype that requires a lot more work for it to qualify as an outright winner. It's all a case of development, with the base product already proving more than capable, but for a few minor hiccups and planned improvements. For example, its Holden/motorcycle braking system leaves a lot to be desired with Graeme already having developed a new hub and four spot large rotor package (and it looks mighty good to me). Then there's vehicle weight, engine power and a bunch of other things.
In other words, prototype number two should be a killer. Weighing in at around 900 kilos, with brakes that will have the driver and navigator scraping their eyeballs off the perspex screen, an engine developing more than 350 horsepower and a suspension system with as much as 700mm of travel, it should make for a formidable machine.
The Existing Combo
As it stands, the Bandit Racing buggy is an extremely competent machine, penned by Graeme, (whom we should add isn't the world's best graphic artist), in 1996. "I was looking to develop a vehicle using my own suspension and other parts, so I decided to launch Bandit," Graeme explained. The picture in Graeme's mind went down on paper, a rough yet realistic design that made its debut at the Tyrrell Downs Short Course on October 9th, 1999.
Emphasis is on strength, reliability, durability and practicality. To this end, the mild steel chassis contains more than 90 metres of 38mm and 21 metres of 25mm cold-drawn tube. Also, in creating an incredible 600mm of suspension travel, Graeme developed front and rear rose-jointed double wishbones equipped with water-cooled Bandit Engineering hydraulic shockers offering full adjustability on both bump and rebound (and with amazing ease). Although the large shaft shocks are incredibly strong, in number two prototype Graeme will be using 88mm shafts and slightly altered geometry. Adjustable height is another feature with almost limitless possibilities.
Quite literally, or at least unless the driver is an absolute nong, the suspension can't bottom out. Stopping this from happening are incredibly strong fully adjustable compressed air stops. Development in the areas of strength and pressures has resulted in a system far in advance of anything else. The steering mechanism is based on a BMW ZF box to which Graeme has adapted his own extremely durable rack and pinion system which, although heavier and less elaborate than the American systems, is around one third of the cost!
A total of seven 'coolers' are in place to both increase power as well as improve durability. Included are two transmission coolers, one for the converter and one for the transmission oil, which are fed cooling air by front side mounted pods. A water-cooled heat exchanger performs the task of further reducing torque converter temperature while keeping a close eye on engine oil temp. Cooling the engine's intake charge is the responsibility of an ex-George Fury Bluebirdrace intercooler receiving copious amounts of air from a roof-mounted duct. Number five in the cooling apparatus is a front-mounted power steering radiator, there's a suspension radiator and finally a custom double-pass engine radiator.
Initial engine development has been restricted to custom Bandit Engineering turbo manifolding, both on the comp and exhaust sides, with the twin factory ball bearing turbocharger's relocated from the back of the engine to the sides. From here, 2.5-inch dump pipes deliver waste gasses to a single four inch aluminium Bandit muffler and tail pipe. Pod style paper air filters rest on either side, with engine management via a full Autronic system.
Backing the Subaru engine is another unique development, only the second in what should prove to be a very successful transmission design. Simple and effective in design, the West Australian Graydon sequential four speed transaxle comes with a 'chip' for installation within the Autronic management. It's designed to allow constant full throttle use - on hitting the shifter, the engine's fuel and ignition is cut for a designated, adjustable period.
Other ancillaries include Bandit alloy body panelling, Graeme's own design front and rear hubs, 15 inch rims with BFG off-road tyres, and a fuel system consisting of a 125 litre marine grade stainless tank wrapped in a fibreglass casing. Fuel is sucked via a Bosch pump for delivery to a three-litre surge tank ended with a second Bosch fuel pump for final delivery. The interior contains only the necessities, including a pair of extremely comfortable Bandit Racing buckets, twin racing harnesses, various gauges and toggle switches. The dash and seats are fully adjustable for single or dual seat operation.
My Drive
Graeme was incredibly accommodating, suggesting that I pilot his amazing creation for as long as I liked, putting it through its paces as hard and fast as I liked. Not wanting to kill it, I restricted my driving to around half an hour during which I quickly became accustomed to the efficiency of the transmission, which I have to say was an absolute treat. Positive and very effective, the design also allows for heel and toeing on down-changes.
Brilliant handling, seats that hug you like a long lost 200 kilogram aunty, and the ride; what can I say, over large ruts and jumping high into the air, it felt like an armchair ride. Truly fantastic. Fact is, now that I have a basic idea of how an off-road buggy works and the conditions and fun in which they operate, I plan to attend a number of events in the future - something I highly recommend if fun is on your agenda.
Big Future
A true ambassador to the sport, Graeme is working with others to expand the sport. Of course, it could be construed that more racers means more business for Graeme, however the idea is simply to see a sport this good flourish. Personal gain isn't on the agenda.
"Australia has so much to offer. We have so much land, so much open and undulating space that it makes for the best off-roading conditions in the world. What's more, we have the expertise; we stage very professional events and are full of enthusiasm.
"We believe that while numbers may never be great with only local input, that overseas interest may result in the sport flourishing. Our plan is to offer international people, whether they're from Asia, North America or Europe, the opportunity of jumping on a plane, and arriving in Australia to be confronted with a full service crew and a highly competitive car. The driver simply dons his race suit, competes, and after the champagne has gone, gets back on a plane. Paid rides like this are becoming commonplace in various forms of motorsport, and we believe that if all a person has to worry about is their driving; not the car, the servicing or crew, that the sport could be even better than it is now."
Sounds good to me. It truly is a fun sport, a sport where radical is nothing unusual, nope, it's typical. Where jumping buildings in a single bound is what the drivers live for, where anything goes. Where fun is the factor!
Contact:
Graeme Robertson, Bandit Racing:
+613 5831 5541.
