Tourism
A Journey to The Heart of Borneo
By M. Izham B. Hashim
Pictures by Victor Lo
The Sandakan Offroad Challenge 2013 roared into action as more than 50 four-wheel drive vehicles began their long journey to the rugged wilds of the Demarakot rainforest.
The four-wheel drive enthusiasts from Sabah, Sarawak, Labuan as well as foreign participants from Japan, Brunei, and Indonesia are taking part in the 4-day expedition starting on 19th January.
Among them was a lone lady driver, Liau Ching Fung, 39 from Sarawak, who is thrilled to take part in the challenge, and hopes more women would join the rally.
The event was organised by the Sandakan Municipal Council and the Sabah Offroad Adventure Association.
Datuk Masidi said Sabah offers an unrivalled eco-adventure experience and encouraged more Sabahans especially associations and the youths to organise their own expeditions to discover Sabah's natural beauty for themselves.
Located at the heart of Borneo and covers 55.139 hectares of mixed dipterocarp forest, Demarakot Forest Reserve is a class II commercial forest reserve which the state government holds up as a model of sustainable forest management.
"This rally is yet another great opportunity to showcase Sabah's wild frontier, Demarakot, which is a shining example of our commitment to environmental conservation and rehabilitation," Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said during his speech at the launch of the event on Saturday near Kota Kinabalu Port.
The teams will face a daunting challenge at Demarakot where they will traverse the treacherous 20km former timber track deep inside the forest reserve in a test of skill, endurance and teamwork to conquer some of the most punishing off-road terrains in the world.
With the recent rain, conditions will become even tougher as the vehicles head into the dense jungle to wrestle with the sticky mud, broken-down bridges, swollen rivers and streams.
Sabah Off-road Adventure Association members together with President Hiew Min Khuin have carried out strict inspections to ensure vehicles are in excellent condition before the journey.
Most of the four-wheel drive vehicles have been tweaked for punishing off-road conditions, which include Toyota land-cruisers, Isuzu D-Max, Range-rovers, and other 4x4 vehicles.
As a precautionary measure, the adventurers will also be accompanied by a mechanical and emergency-response team.
"Each vehicle must be in all-round working condition, equipped with good quality winches, heavy-duty off-road tyres, floodlights, camping equipment, recovery tools and emergency tools to tackle every imaginable situation possible" he said.
After the rally, the teams will head out to the Borneo Cove Hotel at Sandakan for the official closing ceremony of the event.-Insight Sabah
Posted on January 21, 2013
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