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Rovercross.
Rovercross is a new motor-sport due to start soon;
it should be on TV late this year.
Rovercross pits eight teams against each other in identical Land-Rover
Discoveries on a specially built 4WD course.
The promise is that real four-wheel drive skills will be needed,
including the use of winches and chains.
Rovercross seems to have been inspired by several related events.
One factor may have been the popularity of special "stages"
held on short, purpose-built dirt-tracks situated near city centres
(e.g. on the Perth riverside) as part of major rallies.
The name is reminiscent of `Rally-cross' which was held on short
dirt-tracks with mud, water-splashes and jumps,
and which was popular on Saturday afternoon TV in the UK
in the 1960s and 1970s.
There is much interest in the `Camel Trophy', and
even in the selection trials for that.
Lastly, members of 4x4 clubs will be familiar with 4WD gymkhanas
and (especially in the UK) with 4WD `trials'.
The use of identical Discoveries should make for close competition.
Land-Rover have very carefully cultivated a responsible attitude towards
four-wheel driving and it will be interesting to see how they
balance speed and excitement with safety and environmental concerns
in Rovercross.
The courses are on private land, one at Oran Park Raceway near Sydney,
another at River Island near Mittagong.
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