Driving skill plays a far larger role in sandy conditions than many people realise. Those who know the finer points of desert driving not only have a distinct advantage but can get far more out of a vehicle.
That was the lesson of South Africa's biggest 4x4 event, the Spirit of Africa challenge, a pure driving competition as opposed to the multi-disciplined Land Rover G4 Challenge.
Each of the 221 teams was screened for ability before the event and only the top 12 went through to the final in the Namib desert.
The two-day semi-final, deep in the Kalahari north of Upington, cost a bargain R3000 per team, all-found and sleeping in two-person tents with the daily temperatures of 34C plunging to near zero at night.
The 15 Kalahari sections covered driving in thick sand, a rally-style regularity run, a timed special stage and two serious climbs up sand dunes. Teams were allowed to practise before the start and advised on how to get the best out of the vehicles.
It was run by evergreen Sarel van der Merwe, who shows no signs of culture shock even after retiring from competing in World Sports Car events such as the Le Mans 24-hour, where he competed seven times for Porsche (including a second place) and winning 10 SA Rally championships, to become an organiser and teacher in the Kalahari.
He was also adamant that off-roading need be no threat to the ecology - illustrated when his wife Daniele leapt in at one stage to prevent a baby scorpion from being run over.
The tiny creature was barely bigger than a matchhead but the event was stopped while Sarel used a handkerchief to coax the spitting and fighting little fellow, its sting waving at the ready, off the track.
The vehicles used were Mitsubishi Rodeo 2.8-litre turbodiesel 4x4 bakkies with their anti-lock brakes disconnected (ABS is seldom an advantage and often a severe disadvantage in sand) and tyre pressures reduced to one bar.
Van der Merwe's first message was: Never spin the wheels in sand. The vehicle must ride on the top; if a wheel spins it digs in. When going uphill, reduce power if a wheel starts to spin.
I watched Van der Merwe tackle a steep climb; he revved the engine to 2800rpm to allow the turbo to speed up and released the clutch. The Mitsubishi immediately built up momentum as he fed the power through without a hint of wheelspin.
"See how slowly you can climb if you ride on top of the sand, not pushing a wall in front of the tyres," he said.
He made it look easy - yet half the field couldn't reach the top. He flew round the second stage like the Supervan who won 10 SA rally championships, then turned and said: "I'm just getting it (the need to race flat out) out of my system."
'Most difficult yet
The group I was with certainly enjoyed the off-road challenge although one contestant was heard to say that if he owned an off-road vehicle he would never take it in such rough conditions.
Regular 4x4 challenge contestants Zolile Mtimkulu and Noel Stapelfeldt described the Kalahari semi-final as "awesome" and "the most difficult test we've completed".
Van der Merwe agreed: "We raised the bar for this year's competition.
"The final12 will be the cream of the crop, having fought through really strong competition and some of the toughest challenges yet in a South African 4x4 competition."
- The Spirit of Africa final will take place north of Lüderitz in Namibia from August 28-September 9.