Academia 4×4 Duel of Couples in Bogotá

We have known Mauro Silva for a while now. He and his family have hosted us when we were around Bogotá, and Mauro has given us a helping hand when I wanted to pick his brains on Toyota related stuff in Colombia. He doesn’t necessarily have answers to all my questions, but where needed, his network has been fantastic. But what does he do?

Mauro learned that Colombia has a lot of 4×4 drivers, but discovered also that there was no such thing as a decent training program for off-roading. Mauro, with his Land Cruiser FJ40 clearly a 4×4 affeccionado, decided to fill the niche in that market. He founded the Driving School Academia 4×4.

Last Sunday Mauro invited us to an event he had organized: Duelo de Parejas 4×4 [Duel of 4×4 Couples] and we had a blast. He did this in cooperation with Pasión a Motor, a car/4×4 club for women only.

The event consisted of 4 challenges:

The Drag test—pulling Mauro’s Land Cruiser uphill as fast as possible.
The Confidence Test—a blindfolded driver has to navigate a narrow uphill track, park in reverse, turn around the car, and go downhill again—guided by the co-pilot who walks outside the marked track. Touching the ribbon that marks the trail will cost points.
Balance Test—where the co-pilot holds a bowl of water while the driver manoeuvres a steep decent , 45 degree slants, ruts, and finally reverses uphill. The co-pilot, of course, has to keep as much water in the bowl as possible.
The Mud Test—racing through a terribly muddy and eroded trail as fast as possible, not touching the ribbons.

Below is a compilation of that day. Enjoy the photos!