The Driving School That Trains Dakar Racers Will Help You Take Your Off-Roading to the Next Level
So, you’re one of the 500,000 people last year who bought a Land Rover Defender, Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen or one of the dozens of other highly capable off-roaders on sale today. While most of those vehicles will never leave the pavement, you, on the other hand, plan to adventure in the rugged surrounds of places like Moab, Ouray, Dunbarton, and Bend. But where can you learn all the tips and tricks to ensure that the ensuing backcountry foray doesn’t end up as an epic fail video on YouTube?
While there are brand-specific schools like the Land Rover Experience and Bronco Off-Roadeo, if you want to learn from the professionals that train Seal Team Six, Delta Force, Task Force Orange and off-road racers that participate in the Baja 1000 and Dakar Rally, then best to steer toward Cameron Advanced Mobility (CAM).
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Founded by Ken Cameron, a veteran of both the US Army and Camel Trophy off-road competition, the technical-driving academy features the CAM CIV, a training program based on Cameron’s own work with the US military, CIA and other global defense organizations, as well his experience in competitive all-terrain racing. CAM specializes in extreme off-road mobility and expedition driving, and the curriculum includes everything from vehicle familiarization, maintenance and repair, driver training, vehicle recovery, operational planning and field exercises.
“I grew up in rural New Jersey and was always interested in off-roading. I built my first Jeep before I even had a driver’s license,” says Cameron. “I joined the army at 17, and when I got out, moved to Colorado to build log homes.” Shortly after that, he got asked to try out for the US Camel Trophy team and won a spot, soon competing in a 21-day, 1,100-mile slog across Borneo. The trek was so difficult that at times they would only make two kilometers of progress in 24 hours. “After competing, I spent the next five years as a team trainer for the US,” he adds. Cameron created the school in 2000 for Joint Special Operations Command soldiers preparing to go to Bosnia. Then, after 9/11, he was already in place to train troops for Afghanistan.
When he’s not educating the military, Cameron puts all of his experience to use designing programs for civilians. Those who participate can use their own vehicles, new or used, or CAM can provide Jeeps and Land Rovers for the duration of instruction. And courses can be selected from established offerings or customized for private groups or individuals.
The big difference between CAM and other all-terrain driving academies is the depth with which the subject matter is covered. This isn’t a quick tech talk complemented by a few hours of trail driving on a sunny afternoon. CAM sessions can last up to five days and provide a comprehensive understanding of four-wheel-drive systems and how to set them so they are terrain appropriate. Yet even with the latest and most advanced setups, people get stuck, so CAM teaches a number of recovery strategies, including proper winch-rigging techniques, with hands-on practice before heading into the wilds.
The driving is varied and, at times, extremely technical. Since cell phones and GPS don’t always work in these environments, students are instructed in how to plan out routes with waypoints on a good old-fashioned physical map and navigate using a compass. The full experience includes every kind of terrain, from two-track trails and desert sand dunes to mountain rocks, dense mud and even snow, depending on the time of year. And those interested in roughing it will learn how to set up camp to survive whatever nature throws at them.
Cameron Advanced Mobility isn’t for those who are just planning to explore forest roads or fire trails. It’s for people who want to learn the skills needed to successfully navigate remote and intimidating landscapes and survive for days off the grid. It’s challenging and demanding, but by the end, students have been pushed well beyond their imagined limits and are ready for wherever a 4×4 can take them.
Click here for more photos of off-road training with Cameron Advanced Mobility.
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