focusinterview. Newcomer to town Jason Ostick is a Civil Engineer working on the highway upgrade. He and his partner, Steph, along with four of their mates recently completed The Rickshaw Run – a gruelling 3,000 km journey from one end of India to another in a Tuk Tuk. here are you engine. The design hasn’t changed much nity to submit a paint scheme for our team's dangers of participating in such an event from, and how since 1948. They have a manual 4 speed Rickshaws. The local painters did a great job are very real. What types of dangers did long have you gearbox, with one reverse gear. Similar to making our rides look utterly out of place you encounter along the way? been on the the old school Vespa scooters, the gears are as we ventured across the country. We also Driving on the roads was the biggest risk. Coffs Coast? selected by twisting the left handgrip whilst added a boomin' sound system, in order to The scariest moment was whilst driving up Only two simultaneously pulling in the clutch lever on get some local beats blasting dur- a tight, windy mountain road, a Wmonths ago we moved to the Coffs Harbour the same handgrip. ing our trip. fully loaded lorry truck at full from Newcastle. My partner, Steph, and I love There are three routes. Which route did What type of training steam coming down the the beaches and fi shing that the area offers. you take, and how many kilometres did did you have to un- mountain came round I’m working on the Nambucca to Urunga you travel in what period of time? dergo to compete? a blind hairpin corner, Pacifi c Highway Upgrade as a Civil Engineer. We started in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan and fi n- Training consisted taking up both lanes What is The Rickshaw Run? ished in Cochin, Kerala. At the end, the fi nal of a brief walk and forcing us into The Rickshaw Run is an organised charity odometer reading was 3,127 km; however, around the vehicle the ditch on the side event where participants are challenged with the accuracy of this can’t be guaranteed. We to see where things of the road. Losing the task of getting from one end of India to crossed the fi nish line after 14 days. were and what was brakes on another the other, driving a Tuk Tuk. There is no set How many people were in your team? missing and a quick day wasn’t fun either. route, nor any assistance during the journey; What relationship to you were your team run down on how Livestock was another you’re on your own. In total, there were mates? to hand crank the obstacle we faced; a about 70 different teams from all over the We had a team of 6 people sharing two motor to get it started charging cow almost world competing; about 10 percent didn’t Tuk Tuks. We were 3 couples, mates from and how to fl ick through took out one of our vehicles make it to the end. uni. At the end of the race we still managed the gears. After that, you were whilst on the open road. Break How did you get involved with The Rick- to leave as 3 couples too. We rotated people on your own. Driving on the roads downs weren’t too much of a drama, shaw Run? per Tuk Tuk as we went, just to mix things up. took some getting used to – just had to though. All in all, we only went through A quick internet search and a few phone Thanks to my fellow team members Aimee, forget all the road rules you ever learnt 3 sets of brake shoes, one brake slave cylin- calls overseas landed us a spot in the January David, Raquel, Olly and Steph for making it and have your wits about you. der, 2 broken drive shafts, one blocked carbu- 2013 Rickshaw Run from Jaisalmer to Cochin. an unforgettable adventure. Apart from driving, I imagine there was a retor, an exhaust that fell off, a fuel tank that What prompted this adventure? Did you As this is a charity event, who did you lot of fun to be had. What type of activi- fell off and a broken roof frame. Nothing a know much about India prior to this? donate your monies too, and how much ties did you retire to after a long day of roll of fencing wire and some roadside weld- At the time we were looking for a holiday did you raise? driving? ing couldn’t fi x. with a bit of adventure. We’d heard good We had a variety of charities we raised The usual activity at the end of the day was Who was your sponsor, and how did they things from others regarding the diverse scen- funds for. The main charity was Frank Water, to fi x up what had broken or fallen off our support your journey? ery and history that India had to offer. Prior helping to provide clean water to communi- Tuk Tuks prior to setting off for the next day. I was sponsored by Laser Plumbing & to the Rickshaw Run, the most I knew about ties throughout India. We also raised funds We did manage to visit the Ellora Caves in Electrical, who are Australia & New Zealand's India was the Taj Mahal, the River Ganges for Dads in Distress, Newcastle Children’s Aurangabad, the Lake Palace at Udaipur, as largest Plumbing & Electrical contracting and the great food. Hospital & Kids@Heart NZ. In total, we ended well as the Taj Mahal. We also got to spend group. They supported us fi nancially, of which What is a Rickshaw? Engine? Transmis- up raising $4,800. a couple of days relaxing on the beaches of the funds were donated towards a charity sion? What is 'pimped' ... and was your rick- Goa. We visited heaps of local markets and called Frank, Water which is all about provid- A Rickshaw is a three wheeled vehicle pow- shaw 'pimped?' some great restaurants. ing cleaner water to remote Indian areas. ered by a single cylinder 145 cc two stroke Prior to us arriving, we had the opportu- Although it's a wonderful adventure, the Thanks Jason. 22 coff s coast ffocusocus..