Fearing a transmission lock-up similar to the one suffered by Tomalin's Jag (086) I carried on tentatively to East Dulwich via Peckham where I got some 'wicked' thumbs-ups and some slow approving headnods from a bunch of lads in a Puma Racing. Thankfully it seems to have been a one-off glitch. Once parked, I switched off, restarted the engine and everything's been fine since.

It's been another busy month for the Rangey, which acted as chase car for the Scottish leg of eCoty. Loaded up with photographic gear, it must have weighed close to three tons, yet it proved swift and able, riding bumps and yumps which had an X-type Sport bottoming-out during the previous month's 700-mile recce of the Borders region.

We managed a bit of on-track playtime at Knockhill, and Roger Green encouraged me to try the off-road course too.
Probably not the best idea in a ΂£60K Rangey with road tyres and a novice at the wheel when it's been raining for three days solid. Anyway, down a riverbank and along a stream we went, until we reached the 'proper' off-road course. In fact, it was a walk in the (muddy) park for the Rangey as it pulled itself out of the deepest, slimiest goo, negotiated all kinds of scary looking slopes and waded through bogs without a problem. The 'hill descent' worked a treat, too, coping with a soggy, deeply rutted 45degree plunge. Try doing that in your X5!

Then Harry 'I'll show you how it's done' Metcalfe decided to have a go. And very impressive it was too as he conquered the 45degree slope in forwards and reverse. Until he brought it back with a missing front spoiler, cuts in two of the tyres' sidewalls and damaged rims all round, apparently snagged on 'hidden rocks'.

The spoiler was only ΂£11.75 to replace and, to be fair, the tyres were safe to use and the wheels could have been refurbished. But Land Rover decided to replace them with a set of Stormer wheels (΂£2557 inc four tyres). Metcalfe's not going anywhere near it.