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| Cedar City, Utah – July
2002
Color Country. Named after it’s multi-colored geology and diverse
landscape. In this southeastern corner of Utah, you can do it all.
Ski, fish, hike, and of course – rock crawl. The big dogs of the
fastest growing motor sport gathered again for the 3rd
time this season to test machine and to battle mother nature for
that elusive title – king of the rocks. Back to back winners,
Shaffer/Clifford, enter this event, sitting on top of the points
standings and in a good position to take it all. Their plan is to
take it one rock at a time. But the rest of the pack has a different
plan. Can the reining champs from Vernal continue their win streak?
Or will the rocks of 3 Peaks swallow them up and spit out a new
victor? One thing is for sure, the action is hot, hot,
hot! |
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TOUGH COURSE
The event
at Cedar City was just like the rest - 2 courses with 7
obstacles. When the competition began, thoughts from the
drivers slowly trickled down the ‘proverbial’ complaint line.
"This course is too long and too hard." You see, some
competitors were complaining it was too hard because they were
braking parts earlier than they maybe anticipated. Everything
from drivelines to steering components to transmissions was
falling apart on various obstacles early in the competition.
What some of these drivers may not take into consideration is
how good the parts are before they start the competition. In
most motor-sports, drivers have a team of people that work on
the various cars or rigs before they compete. In some cases,
vehicles are torn down to the smallest bolt and then re-built
making sure that every part is in top working order. The sport
of rockcrawling is a continuously growing sport. Most of the
competitors are still small and don’t have the money or
manpower to do this. So are the rocks to hard or is the rig
not ready? Driver Charlie Copsey said, "how do you know that
your u-bolt wasn’t weakened from the last competition and then
bit the dust when you tried to climb a small rock?" That’s a
very good question indeed. So, I’ll ask again. Is the course
too tough or is the rig not ready? To answer that question, I
turned to Ken Shupe who finished the event with 4 points.
Obviously to him, it wasn’t that hard. I’m sure his spotter
‘Moose’ might beg to differ. |
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| DANCING YOUR RIG
It never ceases to amaze me how this motor sport continues to grow. Not
just in size or purse money - although that is a good thing. What I’m
talking about is the driving ability these extreme rockcrawlers have
developed. I’m sure most will tell you that they have been four wheeling
their entire lives and that they are used to all types of terrain. While
that’s fine, what I’m really talking about is the ability to do things
with a vehicle that in most situations, a ‘normal’ driver would never
think to do. Take the common tip over or roll over – for example. Just 3
years ago, if a driver rolled his rig he would have probably called for
help to put it back on it’s wheels. Now, if a driver rolls and is sitting
on his side, he is thinking of a way to get it back on it’s wheels with no
help at all. I have seen many drivers jam the tire into the ground and
give it a little gas and plop that thing back onto it’s rubber. The other
thing I noticed this weekend was the ability to play ‘Spiderman’ on the
rocks. Some of the obstacles this weekend called for extreme off-camber
traversing. I watched many drivers slide their rigs sideways along a rock,
acting like they were sitting there ready to jump through the gates like a
superhero coming to the rescue. And if some rigs weren’t lucky enough to
dance along the rocks without tipping over, they were driving through the
course sideways or even upside down completing the course in the allotted
time. I’m certain that many vehicle manufactures didn’t take this into
consideration when they were planning their next vehicle. I can’t wait to
see what’s next – hop scotch? |
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| THE HEAT
We all know the phrase; "It’s so hot you can fry an egg on the
sidewalk". When you were a kid, you probably thought that could
happen. Well the rocks at 3 Peaks were certainly hot enough to fry
just about anything. In fact, I even heard a few people complain
that their shoes were melting just standing on the rocks. With
temperatures flirting way above the century mark, the first item of
business was staying cool. Everything from tents and umbrellas to
water bottles and water sprayers could be seen all over. And not
just for people. You see not only does hot temperatures mean a
little sweat on the forehead, it also means over heating rigs. Most
competitors were worried about 2 things, the obstacle ahead of them
and their rigs melting away. Most drivers were greeted by their pit
crews at the end of an obstacle who doused the radiator with water
in hopes to cool off the mighty beast. And while no machine or
person fell victim to the heat, I’m certain the town of Cedar City’s
water supply was very low after this event. Which brings me to my
next question, why don’t we try this on the sun? I bet there are
some good obstacles there. |
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| JEWEL IN
THE DESSERT
Three years ago, the town of Cedar City was invaded by
extreme rockcrawlers who all wanted to know what this small
city in Utah had to offer. We were all curious if the rocks at
3 Peaks could offer a challenge or compare to the likes of
Johnson Valley or Farmington. After that very first event, I
think it was unanimous that Cedar City was one of the elite
places to hold a rockcrawling event. 3 Peaks Off-Road
Recreation area is about 10 minutes from the city. The road to
the area is well maintained. If you want, you can even drive a
car, right up to the rocks. The terrain and rocks at 3 Peaks
is massive. It’s a huge rock garden that caters to all types
of rockcrawlers. Whether you’re into extreme action or just a
mild day on the rocks, 3 Peaks offer’s it all. Cedar City also
sports some really nice sleeping and eating establishments.
The people of Cedar City have welcomed rockcrawlers with open
arms and I’m sure it’s safe to say, that this jewel in the
desert will be a welcomed site for a long
time. |
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| AND THE
WINNER IS
The town of Cedar City blocked off a small section of town
to hold the closing ceremony. Competitor’s displayed their
rigs in what is becoming a standard for a rockcrawling car
show – rig stack. With all the scores tallied, the
3rd event in the 2002 Goodyear Skyjacker Extreme
Rockcrawling Nationals crowned a new champion. Ken Shupe and
his spotter Kevin ‘Moose’ Nalley finished the weekend with 4
points, which put them in 1st place. Coming in
second with 45 points was team Shaffer/Clifford and rounding
out the top three was team Currie/Waggoner with 68 points.
Leaving their mark in Color Country, the extreme rockcrawlers
now turn to the big daddy, the big kahuna, the event to end
all events – the finals. With only 18 points separating the
top 3 and less than 40 points separating the top 5, the
championship crown is still way up for grabs. The series now
heads to Southern California. Another extreme rockcrawling
playground known as Johnson Valley. So who will be able to
ride off into the sunset as the 2002 champion? You can be sure
we will be there to find out. |
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Did you miss our live coverage? Go HERE
To purchase a video of the Cedar City event, go HERE | |
