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Article and Photos By: Kimber Rau
Edited by:  Randy Wheeler

The day started off promising as the temperatures were down slightly and a breeze was present to ease the fear of a repeated scorcher from the day before. I hadn't had but a brief peek at the first 6 courses, so the day was dedicated to them and any action they could offer. As it turned out these courses proved to require more technical skill than the courses I had surveyed the previous day.

Course 1 was the farthest out from supplies so I started there in hopes of being closer to food and drink when the time arose. Here, competitors started with a right turn up a 60 layered slope at the top of which they made a hard left. The course was designed so there was no way for them to avoid dumping the right side of their vehicle into a huge hole without hitting the dreaded 10 point cone. This started the day off with a friendly internal reminder to those who forgot to use the facilities before starting the course. Turning left to get out of the off camber hole, set them on a rocky path to a 3' descent down as they turned right into an abyss capable of taking them on an unexpected tumble. A hard right from there took them up through a narrow notch that had the drivers side getting kissy smoochy with the sandstone. They didn't even get to escape this affectionate clutch before they had to turn left, nearly full back into and down this overly amorous stone partner to escape its grasp.

Kinsey Beard (left) and Patti Arnett (right) showed the crowds how its done when you're in touch with your feminine side.

Next up and around the corner, to the right, was Course 2. This course had its roots in the sandy bottom as usual and sent the teams on a magic carpet ride with many a rise and plummet to one side or the other, but rarely both sides at the same time. The first twister was a 45 degree climb turning left up a 4' rock with three varied scales that stuck out to grab cross members and differentials and pitch them precariously left. As they crested this area, the right tire went skyward while the left was sucked into a hole that was craving a metal meal. In this hungry chasm was a little bitty tree that was near impossible to avoid, and touching it cost the dreaded 10 points. Conquering this peril required crafty maneuvering right, up the embankment, to a 2' ledge that now pitched them off camber to the opposite side. Once they leveled out, they only had time to blink before straddling a 2' high bulge in their path that was strategically located to challenge the underbelly clearance of all vehicles. Most found themselves working the steering left, then right, and back again, as the spotter pulled and rocked the rig to free it from its lofty perch. Attention was imperative as they gained their freedom, for a mere foot after launching forward, they were pitched quickly down a 4' drop-off that caught Kinsey Beard, one of a handful of female drivers in the sport, by surprise and flopped her over the long way to land hard on her top. A quick check-over by the medical group had Kinsey taped up to protect tender ribs and back in her "Jeep-n-stien" ready to pound more rock.

Course 3, not to be outdone by its neighbor in the rollover category, was prepared to wrestle all who stepped up to her gates. As with the other courses a steep climb got them past the starting gates. There was a tire swallowing hole in the middle that warned of the perils of entering. If the front got past this hole, the rear wheels arrival meant it was time to turn uphill again and right to get that side-hill fear factor pumping as the degree of climb increased with forward motion. Garnering a near level position had the teams tiptoeing through a 20'section of boulders. At the end of this respite, the course tried to topple them off a 6' ledge whose basin was almost big enough for the entire rig, full of sand, and slanted downhill to the right. Getting out of this took some maneuvering and a lot of trust in the spotter before the team was faced with the real test this course had to offer up. It came to be known as the "Turtle's Back", a stand alone mound of rock that looked innocent, but had mysterious forces protecting it from a struggle free mounting. If the teams succeeded in climbing the face, they usually got high centered at the top and had all four tires dancing with the Utah air. The most frequent and eventually successful tactic was to climb up as far as traction would allow, back down slightly, and then romp on the throttle hoping that momentum would carry you over the top to freedom. For some, this ended up being a tactical error and had them posing for the camera with their moving parts flaunted while the graphics side got a little closer to Utah soil.

How to climb over a Turtle's Back 101 - How not climb over a Turtle's Back TKO

Course 4 offered up an eye boggling array of front tire hops worthy of a hydraulic shock equipped low rider convention with its beginning obstacle. It started with a layered 5' climb of about 45 degrees, then immediately got steeper to about 60 degrees with knots in the rock that had competitors bouncing up and down with output/input shafts and drivelines suffering, and sometimes giving in, under the abuse. It was here that Dave Laws put on an unbelievable show of luck as his rig literally bounced up, over, and came down on the other side of the cone without touching it for the required 10 point demerit. If they escaped this tilted ping-pong table, they leveled out briefly before climbing another 5' in elevation. Just as the rear wheels hit the base of this climb, they had to cajole their vehicle down into a hole on the left and through the exit gates at an angle that cut back into where they had just come from.

The course that packed the most punch for its short length was number 5. The teams had to work quickly and communicate well to prevail on this course. It started with a straight up assault, all the while tilting downhill to the right side before groping through a 3' notch that gave a false sense of security while in its grasp. Reality would sink in as the driver inched their way through the hole to realize that the clinometer was way passed the last mark they had put on it before landing in a position that was less than complimentary. If they were able to maneuver through and regain solid footing despite the side-hill tensions, a small sandy flat was the reward. Or perhaps it was more like their chance to pray as here the course split into two paths: left for the Legends Class, rigs that were closer to "stock" and to the right for the Unlimited Class, we'll call these not what OEM had in mind. The Legends had a series of steps they had to get their lower bellies over before it was all said and done for their efforts on this course. However they did have the bonus point option of taking the Unlimited line to try and make up for mistakes they made elsewhere during competition. Many tried this, but ended up losing far more than the points they would have gained had they stuck to the left. As for the Unlimiteds, they had to climb straight up 4' and turn left at the very top while a bulging mass of rock got in the drivers face and a stone wall 5' in front of them tested the turning radius of the rig and pull strength of the spotter. Backing up here to realign and overcome poor turning abilities made for some pinched brows, and other body parts, as the vehicle was balanced precariously on the top ledge of the hole it had just struggled out of. Accomplishing this presumably impossible turn to the left wouldn't be enough proof of skill without a turn to the right of almost the same difficulty to gain entry to exit land.

After going full side-hill on #5, the teams then tried their hand at going almost vertical

The course that offered up the most spectacular and potentially hazardous full frontal wheel stands was number 6. A casual Sunday drive up and around a rocky embankment brought them nearly full circle and aimed towards sea level as they pitched everything they had down a drop-off that was tapered for 4' straight down under the right tire and 6' straight down under the left tire. To add some Utah spice, there was the rock embankment preventing realignment for a different approach to the left angle and a huge dwarfing boulder located directly in front of their right headlight. The intended path was to crank the wheel as far as she would go to the left, avoid the mammoth rock and bring the rear end down to earth. But . . . the angle of drop off had the rigs so close to vertical that the fuel pumps were sucking nothing but fumes in many cases. Only those who were able to maneuver quickly within the fuel resources available in their supply lines going to the intake system got through this one without having to take a safety line from the rear and even sometimes multiple bodies for ballast. Bringing all four rubber devices back to earth without the negative point gods putting an end to their course run had them moving forward away from that lofty escape and down the hill to a much less extreme, but none-the-less challenging, decent. They had to pass through a narrowed notch with one of those touchy feely Vernal shrubs on the right just waiting to donate some negative points to their score before they were in the land of the free. Once again John Gilleland, overall winner of this event, made most of the others look like competition kindergarteners as he walked this entire course without a whimper of doubt. 

Craig Stumph and Mike Cook, the doers of damage and course designers, got generous this weekend and through in a bonus course they dubbed the Widow Maker. For those who felt less than worthy of their points or just wanted to show off for the crowds, there was a 10 point bonus to be had for making it up this 50' wall of stone. While it looked intimidating and impossible, it proved to be doable by most of the highly modified motorized beasts that were present. It did live up to its promise of putting on a show for few did it without a struggle that entailed full throttle, rubber melting, parts flying, rock bouncing, wheel standing, and mostly crowd support. Tom LeBlanc, a.k.a. Captain America, gave us the best show though AFTER he tamed the Widow Maker and headed down the backside unassisted by any tether. He took the fast lane down the 50' drop via his roll-cage and at the bottom was heard saying," I almost had it!"

Once again UROC put forth a well coordinated joint effort, from it's multitude of volunteers to Uintah County roads division who worked diligently to get the road into the event accessible to all the spectators. If they keep improving their events, Supercrawl promises to be THE event of the season.

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