24 Hours At The Hammers... a charity event	Short Cuts
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Author: Steve Friend (Member: West Coast 4 Wheel Drive Club) - 8/2000
Editor: Randy Burleson

The Event

The competitors: ready to roll. Steve Friend

Friday morning, after we held a driver meeting, passed out maps, gave a pep talk, took some pictures, and wished each other luck, we were off to the first trail. There was some confusion after the first trail, since most of the contestants had never run these trails before. The contestants ran the trails much faster than we had anticipated and we could have used more spotting/directing help, but I thought we had marked the roads well enough that nobody could get lost. The distance between three of the trails, however, is long enough that there was some short-term confusion. Ray came to the rescue, as did the Victor Valley club, and only a few moments were lost for the leaders.

Pat Gremillion welding his own radius arm. Steve Friend

Jason finished first in 5.5 hours, with Ned Bacon right on his heels, and Pat right after him. The contestants after these top three finalists spread out pretty well over the next few hours. Jason finished up and ran interference almost all night where he was needed. Part of the rules, ya see, was that a flag person (volunteer) directing the contestants to and from the trails could not help except to direct them where to go. If we helped in any other way, the contestant would be disqualified. Contestants, however, could help other contestants all they wanted. Pat welded, Jason directed and lead, Ned helped locate, etc… you get the idea. Some of the contestants that did not need to carry a lot of gas, left gas at various trailheads for other contestants in case they needed it. I saw the best competition and camaraderie with these folks.

The contestants. Steve Friend

Did I mention that there were 3 support rigs that swept the trails last in case there were broken parts that needed to be fixed? All of these rigs were broken by the time they got to Wrecking Ball. Only one rig had to be salvaged Saturday morning, and that was done by the Tuffy supporting team, with broken shock mounts and axles, and Pat and Ned welding and pulling them back to camp by noon.

The last rigs to complete the trails were Chris Wood (with Paul Beckman, his spotter and co-driver) at about 3 am, and Jesse Rodocker (D90) at about 4:30 am. We waited until first light to walk to the top of Wrecking Ball, and pick our way down the trail to see that the broken rigs picking their way back down the trail. The broken Flat Fender had a broken steering box (broken completely away from the frame), a broken power steering pump and hose, a broken driveline, and more. He was toast.

The Fallout

Pat Gremillion welding John Cape's steering box. Steve Friend

The overall carnage for this event included broken, roached, and mangled: axles, u-joints, drivelines, frames, wheels, sliders, bumpers, radiators , motor mounts, transfer cases, steering boxes, blown clutches, body panels, and power steering components.

None of the support group (flag vehicles) broke anything. Jason's new rock rig that was just written up in Four Wheel Drive and Sport Utility magazine proved itself well, as did Pat and Ned's rigs. Chris Wood was driving his new stretched TJ with everything longer and it did ok, except for a bit of body damage (first trail(s) out with this mod) and the darn D90 even did ok.

Jeri Ferguson of CA4WDC stayed with us almost all day and all night helping where she could. She and I transported the magazine writers and photographers all over the place, and got their little rental truck unstuck a lot.

Winners get Bragging Rights, but Charities Receive Cash

Childrens Hospital, receiving the check. Steve Friend

California 4 Wheel Drive Association, receiving the check. Steve Friend

At the end of the competition, on Saturday morning, Chris Wood made out checks to CA4WDC, Blue Ribbon Coalition, and Children's Hospital, for $5333.33 each. He also wrote out checks for $500 to West Coast (and the Trail Masters) for Toys for Tots, and $500 to Victor Valley to help in the trail building or any other way they want to use the money.

On the down side, Jason Bunch's spotter Steve dislocated his knee on Sun Bonnet, right at the end of the trail. With a wood and duct tape leg splint, they headed for camp. Alerted by radio, Danny Grimes left the trails and headed for his truck at camp to provide transportation to the hospital. Jason got Steve to Danny, and Jeri padded Steve's knee with her sleeping bag and jackets for the trip to the hospital. Later, somehow, Steve made it back to his motorhome with an interesting bandage from his ankle to his thigh, and with good news that it should heal fine, without surgery. Jason's new spotter was Andy - and luckily, there were no more mishaps.

Now, do I really want to stick to my Detroit's? The ARB lockers seem to have done well this weekend. All of the contestants were running them. Naw, I still like my Detroit's. (Just funnin' ya Chris!)

Wait, that's not all. What about the next event? Yes, there will be another event. With the success of this Johnson Valley event, Chris will hold another 24-hour event, but at a different location. Ever heard of Tellico, Tennessee? Well, I have never been there, but I am sure that lots of middle country folks that have been there will be willing to help Chris with the event. Canada, Farmington, Las Cruces -- all are likely future locations. For the next event, half of the participants will be picked by ARB, and the other half chosen via a lottery. So, if you are interested, send a resume/personal profile to Chris Wood at the address listed below.