Hello again. Here we are in the middle of the WeRock East season and counting down the days to Grand Nationals in New Mexico.
The third comp for this season is in our own back yard at Rausch Creek Off-Road Park in Tremont, Pennsylvania. We arrived at the Hampton Inn for Tech and to check in Friday afternoon. After tech, we went up to the park to check our courses. While we were doing this, a storm blew in with heavy rain and lightning all around the top of the mountain. For safety reasons, we decided to walk the courses in the morning.
Saturday morning we arrived at the park early to walk courses and to do a final check of the comp rig. We are running first today due to our position pick at check-in. Today we are running on all the concrete portions of the comp site. Our first three courses are on the large mound, nick-named “Camel Back”, and the fourth is on the helmet.
Our first course for today is B2 which is in the middle of Camel Back. We have to go up and over the highest point which has a steep double break-over. On the back side, we have a side-hill bonus or a steep uphill regular line. Then it’s back up and over the top, there is a steep downhill double hump and then we’re out the gate. We have the home park advantage this time and have been all over these obstacles. Having this advantage, we know we cannot just crawl up and over the first hill climb. Bruce tells me that we are going to need some momentum to carry us up and onto the skid plate. So with some throttle, I hit the hill and launch the front wheels into the air and manage to land on the other side of Camel Back. Unfortunately, we took out a cone, but made the gate. We then attempted the bonus. But after a few tries and the front end getting light we decided to go for the regular line. After getting up on top again, we dropped off at the double bump with no problem and were out the exit. One cone, three progressions, and four backups later, we were at a total score of 11.
Then it was on to B3 on the left side of Camel Back. We chose to back onto the course to make it easier to go for the bonus gate. By backing in and going through the bonus, it allowed us to drop the back of the rig down through the crack to line up for gate two. The climb out of the bowl was steep and the gates were almost parallel to the rig. Two attempts and we are up but nicked the lower cone on the way. I backed into the corner to clear the mud in the bowl so we could get to gate three. Gate three is an upward side hill with a steep drop off after the gate. We made it clean. We got one cone, seven backups, three progressions, and a bonus for a score of three.
B4 is on the opposite end of Camel Back. This end consists of two bowls, several steep climbs, and the Frame Twister. We started from the right, through the first bowl and up to the top. I slid to the right on the way up and barely missed the right cone. I then dug the front end to the left and got up onto the bonus line. The bonus was a steep drop-off into the Frame Twister. I cleared the bonus gate but took several hard shots trying to get down through the Frame Twister. Then it was up and over the left side and down through the large bowl. Trying to get over the left side, I got belly-hung and slid into the right exit cone. One cone, seven backups, and one bonus for a total of three.
B1 is the last course for Saturday. We head over to an obstacle called the Helmet. We started on the low side of the Helmet and had to climb up the right side. After two attempts we made it but tagged one cone on the way. Gate two is a side hill from top to bottom. We get through it with no problem. A short little run out and around a cone and back to the Helmet. Up and over the top, down through the trench, and back to the bottom. Gate three is a steep, 20 foot, uneven uphill climb. Our first attempt took a bounce, I grabbed reverse and saved the run. Our second attempt wasn’t so lucky. Another bad bounce and I wasn’t able to grab reverse quick enough. The rig fell on the right side with power steering fluid leaking out; it leaked onto the exhaust manifold and caught on fire. The fire burned through the ARB hose which put out the flames.
We hung around and made a few needed repairs before Sunday, day two of competition. With some help from friends we were able to fix the front air line.
It’s Sunday morning, day two. We got a little later start today because we were able to do all our repairs the night before. The first thing we do is walk courses. We are on the A courses today. They are all natural terrain.
It’s 10 am. and time to start. We are number two to run today and behind Mike Cole. Our first course is A2. The beginning of this course is tight through gate one and two. There was an optional bonus to the right of gate one. We chose not to take it seeing as no one the day before had made it. We made gate one and almost had gate tow, but due to sidewall bulge, I just barely brushed the left number two cone. The number three gate is at the top of a large drop off with several large rocks at the bottom. We made the gate and the drop of clean. We had to go out and around another large rock so we could climb up the back side because gate four was on top. After two attempts we get up on top and through gate four. We take another right to face a 10 foot drop off. I front dig to the right and am out the Exit gate. One cone, four backups, four progression points, for a score of ten.
Our second course today is A3. A3 starts with a nice six foot climb through gate one. A slight downhill and through gate two. Rather than trying to back up in these tight courses we decided to back up towards gate three. Gate three is a steep side hill. The rig was getting light in the front so we decided to take the uphill cone and finish the course. One cone, three backups, and three progressions for a total score of 10.
Over to our left and we’re on course A4. A4 starts out with a steep climb. Bruce threw in a few rocks to help the rig up. We get up and over and through the gate clean. A turn to the left and I let the rig burn down the rock slab. Gate four is a drop off with no room to run the vehicle out. The drop off was good after one back up to get into the position. I side hilled almost the full length of the course to get to gate three. I backed down through gate three but had to take a backup to make sure we were square. Four backups and three progressions for a total of one point.
Our last course is A1. A1 is on both sides of the Gauntlet and a high speed run out to trail A and back. We started on the right side looking towards trail A. the Gauntlet consists of two trenches filled with large rocks. We cleared gate one and are on to gate two. Due to the angle, we drove out and back into the Gauntlet to get lined up. One backup and we’re through gate two. I shifted into high range and sped out to trail A, around a cone, and back. Gate three is an easy upward climb back into the left gauntlet or a bonus line. We chose the bonus and made it clean. We went across and up the right side to line up for gate four. Gate for is out to left up a large rock. I tried to goose the throttle to get up and over but took a bad bounce and hit the left cone. One cone, two backups, four progressions, and one bonus for a total of negative two.
We did really well this weekend and had some good scores on our courses. Our scores were good enough that we made it into the shoot out in the 6th position only 12 points out of 5th. The shoot out course was already set up before we found out we had made it. We walked over to the course and were told that we had five minutes to walk it. The shoot out was set up on the right side of Camel Back because the Unlimited class had not finished yet.
Well, after rushing through the course I got suited up, jumped in the Jeep, and got ready to run. Our first gate was through the large bowl and up and over sideways into the Frame Twister. We made the first gate clean but clipped the left side number two cone. I spun it around with a quick front burn and went back into the Frame Twister. After cleaning the mud off the tires I climbed right up Frame Twister and through gate three. At this point we had an optional down bonus or gate four. We felt that we couldn’t line up for the bonus safely and due to this being our first shoot out we decided to take the regular line. Gate four was a steep drop with an off camber landing. We tried to stay as far to the left as we could to make the landing easier. In doing this we took out the left cone and landed the rig on the left side. I was able to drive forward and drive the rig out of the flop. Then we were on to the next set of gates. We chose to take the bonus line. Bruce went and found a large stump and dropped it in the hole. After struggling to make the climb and with less than 40 seconds left I just dropped the hammer and throttled over the obstacle but took out the left bonus cone. We finished with three cones, six backups, five progressions, and one bonus for 21 points. This was good enough to move us up to 5th place for the weekend.
Overall, we had a great weekend. Rausch Creek is a great place to compete and wheel. Our scores for the weekend were good enough to move us up three positions to 7th in the series. We have some work to do on the jeep but we will be ready to kick some butt in Dayton come August. Hope to see some local as well as distant support in Dayton in August.
Take your Jeep to the next level with the Jeep parts found on our site. We are a leading Jeep accessories retailer, providing performance Jeep parts to our customers. It's a Jeep thing-and we do understand!We work hard to give you the best information and Jeep parts & accessories to turn your vehicle into a top-notch ride. Whether you are looking for 4wd Jeep suspension parts & accessories or want improved Jeep performance, we have the essential Jeep parts & Jeep accessories you need. Best of all, each one of us is a Jeep enthusiast and if you have questions about any 4wd Jeep parts & Jeep accessories we offer, simply give us a call and we can help!
The terms Quadratec and Essentials are Registered Trademarks of Quadratec Incorporated, Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. All manufacturers names, numbers, symbols and descriptions are used for reference purposes only, and it is not implied that any part listed is the product of these manufacturers or approved by any of these manufacturers.
*Jeep, Wrangler, Rubicon, Renegade, CJ, Quadra-Trac and the Jeep Grille Design are registered trademarks of Chrysler LLC. Quadratec, Inc, has no affiliation with Chrysler LLC. Throughout this website and catalog the terms Jeep, Wrangler, MOPAR®, & Rubicon are used for identification purposes only. Geo is a registered trademark and Tracker is a registered trademark of the General Motors Company. Sidekick and Samurai are trademarks of Suzuki Motor Corporation. Amigo is a product of Isuzu Motors Limited. Chevrolet, the Chevrolet Emblem, S Series, GMC, GMC Truck, Chevy, Vortec and Sonoma are registered trademarks of the General Motors Company. Expedition, F-Series, F-150, F-250, F-350, Super Duty and Flare Side are registered trademarks of the Ford Motor Company. All other marks, names, and logos mentioned on this web site are the property of their respective owners.
Throughout this web site all the preceding marks & logos are used for identification purposes only. Quadratec has no affiliation with the Chrysler LLC, MOPAR®, General Motors Company, Ford Motor Company, Suzuki Motor Corporation or Isuzu Motors Limited. It is not implied that any part listed is a product of, or approved by Chrysler LLC, General Motors Company, Ford Motor Company, Suzuki Motor Corporation or Isuzu Motors Limited.
Quadratec, Inc. is sometimes mis-searched as Quadartec and Quadratech Jeep Parts, we have no affiliation with either. [4]
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
