RockCross at Muddy Crossroads

Expensive (but fun) Experiment

RockCross and Event #3 - held on the muddy course at the Firebird Raceway - tested the vehicles and competitors in more ways than one.

Obviously, weather cannot be controlled. The course conditions created challenges on basic wall climbs the crawlers could have shot up, had there been drier terrain.  Below, you see what buggies had to work with at the start of a rock climb.

The mud and course construction created a high number of breakage issues for competitors, including Deremo, Maybe, Rodd, Feuley, Johnson, and Bulloch. Even BFG's Campbell almost took a turn for the worse. During practice, he dumped the buggy on its rooftop while attempting to leap off the lip of the course's first jump obstacle. What could have created heightened excitement at the start line was suddenly snuffed out, as not one other single driver tried to floor it off this made-for-motorcross style jump and instead, hit the brakes to hop gently over. 

Searching for Solid Ground

Ranch Pratt's vision for RockCross continues to linger in the development stages, as the expectations of each event are subject to change. This appears to have an affect on building a competitive vibe and creates confusion for competitors. For example, BFG's Brad Lovell was unsure during the Adrenaline Cup if the race was one lap or three (during the actual race!) so he just keep going, following Campbell's lead.

Although Campbell finished first on the Adrenaline Cup, he had to forfeit the win to the Lovells, because he cut a corner.  Roger stole the glory with the big trophy below.

During the Awards Ceremony, many competitors claimed they would be coming back next year, but also expressed their disappointment in the low fan and sponsor turnout for Event #3.

For 2008, Pratt said he would be offering four RockCross events. He will be attempting to correlate the events with Off-Road Expos, with what he did at Event #2 in Pomona and talked about more ideas as well.

Campbell Concentrates on CORR

ORC was invited to an after-event dinner party at Campbell Enterprises, where we met with Shannon Campbell to discuss his racing future.

Campbell has built a vehicle to practice CORR racing, and took the car out to practice for the first time this past Thanksgiving.

Campbell expressed a need to look and feel like he knows what he is doing before attempting to join the CORR circuit. Also in the shop is a CORR Pro Light Ford truck of Marty Hart's, which Campbell will be rebuilding.

Campbell further speculated competing next year in the Unlimited W.E. Rock East Series.

It is important to remember that RockCross and Ranch Pratt,  is not the only rock figure experimenting with changes for hope of off-road sport growth. For the 2008 rock crawl, race and cross season, we'll see new management, new buggies, class switching, and new locations. With change comes growth, so stay tuned here on ORC for all the coverage!