Rock Crawling - that is what we do..........
But it is rather fun to watch the other guys who like speed!
That is what KING OF THE CANYONS - ENDURANCE RACE is all about. Held at Canyons Off Road Park outside of Fredericksburg Texas, this non-sanctioned race is more about fun and giving the “regular guy” a chance for some full throttle action. There were two races: A one hour race for UTVs and an hour and half for all types of 4x4 rigs. The one with the most distance covered in that time frame wins.
A cool front had rolled in, so it was nippy and rather frisky outside - perfect for racing! When we arrived the racers were doing their final checks and prepping for the qualifying run that placed them in racing position. This was a two lap short loop that included circling an oak in two different spots. UTV’s went first and darn were they quick and responsive! Next was the 4x4 rigs. Several circled the tree on two wheels!
The race course was the same for both racers It consisted of fast track ranch roads, a muddy ravine, hill climbs, nose dives, rock ledges and the most difficult obstacle, “Yota Killer”. We chose to watch the race at Yota Killer - expecting to see some carnage. The UTVs were given the easy option at this spot, but it was still a challenging uphill turn on a rock ledge. The 4x4 racers had two options on the wall, one more extreme than the other. All the rigs maneuvered the spot very well, some suffering breakage in the process, however! Good clean horse powered fun!
The key word in all of this was “endurance”. What the winning came down to was keeping good speed, but also holding the rig together! Maverick did just that and came in first place, wearing the cool belt buckle home. Congrats Maverick! Second place went to Shawn, who had a pit stop to repair his rig. Way to stay in the game Shawn! Third place went to Fred, who ran a solid race in his capable rig. Thata boy Fred!
It is hard to beat a day like this one.......sitting on a hillside with friends, next to a crackling campfire, watching all flavors of rigs put on a show.....it just doesn’t get much better.