Jaffer
10-05-2001, 04:40 AM
Article last updated:
Thursday, October 04, 2001 12:35 AM MST
Another rock crawling king crowned
By Darren Marcy/Outdoor editor
CHOKECHERRY CANYON - The Jeeps have all gone home, the dust has settled, and the crowds have dispersed back to normal activities.
But by all accounts the Extreme Rock Crawling Nationals that wound up Saturday was a big hit.
The event, held by the American Rock Crawlers Association, completed the second year of the rock crawling series that continues to grow in popularity.
Jeff Waggoner and John Currie have placed their names squarely atop the rock crawling world by winning the four-stage series, showing last year's second-place finish wasn't a fluke.
Only a broken part kept them from last year's title. But their 2001 Jeep TJ, narrowed 6 1/2 inches to be dubbed the Fire Ant, held up to the rocks and the competition for the title this year.
Stoked with a 4.7-liter V6 engine, automatic transmission, Atlas II transfer case, Currie front and rear axles with Detroit Lockers and running 37-inch Goodyear MTRs, the rig worked well on the rocks in Chokecherry Canyon.
Waggoner from Nebraska, and Currie from California, shared driving duties during the series this year. Currie drove the first and third events and Waggoner the second, before he also took the wheel in Chokecherry for the finals.
The pair tackled the 14 obstacles on the weekend accumulating only 57 points to easily maintain their lead in the series standings.
The pair brought a slim four-point lead into the competition, but with the strong finish in Farmington, broke it open to win convincingly.
Points were a bad thing in this competition, and were awarded for backing up, using rear steer if the vehicle was equipped, touching a gate, winching, using recovery tools or not completing an obstacle in the time allowed.
Using a winch was 30 points all by itself and not completing an obstacle in the time allowed was a 40-point penalty.
Waggoner and Currie mastered the course, taking a minimum of points and many of those were necessary because of the way the obstacles were designed with turns too sharp to make.
Other competitors had good runs as well.
While Waggoner and Currie finished third in the weekend event, Ken Shupe and Jason Bunch put on a rock crawling clinic for the thousands of fans who turned out to watch the metal-grinding action.
Shupe won the fourth stage with an incredibly low average of two points per obstacle, posting a 34 to win the event.
Considering many drivers took that many points on a single obstacle during the weekend, it shows how dominating Shupe was.
Bunch tallied 39 penalty points, showing how close the top two finished. One touched gate worth 10 points would have swung the title the other way, or, more likely a stopping or backing up (worth 1 point each) was the difference.
Stopping or backing up five times over the course of 14 obstacles is a fine hair to split, but it made the difference between first place and second in this competition.
Shupe's ride was a 1986 Jeep Scrambler, cut and bobbed to fit on the rocks. The Scrambler is powered by a 4.3 Vortec V6 that sends power through a 4L60E automatic transmission and on through an Atlas II transfer case to a reverse Dana 60 in the rear and a Dana 60 in the front with Detroit Lockers in both pumpkins keep the 37-inch Goodyears turning.
For Bunch, a Jeep Wrangler with 4-cylinder power plant, AX5 transmission, Atlas 4.3 transfer case and CV drive shafts, get the power to a Dana 30 reverse rotation front end and a 44 reverse rotation rear end. Detroits lock the axles and Goodyear 37-inch MTRs provide the traction.
While this year's ARCA championship series is done with for another year, next year's series is already in the planning stages with plenty of changes in the works.
Darren Marcy: darrenm@daily-times.com
Final series standings
PlaceNameStatePoints
1. Jeff Waggoner/John CurrieCalifornia532
2. Don RobbinsArizona510
3. Jason PauleSouth Dakota510
4. Joel RandallNebraska498
5. John GillelandColorado496
6. Mike ShafferCalifornia496
7. Walker EvansCalifornia494
8. Shannon CampbellArizona492
9. Rich HudsonNebraska482
10. Randy EllisArizona464
26. Harold OffFarmington348
27. R.J. BrownFarmington344
36. Steve RumoreDurango294
41. Garret SissonFarmington260
44. Jerry BruceFarmington246
50. Amy BullockFarmington228
54. Chip MonkFarmington198
Final weekend standings
PlaceNameStatePoints
1. Ken ShupeSouth Carolina34
2. Jason BunchCalifornia39
3. Jeff Waggoner/John CurrieCalifornia57
4. Chris DurhamSouth Carolina58
5. Ian LilljebladArizona61
6. Tracy JordanArizona77
7. Jason PauleSouth Dakota77
8. Rich HudsonNebraska81
9. Don RobbinsArizona81
10. John GillelandColorado85
13. Harold OffFarmington111
17. Amy BullockFarmington124
23. R.J. BrownFarmington151
29. Jerry BruceFarmington213
34. Chip MonkFarmington236
50. Garret SissonFarmington312
64. Steve RumoreDurango521
Thursday, October 04, 2001 12:35 AM MST
Another rock crawling king crowned
By Darren Marcy/Outdoor editor
CHOKECHERRY CANYON - The Jeeps have all gone home, the dust has settled, and the crowds have dispersed back to normal activities.
But by all accounts the Extreme Rock Crawling Nationals that wound up Saturday was a big hit.
The event, held by the American Rock Crawlers Association, completed the second year of the rock crawling series that continues to grow in popularity.
Jeff Waggoner and John Currie have placed their names squarely atop the rock crawling world by winning the four-stage series, showing last year's second-place finish wasn't a fluke.
Only a broken part kept them from last year's title. But their 2001 Jeep TJ, narrowed 6 1/2 inches to be dubbed the Fire Ant, held up to the rocks and the competition for the title this year.
Stoked with a 4.7-liter V6 engine, automatic transmission, Atlas II transfer case, Currie front and rear axles with Detroit Lockers and running 37-inch Goodyear MTRs, the rig worked well on the rocks in Chokecherry Canyon.
Waggoner from Nebraska, and Currie from California, shared driving duties during the series this year. Currie drove the first and third events and Waggoner the second, before he also took the wheel in Chokecherry for the finals.
The pair tackled the 14 obstacles on the weekend accumulating only 57 points to easily maintain their lead in the series standings.
The pair brought a slim four-point lead into the competition, but with the strong finish in Farmington, broke it open to win convincingly.
Points were a bad thing in this competition, and were awarded for backing up, using rear steer if the vehicle was equipped, touching a gate, winching, using recovery tools or not completing an obstacle in the time allowed.
Using a winch was 30 points all by itself and not completing an obstacle in the time allowed was a 40-point penalty.
Waggoner and Currie mastered the course, taking a minimum of points and many of those were necessary because of the way the obstacles were designed with turns too sharp to make.
Other competitors had good runs as well.
While Waggoner and Currie finished third in the weekend event, Ken Shupe and Jason Bunch put on a rock crawling clinic for the thousands of fans who turned out to watch the metal-grinding action.
Shupe won the fourth stage with an incredibly low average of two points per obstacle, posting a 34 to win the event.
Considering many drivers took that many points on a single obstacle during the weekend, it shows how dominating Shupe was.
Bunch tallied 39 penalty points, showing how close the top two finished. One touched gate worth 10 points would have swung the title the other way, or, more likely a stopping or backing up (worth 1 point each) was the difference.
Stopping or backing up five times over the course of 14 obstacles is a fine hair to split, but it made the difference between first place and second in this competition.
Shupe's ride was a 1986 Jeep Scrambler, cut and bobbed to fit on the rocks. The Scrambler is powered by a 4.3 Vortec V6 that sends power through a 4L60E automatic transmission and on through an Atlas II transfer case to a reverse Dana 60 in the rear and a Dana 60 in the front with Detroit Lockers in both pumpkins keep the 37-inch Goodyears turning.
For Bunch, a Jeep Wrangler with 4-cylinder power plant, AX5 transmission, Atlas 4.3 transfer case and CV drive shafts, get the power to a Dana 30 reverse rotation front end and a 44 reverse rotation rear end. Detroits lock the axles and Goodyear 37-inch MTRs provide the traction.
While this year's ARCA championship series is done with for another year, next year's series is already in the planning stages with plenty of changes in the works.
Darren Marcy: darrenm@daily-times.com
Final series standings
PlaceNameStatePoints
1. Jeff Waggoner/John CurrieCalifornia532
2. Don RobbinsArizona510
3. Jason PauleSouth Dakota510
4. Joel RandallNebraska498
5. John GillelandColorado496
6. Mike ShafferCalifornia496
7. Walker EvansCalifornia494
8. Shannon CampbellArizona492
9. Rich HudsonNebraska482
10. Randy EllisArizona464
26. Harold OffFarmington348
27. R.J. BrownFarmington344
36. Steve RumoreDurango294
41. Garret SissonFarmington260
44. Jerry BruceFarmington246
50. Amy BullockFarmington228
54. Chip MonkFarmington198
Final weekend standings
PlaceNameStatePoints
1. Ken ShupeSouth Carolina34
2. Jason BunchCalifornia39
3. Jeff Waggoner/John CurrieCalifornia57
4. Chris DurhamSouth Carolina58
5. Ian LilljebladArizona61
6. Tracy JordanArizona77
7. Jason PauleSouth Dakota77
8. Rich HudsonNebraska81
9. Don RobbinsArizona81
10. John GillelandColorado85
13. Harold OffFarmington111
17. Amy BullockFarmington124
23. R.J. BrownFarmington151
29. Jerry BruceFarmington213
34. Chip MonkFarmington236
50. Garret SissonFarmington312
64. Steve RumoreDurango521