Rockcrawling Categories - Page 5 - AUSJEEPOFFROAD.COM Jeep News Australia and New Zealand

goodie · #29 09-12-2005

if you have a look at the nomonies for next years tuff truck there is- only 3 un familar bodied rigs (Antunac, that orange holden drover and enterant trailer queen) so surely that means that there has to be some kind of demand for a competition for full bodied rigs? maybe if they made tuff truck so that your car cannot have any prototypes on it so that the "consumer (specators)" can accses all of the parts on the competitiors rigs.
But then does it just make the comp a big Ad?
i dont know, all i know is, this thing is cool

FireTruck · #30 09-12-2005

It is a cool truck, but damn that thing is heavy... hard to keep the drivetrain alive on something with that much weight in it, but they do a great job keeping it together.

S.

Strange Rover · #31 09-12-2005

Just want to address a few points here:

There are many reasons why this sport works and will continue to grow:

The unlimited class pushes the envelope of 4wd technology. The class is limited to being 4wd based only (by restricting the use of automotive components only and setting a minium weight). Wooders - you want to go out and buildthe best possible street legal rig you can - well go buy your self an atlas, some dana 60s with CTMs and 300m shafts and you will be well on your way. Where did these components come from??? They were developed for unlimited rigs in rockcrawling. Even better still for the ultimate bling axle get your self some true high pinion 9in diffs. These were developed because moonbuggies were running normal low pinion 9 in diffs backwards (which end up being high pinion) and everybody realised what an awesome diff they were - really strong and really short. So some guys developed the true high pinion 9 in diff for the front engined buggies which you can now use in your street registered rig.

The modified class (or legends class) for build vehicles that the general population can relate to. Vehicles that look like OEM vehicle. These vehicles will be given enough leeway in their design so that they perform unbelievably. These rigs drive the same lines as the unlimited rigs, its just that they are a bit less manouverable so they take a few more cones.

These two classes work because they can both drive on the same courses and obstacles.

The reason why you dont want to run a body is because the courses are setup to cause heaps of vehicle carnage (mostly through flops, rollovers and endos) If you run a tube buggy it wont cost much to keep a vehicle running for a season.

The reason why the courses are setup to cause so much carnage is because that is what the spectators, sponsors and competitors want. If the courses wernt setup to cause so much carnage then it would be boaring to watch an boaring to compete in.

The other good thing about setting up courses that produce carnage is that the courses are easy to set. I can walk onto a totally new property (undriven) and set up an entire competition in a few days. I dont have to clear trees or rocks that stick out cause they will hit panels - I just throw the cones down and if they rip a door panel off then so be it. This is the advantage of this sport to tuff truck say - the tt guys have to spend a lot of time setting up the courses so that they dont wreck the vehicles - I dont have to worry about this. This makes the sport of rockcrawling very mobile and can be introduced into new areas easily to keep the sport growing.

The reason why a bodied rig class wont work is because to run them I would have to set new courses on totally new terrain (the full bodied rigs would get destroyed on the buggy courses). So this means twice as much work and twice as many people to accomodate these rigs. The courses wont produce much carnage so wont be entertaining to watch so people wont watch. OR if the courses produce carnage then the competitors wont be able to afford to compete cause all they are doing is trashing their cars and they will go broke fixing them up.

So if you guys want to really get into rockcrawling then you are going to need a full tube buggy or run a bodied rig and put up with the panel damage and make sure you got a good roll cage. From here on in the courses are only going to get harder.

Sam

thebigrig · #32 10-12-2005

Has any one ever considered a competition which was a one make class. ie all the vehicles were the same vehicles. Although it might sound boring, it would put it back on driver skill.

Say by giving all teams a budget they must restrict themselves to and maybe control tires and control suspension, the best driver will win.

I say this because i come from a rally officiating background I have seen where classes such as the gemini class, the new excel class, and the recnt subaru rs class has cultivated new talent, created an extremely competitive environment and allowed competitors to compete on a level playing field

. Im not sure if it would work in the extreme fourwheel driving world but it has worked well in alot of different forms of motorsport. What do people think of this idea??

Wooders · #33 10-12-2005

Err Sam,
I specifically said I wasn't having a go at the WeRock/buggy events.
I am also under no illusion that a full-bodied rig is not competative with buggies, nor that they are not really comparable for competition.
And I said myself, that like F1, hopefully the buggies will result in developments that will filter down to the "lesser" classes. But I think you play up some of the development attributing it to buggies when I think much of it was happening already regardless, and I think you overlook developments and initatives that come out of other areas of competative 4x4's like winch challenges.

As for the "atlas, some dana 60s with CTMs and 300m shafts", well none of those specific components are on the plans I have, but yes I do want to build a good street legal rig - what's the prob there?

So in summary all the best with with WERock, but don't get too high & mighty on us 'eh

Strange Rover · #34 10-12-2005

I didnt think I was getting high and mighty?? I appologise if my post came across that way.

I was just trying to put the whole perspective of the sport into one post. I was showing how the sport relates back to normal road going vehicles (to keep industry sponsors interested). Was showing why there are two classes and how they work. Was saying why the courses can cause so much carnage to the vehicles. And why this sport has no future in full bodied vehicles.

This while game plan has already been played out in the US and I carnt see if developing any different here. In the US they did have a stock class (which required full bodied rigs) but it died - to much work to make happen, too much carnage for the competitors and too boring to watch.

Sam

Wooders · #35 10-12-2005

Don't mind me Sam - I'm probably suffering PMS this morning anyway...ops I mean hangover.....
Overall I agree completely with what your saying about Full Bodied rigs & buggies.....
Although it's difficult to do comparisons with the US cause the market for competitors and spectactors is SO much bigger....but there's the Neurock style of events that seem to be doing ok....