UA Benefits BRC
One man can make a difference. Clint Carter helped the BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC) net more than $1,000 for its trail saving efforts when he allowed the BRC to sell his 2009 Ultimate Adventure rig, Whopper Jr., via an online auction. The truck came with a copy of the ’09 UA DVD and a license plate signed by the magazine’s staff.
“It’s the simple things that we all can do to make a difference in saving trails and supporting BlueRibbon Coalition,” said Del Albright, BRC’s ambassador. “No matter how big or small, it all helps.”
Calendar
• Nov. 3-5: Laughlin Jeep Jamboree, Laughlin, NV. Info: www.jeepjamboreeusa.com
• Nov. 4-5: Hump-N-Bump (trail rides, arena challenge, vendor fair, raffles, and more), based at Clark County Fairgrounds near Las Vegas, NV, by the Vegas Valley Four Wheelers. Info: www.vv4w.org
• Nov. 5-6: JeepSkool, NE Ohio. Info: www.jeepskool.com
• Nov. 11-13: 45th Early Bronco Anniversary, Borrego Springs, CA, by the Early Bronco Registry. Info: www.earlybronco.com
• Nov. 12: Getting Started Off-Road 4x4 Skills Clinic, Hungry Valley SVRA, Gorman, CA, by Badlands Off-Road Adventures. Info: 310.374.8047, www.4x4training.com
• Nov. 13: Advanced Beginner Off-Road Driving Clinic, El Paso Mountains, Mojave, CA, by Badlands Off-Road Adventures. Info: 310.374.8047, www.4x4training.com
• Nov. 17-20: Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. Info: 818.225.8402, www.score-international.com
• Nov. 19: T&T Rail Road Adventure, near Lucerne Valley, CA, by Badlands Off-Road Adventures. Info: 310.374.8047, www.4x4training.com
• Note: If you have a 4WD event you want us to publicize, please send the date, location, a description of the event, and contact info—phone numbers and/or email/website address—to Calendar, 4-Wheel & Off-Road magazine, 831 S. Douglas St., El Segundo, CA 90245; fax 310.531.9368; email 4wheeloffroad@sorc.com. Please submit your info at least four months in advance of the event due to our press lead times.
Touareg Sets Pan-Am Highway Record
A team of German drivers wheeled a diesel-powered VW Touareg the length of the Pan American Highway—nearly 16,000 miles from the southernmost tip of Argentina to Deadhorse, Alaska—in just a little more than 11 days, breaking the previous record by three days.
Local Motors & DARPA Team for Military Vehicle
How do you speed up the often long and drawn-out process of designing and building a new military vehicle? That’s what DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, sought to find out when it teamed with Local Motors in Arizona to hold the XC2V Design Challenge. The goal was to produce a vehicle body design that could be used for combat reconnaissance and combat delivery and evacuation. More than 150 different design sketches were submitted during the four-week contest. The winning design, Victor Garcia’s FlyPMode, was then turned into a working prototype by Local Motors in just 14 weeks.
The completed prototype was shown to President Obama at Carnegie Mellon University’s National Robotics Engineering Center in Pittsburgh, where he praised the effort. “If we were able to collapse the pace at which manufacturing takes place, that could save taxpayers billions of dollars. But it also could get products out to theater faster, which could save lives more quickly.”
Ram Trucks Win at TORC Opener
Rob MacCachren and Sam Hübinette emerged victorious in the Pro 2 and Pro Light classes, respectively, at the Traxxas TORC Series season opener at Buchanan, Michigan. Rain delayed the Pro 2 competition until the event’s second day, but MacCachren (in the No. 21 truck) wasted no time once he got on the track and cruised to victory.
“This is the first time I’ve run this truck in the dirt,” said MacCachren. “The guys did an awesome job with the settings on the Mopar Ram.”
Hübinette, a drifting champion who’s running his rookie season in TORC, won his Pro Lite races on both Saturday and Sunday after spending just seven laps testing the truck.
The guy grabbing big air in the number 48 truck is Ricky Johnson, who competed in the weekend’s Pro 4 class but had to settle for Second Place behind Scott Douglas.