The sound of reving engines punctuate the otherwise uncomfortable silence of a lost land. The rigs and their drivers knew the beauty of what has become an infusion of elements, rocks, metal, and rubber, all industrially grown and brought together in a mechanical mixture in nature. During the final Utah Rockcrawling and Off-Road Challenge (UROC) each of the seven rockcrawling courses demanded that competitors rise to the challenge of each rock obstacle. The heavily shrouded course was kept hush-hush until the actual day of the event. Then, come one, come all, everyone caravanned to the course just a few miles away from the sleepy Main Street of Vernal, Utah.
For those unfamiliar, UROC is a way of bringing little things and big things together. It brings the best of what enthusiasts have come to revere-throttle, decisive driving, and more importantly, community empowerment. The event that began as a way to raise money for land access groups has, in a much bigger way, created a tool for responsible land-use education and funding. As if that wasn't enough, the off-road community has rallied around the event and the land-saving cause, especially in Utah.
Competitors went out of their way to praise their own as the competitive spirit remained good-natured and focused on the real issue of having a good time and supporting the land-use cause. Fine sand dusted competitors and spectators alike as all of the participants got to do what they love-be involved in a passionate interest of building and wheeling usable 4x4s. For more information on how you can support UROC, how you can compete, or what next year's series schedule looks like, call 435/864-3199, or visit www.uroc.rockcrawler.com.
Anarchism and Activism
What It's Like to Win
"Sometimes it's hard to believe it until you see it," is the comment that most people make when they find out about Brandon Gillen's ride. "It just goes to show that you shouldn't get discouraged and you should stick to your guns in building what you believe is the right vehicle for you," says the UROC champion Gillen.
The enthusiasts '91 YJ still runs several stock components including a stock I-4, AX-5 tranny, NP231, and front Dana 30. But don't let that fool you. Gillen has been working on perfecting the YJ for almost nine years and has a trick long-arm coil suspension that uses TJ components. Some other factoids on the YJ winner: It has a Dana 44 rear, Moser heavy-duty axleshafts, the wheelbase is extended to 102 inches, runs a 4 to 1 kit in the NP231 transfer case (converted to fixed yoke), 4.56s gears, Soft Locker (front), Detroit (rear), and Interco SSRs (a 35-inch and a 37-inch set).
The UROC finals became a kind of Cinder-fella kind of story for Gillen and his Anarchy Off-Road team. Yes, No. 55 had a whole lot of positive attitude, a whole lot of style, a bunch of letting go of the need to be the center of attention, but the team also put forth lots of hard work. Both Brandon Gillen and spotter Ken Shupe of Foothills 4x4, in Greenville, South Carolina, attribute their success to driving practice, listening practice, a familiarity with the YJs reaction to the terrain, and of course, the tinseltown team shirts. Gillen said, "people need to know that it is possible to enjoy what you like to do with the right setup. You don't have to have a big motor, huge trans, 44-inch tires, and 18,000 inches of lift to have a good time."
Word on the street is that folks were just happy to see a regular guy take home the spoils.