In the world of rockcrawling competition there is only one original, the Goodyear Skyjacker Extreme Rockcrawling Nationals. Sanctioned by the Rock Crawlers Association of America (RCAA), formally known as ARCA, this series has been around the longest and has grown the most. For the final event of the year, the famous Johnson Valley course-also home to Sledgehammer, Jackhammer, and the rest-hosted the carnage just north of Los Angeles.
Sixty top-dog competitors from around the nation bashed, crashed, rolled, and broke their 4x4s for two days under the hot desert sun while showing off some of the most elegant rockcrawling we've seen at these events.
In the end, those near the top stayed in the lead. John and Kip Gilleland took the win in the event and came in Second in the series. First Place in the series went to Mike Shaffer and Lance Clifford, who also led the series coming into this final rock-a-thon.
This year's series promises even more excitement, with rule changes and the possibility of two classes, Modified Stock and Super Modified. This proposal gives the new guys a chance to compete and move up to the Super Modified class. Tentative dates for the 2003 series are April 10-12 in Reno, May 22-24 in a location to be determined, July 10-12 in Cedar City, and October 4-5 in Farmington. For more information contact the RCAA at 801/446-5337 or www.rockcrawler.org.