Just U and the ROCks

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.