New Rock Racing Series Added
How about combining desert racing and rockcrawling into one off-road motorsport? Apparently BFGoodrich and the folks at UROC are way ahead of us. They have announced a new race series, The Triple Crown of RockCross, which will debut in 2007.
Each RockCross race will pit two competing vehicles on a dirt and rock-strewn course. The emphasis will be on speed, so the rock obstacles won't be too extreme. "Since speed is the primary goal of these races, vehicles will take very little modification to compete, so we expect to see teams from UROC Pro drivers to local off-road enthusiasts," said Ranch Pratt, president and CEO of UROC. BFGoodrich is encouraging competition by offering a $10,000 payout to teams riding on BFG tires that win all three of the season's events. A $5,000 prize will go to any team that wins two of the three.
The BFGoodrich Triple Crown of RockCross will visit Salt Lake City August 18, Las Vegas October 20, and Phoenix December 1. For more info, visit www.uroc.com.
Diesel Touareg Available-Again
Most of the diesel trucks that comply with 2007 emissions laws aren't hitting showrooms until after the new year. Volkswagen got a head start on diesel sales by offering its Touareg SUV with the 5.0L V-10 TDI in October. VW had offered a diesel Touareg after the SUV's introduction a couple years ago but pulled the turbodiesel from the U.S. shortly thereafter
Stats on the '06 Touareg diesel are similar to the earlier version: The engine makes 310 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque, and it's now equipped with a particulate filter that helps it meet the new diesel emissions requirements for all 50 states. Prices for the new Touareg diesel start at-are you sitting down?-$67,750.
Suzuki's Dune Concept
Suzuki says it wants to be "the car company that makes vehicles for people who really go for it...the kind of people who dirt bike before breakfast, bungee jump on their lunch hour, and board downhill by twilight." Yikes! That rules me out.
But Suzuki hopes those of you living that energy-drink-fueled lifestyle will find its Dune concept cool. Based on an '06 Grand Vitara, the Dune sports custom coilovers with remote-reservoir shocks front and rear. There are 31x12.5-15 Super Swamper Thornbirds mounted on 15x10 Pro Comp Extreme Alloy rims at each corner, and another mounted on the back hatch as a spare. The roof rack extends and rotates downward to make loading your bungee-jumping and snowboarding gear easier, while in the truck is a mobile garage outfitted with integrated storage and a fold-out work surface, a portable air compressor, and tools.
Gordon Goes Back to Dakar
His DNF last year only encouraged Robby Gordon to compete again in the Dakar Rally. In early 2007, he'll campaign his highly modified Hummer H3 in the 6,000-mile rally, which stretches from Lisbon into the African desert.
"The differences from last year's team and race vehicle and this year's are virtually night and day," Gordon reports. "Last year we had a very short amount of time to build, prep, and test the H3. This time around, our team has had an entire year to prepare for the rally in terms of the R&D of our aerodynamic, drivetrain, and tire programs."
Wind-tunnel time (with assistance by General Motors) has made the truck faster and more fuel efficient, while key component modifications-a new engine and transaxle and a relocation of the radiator into the back of the H3-will help its speed and reliability. It was a badly holed radiator that ended Gordon's Dakar effort last year. The H3 will again roll on Toyo 37x14.50-15 Open Country M/Ts, as Gordon described last year's tires as "bulletproof."
Ford, Toyota Win Texas Awards
Each year, the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) stages its Texas Truck Rodeo to determine the best trucks for the Lone Star State. Judging is done by TAWA members in a number of objective and subjective categories, and over the years the event has become quite a big deal, both to Texans and manufacturers alike.
That would explain why Ford chose to enter one of its brand-new '08 Super Duty Power Stroke-powered pickups into the Rodeo. We couldn't get one for our 4x4 of the Year competition, and few other magazines have gotten their hands on one, either. Yet Ford felt this event was important enough to bring one to Ft. Worth. And the Texas journalists were so impressed by the truck that they gave it their top "Truck of Texas" award. The "SUV of Texas" trophy went to the Toyota FJ Cruiser.