Off Road Racing Rock Crawlers - Guide

American Racing JeepSpeed ChallengeIn today's ultrasophisticated off-road racing environment, the cliche expression "speed costs money" is considered the rule rather than the exception. But, happily for die-hard desert enthusiasts, there are those exceptions.

Now entering its third year of competition, the American Racing JeepSpeed Challenge has proven that adhering to a strictly regulated competition and truly lowering the cost of participating can have a very positive upside. Created in 2000 by veteran Baja racer and former Jeep dealer Clive Skilton, the JeepSpeed idea was to "create a Jeep off-road competition club for safe, affordable, and reliable Cherokee XJ models, with rules of vehicle specifications designed to create equality and durability, while keeping the cost to a minimum." Trust us, that is easier said than done, but Skilton's original brainchild seems to be working out perfectly for those who want to race on a lower budget.

Any street-legal Jeep Cherokee XJ model produced from 1984 to 2002 is a candidate for the series, including two- or four-door and two- or four-wheel drive. For 2003, JeepSpeed competition has been separated into both Pro and Sportsman categories, with the latter confined to Jeeps using completely stock powertrains and rearends, non-external bypass shocks, and BFGoodrich street-approved Mud-Terrain T/A tires. Unlike desert racing's "stock" classes, which can become surprisingly pricey and complex due to producing items that can withstand the abuse of the desert, the JeepSpeed suspension and performance modifications are enough to provide impressive levels of both durability and performance. "Even after years of desert racing, all of us involved in the JeepSpeed program are still surprised at the average speed we are seeing at our events," explained Skilton.

Interested in building a JeepSpeed vehicle? The process is simplified via a list of approved vendors and the support of such companies as American Racing Wheels, BFGoodrich, Valvoline, Skyjacker, and Currie Enterprises. Skilton estimates that the cost of Pro modifications runs around $15,000 (plus the cost of the vehicle), with the Sportsman version around $5,000 less. Considering that used Cherokees can be had for as little as $2,500 in today's market, the entire proposition begins to look very enticing.