We have seen Ferris, also from Texas, in the rocks at Moab, so we knew that he was more accustomed to hillclimbs than Eric was, but that didn't seem to help much, as he placed Sixth. Driving up a hill in a certain amount of time is much harder than it seems. | 
In his Toyota, Scott showed his driving skill by getting to the top of the Hill just 7 seconds shy of the 90-second target. While 7 seconds might seem pretty close, Stephen was 2 seconds closer in the Jimmy. |
Our worst fears were realized when we saw Mike's Jeep go over. The Jeep's fuel-injected 5.0 Mustang engine sputtered about halfway up the Hill and when Mike attempted to downshift things went wrong. Sliding backwards, Mike tried to keep the Jeep straight but the speed was too great and over he went. After two complete rolls Mike somehow came to a stop. Much to our relief, everybody was OK. | 
Texas is pretty much flat and Lone Star boy Eric and his big F-150 weren't accustomed to climbing hills this big. Eric was worried, and watching Mike roll his Jeep did nothing to help. However, he made it up the Hill with no problems and at the same time managed a Fourth-place finish. |
Can you say scary? One look at the Hill and you can see why the judges decided to go with an ideal time. The tiny little dust-producing dot at the top of the hill is Brian Ellis driving the colonel's Jolly Green CJ to the top skillfully, but 37 seconds over our ideal time, resulting in a Ninth-place finish. | 
After blowing a front hub, Bob hammered the little M-37 through the rest of the course in two-wheel drive, using plenty of throttle in the rougher sections. However, without four-wheel drive, the M-37 got stuck in the final mud hole and was not able to finish. |
Low tire pressure, 16.5-inch wheels, and lots of throttle were not a good combination for Chris and the Moeser Dozer. In the last mud hole the right-rear tire flew off of the bead but Chris was able to plow on to the finish by using his right foot. | 
Tim Hardy, besides being one of our judges, is an avid fisherman and he often spends the off hours at Top Truck fishing in the Challenge's many small lakes. He used a lure at the end of a winch cable to snag this 44-inch beauty. However it was quickly returned to the Moeser Dozer, its rightful owner. |
Another rig that was charging hard through the course was Brian Waddell and his 'Burb. However, he wasn't as maneuverable as the smaller Jimmy and had to settle for a Third-place finish. | 
Stephen's Jimmy seemed like it might be a little too big to navigate the Obstacle Course quickly. However, having lots of suspension flex helped as he was able to keep a fast pace over the rough terrain. While the mud hole slowed down a lot of folks, Stephen blew right through it. |
Being one of the smaller rigs paid off for Ferris and his Hot Rod as he was able to navigate the course quick enough for a Second-place finish. Having a 460 V-8 under the hood didn't hurt either. | 
A tricky off-camber section caught a lot of competitors by surprise and almost claimed Scott and his Toyota. However, his reactions were good as he gassed it instead of hitting the brakes. Unfortunately for Scott, he got stuck in the same mud hole as the M-37 and was not able to finish. |