Day Three
The Frame Twister
Consisting mainly of logs and mud, the Frame Twister gives many vehicles fits. It gives their drivers fits, too. The main culprits are the logs that are positioned to maroon as many rigs as possible. Whether your rig has a short wheelbase or a long one, there are a couple of logs out there with your name on them. Of course, it doesn't help that right before the event, we dump as much water as possible into the Frame Twister to make the holes even deeper, the logs slipperier, the mud gooier, and finding traction next to impossible.
On top of this, factor in our judges and their "Driving Elegant" point system. If a rig runs over a cone, leaves the course, or winches, it receives a hefty penalty of 20 points. Stopping or having someone exit the vehicle is a penalty of two points, while backing up is a more minor infraction costing only one point. The idea behind the penalty-point system is to discourage throttle jockeys from simply hammering through the Frame Twister, destroying everything in their path. Rather, the point system rewards those who actually drive the Twister. In the end, the vehicle with the fewest penalty points and the quickest time is the winner. Oh, and just to keep things interesting, the Twister has a 10-minute time limit.
Course Notes: The Frame Twister
Jeep 5.0: Started to winch immediately upon reaching the logs.
S-10 Hybrid: Blew through the pit in the quickest elapsed time ever.
Jimmy: Got hung up about halfway through log section. Broke out the winch and got out fairly quickly.
Big Bad 'Burb: Made it a little farther than the Jimmy. Was on the gas hard and looking a bit tippy. Finally had to break out the winch to make it out.
Hot Rod: Had to be pulled out by the tractor after winch broke.
Toyota: Got hung up a lot. Tried using the winch but timed out.
Moeser Dozer: After hitting the gas got way out of shape and timed out.
M-37: Broke rear driveshaft after lots of throttle. Had to winch out.
F-150: Took out some cones and had to winch out after getting hung up.
Jolly Green CJ: Made it to the third log. From there had to winch out.
Day 3 Results- The Frame Twister
(Penalty Points/Seconds)
S-10 Hybrid: 0/29
Big Bad 'Burb: 48/73
Jimmy: 51/113
M-37: 31/192
Jeep 5.0: 76/230
F-150: 99/209
Jolly Green CJ: 53/279
Toyota: 77/DNF
Hot Rod: 92/DNF
Moeser Dozer: 138/DNF
The Mud Pit
The Mud Pit is exactly what it sounds like. It's a 130-foot-long trough of some of the nastiest, gooiest, stickiest mud that we can find. Even better is the fact that the mud is just plain deep. There is no hope of clawing down to the bottom of this pit and finding traction. We've seen plenty of competitors try. They wind up hopelessly mired in the goo. Luckily, every competitor is already hooked up to a tractor with a long tow strap, so nobody has to try to swim around in the muck.
So what is the right strategy for the Mud Pit? Most just punch it down the center, and hope for the best. Others try clawing along the outer walls. Of course, big tires and lots of horsepower improve your chances in the Mud Pit immensely. Still, it is very rare that we see a vehicle make it all the way through the Pit and out the other side. Most wind up getting yanked out backwards. Figuring out who wins the Mud Pit is fairly easy for the judges. The winner is the guy who goes farthest. Those rare individuals lucky enough to make it all the way through the muck are judged on the quickest time.
Course Notes: The Mud Pit
Jimmy: Made it through three-quarters of the pit before coming to a stop.
Moeser Dozer: Was going pretty good but managed even less distance than the Jimmy did.
Jolly Green CJ: Halfway across the pit came to a stop. He tried to dig down to find traction but didn't get any farther.
Big Bad 'Burb: On the gas hard and made it all the way through the pit.
S-10 Hybrid: Had a really bad run. The ignition cut out right when Robin entered the pit.
Jeep 5.0: Smaller tires did not help and he wasn't able to get far.
F-150: Almost made it all the way through, but came to a stop just shy of the exit.
Hot Rod: Ferris instantly became a mess as he powered through the mud.
M-37: Too low and not enough power to make it far.
Toyota: Powered through farther than we thought it would and did not break anything.
Day 3 Results- The Mud Pit
(Feet/Seconds If Full Run)
Big Bad 'Burb: Full distance/20.0
F-150: 90.6
Jimmy: 88.3
Moeser Dozer: 79.2
Toyota: 78.1
Hot Rod: 68.8
Jolly Green CJ: 68.4
Jeep 5.0: 63.7
M-37: 60.0
S-10 Hybrid: 55.9
The Mini-Rubicon
The Mini-Rubicon is our compact version of the famous Rubicon Trail. We use it to terrorize TTC competitors. While diminutive in size compared to the real Rubicon, the Mini features massive rocks and is probably more difficult than most sections of the Rubicon. There are no easy lines and no bypasses. Breakage is high, as the rocks tend to do their best to find the weak link of a competitor's rig.
As if that wasn't enough, our pesky judges go in the night before and jumble as many rocks as possible to increase the difficulty and confound those who attempted to get a sneak peak at the Mini-Rubicon. The same "Driving Elegant" point system in effect for the Frame Twister is used here, but with some modifications to the number of penalty points that can be awarded. Stopping will net you one penalty point, backing up is a two-point fine, having a person exit the vehicle is a five-point penalty, and using a winch costs 10 penalty points. In the end, the team that went the farthest in the least amount of time and with the lowest amount of penalty points is the winner. All rigs have a maximum of 20 minutes to run the 135-foot-long course.
Course Notes: The Mini Rubicon
Big Bad 'Burb: Cruised right through the rocks with little trouble.
S-10 Hybrid: Ran out of time. Got high-centered about a quarter of the way through and snapped a front driveshaft.
Moeser Dozer: Got hung up a couple of times but made it through. Good effort.
Toyota: Broke a front hub right in the entrance. Team declared that they were finished.
Jeep 5.0: Had problems in entrance. Tried to winch a bunch of times and timed out.
F-150: A quarter of the way through broke a left-front hub. Then broke a right-front stub-axle. Timed out.
Jolly Green CJ: Tried to bulldog it through and slid off the course. Timed out.
M-37: Winched a couple of times but made it through.
Jimmy: Cruised right through with absolutely no problems.
Hot Rod: Ferris' experience in the rocks showed as he walked right through.
Day 3 Results- The Mini Rubicon
(Feet/Penalty Points/Seconds)
Jimmy: 135/0/185
Big Bad 'Burb: 135/12/240
Hot Rod: 135/14/287
Moeser Dozer: 135/62/814
M-37: .135/62/912
Jolly Green CJ: 70/85/DNF
S-10 Hybrid: 51/26/DNF
F-150: 45/20/DNF
Jeep 5.0: 23/54/DNF
Toyota: 12/28/DNF