The Hillclimb
When we first laid eyes on the hillclimb, we thought it looked like a piece of cake. It wasn't particularly steep and we figured our competitors would blow right through it. However, the "dunes" of the Badlands Park, which in its former life was a quarry, consist of pea gravel, not sand. Pea gravel is a lot heavier than sand, and is not as easy to move. This fact meant that our rigs would have a much harder time plowing through it. But just to make things interesting, we also decided to include a sweeping turn and a downhill section so that our hillclimb resembled more of a horseshoe.
 Scott Davis of Apex, North...  Scott Davis of Apex, North Carolina tried to power to the top of the hill, but the ruts proved to be too much for his '70 Chevy Blazer. He wound up with a ninth-place finish. |  The starting order for Real...  The starting order for Real Truck is determined by the luck of the draw. Whoever gets the highest card is first, with the next highest card starting second, and so on. Whether going first with a clean course and no ruts to deal with was an advantage, or going later, with some of the gravel knocked out of the way was better, was a source of debate. |  Pete Goodspeed of Amherst,...  Pete Goodspeed of Amherst, Ohio has a trick '87 Jeep Wrangler with a 454 V-8 under the hood. We thought this rig would make quick work of our course. The cards were not kind to Pete, however, and by the time he tackled the course, it was pretty chewed up. As a result, Pete got only far enough for a fourth-place finish. |
 Vernon Scantling brought his...  Vernon Scantling brought his '83 Chevy from Waldron, Arkansas and launched it off the line hard. He finished in fifth place. |  Sam Robichaux of Thibodaux,...  Sam Robichaux of Thibodaux, Louisiana brought his trick, air-bagged '79 Chevy K20 to Real Truck and is seen here powering around the sweeper at the top of the hillclimb. His was one of just two trucks that finished. He had the fastest time, and he wound up with the victory. | |