For those of you who aren't aware, 4-Wheel Jamborees have been a staple in the four-wheeling world since our sister publication, 4-Wheel & Off-Road, pioneered the concept of the Jamboree back in the early '80s. Jamborees, or Jambos as they are often called, are usually two or three days in length and feature a whole bunch of events centered on four-wheel-drive vehicles. All Jamborees are held at county fairgrounds and it's a given that each event will feature a truck show; Tough Truck, monster truck, and mud racing; and an area dedicated to four-wheel-drive parts and accessories. Some Jamborees have their own special features though. One such event was the 7th Annual Summit Truckstyle 4-Wheel Jamboree, which was held last July in Canfield, Ohio. This event featured all of the aforementioned activities as well as competition rockcrawling and diesel truck pulling.
We hung out for a couple of days and watched the festivities unfold. We also photographed a few feature trucks that we'll publish in future issues. The bad news is that the Canfield event has been eliminated from the '05 Jamboree schedule. The good news is that Jamboree promoter Special Events has six events on tap for '05 (see sidebar), and each will feature a full array of activities. Some will even feature rockcrawling and some may include DHRA diesel truck pulling. For more information on any of the 4-Wheel Jamborees, contact Special Events at 317/236-6525 or log on to www.familyevents.com.
New to the Canfield Jambo...
New to the Canfield Jambo was exhibition Diesel Hot Rod Association (DHRA) truck pulling. The DHRA invited 15 trucks to the event and they represented three classes: Street Diesel, Pro Street, and Modified Diesel. Michael Tomal of Caledonia, Michigan, brought the only Chevy (below). His truck was representative of the Street Diesel class. On the other end of the DHRA modification spectrum was Kent Crowder and his heavily modified '96 Dodge 3500 Modified Class truck (opposite page). Kent is an ex-farm boy turned Service Manager at Scheid Diesel in Lafayette, Indiana.
The Rock Crawl Challenge was...
The Rock Crawl Challenge was held on a custom-made temporary course. Members of the Ozark Mountain 4x4 Club managed the competition. Competitors were placed into one of four classes depending on vehicle modifications. The competition was judged using standard rockcrawling rules. Qualifying was held on Saturday and the finals were held the following day. Some of the event was videotaped to air on the Outdoor Channel.
Steve Sanquinetti has been...
Steve Sanquinetti has been a player in Tough Truck racing for quite a few years. He used to race a tall Jeep, but now 'wheels a state-of-the-art Dodge Ram-bodied truck. Here he is seen blasting through the last curve of the Mickey Thompson-sponsored race at Canfield. He had a good run, but it wasn't good enough to beat Rick Armbrust in his Rancho Suspension-sponsored rig.
Ralph Painter high-centered...
Ralph Painter high-centered his heavily modified Open Class Suzuki Samurai about halfway through the rock course. With no winch, he was at the mercy of the rocks and had to settle for a DNF.
Seven monster trucks raced...
Seven monster trucks raced in Canfield, including the Dodge-sponsored "Rammunition" truck. In addition to side-by-side racing, the monsters also put on a freestyle show.
April 2-3 Inaugural O'Reilly Auto Parts Texas 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals, Fredericksburg, Texas
April 30-May 1 8th Annual O'Reilly Auto Parts 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals, Springfield, Missouri
May 13-15 20th Anniversary Spring 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals, Lima, Ohio
July 8-10 18th Annual Summer 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania
August 6-7 11th Annual Bond Auto Parts 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals, Essex Junction, Vermont
September 23-25 24th Annual Fall 4-Wheel & Off-Road Jamboree Nationals, Indianapolis, Indiana