We began with a brand-new event, the Trail Fix. This year, teams would compete in a front driver-side axle change competition, with the fastest time winning. Competitors were not pleased at first, but all groaning quickly disappeared when it was announced that the winners would each receive $500 cash courtesy of Yukon Gear. Three competitors' vehicles sporting Rockwell front axles competed in one group, and the remaining seven vehicles-six with Dana 60s and one with a Ford 9-inch-competed in another.
This competition is legendary, and over the years it has largely remained unchanged. We fixed that this year by adding over 100 feet of mind-bending misery to the start of the course. Competitors now had to endure a high-speed start, a 180-degree turn, car-sized boulders, and a 90-degree turn before even getting to the infamous rocks, water, and truck-swallowing mud of the Frame Twister. Expectedly, some vehicles had more trouble with the Twister than others.
Jeff Gotz walked his monster F-150 right through the new section of the Frame Twister and then continued marching forward to earn a 4th Place finish in the event. | 
Phil Bargmann attacked the Frame Twister like he was mad at it. Unfortunately, this aggression led to a broken steering box, which had to be temporarily repaired so he could compete in the Mud Pit. |
New this year, Yukon Gear paid $500 cash to the top finishers in the Trail Fix competition. Participants had to remove and re-install the left front axleshaft of their rigs while the clock was ticking. | |
Last year, our 150-foot mud pit was way too hard, and no competitors made it more than halfway down its evil length. Guess we shouldn't have added all the dirt and water. We're slow learners, but this year we did leave the murk mostly alone, and some competitors almost made it all the way through. Some competitors attempted to back up and punch through the mud when they started to get stuck, which turned out to be a tactical error, as they couldn't fight their way to their previous position.
Our 150-foot Mud Pit was picture perfect this year. Consistency and depth were ideal for our competitors and some actually almost made it through, though one spectator noted that the rigs looked like "rolling chocolate cake" after they competed. | 
The M715's dominated the Mud Pit. Team Cappa traveled the furthest distance with his 49-inch-tire-shod machine to win the competition. Team Lawlor (shown) came in 2nd only an inch behind Cappa. |
The first major obstacle of the Obstacle Course was this steep drop into a water hole. Almost all competitors' rigs got tippy as they gingerly lowered themselves into the muck. | |
As usual, the objective of this event was to climb the steep, loose 600-foot Hill of Doom as quickly as possible. This event rewards horsepower and lightning-fast reflexes. Interestingly, almost all of the competitors flew right up the hill like it wasn't there.
We lovingly refer to this event as the "Obstacle Curse," because every square inch is designed to create the utmost challenge. This 1/8-mile Mass of Misery is a timed event, so speed is of the essence. It features deep mud holes, off-camber berms, eroded gulleys, and slippery slopes.