What it is and how it works: We should call it the Hell Climb, because it's more than just a hillclimb. This 600-foot course features a number of very unwelcome surprises. Not only is it steep, it's also curvy, and has nasty drop-offs and lots of loose dirt. Oh, and then there are the deep holes that are strategically placed to impede forward momentum. We thought that was a nice touch. The fastest time to the top wins. Rigs that cease forward travel before reaching the top are ranked in order of how far they climbed.
"I thought we had it whipped. We could see the top."
-Ron George
"We just kinda picked a gear and flipped a quarter and went."
-Donald Hadden
"We had enough power and we were able to get out of the gas when we needed to keep it in control, then we were able to get our momentum right back real quick and I think that really helped us. I was just looking at the sky, looking for the opening."
-Philip McGilton
McGilton's K1500 | 
Fink's TJ | 
Hadden's S-10 |
Fink's TJ: Low transfer-case gearing contributed to the fact that the rig never gathered adequate forward momentum. Got stuck on a dirt hill 152 feet into the course.
George's Bronco: Fast, clean run until approximately 61 feet from the top when they took a bounce out of the last hole and rolled onto the driver side.
Hadden's S-10: With the Fox coilovers swallowing the brutality and the driver demonstrating judicious use of the throttle, it earned the fastest time.
Johnson's K3500: Didn't run due to torque converter issues.
Langford's Bronco: Came into the event with a new steering ram. Great start and a big wheelie early in the course, but the hill's angle caused the carbureted engine to stall a little over 61 feet into the course.
McGilton's K1500: The supple four-link suspension with King coilovers helped the truck stay planted really well with little tire lift.
Miller's Sonoma: Left rear leaf spring broke 155 feet into the climb. This caused a domino effect of damage, including a twisted rear driveshaft and a broken U-joint.
Rhodes' D-100: Lost forward momentum 156 feet into the course.
Thorson's TJ: The rig's 502ci Ram Jet helped haul the TJ up the hill quickly and with no drama.
Wells' M135A: Lost forward momentum and got stuck a little over 62 feet from the starting line.
| RESULTS (time or finishing order if DNF) |
| 1 Hadden's S-10 | 43 sec. |
| 2 McGilton's K1500 | 45 sec. |
| 3 Thorson's TJ | 49 sec. |
| 4 George's Bronco | DNF |
| 5 Rhodes' D-100 | DNF |
| 6 Miller's Sonoma | DNF |
| 7 Fink's TJ | DNF |
| 8 Wells' M135A | DNF |
| 9 Langford's Bronco | DNF |
| J Johnson's K3500 | DNS |