It was bound to happen. With 16 years of wildly successful Top Truck Challenge events under our belt, we figured someone out there would step up and follow our lead, especially during economically challenging times such as these. After all, hauling a 4x4 cross-country to spend a week thrashing with our crew at Hollister Hills isn't cheap. That's why when we got a phone call from Joe Collins of the Clay County 4x4 Club in Ocala, Florida, inviting us to cover the 2009 South Eastern Tough Truck Challenge (SETTC) event, we took note. Not only did Collins model his event after our own, but even his procedures for narrowing down the field of potential competitors was suspiciously similar. Instead of a print magazine, though, Collins used his website for voting. Subscribing to the belief that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, we entered our project Mega Titan as a competitor.
Shortly before Darryl Gibbs...
Shortly before Darryl Gibbs rolled his super-clean TJ, everyone thought he was a strong contender for the fastest time in the Speed Hills event. Unfortunately, this is the final photo captured before this rig was destroyed. Consequently, Gibbs was forced to withdraw from the competition.
Fast forward three months: Team Mega Titan touched down in Orlando, Florida, on a Thursday afternoon in mid-April. Our crew was comprised of feature editor Robin Stover, TTC extraction chief Rodney Hill, and TTC judge and Mega Titan's creator, Toby Lavender. Our plan was simple: Show up, make final preparations to the truck, and show off what we originally built it for. We had arranged for a transport company to deliver the Mega Titan to TruTech Automotive in DeBary, Florida, where we would spend Friday preparing the Titan for battle. Upon delivery, the truck was about 90-percent ready to rock, leaving just a few last-minute loose ends to tie up on site. After a full day of tweaking on the truck, we loaded it up and headed to the event site: Hard Rock Cycle Park in Ocala, Florida.
When we think of wheeling in Florida, we visualize deep mud and lots of it. So it was a big surprise when we pulled into Hard Rock Cycle Park and found virtually no mud whatsoever. Instead, we found a series of man-made obstacle courses that took full advantage of the change in elevation at the park. You see, Hard Rock Cycle Park used to be a lime quarry, so much of the terrain is sculpted from the remnants of massive earth relocation operations that once occurred there. Naturally, this type of terrain is rare in and around the flatlands of Florida. So it is safe to say that SETTC was much different than we had anticipated it would be.
| The Results |
| 1st | Jimmy Boykin |
| 2nd | Toby Lavender |
| 3rd | Howard Jacques |
| 4th | Brian Allen |
| 5th | Roger King |
| 6th | Levi Harp |
| 7th | Darryl Gibbs |
| 8th | Glen Ballard |
 On Day 1, Darryl Gibbs laid...  On Day 1, Darryl Gibbs laid down a respectable time on the Obstacle Course in his black Jeep TJ. Thanks in part to his "fear no jump" driving style, Gibbs managed to complete the course in under 1:40. |  Just after completing the...  Just after completing the rock garden section of Hills and Rocks, Jimmy Boykin stunned the crowd with his tube buggy's powerful V-8 engine as he powered his way over a fallen tree towards the finish line. |  SETTC started off much like...  SETTC started off much like TTC usually does. Here, Joe Collins conducts the 8:00 am driver's briefing. It was an interesting experience for our team members; as participants, they got to see what it's like to be on the other side of the equation. |
 Brian Allen's luck ran out...  Brian Allen's luck ran out on The Bender before he could finish the course. Shown here is the aftermath of his plummet off a large concrete block. We thought Allen's custom S-10 ZR/2 truggy was a perfect balance of form and function, except for the absence of a front locker. |  Howard Jacques of Jacksonville,...  Howard Jacques of Jacksonville, Florida, knows a thing or two about competitive four wheeling; a former competitor of TTC and other local rockcrawling events, he aims to win. All of the spectators cheered as Howard hammered the Obstacle Course in his 54-inch Bogger-equipped Jeepzilla rig. Sporting 2 1/2-ton Rockwells, four-wheel steering, and a fuel-injected big-block, the show was outstanding. |  During The Bender event on...  During The Bender event on Day 1, Toby Lavender bent the inner driver's-side front wheel, causing the tire to go flat. (The same thing happened to the opposite side shortly after this photo was taken.) Spectators went crazy as Lavender continued on towards the finish line with two front tires completely flat. The wheels were repaired later that night, and one of the 46-inch Baja Claws survived the ordeal undamaged. |
 This year's SETTC First Place...  This year's SETTC First Place winner, Jimmy Boykin, expresses his excitement in front of our lenses. |  The pucker factor must have...  The pucker factor must have been high for co-driver Alan Logan as Levi Harp dropped into the rock garden area on the Hills and Rocks event. |  When Levi Harp attacked the...  When Levi Harp attacked the Pull Test in his TTB-equipped buggy, onlookers gasped as the front wheels inverted under the torque of the Ford small-block engine. |
 Howard Jacques' Jeepzilla...  Howard Jacques' Jeepzilla was surreal to watch from ground level during The Bender. The height and ground clearance afforded by the 54-inch Boggers made everyone feel miniature. |  Toby Lavender made quick work...  Toby Lavender made quick work of the twisty Obstacle Course, thanks to the Mega Titan's new rear steering setup. Despite a clogged fuel system, his time of 1:35 was the time to beat. |  Roger King proved that even...  Roger King proved that even heavy rigs can get the job done during SETTC's pinnacle event, The Bender. Comprised of extremely steep descents, large boulder fields, and a monstrous hill climb, The Bender was easily the toughest event at SETTC. |
Making it Happen
As with any race effort, in order to make an idea a reality, you have to depend on other people's professional abilities be they paid or donated. In the case of transporting the Mega Titan across the country, we relied on the dedicated efforts of Johnny Cantrell and Duke Livingston. Both readers of Four Wheeler and enthusiasts at heart, the two drove for five days straight with our Mega Titan in tow, asking for nothing more than a camping spot at the event and offering to assist our team as well as other teams when help was needed. We found the two through an online shipping community called U-Ship.com. Essentially, U-Ship is the eBay of the shipping world. Simply log on, post a shipment, and like moths to a flame, offers in the form of electronic bids start to arrive in your inbox.
The Mega Titan's Mega-Rebuild
Committing to a competition of this level requires a significant sacrifice in time, materials, and money. We would like to thank the following individuals for their support in making the Mega Titan's appearance at South Eastern Tough Truck Challenge a reality: Toby and Tracy Lavender, Rodney and Jennifer Hill, Jerry Sparkman, Jeff and Pam Arabia, Grant Wolf, Sean Carlini, Jonathan Burgess, Lance Nist, Nick DeAlvia, Clayton Kraatz, Donny Roebuck, Bob Graham, Ron Wirth, Brad Hylton, and Rebecca Stover.
For more information about SETTC, visit www.forums.claycounty4x4.com.