2009 Top Truck Challenge - Shaken & Stirred

Sheeley

Day 2 Event 1
The Obstacle Course
What it is: Last year, we overhauled this event and added a slew of new features, including an eye-opening, long, steep hill descent right at the beginning. The result was a gnarly course that we thought was quite possibly the best ever. We were so proud of ourselves. Problem was, all the competitors made it through, dang it. Naturally, we had to add more obstacles to our Obstacle Course this year to make it tougher, so we made the water holes deeper and siltier. We also added more tight turns to the course's already complex collection.

How it works: Speed is critical, but so is accuracy. If a competitor hits any of the marker cones that dot the course, 2 seconds (per cone) are added to their overall time. Deviating from the course results in a DNF.

Finish Line Quotes
* "That was fun. That was a great time."-Brett Jerome
* "It was a breeze. I can't believe how easy that was to get through."-Jamie Eulberg
* "I feel great now that it's over."-Wayne Sheeley
* "That has to be one of the toughest things I've ever done in this thing."-Scott Sidwell
* "I wanna go home."-Fred Williams

The Play-By-Play
Eulberg's CJ-7: Came into the event with 8 psi in the tires and a new Johnny Joint on the passenger-side rear lower four-link bar. The co-driver operated the rear steering during the run. Only hit one cone for a 2-second penalty.
Graf's X-Chassis buggy: Even after taking a wrong turn, they flew through the course to gather a Second Place finish.
Green's diesel buggy: Good run, even though the rear axle disengaged in Water Hole 1 and they had to rely on just front-wheel drive to get out.
Jerome's TJ buggy: First competitor. Fast descent down the first hill. Strong run, but hit four cones, resulting in an 8-second penalty.
Kahlstrom's Power Wagon: The front driveshaft broke in Water Hole 2, but the team limped along in two-wheel drive. Eventually timed out.
Latham's buggy: Fastest run of the event. Accurate too, netting only a 4-second penalty for hitting two cones.
Sheeley's FC-170: Ran with 10 psi in the tires. Not an overly fast run, but very dramatic with numerous wheel stands.
Sidwell's Ranger: Came into the event with newly stitch-welded spider gears in the rear axle to compensate for the failure of the homemade lead locker. Team earned a good time, especially considering the absence of rear steering.
Smith's F-350: Second competitor. Slow, calculated run. The frame of the long wheelbase truck took a big chunk off the top of the dirt berm between Water Hole 1 and Water Hole 2. Rear steering helped in the tight corners.
Williams' FJ Cruiser: Got stuck in Water Hole 2, which sucked up a bunch of time. Went out of bounds on the upper part of the course, which resulted in a DNF. Smashed the top of the windshield on a tree and ended up with a mud-packed alternator.

Kahlstrom

Day 2 Event 2
The Hillclimb
What it is: We think that plain 'ol hillclimbs are yawners, so we created a hillclimb worthy of Top Truck Challenge. Our 600-foot hill has an angle that saps horsepower and makes tires scream for their mommies. We integrated surprising curves, lots of loose dirt, and deep, off-camber holes to keep drivers on their toes. We saved the best for last and placed a mega-deep, off-camber hole a few yards from the finish line.

How it works: We love surprises, so we don't let competitors see the course in advance. Fastest time to the top wins. Those who don't make it to the top are listed as DNF and ranked in order of how far they traveled.

The Play-By-Play
Eulberg's CJ-7: The co-driver inadvertently bumped the transfer case lever into Neutral as they left the starting line, which caused an almost instantaneous loss of forward momentum and a DNF.
Graf's X-Chassis buggy: The rig's flexy coilover suspension swallowed up the course and the team finished less than two seconds behind Team Green.
Green's diesel buggy: The Cummins diesel and the ag tires contributed to the fastest time of the event. Green straddled the buggy over the last big hole.
Jerome's TJ buggy: After seeing Team Smith high-center on their run, Jerome nailed the throttle in an effort to avoid the same situation. Too much speed, a hard hit, and a steep drop caused the rig to veer off course, resulting in a 43-foot measurement.
Kahlstrom's Power Wagon: Worked through the lunch break to replace the front driveshaft damaged in the Obstacle Course. Strong run and deftly straddled the last big hole.
Latham's buggy: The 460ci big-block was running great and the finish line was in sight when the passenger-side tires rode up on the wall of the last hill the moment the driver-side tires dropped into the hole, resulting in a flop onto the driver side.
Sheeley's FC-170: Ran with a bent Antirock sway bar that was damaged in the Obstacle Course. Tried to crawl the hill, but the lack of momentum did 'em in.
Sidwell's Ranger: Got out of shape shortly into the course, and the driver felt as though the truck might roll, so he backed out of the throttle.
Smith's F-350: Ran with the truck drawn down using the front and rear winches to lower the center of gravity. Got high-centered on a dirt hill 12 feet into the course.
Williams' FJ Cruiser: With the V-6 engine into the rev limiter, the team made it to the last hole before breaking the passenger-side axle hub.

Finish Line Quotes
* "It's pretty gnarly through here."-Leroy Latham
* "That was a nasty, nasty hill."-David Green
* "I wasn't looking, I had my eyes closed."-Fred Williams