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(photography: Trackside) |
(photography: Trackside) |
 (photography: Boyd Jaynes...  (photography: Boyd Jaynes) |
(photography: Trackside) |
(photography: Trackside) |
We have to be honest. Its true, the staff at Four Wheeler magazine has a deep, dark confession to make. As much as we enjoy testing the newest production truck or installing the latest trick suspension pieces on a hot project vehicle, there is still something about racing that makes us quiver in our boots like adolescent boys at our first dance. Yeah, we try to act cool around an 800-plus horsepower desert truck kicking up rocks the size of bowling balls or a bitchin crawler climbing some gnarly rock face, but surging inside all of us is good old fashion racing testosterone.
Just at it has since Henry Ford fired up his first rickety race car 100 years ago, motorsports is the fuel of automotive passion.
But even old Henry would be shocked at whats happening in the 2002 off-road racing scene. Not only are there racing events nearly every weekend of the year, but there are more and more to choose from all the time. The horrific events of September 11th havent yet put a damper on the enthusiasm by racers, pit crews and fans of off-road motorsports. In fact, nearly every fabrication shop or parts supplier we talked to was bursting with business, from guys selling the ever-popular suspension kits all the way to insane turn-key $200,000 pre-run trucks. Perhaps last years tragedy put a premium on simply enjoying life and tasting the sweet freedom that four-wheeling seems to provide.
It is with this in mind that we present our first annual Four Wheeler Off-Road Motorsports Guide. From intense short-course action in New York all the way to the rugged trails of Baja, California, this guide will provide you a myriad of racing events to suit your style and taste. We even gathered up four of the sweetest championship-winning trucks from last season, including Herman Motorsports Ford Trophy Truck of Damen Jefferies, the Ford Red Bull Protruck driven by Steve Barlow, and the radical Fire Ant Jeep rockcrawler of Currie Enterprises. Also included is the CORR Ford of Rob MacCachren, one of three vehicles he used on the historic runs of four separate racing championships in four different professional series. Were still checking, but MacCachrens feat might be unmatched in all of professional motorsports history.
So sit back in your favorite easy chair, open your favorite beverage, and explore the world of off-road motorsports 2002. Better yet, pick an event later this year and go experience a race or two for yourself. But beware, like all of us here at the magazine, you might find yourself as addicted as we are.
The Four Wheeler staff