Completely custom from end-to-end and an example of a compact, state-of-the-art buggy, the Fat Girl actually has no fat. It’s more of a “Phat Girl.” The buggy has negative approach and departure angles and removable body panels for easy access to all components. Up front is a Warn 9.0Rc for if the unlikely happens. The Fat Girl rolls on cut 46-inch Mickey Thompson Baja Claw tires mounted on custom MRW 20-inch wheels with Young Manufacturing billet lock rings.

Completely custom from end-to-end and an example of a compact, state-of-the-art buggy, the

Name: Mike Karwath
Champion in: 2010 (Buggy Class)
Driving: 2006 Coleworx Fat Girl buggy

Mike Karwath, owner of Shotgun Fabworks in Verona, Kentucky, was the top-finishing buggy in 2010 and he did it behind the wheel of his 468ci V-8-powered Jeep YJ buggy. But that’s not what he’ll be driving in TTCC. Karwath will be behind the wheel of Leo Kuether’s incredible Fat Girl buggy, which also competed in 2010 and carried Kuether to a First Place finish in the Frame Twister, Obstacle Course, and Hill Climb.

Sounding Off
Most memorable moment from 2010: “A huge highlight of the trip was the time spent with my team and the other competitors around the campfire every night. Knocking back a few cold ones and trading stories from the day’s festivities helped us all relax and prepare for the next day. Hearing your name called as the winner is pretty damn cool as well. Standing on that stage with Brad accepting our award was something I’ll never forget. It’s the high point of my wheeling career.”
Wants First Place in: “Tank Trap, most definitely. It’s worth the most points and often decides the outcome of the entire event. It’s the rockstar event and even if you don’t do well, you’re still in the spotlight. With everyone lining the hillsides watching it’s like you’re in some insane arena battling this ridiculous trail. It throws everything at you in a five minute period: insane water holes, mud, rocks, canyon climbs, etc. You have to be on your “A” game. One simple mistake and you’re on your top.”
Karwath says: “I’ve already used the toenail thing, not thinking that I would ever be asked this again, so this is a tough one. I’m a pretty transparent person. If you’ve met me, you know me. I’ve seen every Broadway musical to hit my area in the last 10 years. Season tickets, bitches! When you’re a Jet you’re a Jet all the way, from your first cigarette to your last dyin’ day.”

“I made a ton of friends the year I was there and still talk to quite a few of them every week. That was the real prize of the trip.”
—Mike Karwath

Outstanding visibility, functionality, and safety are the name of the game for the Fat Girl’s interior. There’s a pair of Kirkey Racing seats, 3-inch-wide racing harnesses, a Grant steering wheel, Auto Meter gauges in a custom center bezel, various easy-to-access toggle switches, rear steer control, and a center-mounted Power Tank.

Outstanding visibility, functionality, and safety are the name of the game for the Fat Gir

The Details
Driver name/city: Mike Karwath/Union, Kentucky
Occupation: Owner of Shotgun Fabworks
Vehicle model: 2006 Coleworx Fat Girl buggy
Estimated value: $90,000
Engine: GM Ram Jet 502ci V-8, fuel injection, Sanderson headers, 3-in-diameter dual exhaust, Dynomax mufflers
Transmission: PTC TH400 3-spd auto, custom valvebody
Transfer case: Advance Adapters Atlas 4.3 2-spd
Suspension (f/r): Triangulated four-link, Fox 18-in-travel remote-reservoir coilovers, modified Currie sway bar/triangulated four-link, Fox 18-in-travel remote-reservoir coilovers
Axles (f/r): 2½-ton Rockwell, Ouverson Violator locker, Violator axleshafts, Wicked 6 hubs, driveline brake/2½-ton Rockwell, Ouverson Violator locker, Violator axleshafts, Wicked 6 hubs, driveline brake
Axle ratio: 6.72:1
Wheels: Custom 20x14 MRW w/Young Mfg. lock rings
Tires: 19.5/46-20 Mickey Thompson Baja Claw

The rig’s bodywork-free chassis is constructed from a combination of 2-, 1.75-, and 1.5-inch-diameter, 0.120-inch-wall tubing. It’s designed to be compact, safe, and agile. It features a Warn 8274 winch and six lights including a pair of Yamaha YZF headlights, Light Force HID lights, and 54-diode LED flood lights. As in 2009 the rig is still running the 54-inch Mickey Thompson Baja Claw TTC tires mounted on 20x12 Stazworks double beadlock wheels.

The rig’s bodywork-free chassis is constructed from a combination of 2-, 1.75-, and 1.5-in

Name: Clayton Kraatz
Champion in: 2008
Driving: 2008 homemade buggy

Clayton Kraatz was an alternate in TTC ’07 but he was voted in as a competitor for TTC ’08 and promptly drove his awesome 467ci V-8-powered ’06 Evolution Warthog to a First Place tie with Jeremy Naeger. Kraatz will compete in TTCC, but here’s a twist, he’ll be driving ’09 TTC competitor Leroy Latham’s awesome rear-engine buggy. Latham took Third Place in 2009 with the rig including a First Place finish in the Obstacle Course.

Sounding Off
Most memorable moment from 2008: “Either the Frame Twister or the rock course. I finished both events with the crowd screaming. Both events I couldn’t believe I made it. So it’s a toss-up.”
Wants First Place in: “Tank Trap. It was my worst event last time.”

“People should know my name.”
—Clayton Kraatz

The interior of the rig is a lesson in simple functionality. It may almost seem sparse, but in fact it has everything Kraatz will need. There’s a pair of RCI seats; a Grant steering wheel; Auto Meter engine temperature, oil pressure, voltage, and tachometer gauges; a “modified crusty old B&M” transmission shifter; and a custom switch panel located on the transmission tunnel. The carpet “matches the drapes.”

The interior of the rig is a lesson in simple functionality. It may almost seem sparse, bu

The Details
Driver name/city: Clayton Kraatz/Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Occupation: Owner of Evolution Machine
Vehicle model: 2008 homemade buggy
Estimated value: “Priceless”
Engine: Ford 460ci V-8, fuel injected, homemade long-tube headers
Transmission: C6 3-spd auto, heavily modified
Transfer case: NP205 2-spd
Suspension (f/r): Triangulated four-link, King 16-in-travel remote-reservoir coilover shocks/triangulated four-link, King 16-in-travel remote-reservoir coilover shocks
Axles (f/r): 3-ton Rockwell, Detroit NoSPIN/3-ton Rockwell, welded spider gears, Ouverson axleshafts
Axle ratio: 6.80:1
Wheels: 20x12 Stazworks double beadlocks
Tires: 54x19.50-20 Mickey Thompson Baja Claw TTC
Name: Tony Fox
Champion in: 1994
Driving: 1997 Jeep Wrangler