Desert Racer vs. Rock Racer @ KOH

[Forty1Racing]

Comparing rock crawling and desert racing is just as if comparing Football and Rugby. Both sports have a ball, and guys getting tackled so any given rugby player should be able to play football and vise versa.
Ya both U4's & TT's have big motors and big shocks.... but the methods of driving each one is hardly even similar when each one is in their element... Crawling takes a very methodical, well rounded driver that has a set of stones similar to the ones they crawl over. Off-road racers that desire to be competitive have to be able to at all times finish. But, to finish in first place they have to be able use every bit of horse power, and every inch of wheel travel at the proper pace. Too fast could end your day upside down in a ditch, too slow (by a very small margin of error) will have one standing on the second floor of the podium.

I agree that Rock Crawlers have to have a hell of a lot of skill to behind the wheel. But, it takes a hell of a lot more than even the best driver to win a desert race.

so.. enough of this drunken rant. To answer the original question:
How long will it take for desert racers to be in the hunt to win?
It's already been done - Brandon Schueler of Jagged X has won too many desert races to count and has had multiple BITD championships in UTV. In 2011 he won the King of the Hammers.
Otherwise my bet is if Rob MacCahren has entered a race with a steering wheel and four tires and has yet to win... He CAN and WILL.

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[Rock Donkey]

so.. enough of this drunken rant. To answer the original question:
How long will it take for desert racers to be in the hunt to win?
It's already been done - Brandon Schueler of Jagged X has won too many desert races to count and has had multiple BITD championships in UTV. In 2011 he won the King of the Hammers.
Otherwise my bet is if Rob MacCahren has entered a race with a steering wheel and four tires and has yet to win... He CAN and WILL.

whoa whoa whoa! Hold your DONKEY'S! You can't compare a UTV win to the unlimited class racers! 10 UTV's vs 200 KOH cars? Keep in mind the UTV's race on different courses, i.e. EASIER/SHORTER courses. I love me some Schueler BBQ's, but let's face it the only reason they've won at KOH is because Guthrie broke or didn't show. lol Jagged X is a great UTV team and I love em like brothers, but until they branch out of UTV into a rock buggy and run the 'real course' against 'real men and women', it would not be fair to compare the two. Maybe Bill will read this and it will light a fire under his a$$ to put Brandon in his rock buggy and go race with the big boys.

I'll agree with you on Rob Mac on being a potential Desert Racer that could win KOH. It would take some seat time and a dependable car...and some luck. RG also has some mad skills and now has his own car he will dial in for next year (he impressed many of us in qualifying this year for a top 3). Adler is another guy with a short-course background that has made huge improvements and is closing to winning KOH (I'm not sure if he has a rock crawling background or not).

There are some amazing builds going on right now, people dumping $100-300k into 4x4 cars while the technology gets better everyday. The level of racing and teams seems to get 30% better each year...even in a poor economy. I just hope we don't lose JV.

[nimrod]

Correct me if I wrong but from the outside rock racing, not crawling but racing pretty much looks like smash the pedal to the floor, and hope nothing breaks with a little turning of the front wheels to the left and the right looking for some traction. too me it's just a few steps above a destruction derby. I dig destruction Derbys as do most people, watching peeps go crazy all out nuts is fun but for sure it ain't even close to racing a TT to La Paz.

[pappawheely]

Correct me if I wrong but from the outside rock racing, not crawling but racing pretty much looks like smash the pedal to the floor, and hope nothing breaks with a little turning of the front wheels to the left and the right looking for some traction. too me it's just a few steps above a destruction derby. I dig destruction Derbys as do most people, watching peeps go crazy all out nuts is fun but for sure it ain't even close to racing a TT to La Paz.

You're wrong.

[Dirty Harry]

Correct me if I wrong but from the outside rock racing, not crawling but racing pretty much looks like smash the pedal to the floor, and hope nothing breaks with a little turning of the front wheels to the left and the right looking for some traction. too me it's just a few steps above a destruction derby. I dig destruction Derbys as do most people, watching peeps go crazy all out nuts is fun but for sure it ain't even close to racing a TT to La Paz.

I think that short course racing has more in common with a destruction derby than KOH does. Some guys just pin the throttle but they usually don't get too far, much less win.

[Rock Donkey]

Correct me if I wrong but from the outside rock racing, not crawling but racing pretty much looks like smash the pedal to the floor, and hope nothing breaks with a little turning of the front wheels to the left and the right looking for some traction.

Okay, you are wrong. There is actually a lot of finesse involved. If you just mash the pedal to the floor something will end up breaking and you'll be forced to ride the short bus home.

Definition of 'finesse': Skillful, subtle handling of a situation; tactful, diplomatic maneuvering.

[pappawheely]

I was really impressed with how easy RG got up the gatekeeper at chocolate thunder in qualifying. Maybe he will be the TT racer that takes the win next year?

[Rock Donkey]

Well the 2013 KOH Race lived up to the hype as the hardest off-road race in the USA.

127 vehicles started, only 27 finished, only 22 within the time limit.

No Dezert Racers Finished, only Rock Racers!

*crickets*

[isdtbower]

Mechanical attrition is usually the cause for not finishing. Is that from the win or nothing attitude, putting in the time to get the car right and drive it right for a win/finish, or just quitting early when inevitable problems arise.?

[Ramsey_ElWardani]

So only ~4 Desert racers failed and as many as ~99 Rock Donkeys failed.

*crickets* don't care!

Well the 2013 KOH Race lived up to the hype as the hardest off-road race in the USA.

127 vehicles started, only 27 finished, only 22 within the time limit.

No Dezert Racers Finished, only Rock Racers!

*crickets*