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Motor
Sport That Takes Off-Roading to Extreme Catches On
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His
big tires kick up dust, and he hauls up the hill as the crowd
shouts, "Go! Go!" At the top, He turns left and rumbles back
down to more clapping and cheering. This is now part of a
growing extreme motor sport that takes off-road riding to
new heights and keeps score.
Think
monster trucks only smaller and quieter rolling over rocks
instead of junk cars.
Catching
on Fast
Rock
crawling started in the western United States about five years
ago as an offshoot of trail riding, and it's catching on now
all over..
"It's
so new. Most people have never heard of it," said Darrell
Motley, a veteran rock crawler from Lexington, Ky..
For
some, it takes a little adjustment to become fanatic about
the sport..
Indeed,
it is quieter than most motorsports because the vehicles make
little noise and go slowly through the obstacles, hence the
"crawling" name. Spectators can get within a few feet of the
action, sitting on ledge above an obstacle or standing behind
a security rope on a hill.
Special
Wheels Make Vehicles Crawl
Some
modified vehicles still resemble regular Jeeps above the tires.
Most have brightly colored panels covering only the engine
and an open cage and roll bars around the driver. Special
wheels, suspension and drive train are what make the vehicles
"crawl."
The
extremely modified vehicles compete in the unlimited class,
while more traditional- looking ones, with a tire no bigger
than 36 inches, make up the legends class.
Many
teams have sponsors such as BF Goodrich and Goodyear or a
local garage.
Most
events take place in a remote area grown over with trees and
brush. The boulders, dips and hills shaped by nature are perfect
for rock crawling.
It's
All About Overcoming Obstacles ...What Goes Up
Despite
the gravity-defying and precarious situations, few competitors
are seriously injured. They sometimes suffer cuts and bruised
egos
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