Kallure
05-20-2004, 02:57 PM
Last week we posted that Paragon was on the WB17 news. Now, Paragon and NEUROC are in our local paper, The Daily Times (http://www.delcotimes.com). Pretty cool.
If I'm not mistaken, the guy competing from Aston is right near us and Steve's looked at parts from there before.
In Depth: Combine big-wheeled trucks and boulders and you get rock crawling
MATT HASSON , Times Correspondent 05/17/2004
Here’s an outdoor adventure that rocks --- literally. Off-roaders are getting into rock crawling, a burgeoning professional sport that’s sweeping across the country and getting wide coverage on ESPN, the Speed Channel and Outdoor Network.
Rock crawling is extreme, every off-roading enthusiast’s dream -- or nightmare, judging from the courses that rock climbers have to negotiate.
Rock crawling is a race against the clock. It’s also a test of man (or woman) and machine. Four-wheel drive vehicles seem to defy gravity as they lean to one side or the other --- or forward or backward --- and come perilously close to rolling over. It’s not a sport for wimps or the faint of heart.
It’s also a family-oriented sport with exciting, scenic and accessible new venues on the East Coast. A rock-crawling event is a blast for all family members.
Rock crawling was born in the Western U.S. five years ago and is making its way east. The Northeast USA Rock Crawling and Off Road Championship (NEUROC) series is gearing up for its third season. For this first time this year, NEUROC is affiliated with the United Rock Crawling and Off Road Challenge (UROC), the largest sanctioning organization in the U.S.
The NEUROC season is scheduled to begin May 22 and 23 at Paragon Adventure Park in Hazleton. Six weekend events are scheduled.
NEUROC is drawing more and more spectators all the time, with almost 3,000 fans at each event, according to the NEUROC 2004 Sponsorship Guide.
NEUROC’s fan base is very diverse. According to the Guide, 27 percent of the fans are over age 45, 21 percent are age 36 to 45, 21 percent are age 25 to 35 and 22 percent are age 18 to 24. Males comprise 73 percent of fans. A total of 31 percent make $75,000 or more per year, 25 percent make $50,000 to $74,000, 24 percent make $30,000 to $49,000 and 20 percent make less than $30,000. A total of 64 percent of fans are married and a combined 48 percent have college degrees or some college education. Blue-collar workers comprise 35 percent, business owners 25 percent and professionals 27 percent.
One local NEUROC team is ready to rock and roll. Aston resident Wayne Kidder is fielding a Super Modified buggy in this year’s NEUROC events. He started building the vehicle last December at his shop, Up and Over Innovations, where he does custom fabrication, restoration and conversion of four-wheel drive vehicles. Bob Ludlow, an off-road enthusiast from North Wilmington, Del., will drive the buggy.
Kidder’s is believed to be the only NEUROC team in the Philadelphia region.
There are three classes of vehicles in NEUROC competition: stock, modified and super modified. In rock climbing, a driver and spotter must navigate a vehicle through a rocky course in a specific amount of time. Each obstacle is marked by cones that designate a series of gates. The teams must maneuver through each gate without touching any of the cones. Each obstacle has a time limit.
Courses range from about 200 to 400 yards.
Penalties are given mainly for safety violations, such as a driver intentionally reaching outside the vehicle and touching any part of the course while the vehicle is moving.
Each course has two judges who score and impose penalties.
Vehicles negotiate an obstacle course one at a time. The typical field at a NEUROC event comprises 40 super modifieds, 20 modifieds and 20 stocks.
There are no "pits’’ at a rock-crawling course, but crews have a special area where they can prepare and fix their vehicles.
NEUROC’s super modified class is right up Kidder’s alley because it allows creative engineering with few real restrictions. Rules mostly concern safety.
A super modified must weigh at least 2,500 pounds and have an engine that’s built specifically for a car or truck. Its parts and components must be the same as those anyone can buy for their vehicle.
"Everybody has their own idea of what works the best,’’ said Kidder, in reference to the ingenuity that NEUROC allows for super-modified vehicles.
Kidder’s buggy, which doesn’t resemble any vehicle on the road, has an ultra-light chromoly frame chassis and thin aluminum body panels. Its stock fuel-injected 4.3-liter Chevrolet V-6 engine generates about 200 horsepower. Its three-speed automatic transmission is designed for low-end traction, not speed.
The driver can switch from four-wheel drive to front-wheel drive.
The vehicle has a four-link suspension with solid axles and nitrogen-filled coil shock absorbers.
The buggy’s tires are 39 inches around with 20-inch rims. Its sturdy, race-approved fuel tank has a valve that’s designed to shut off gas flow if the vehicle rolls over. It has many of the safety features found in race cars, such as roll bars and a safety harness. The driver may wear an open-face helmet, which allows better visibility.
Spectators can see rock crawling up close and personal. Fans can stand behind marked boundaries or sit on ledges overlooking obstacles.
"The biggest difference is that you can get real close to the trucks,’’ said Kidder. "There are barriers. It’s not a man-made track. It might be modified, but it’s nature at its worst."
Competitors have to be very careful not to spill oil or other fluids onto the obstacle course, he said.
"We’re playing in nature,’’ he said. "When you spill something, it takes a while to heal. You can also be penalized for spilling something."
Like NASCAR and other types of racing, rock crawling has "spotters,’’ or crew members who watch the action and warn their drivers about possible hazards. Kidder will spot for Ludlow, but not by radio. He’ll actually walk along the obstacle course and call instructions to the driver.
"I’m pretty excited about it,’’ said Ludlow. "I’m a little scared but I’m ready to get out there and try.’’
Ludlow plans to take the buggy for a few test rides on property he rents in northern Delaware. He has competed in motocross and has some experience in off-roading, but not competitively.
"Once I’ve tried it, I’ll get the knack of it,’’ said Ludlow. "I can’t wait to drive it.’’
If I'm not mistaken, the guy competing from Aston is right near us and Steve's looked at parts from there before.
In Depth: Combine big-wheeled trucks and boulders and you get rock crawling
MATT HASSON , Times Correspondent 05/17/2004
Here’s an outdoor adventure that rocks --- literally. Off-roaders are getting into rock crawling, a burgeoning professional sport that’s sweeping across the country and getting wide coverage on ESPN, the Speed Channel and Outdoor Network.
Rock crawling is extreme, every off-roading enthusiast’s dream -- or nightmare, judging from the courses that rock climbers have to negotiate.
Rock crawling is a race against the clock. It’s also a test of man (or woman) and machine. Four-wheel drive vehicles seem to defy gravity as they lean to one side or the other --- or forward or backward --- and come perilously close to rolling over. It’s not a sport for wimps or the faint of heart.
It’s also a family-oriented sport with exciting, scenic and accessible new venues on the East Coast. A rock-crawling event is a blast for all family members.
Rock crawling was born in the Western U.S. five years ago and is making its way east. The Northeast USA Rock Crawling and Off Road Championship (NEUROC) series is gearing up for its third season. For this first time this year, NEUROC is affiliated with the United Rock Crawling and Off Road Challenge (UROC), the largest sanctioning organization in the U.S.
The NEUROC season is scheduled to begin May 22 and 23 at Paragon Adventure Park in Hazleton. Six weekend events are scheduled.
NEUROC is drawing more and more spectators all the time, with almost 3,000 fans at each event, according to the NEUROC 2004 Sponsorship Guide.
NEUROC’s fan base is very diverse. According to the Guide, 27 percent of the fans are over age 45, 21 percent are age 36 to 45, 21 percent are age 25 to 35 and 22 percent are age 18 to 24. Males comprise 73 percent of fans. A total of 31 percent make $75,000 or more per year, 25 percent make $50,000 to $74,000, 24 percent make $30,000 to $49,000 and 20 percent make less than $30,000. A total of 64 percent of fans are married and a combined 48 percent have college degrees or some college education. Blue-collar workers comprise 35 percent, business owners 25 percent and professionals 27 percent.
One local NEUROC team is ready to rock and roll. Aston resident Wayne Kidder is fielding a Super Modified buggy in this year’s NEUROC events. He started building the vehicle last December at his shop, Up and Over Innovations, where he does custom fabrication, restoration and conversion of four-wheel drive vehicles. Bob Ludlow, an off-road enthusiast from North Wilmington, Del., will drive the buggy.
Kidder’s is believed to be the only NEUROC team in the Philadelphia region.
There are three classes of vehicles in NEUROC competition: stock, modified and super modified. In rock climbing, a driver and spotter must navigate a vehicle through a rocky course in a specific amount of time. Each obstacle is marked by cones that designate a series of gates. The teams must maneuver through each gate without touching any of the cones. Each obstacle has a time limit.
Courses range from about 200 to 400 yards.
Penalties are given mainly for safety violations, such as a driver intentionally reaching outside the vehicle and touching any part of the course while the vehicle is moving.
Each course has two judges who score and impose penalties.
Vehicles negotiate an obstacle course one at a time. The typical field at a NEUROC event comprises 40 super modifieds, 20 modifieds and 20 stocks.
There are no "pits’’ at a rock-crawling course, but crews have a special area where they can prepare and fix their vehicles.
NEUROC’s super modified class is right up Kidder’s alley because it allows creative engineering with few real restrictions. Rules mostly concern safety.
A super modified must weigh at least 2,500 pounds and have an engine that’s built specifically for a car or truck. Its parts and components must be the same as those anyone can buy for their vehicle.
"Everybody has their own idea of what works the best,’’ said Kidder, in reference to the ingenuity that NEUROC allows for super-modified vehicles.
Kidder’s buggy, which doesn’t resemble any vehicle on the road, has an ultra-light chromoly frame chassis and thin aluminum body panels. Its stock fuel-injected 4.3-liter Chevrolet V-6 engine generates about 200 horsepower. Its three-speed automatic transmission is designed for low-end traction, not speed.
The driver can switch from four-wheel drive to front-wheel drive.
The vehicle has a four-link suspension with solid axles and nitrogen-filled coil shock absorbers.
The buggy’s tires are 39 inches around with 20-inch rims. Its sturdy, race-approved fuel tank has a valve that’s designed to shut off gas flow if the vehicle rolls over. It has many of the safety features found in race cars, such as roll bars and a safety harness. The driver may wear an open-face helmet, which allows better visibility.
Spectators can see rock crawling up close and personal. Fans can stand behind marked boundaries or sit on ledges overlooking obstacles.
"The biggest difference is that you can get real close to the trucks,’’ said Kidder. "There are barriers. It’s not a man-made track. It might be modified, but it’s nature at its worst."
Competitors have to be very careful not to spill oil or other fluids onto the obstacle course, he said.
"We’re playing in nature,’’ he said. "When you spill something, it takes a while to heal. You can also be penalized for spilling something."
Like NASCAR and other types of racing, rock crawling has "spotters,’’ or crew members who watch the action and warn their drivers about possible hazards. Kidder will spot for Ludlow, but not by radio. He’ll actually walk along the obstacle course and call instructions to the driver.
"I’m pretty excited about it,’’ said Ludlow. "I’m a little scared but I’m ready to get out there and try.’’
Ludlow plans to take the buggy for a few test rides on property he rents in northern Delaware. He has competed in motocross and has some experience in off-roading, but not competitively.
"Once I’ve tried it, I’ll get the knack of it,’’ said Ludlow. "I can’t wait to drive it.’’