Autoblog

Autoblog goes to Thunderdome 2013 Griffin King of the Hammers

Jonathon Ramsey — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 20:25:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Specialty, Off-Road

Whenever you want, you can play at being Mad Max. The task only requires closing your eyes, powering up the Gas-Free And Violent Post-Apocalyptic Dystopia program in your mental holodeck, then delivering a few lines in your best early Mel Gibson monotone like, "I think we've got some hoon trouble." or "I'm just here for the gasoline."

It has been called one of the hardest races in the world, numerous times.

Or you can be Mad Max. We've been to a lot of places and a lot of races in the world where you can approach the fantasy, but to go all the way - to a place where asking "When is Humungus coming back?" and "Where can I find Master Blaster?" wouldn't feel strange at all - you need to roll down onto the Means Dry Lake Bed in Johnson Valley, California for King of the Hammers.

What is King of the Hammers? The fact-sheet says it's a 184-mile race through desert and rocks, but the fact sheet can't express the experience. King of the Hammers is a one-day race that combines desert racing at triple-digit speeds, rock racing at double-digit speeds and rock crawling at low single-digit speeds. It comes after a week of vicious, timed punishments for every other kind of vehicle that can blast over barrens and crawl through quarries. It is an endurance test that gives competitors 14 hours to finish before time is called - and even then there's a good chance less than a third of the 120 runners will make it. It has been called one of the hardest races in the world, numerous times. Every year, something like 30,000 people erect a pop-up hamlet called Hammertown for a week to watch it all go down.

More accurately, it is insanity and absurdity that characterizes the best kinds of personal challenges. Even more accurately, it is Thunderdome. And the question that hundreds of off-road racers ask themselves every year, hoping for a chance to just finish - and be stranded in the desert for hours while doing so - is "Thunderdome. How do I get in there?"

Follow us. We'll show you the way.

Continue reading Autoblog goes to ~~Thunderdome~~ 2013 Griffin King of the Hammers

Autoblog goes to ~~Thunderdome~~ 2013 Griffin King of the Hammers originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 09 Feb 2013 20:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Off-road race truck crashes into Oregon crowd, injures 3 [w/video]

Jeffrey N. Ross — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 12:01:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Truck, Etc., Ford, Off-Road, Racing

The grainy image above is a shot from a video taken just seconds before a truck barreled into a crowd during an off-road racing event in Harrisburg, Ore. on Saturday. With about 1,000 people in attendance at Monster Air 2012, this jacked-up 1970s Ford pickup lost control and veered off course into the nearby crowd injuring three adults.

According to The Register-Guard of Eugene, Ore., fans were separated from the track by a dirt barrier at least eight-feet tall, and after the truck lost control, it went over this barrier and into the area where spectators were watching from folding chairs. Fortunately, the truck had slowed to just 10 mph by the time it made contact with the three victims, none of whom had serious life-threatening injuries. There has been no official word as to what caused the accident, but one witness said he heard something on the truck break just before it headed for the fans.

The accident happened just 30 minutes after the event started on Saturday, but the rest of the three-day Labor Day weekend events continued on as planned. Some reports referred to the truck as a monster truck, but it appears to be just a normal truck with a big lift. The Register-Guard is reporting it was a 1975 F-Series truck with a 950-horsepower engine, and CNN says that it was riding on 48-inch tires. No mention was made of the driver's condition, but he was apparently uninjured as CNN reports he got out of the truck after the accident to check on those who were injured.

One person happened to record the incident on his cell phone so the video quality is low, but it does capture most of the frightening incident. Scroll down to watch the grainy and jumpy video.

Continue reading Off-road race truck crashes into Oregon crowd, injures 3 [w/video]

Off-road race truck crashes into Oregon crowd, injures 3 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 03 Sep 2012 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After desert crash, motorcycle racer rides 14 more miles with broken ribs, collapsed lung

Jeffrey N. Ross — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 20:01:00 EST

Filed under: Videos, Motorcycle, Racing

Endurance off-road racing is brutal, and riders willing to tackle the open desert on a motorcycle are as tough as they are adventurous. Sam Longson, competing in the Best in the Desert "Vegas to Reno" race on August 17, showed just how rough off-road racing can be when he rode his bike the final 14 miles of the race with three broken ribs and a partially collapsed lung.

After riding 520 miles of the 534-mile event (known as the "Longest Off-Road Race in the United States"), Longson crashed his Yamaha after hitting what appears to be loose gravel over the trail. The incident occurs at the 4:30 mark of the video, at which point Longson flies back-first into the rock-strewn terrain.

Being in such a remote location meant Longson was far from help, so he hopped back on his bike, took a quick breather and headed for the finish line. Through the rest of the video, you hear him groaning in pain as he rides over the rough terrain. Despite all that, he finished the race in 38th place overall and third in his class.

The ordeal, recorded on Longson's helmet camera, is posted below. Note that the audio contains some explicit language, particularly (and understandably) in the portion following the crash.

Continue reading After desert crash, motorcycle racer rides 14 more miles with broken ribs, collapsed lung

After desert crash, motorcycle racer rides 14 more miles with broken ribs, collapsed lung originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Off-road racer Rick Huseman killed in plane crash

Noah Joseph — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

If bad news comes in threes, we don't want to know when the other shoe will drop. Shortly following the news of Indianapolis 500 champion Dan Wheldon's death yesterday comes the equally sad development that off-road racer Rick Huseman was killed when the small aircraft in which he was flying crashed near Barstow, California. Huseman, 38, was the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Pro 4 Unlimited Series champion just last year.

As if the tragedy weren't enough for the Huseman family to absorb, reports indicate that Rick's brother Jeff was also killed in the crash alongside an as-yet unidentified pilot.

According to Fox affiliate WPMT, the 38-year-old Toyota driver and his brother were flying back from Las Vegas (oddly where Wheldon was killed the same day) when their Beech 33 Bonanza airplane crashed into a canyon while attempting to make an emergency landing. The crash is under investigation.

Our condolences go out to the Huseman family and friends, as we hope this is the last such bit of bad news we have to report to you for a long time.

Off-road racer Rick Huseman killed in plane crash originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Feds failed to properly monitor California 200 rally that killed 8

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 10:28:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Government/Legal, Safety

The initial findings have come in concerning the accident at the California 200 off-road race tragedy that left eight people dead three months ago. The race promoter, Mojave Desert Racing, was contractually obliged by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to keep spectators at least 50 feet away from the course. In turn, it was the BLM's duty to monitor compliance with that stipulation, and sadly, neither of those things happened.

Just after the accident, A CNN report speculated on how close watchers might have been to the course and the Los Angeles Times indicated that they were within "a few feet." With that in mind, it's amazing that more people weren't hurt or killed. The BLM has instituted new procedures for approving and overseeing races, and the promoter is waiting to have its license reinstated pending the outcome of the investigation. Top tip, Bo!

[Source: Los Angeles Times | Image: AP/Francis Specker]

Report: Feds failed to properly monitor California 200 rally that killed 8 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 caught playing on Alpen roads

Zach Bowman — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 10:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Spy Photos, Performance, SUV, Europe, Volkswagen, South America, Off-Road, Racing

VW Race Touareg 2 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Our camera-happy spy photographers were quick enough to grab a batch of shots of one very distinctive Volkswagen Touareg as it underwent mountain testing. From what we can tell, it's the next iteration of the German manufacturer's successful Race Touareg 2 - the same diesel rally raid beast that has gone toe-to-toe with other competitors in the Paris-Dakar. From what we can tell, the next-gen racer will look nearly identical to the car that competed in the 2009 series, with a few subtle changes.

The prototype our photographers spotted sports a snorkel for high-water crossings and a new brush guard - presumably for pushing obstacles from the Touareg's path and protecting its lightweight bodywork. Who knows what's under the hood, but considering the success the company has had with hits twin-turbo diesel I5, we wouldn't expect too much to change in terms of power delivery unless rule changes warrant it. VW has managed to increase the engine's power output by about 10-15 ponies each year, though, so it wouldn't surprise us to see the oil-burner top 300 horsepower for the first time.

Gallery: Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 Spy Shots

[Source: CarPix]

Spy Shots: Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 caught playing on Alpen roads originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Jun 2010 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's official: Team HUMMER driver Emily Miller is an Ironwoman

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:59:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

Last weekend, Emily Miller of Rod Hall Racing was out to become the first Ironwoman in the history of the TSCO Vegas to Reno off-road race to finish the grueling competition solo. To do so, she'd have to drive the her H2 the entire 457-mile distance. She did it in a time of 16:40.30 after having lost the front passenger wheel at mile 80 and having to rebuild the front end. And she still came in third in the stock-full class. Teammate Chad Hall took first in an H3 Alpha, and was the first production vehicle to cross the line. The other Halls -- Rod and Josh -- also took first in their respective classes. Congratulations to Emily, -- and if you're looking for her at future races, she'll probably be the one wearing a cape. Thanks for the tip, 4x4 King!

[Source: Hummer Guy]

It's official: Team HUMMER driver Emily Miller is an Ironwoman originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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