Currently, W.E.ROCK (World Extreme Rock Crawling Series) is the only recognized sanctioning body for international competition.  In November of 2006, the inaugural World Championship Event was held in Henderson, Nevada featuring teams from around the world, including Canada, Mexico, South Africa, Australia, and the US.  In 2007, W.E.ROCK sanctioned and produced nine rock crawling championship events throughout the US that all culminated in the Grand National Championships that were held in Spring Creek, Texas,” states Rich Klein, President of W.E. ROCK.

Rock crawling as a competition, claims its fare share of carnage, sending many contestants home after the first day.  In the sports infancy, competition crawlers saw a lot of recycling due to hard-core obstacles requiring steep vertical climbs.  However, drivers have learned from their mistakes and began beefing up their rigs to handle the abuse.  Some drivers started using rear-steer, accepting a penalty, while others customized their brake systems.  Modifying the transfer case enables the front and rear to lock separately, allowing the front and rear axles to receive power independently.  With this modification, competitors are in a better position to navigate around sharp corners without running the risk of taking a penalty.  This is extremely important since the competition is scored much like a game of golf.  Teams always run the risk of scoring penalties, so the goal is to run the course clean by avoiding pitfalls that could cause a team to time out.  In order to sustain a good lead and win the competition, a team has to know the vehicles capabilities, and more importantly, he or she must trust the spotter.  Too many times competitions are lost because a driver fails to listen to and decides to take matters into their own hands. 

Many factors come into play when it comes to competing in a rock crawl; not all rigs are created equal.  For example, the weight and wheelbase of a crawler plays a huge part in the way a driver maneuvers over a course.  If it is too heavy and they land on their side, they will end up timing out because they cannot finish the course.  Many competition 4×4 rigs have exchanged frame rails for lighter tube structures, which offers a huge advantage if it should turn over.  In recent years, high dollar moon buggies have made it into the southern arena of rock crawling; because of their lightweight construction, they are hard to beat when it comes to articulating through an obstacle course. 

There are few places where rock crawling is loved as much as it is here in Jellico.  This was evident as fans came out in droves to see their favorite crawlers battle it out on the rocks.  Saturday dawned sunny and clear skies, and after the Star Spangled Banner, forty-four W.E.ROCK competitors from all three classes (Unlimited, Pro Modified, and Modified Stock) made their way to the staging area, waiting for the signal to begin. 

This event helped to redefine the word extreme.  Non-stop action kept spectators running from one obstacle to the next and for the finale there was the “shoot-out” and it was wicked to say the least.  Lil’ Rich stepped it up a notch and added higher vertical walls and tighter switchbacks to traverse.  As the competition got under way, drivers spent the entire weekend trying to avoid braking down. However, this was to no avail, every class saw its share of end-over-end cartwheels, twisted metal, and ruptured tires and the crowds couldn’t have been happier.  Some of the courses required strategic handling, while others just needed a heavy foot for attacking the climb at full throttle.  At first glance, some obstacles seemed impossible to climb, that is when experience comes into play, not every obstacle should be climbed, but it is up to the driver to figure it out for himself.

In the Unlimited class, Shannon Campbell #35 quickly raised the bar, with his “take no prisoner attitude.”  Campbell drove all the way from Arizona to compete in this event, and he was not going home empty handed.  Campbell and Matt Deas battled neck and neck, however, Campbell ended up with the over all win skating in for first place with a score of -87.  Matt Deas #004 gave it all he had, but was unable to gain on Campbell; Deas closed in for a tight second with a score of -54. 

Other class winners to seize first place include Pro Modified driver, Ken Blume #192 and Modified Stock driver, Derek West #200.  These were well-deserved wins; everyone gave a strong competitive showing leaving energetic fans rallying for more entertainment.  After seeing the awe-inspiring action from this weekend, you can be rest assured that the best is still yet to come, with more events sporting massive boulders that love to eat metal, just because they can.