Rocks + crawling = mega fun and camaraderie for area devotees of the sport.
Area fans of off-roading — also known as rock crawling or wheeling in general — banned together in the Williamsburg Welfare Wheelers, a club of about 22 members who love to pit themselves and their vehicles against the elements. Near-vertical climbs, boulder-strewn courses and muddy pits are no problem to these enthusiasts in their modified four-wheel drive vehicles.
On Memorial Day weekend the club hosted their first ever Turtle Ridge Rock Challenge, held at the Turtle Ridge Off Road Park on Drummond Island. Drawing 17 competitors from around the state, 14 of whom finished the five courses, the event was declared a success and organizers are eager to do it again next year.
"Every one of the competitors, we'll drive these obstacles for fun but for this, because of the clock, we were driving ten times faster,” said Ryan Quinn of Traverse City, who took first place in the two-day event with a combined time of 8:09 — minutes, that is.
The slowest time was just over 41 minutes, illustrating the wide range of approaches, vehicles and driving ability present. First prize? A rock centered in a triangle of welded auto parts, which Quinn helped make and did not expect to find back on his mantle after the weekend.
Quinn and other club members, some of them his buddies since high school who hang out at his pole barn to work on each other's vehicles, spent three days before the weekend setting up and modifying obstacles at the park. Despite the physical elements stacked against the driver — gravity, rocks, mud, rocks, trees and more rocks — wheeling is a matter of brains over brawn. Excessive horsepower is not necessary as drivers keep it in a low gear for control.
"This is a sport where the misconception is that you just put your foot on the gas and hope for the best,” said Jason Grzesikowski, owner of Griztek Auto Appearance & Off Road and an organizer of the event. "This is a very, very technical driving situation where you have to think your way through what you're doing otherwise you're not going to go anywhere.”
Control is key, both of the vehicle by knowing when to hit the gas and when to coast and of the course by evaluating the obstacles to find the best path through, around or over them. Not to mention learning to effectively harness the adrenaline rush.
Mastering all these factors takes years of practice in a sport that is not forgiving of mistakes: rocks and metal do not mix well.
"It's kind of a seat of your pants sensation, it comes from experience and years of driving, you can't explain it to people,” added Grzesikowski, who completed the Turtle Ridge Rock Challenge in seventh place.
Adding to the instincts and skills gained by years of practice are spotters, a driver's helper who stays ahead of the vehicle and signals the best way. Spotters also pitch in when winching is needed to transcend an obstacle; a good one never hesitates to jump into mud of any depth to help out.
"The spotter can either make or break you,” said Clint Carter of Traverse City.
Carter's wife, Becca, is the club's self-proclaimed techie and also noted that rock crawling and other off-road events are not just for men.
"It's not strength, some girls wheel, too, it's in their blood,” she said.
Helping each other out is a fundamental part of the sport, whether on the course or off. If someone breaks an axle bouncing over a course, other participants and spectators will swarm out to help, often arriving even before the driver's seatbelt is unbuckled. The same principles apply beforehand, where most wheelers work on their own vehicles with a little help from their friends.
"One thing that is so unique about off-roading, and something that I take a lot of pride in, is you're not going to get that attitude, 'Oh, you broke something, too bad for you,'” said Grzesikowski. "It reflects a lot of the military where no man is left behind. We definitely take pride in it. It isn't an attitude sport, we take care of each other and we do what we have to do to make sure everybody's safe.”