| A open class tubular buggy climbs over the rock garden during the competition at the Carbon County Fairgrounds. |
On June 3 the Carbon County King Crawlers hosted a 4X4 Challenge on the course at the Carbon County Fairgrounds.
The King 4X4 competition was designed to test the vehicle in different extremes. Judges were looking for the toughest red-neck overall rig and driver. The contest was for the everyday 4×4 driver who felt he could get his rig anywhere he wanted, could prove himself, feel the adrenaline and win some money and prizes.
The contest had eight events designed to test vehicles and drivers to their limits. The events included a mini baja, a rock garden, a log cross, a tire pit, a pull, an engineering event, a mud pit and a gauntlet.
The gauntlet was improved over past years as the finale to the contest. The engineering event rewarded multi-use vehicles for their functionality and checked for areas that the events may not measure.
For instance, where the pull favored the large vehicles, the race course favored the small vehicles. The logs, mud, rocks and tires showed no favorites to size of machine, but did to tricked out engineering. Extreme suspensions and big tires did make many of the events easier than stock street legal vehicles.
There were various classes in the competition. Vehicles in the open class were not street legal. Much of the time they have a tube frame or buggy with customized suspension. The creator of these machines did not have any state requirements for usage in the competition.
Many of the competitor’s rigs were very sophisticated, some not much more than a stripped street vehicle.
| A street legal pickup negotiates its way through the mud bog during the King Crawler 4X4 Challenge held on June 3. |
Daily driven vehicles had to meet all Utah safety inspection standards, and has the opportunity to score more points in the Engineering Event for its cargo space and passenger comfort and convenience.
For the competition, doors, mud flaps, headers and fender flares could be removed, but anything removed to compete often cost the operator points in the engineering event as the vehicle was scored in the same condition throughout the competition.
The modified class included street legal vehicles with modifications and tires 36″ or over. It also included the smaller non street legal vehicles with tires that did not exceed 38″.
Many competitors pushed their street machines to the very edge of the limits in lifts, tire sizes and suspension modifications.