Tracy & the Rock Bug were back at it for W.E.Rock’s Round 2 in Cedar City, UT.  It was a tough start to say the least, with electrical issues haunted the Scat V4 for nearly the entire day.  It all began right from the start of the Rock Bug’s first course, B2.  Right after crossing the start line, the Scat V4 lost almost all power.  Tracy’s incredible driving skill got the Rock Bug through the course with a solid score, but it was off to the pits immediately after.

At this point, no one knew what was going on with the Scat, so a call was made to use 45 minutes of breakdown time.  With everyone focused on the motor, a bad coil pack was found causing the Scat to run on only 3 cylinders.  So, the coil pack was swapped and the Rock Bug was back in action.  Or was it?

Now up on B3.  Once again the Rock Bug crosses the start line and once again the Scat begins running on 2 or 3 cylinders.  Tracy does his best but can’t get the Rock Bug through the course.  Immediately after the Rock Bug exits, the team quickly replaces the rest of the coil packs in fear of further problems.

Now up on B4.  The Rock Bug crosses the start line and guess what?  The Scat begins running on 2 to 3 cylinders!  Tracy works his magic and manages to get the Rock Bug all the way through the coarse with a fair score.  After finishing, Tracy races back to the pits hoping to shed some light on this never ending problem.

Well, in the haste of constantly installing new coil packs between courses, one of the spark plug wires ended up contacting the header, destroying the cable.  This was easily fixed and finally allowed the Scat to run the way it should have from the start.  Now up for the last course of the day, B1.

As it stood, only 2 teams were able to complete this coarse so Tracy still had a great shot of ending the day strong.  Both he and his spotter Jason gave it their all, but luck would still not be on Tracy’s side.  The Dana 300 t-case shifters unexpectedly “split” toward the end of the obstacle, causing the front to be in low range and the rear to be in high range at the same time.  There was not enough time for Tracy to compensate for this problem and time did run out.

Somehow, despite all of these troubles, Tracy and the Rock Bug still managed to place 10th for day 1.  The event is not over either.  Tomorrow marks day 2 of this two day event and it is still anyone’s competition.   We will be back again competing at 10 am, MST and don’t forget you can follow along live as described in our post “5 Must Visit Websites for Following W.E.Rock”.  Enjoy the day 1 course videos below of the Rock Bug (despite all of the motor issues) and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow.

Course B2

Course B3

Course B4

Course B1

With round 2 of W.E.Rock just around the corner, it’s a great time to talk about how to follow the competition without actually being at the competition.  Granted, nothing is better then physically being at the event, but following along LIVE at home or work certainly is the next best thing.  So, here are 5 “must visit” websites for following upcoming W.E.Rock events.

1. Twitter -  Spidertrax’s Twitter page is a great place for getting quick, rapid fire text updates as they happen.  These updates come live from the event & are typically posted right on-course.  What’s great about Twitter is it doesn’t require you to login or register and works from almost any computer or phone.
2. Facebook – Although Facebook requires you to login & register, it is without question the most popular spot for finding out the latest.  All Twitter updates from above are posted live on Spidertrax’s Facebook page as well as extended information like links to end of day pictures & videos.  So, if you already have a Facebook account or were thinking about setting one up (you know you want to), add “Spidertrax Off-Road” as a friend and follow along.
3. The Blog of Spidertrax – Spidertrax’s blog is a great place for an “end of day” summary complete with story, pictures, and videos focused around teams running Spidertrax products.  To get a taste of how this looks, check out our previous W.E.Rock coverage of Day 1 and Day 2 from round 1.
4. WE-Rock.cc – This is W.E.Rock’s official website where you can listen to live streaming audio of announcer Dustin Webster.  The main page can get a little crowded, but look for the link titled “Streaming Audio: Windows | Apple“ under the title of the event, typically toward the top of the page.
5. Pirate4x4.com – Look for a W.E.Rock event link at the top of the main page to get an “all-in-one” package deal of streaming audio, live blogging, photos, and videos all broadcast live from the event.  While you’re there, also stop by the “Competitions and Events” forum page for user generated updates and insight of the event.

There you have it, 5 “must visit” websites for following W.E.Rock.  Don’t forget, W.E.Rock’s round 2 (Cedar City, UT) starts May 2nd @ 10 am.  See you there…or better yet see you online!

Just a quick post recognizing all of the teams supporting Spidertrax and Spider 9 Axles this competition season.  Round 1of both W.E.Rock & XRRA are now behind us with Spider 9 Axles & Components securing 12 of the top 15 spots!

XRRA Round 1: Top 5 Running Spider 9 Axles & Components
1st: Rick Deremo
2nd: Brad Lovell
3rd: Levi Shirley
4th: Dana Verdorn
5th: Joachim Schweisow

W.E.Rock Round 1: Unlimited Top 5 Running Spider 9 Axles & Components 
2nd: Jason Paule
3rd: Jesse Haines
4th: Brent Bradshaw

W.E.Rock Round 1: Pro-Mod Top 5 Running Spider 9 Axles & Components
1st: Brad Lovell
2nd: Buzz Bronsema
3rd: Tracy Jordan
5th: Brian Errea

Last, but not least, we got our hands on some amazing Rock Bug photos by renowned photographer Chad Jock (http://www.chadjockphotography.com/).  These were taken during the W.E.Rock Round 1 event in Tucson, AZ.

Click Here to View the Slideshow

Discovering unfound trails in Moab has always been a highlight during Easter Jeep Safari.  Our last memorable unfound trail that comes immediately to mind was “Upper Proving Grounds” which, for the clan of Samurais way back when, was about as hardcore as it got.  Vehicles have become so capable these days, finding a trail that still holds this same unfound impact is near to impossible.  That was my feeling…until yesterday.

A good friend of ours, Kevin Carrol, has discovered a rock boulder canyon that adds new meaning to the word “hardcore”.  This trail (if you can call it that) has no known name but is referred to as the trail out by Lisbon.  So, until someone comes up with a better name, we will call this new find “Out By Lisbon”.

Out By Lisbon is located 45 minutes from Moab, UT (about 30 miles) and to be completely honest, without the guide of Kevin no one can figure out how to get back to this place.  This trail is suited only for competition level rigs, where rear steer is virtually a requirement to get all the way to the end.  From start to finish, it takes about 8 hours to make it though, assuming of course nothing breaks.  In addition, there is only one way in and one way out so breaking is not an option. 

Yesterday the 7th of April, Kevin took Mark Ruffing (driving a Spidertrax XTS) & Tracy Jordan (driving the Spidertrax Rock Bug) for a day of wheeling they will never forget.  Although photos never do trails like this justice, it’s the next best thing to actually being there.  Therefore, please enjoy the photo set below courtesy of Shane Garrels from yesterdays trip on Out By Lisbon.

Click Here to View the Slideshow

It was an awesome day 2 for rock crawling competition! The point spreads were so tight that no one could call a winner until every vehicle completed the shootout.  Even then, the scores had to be triple checked to safely name the top finishers.  All in all, Tracy and the Rock Bug had an amazing first W.E.Rock event securing 3rd place in the Pro-Mod class!

There is far more to celebrate then just the 3rd place finish.  The Rock Bug looked great out there both yesterday and today, clearly demonstrating the benefits of ultra lightweight &  ultra high strength designs.  With the exception of some odd behavior out of the t-case shifters, the Rock Bug worked flawlessly right out of the box. 

From here, the Rock Bug is heading up to Moab for the Easter Jeep Safari Vendor Show this Thursday & Friday (April 9th-10th @ the Spanish Trail Arena in Moab, UT).  After which, the Rock Bug is heading back to our shop where we will be installing a heat treated chromoly Spider 9 solid rear axle as well as looking over the rest of the vehicle for general inspection & maintenance.  Once we get these changes wrapped up, we’ll get a new Rock Bug weight which will most likely happen at the next W.E.Rock event.

Last, but certainly not least, we absolutely need to recognize all of the Spider 9 axle & component equipped teams out there this weekend that proved, once again, Spider 9 axles have what it takes to win.  All in all, Spider 9 axles & components secured 7 of the top 10 spots:

Unlimited Top 5 Running Spider 9 Axles & Components 
2nd: Jason Paule
3rd: Jesse Haines
4th: Brent Bradshaw

Pro-Mod Top 5 Running Spider 9 Axles & Components
1st: Brad Lovell
2nd: Buzz Bronsema
3rd: Tracy Jordan
5th: Brian Errea

Be sure to check out the Rock Bug videos below from day 2 of the competition.  There is nothing special to comment on for these so dig in and enjoy.  Note: If you have a fast connection and computer, hit the “HD” button in the video window to watch the movie in full High Definition.

Course A1

Course A2

Course A3

Course A4

Final Shootout