(A long read, but please do read and consider) I dont claim to have qualified experience in anything, but from 2001-2005 starting at the age of 19 years old, when I first saw a mud race for the first time at Harrington in early 2001, I wanted to do something. Most normal people say, hey I can build my truck into a mud racer. But as strange as I am, my first thought was, hey why dont I host a mud bog/race on my property and have all these guys come to my field. So this inexperienced 19 year old who drove a truck on 33 tires, tried having a once a year mud event on his land. The first year, being a person wanting to make everyone happy, I hardly imposed any rules. I let people do what they wanted for the most part. At the end of my first event, I was faced with local town drama, trespassers, destruction of other peoples property, and a mess to clean up myself. The next year I expanded, added a 2nd race pit and recorded times. I charged $20 per rig to race, $5 per each spectator, and gave out 1st, 2nd and 3rd place trophies per 5 classes, I had equipment fees, didnt have insurance and anyone helping me was volunteer and outhouses and all supplies were paid for by me. When people werent in line when it was their time to race, I often had to run and track them down and tell them. There were drunk people, a couple fights, some close calls, and I had some friends tell me they no longer wanted to be a part of it. It left me with a feeling of wondering why I even tried. The next year I had to impose and enforce more rules and more help to run it, and talked my same friends to coming back again. Though still faced with many problems, the 3rd year was essentially a success. But we had deep nasty mud, uneven pits, sometimes long wait times for extractions, and I was in over my head again as far as me trying to oversee every aspect of what I dreamed. Again, I always had to find people to stage them when they werent where they were supposed to be. When people complained, and if they left early I refunded their money and gave them a sincere apology without sarcasm. I did the mud races at my place for two more years, and finally decided in the end that it was too stressful, didnt make me any money nor even cover my time to set up or clean up and this was only a one time per year race. I couldnt make every racer happy no matter what. Where some were thrilled, others were not. And that bothered me. Plus I had no nearby fire/medical help, and did this at my own risk without insurance. I stopped having them. Often people have asked me over the years when I would have races again at my place and I told them not again. I have a small understanding of what it takes to put on a race or small event. And no matter what appreciate what others do to try and host one as well. I know between the years of my races, Sam Thomas, Jeff Williams, and Mc Muddin and Chris Schuh all at one time raced through my water logged uneven and sometimes nasty pits. I appreciated their patience with me and how I ran it. Kevin Mudder Phuker Zufall never made it though, at that time he didnt have a big yellow truck, but he did have a little truck and lived 2 houses down from me in Spokane and didnt have a clue I was having mud races haha. I appreciated also the help from Matt Van Winkle Travis Hawk Charles Carrell Nic Wagner Joey Drake Joe Webster Brian Isley Dillon Wilke Judd McDonald Jeremy Fraley Russ Lundberg Jon Roland Ron Lundberg David Mock Nathan Mulkey and other friends over the 5 year span who volunteered their help during my races. I sincerely hope that these races will not tear people apart, but bring us all together as racers, boggers, off roaders. Its rough sometimes, but just like in the world of off roading, if one of us struggles, another one of us is there to help give us a pull out of the muck. Again thanks to these guys for their efforts in the races today and people who have stepped in to help out like Marty Julien and Jim Cooper Calvin Colhoff and all the others.
Posted on: Sun, 20 Apr 2014 07:14:06 +0000
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