There's been some talk about the Goodyear Skyjacker Extreme Rock Crawling Championship Series (ARCA) of late. It seems as if some people are claiming that the events are fixed, or that certain competitors have an unfair advantage. There's also a potential sponsor that's complaining that ARCA won't let them in the event.
While I'm not connected with ARCA in any way, shape, or form and have no "inside" information on the current situation, I was the person who started the first event in Farmington, New Mexico, before I sold it to what became ARCA. As such, I DO know what was going on when I had the event.
Jeff Cummings from BFGoodrich Tires has complained that ARCA isn't interested in letting BFG be an event sponsor because they, " . . . already have a tire sponsor." That sponsor is, of course, Goodyear. In the beginning, I was putting together sponsors to support my new event, the Extreme Rock Crawling Competition. Goodyear had indicated they were interested in being the marquee, or main, sponsor, but were dragging their feet in actually stepping up to the plate, to the point where I felt they probably weren't going to come in. I left two messages for Jeff Cummings to call me, outlining what was happening and offering the main sponsorship to BFGoodrich. He didn't return my calls. As an aside, I tried to call him the other day to talk with him about this and he didn't return that call, either. Now, granted, my relationship with BFG has never been great, even in the old 4 Wheel Drive & Sport Utility magazine days, so Jeff has every right to choose not to return my calls. But to hear comments that ARCA is being unreasonable in not letting BFG in because they already have Goodyear as the tire sponsor, well, now you know that BFG had their chance.
There was some talk that Walker Evans didn't really deserve to win because somehow Goodyear and ARCA had conspired to massage the points at Cedar City. I was at Cedar City and, while I don't know what was happening at ARCA HQ, I can tell you that Walker drove a superb event. Last year, and early this year, it took him a while to switch gears, for he had a tendency to have a heavy desert racer's foot on the loud pedal. I was impressed with him in Cedar City, though, as he really was thinking where to place tires, exercising proper throttle control, pick correct lines, etc. - in other words, he's turned into a real rock | crawler. It's too bad that someone can't drive well and win an event honestly without being maligned by someone else.
There was also talk that somehow the Currie/Waggoner team had helped to design the course, because they had been to Cedar City early practicing on the rocks. Phil Collard is the man ARCA uses to set up their courses and a friend of mine. Phil was helping me when I was doing the event in Farmington, only we hadn't laid out a course before ARCA took over. I went to Farmington to watch what had become ARCA's first event and asked Phil how and where the obstacles were and he wouldn't even tell ME, his friend who wasn't a competitor and who had actually owned the event a few months before! I know that Phil would not disclose to Team Currie, or any other competitor, where the obstacles were. Remember, though, that all competitors know where the EVENT is going to be and there are no rules keeping them from practicing in the area, as many teams did before the Cedar City event.
Finally, there was some comment that ARCA wasn't allowing sponsor's stickers on vehicles, if those sponsors weren't part of the event. That is simply not true. The Warn/BFGoodrich Rock Crawling Championship doesn't allow that, not the Goodyear Skyjacker Extreme Rock Crawling Championship Series. Sports in the Rough, the promoter of the Warn event, does a great job and has built that event into the premier rock crawling happening, but I don't agree that competitors need to take the stickers off their vehicles from those who supported them or their vehicle while they were building it. Why would a manufacturer or retailer want to support someone in a rock crawling event if they knew their stickers would be ripped off the vehicle? Once again, while ARCA limits the SIZE of sponsor stickers who aren't a part of ARCA, they don't require you to remove them, as the Warn/BFGoodrich event does.
There are rock crawling competitions popping up around the country. ARCA, Sports in the Rough, UROC and many other smaller organizations are doing a great job in bringing our admittedly weird sport to the masses. Let's not muddy the waters or the honor of individuals by spreading falsehoods and rumors that can't do anyone any good, especially those who choose to have a great time doing extreme rock crawling! |
