Altogether, 21 teams entered the Rock Challenge. The first two teams broke drivetrain parts on the entrance gate and had to winch through section one. The following teams relied more on winching than on horsepower. One team, made up of Brent Galloway and his girlfriend Adrian Hall, made maximum use of the winching tactic. While Adrian pulled the cable and tree-saver strap up the hill, well past the tree the other teams had hooked up to, Brent taped a floor mat to the first tree. The floor mat protected the first tree from the cable, allowing them to winch twice as far in one pull.
Contestants were allowed to make repairs at the end of each section until the next truck completed that section. Some contestants successfully changed axles and U-joints during these down times. In all, 13 teams finished the event. And afterward, the club scoured the trail and spectator areas to collect every candy wrapper and soda can that had been left behind.
At the end of the day, it was Tommy Roller from McMinnville, Tennessee, who won the Rock Challenge. His '80 CJ-7 sports a tuned-port 350, 5.13 gearing, 42x15 Swampers, a Dana 60 frontend with a Detroit Locker, and a GM rear with a Lincoln locker. Tommy attributed his win to having the best spotter and a fast Warn 8274 winch. For tactics, Tommy said, "We winched the Jeep on its side for 20 feet to avoid taking a 20-point penalty for driving over a gate. And we finished section two in under one minute.
Scott Schapmann of Huntsville, Alabama, took Second Place in his '76 Bronco, while Lewis Eakes took Third Place in his 455 Oldsmobile-powered Jeep with 44-inch Super Swampers. Fourth Place went to Robert Johnson of Chattanooga, Tennessee, in his red Sniper that was equipped with 44-inch Super Swampers. Stephen Roth, president of Southern Four Wheel Drive Association, finished Fifth in his tan CJ-7 with 37-inch BFG Mud-Terrains.
Families from the 30 different clubs that comprise the SFWDA spend countless hours working diligently in the political arena, fighting to keep public lands open to public use. Their hard work has obviously paid off; Tellico continues to show that it offers some of the best trails east of the Mississippi.
For More InformationIf you would like to learn more about the trails and events in Tellico, Tennessee, and throughout the South, contact: the Southern Four Wheel Drive Association, Dept. 4WDSU, P.O. Box 50726, Knoxville, TN 37950-0726, www.sfwda.org