BLACKFOOT, ID: The W.E. Rock Grand Nationals will be at brand new location for both East and West competitors, Katemcy Rocks (K2) Off Road Park in Mason, Texas. This new location has no home field advantage for either of the Pro Classes. The rose-colored granite formations have a lot of crystal content, so traction should be excellent for the very technical courses with lots of bonuses designed by Josh England. The competition will be on Saturday and Sunday at the 5-star site Katemcy Rocks (K2) Off Road Park located just 6 miles west of Mason, TX. Cabins, electrical hook ups and a shower house are available onsite, or it is a short drive to town for motels and restaurants.
Adding a twist to the typical rock crawl event, W.E. Rock is shaking up the spotter and driver relationship. There will be a bonus for using no spotter on one course each day. The spotter will have to stand at the start gates and help from there, with no radio communications allowed. The No-Spotter Bonus is optional, but should throw a twist into the competition. In addition, this event will be the first opportunity for UTV Competitors to test their skills on rock crawling courses in anticipation of the full 2016 UTV Class series.
Saturday Night, drivers and teams are welcome to attend the Series Awards Celebration. The evening includes BBQ, Drinks, series awards, raffle and the auction for the 2015 banner. All raffle and auction proceeds will go to Susan G. Komen 3 day walk supporting Shelley’s goals, and anything above going to the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation.
“We look forward to this competition every year. It is always a great opportunity to see the competitors at their best as they fight for the National Title. With adding the No-Spotter Bonus and the UTV Class into this final 2015 event, we are already ramping up for another amazing season in 2016,” said Rich Klein, President and founder of W.E. Rock Events. “The weather looks to be perfect for spectators and the drivers, mid eighties with a slight breeze all weekend.” The event is very spectator and family friendly with the professional drivers available to sign autographs for the crowd in midst of the competition.
Professional Rock Crawling is one of the most intricate sports in the motorsports arena. It is technical, mechanical and filled with action. The rock courses are setup where spectators can bring their chairs and be able to see multiple courses running at the same time. The two-day format includes 4 courses of competition on Saturday and another 4 courses on Sunday, with a final shootout on Sunday night, which usually determines the final finishing positions! The winner will be determined by the driver that has the least amount of points at the end of the weekend, similar to golf.
There are many competitors, some driving over 20 hours, to be part of this professional series. Local 4×4 offroaders are encouraged to participate in the Sportsman and UTV Class joining us in two days of competition and fun. Vehicles must have doors, roof, 4 point harnesses, 2 fire extinguishers and competitors must wear DOT helmets. Enter online http://conta.cc/1EmbJ3f or onsite.
Pre-Registered teams include Unlimited Class Major Rock Tom Campbell, Rock Hard Racing Justin Hall, Team 360 Racing Justin Keilman, Trail-Gear Matt Messer, Team Superchips Jesse Haines and Trail-Gear Olivia Messer. Pre-Registered Pro Modified Drivers include Team Falken Tsuda Racing Masanori Tsuda, Wild Oats Motorsports Branden Blume, Honey Badger Motorsports Chris Smith, Team Top Rock 4×4 Darryl Sundin and Team Superchips Aaron Sykes. Mod Stock Driver Come Get Ya Some Scott Angell is also pre-registered. The Sportsman Drivers pre-registered include Fly-N-Hi Charlie Vacha. Many other drivers are also headed to Texas to compete and will be entering at Tech and Registration on Friday.
Spectators are encouraged to come and enjoy both days of entertainment with gates opening at 9am, and the action starting at 10am until around 4pm. The awards ceremony immediately follows the final Shootout on Sunday. Admission is $25 for a two-day pass, $15 for adults, $5 for ages 8-15 with a parent, children 7 and under free and Military with ID get $5 off. You can pre-purchase tickets at http://www.werocklive.com/events/rock-grand-nationals-2.
There are vendors, food and amenities on site, and we encourage you to bring chairs and shade structures. There is camping available onsite. After the event we will have the results, pictures and stories posted at http://www.werocklive.com/2015/w-e-rock-2015-grand-nationals for the W.E. Rock Rock Crawl.