We look forward to the W.E. Rock events in Dayton, Tennessee all year long. The first of two events to be held in Dayton this year did not disappoint. Some 3,000 people flocked to this once man made strip mine turned rock crawling paradise. We got to the park about 6pm on Friday and the crowd had already started to roll in despite the unusually cold temperatures. The vendor row was full of great supporters of W.E.Rock including some mighty tasty food.
The action started around 7pm as these professional rock crawlers started on multiple courses. It was not very long before we had our first rollover. Rollovers happened all night as the course was much more technical due to the rains we had earlier in the day. Carnage was abundant. Wes Kean, the crowd favorite, blew a front ring and pinion early in the night and had to call for parts. Friday nights results made for an excited field of racers separated by minimal points.
Day two started off with a drizzling rain that made the courses slick yet again. The competitors now had to run the same courses as the night before but with a new twist. They have to run the courses in the opposite direction. The crowd watched in amazement as drivers attempted drop offs over eight feet in height. Many teams chose to back down the huge drops. This is mainly due to the weight of the engine in the front of the vehicles. As soon as the rear tires would hit the bottom of the drop, the drivers would stomp on the gas to keep from rolling. Some did this with precision, others ended up on their lid. Wes Kean had another rough night. He rolled on a drop off killing his distributor cap. Time ran out as Wes and his spotter Woody tried to push the rig through the finish gate. It is no wonder why team WFO has such a huge following. After a torch, JB Weld, and some borrowed parts they finally got the rig started but it would not make it to the shotgun round.
After two rounds of fierce competition the teams were neck and neck going into the shotgun round. The Shotgun round consisted of two timed courses. One was a typical rock crawl course and the other was known as “Bonus Land” in which teams had the chance to take 25 points off of their final score. Competitors had to conquer a series of gates while stopping to check in each one at the bottom of the course. This made for some great action as drivers stomped the gas to complete the course within the allowed time. When the dust cleared Bill Barton was left standing in victory lane with a 1st place finish in the Unlimited Class, while Derek West came out on top in the Pro Mod class, and Brandon Hudson dominated the Trail Class. Congratulations to all of the teams who came out and competed. Below are some of the video highlights of the event. We also have a full album of photos on the Busted Knuckle Facebook Page. The next W.E. Rock event in Dayton will be in August and Busted Knuckle Films will be there to catch all of the action once again. Come join us! For more information on this series check out WE Rock’s Website.
Final Standings courtesy of WEROCK.
Wes Kean and Team WFO’s never say die attitude at work.
Ken Blume Carnage
Derek West backs off of a Cliff.
Trail class Carnage
Nasty Drop Off
Ken Blume Drop
Big Drop Endo
Ken Blume Save
Ken Blume Rollover
Taking the Bonus Line
Wes Kean Rollover
