A Masterpiece in Metal
The Rock Bug as Seen in Dirt Sports June 2009 Issue of Masterpiece in Metal
“Masterpiece in Metal”, a monthly feature by Dirt Sports magazine, has been at the forefront for debuting the cleanest & most innovative off-road rigs ever to hit the the market. Starting last November, we worked countless hours creating our own masterpiece dubbed “The Rock Bug”, a concept vehicle aimed at changing the way we all look at lightweight off-road performance. When Dirt Sports recognized this innovation and asked the Rock Bug be part of Masterpiece in Metal, our long efforts had officially been recognized.
Little did we know, what goes on behind the scenes to make the Masterpiece in Metal feature so amazing is nothing short of insane. The Rock Bug would have to be taken to the private California studio of ace photographer Boyd Jaynes for an exclusive 12 hour long photo shoot. In addition, the Rock Bug would have to be “brand new” or “unused” so all detail in workmanship could be preserved for the feature. Although both of these requirements make perfect sense, getting ready for King of the Hammers 2009 and scheduling time for a photo shoot before hand is something of a challenge. Luckily for us, Boyd fully understood these struggles and patiently worked around our schedule. We finally had our session with Boyd on February 20th, just one week before the start of King of the Hammers 2009, and spent the entire day in his studio prepping the Rock Bug.
Then, three months later, the June 2009 issue of Dirt Sports would hit the stands and mark our official place in Masterpiece in Metal history. On page 52, subtitled “In the mad pursuit of everything lightweight, Spidertrax produces a stunner”, Craig Perronne writes the incredible story of what came to be the Rock Bug along side the amazing photography work of Boyd Jaynes. Now, thanks to Jim Ryan of Dirt Sports, you can download the entire Rock Bug Masterpiece in Metal article right from our blog free of charge! So enjoy the article, which is available below in both low & high resolutions, and if you haven’t already subscribed to Dirt Sports magazine be sure to check it out.
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Tracy Jordan and The Rock Bug Win Season Finale
Although the title clearly gives away the ending, the story that leads up to this is nothing short of incredible. I’ve decided to mix up this blog entry a little different to those past. Instead of an overall summary followed by a days worth of videos, this time around I’ll walk you through each course, as it unfolded, all the way up to the Shootout.
Course B4 | Saturday @ 10:13 amBy the luck of the draw, Tracy & The Rock Bug would be the first to run B4. Before the event started, it was projected that B4 would be the crowd favorite due to a massively difficult climb called “The Terminator” (6:30 in). However, because this climb was optional and worth only 5 bonus points going over and 10 bonus points going back, Tracy started the trend off early and decided not to run either bonus for fear of losing more points then gaining. This trend would then be followed by the entire Pro Mod class, eliminating “The Terminator” from this competition. Tracy finished the course with a +8.
Course B1 | Saturday @ 11:21 amPulling up to this next course, word was no one had completed B1 yet. Unfortunately, this fate would not change as B1 got the best of Tracy & The Rock Bug. Although they didn’t complete the course, they did manage to secure a few progression gates and finished with a +37. In the end, only 2 teams on Saturday were able to complete this course, Brad Lovell and Shannon Campbell. The best score, held by Shannon, was +29 which was just 8 points better then Tracy. So despite the lack of finishing, this course would not knock Tracy out of the competition. Check out the video at 3:25 in where the Rock Bug shows off its incredibly low CG in a near roll.
Course B2 | Saturday @ 1:37 pmOnce again, pulling up to the next course B2, not one person had completed the course yet. As if to prove something from the last run, Tracy was on a mission with the Rock Bug and would not only be the 1st to complete B2, but would end the day with the 2nd best score for the course of +2.
Course B3 | Saturday @ 2:20 pmThe last course of the day and so far so good as Tracy and The Rock Bug were in amazing form. Our old XTS rig, driven by Rick Mooneyham, was running on the adjacent course and there is a nice surprise for you at 1:00 in. Tracy finishes this course with a solid score of –3 and ends the day in 3rd place with +44. Brad Lovell ends the day in 1st with +33 and Becca Webster in 2nd with +37.
Course A4 | Sunday @ 10:52 amBecause Tracy drew 1st on Saturday, today he would have the chance to watch some rigs run first which helps plan your attack. Tracy would end up with the 2nd best score of the day on A4, a +1. Becca Webster, who was on fire on Saturday and in 2nd place going into today, finished this course with the best score of the day –1. Although Tracy & The Rock Bug were doing great, the pressure was on to catch up with both Becca and Brad.
Course A1 | Sunday @ 11:55 amAdding to the “urban war zone” course decor, A1 starts off by driving into the back of an old beaten Military truck bed! Personally, I thought is was pretty innovative so hats of to the Kleins’ for creating such a unique course. What made this course so challenging was maneuvering through the military truck bed. It was so slippery in the bed that getting in and out all while avoiding cones was near to impossible. Tracy finished with a good score of +16. However, Becca got hung up in A1 and finished with a +39. So in just one course, Tracy jumped ahead in points with Becca and the competition got that much more interesting.
Course A2 | Sunday @ 2:36 pmAnother incredibly difficult course that required a lot out of the spotter. Congratulations to Jason Jordan for getting Tracy and The Rock Bug through A2 with one of the best scores of the day, +22. Tracy has now passed Becca with a healthy margin so the race was on to catch up with Brad, the leader this far.
Course A3 | Sunday @ 2:58 pmWith no line in front of him, Tracy rushes over to A3 and quickly walks the course before starting the Rock Bug. The pressure was on now as Brad was in the lead with Tracy in 2nd place. Tracy not only had to do well on this last course, but he had to do extremely well if he wanted any chance of winning this Finale. Brad had gotten a –1 on this course, which has an amazing feat, and Tracy knew he had to beat this score. As he has shown us in the past, when the pressure is on Tracy works the Rock Bug in absolute amazing form. He walks A3 and gets the best score of the day, –11!
The Shootout | Sunday @ 5:45 pmThis is it, the final Shootout. The top 6 teams this far compete in the end all of end all courses. Points are cumulative for these 6 teams, so scores from Saturday and Sunday are totaled and added to the final score of the Shootout. Tracy is now sitting in 2nd place, just one point away from Brad Lovell who is in 1st. Vehicles run in reverse order of score, so Tracy would run and Brad would follow. The Shootout was near to impossible, with only 2 teams so far making it in the Pro-Mod class, namely Shannon Campbell with a +8 and Bill Kunz with a –1. Tracy had to bring his A game if he wanted to take Brad head on. Not only does Tracy bring his A game, he completes the Shootout with the best score of the day, –12!!! Brad follows behind and suffers a devastating blow. On the 2nd set of gates, he rolls his vehicle and is unable to recover. Tracy & The Rock Bug win the Series Finale!!!
So, there you have it. Two days of non-stop action with Tracy & The Rock Bug winning the series finale and taking 2nd overall in the series for points. What an amazing year it has been! We also have to give a special congratulations to Brad Lovell and his team Lovell Rock Racing for winning the 2009 W.E.Rock Pro-Mod Series with their Spider 9 powered rig. Next up is W.E.Rock’s Grand Nationals, October 3-4 in Farmington, NM. With the Rock Bug running in top form, the Grand Nationals is going to be one event you don’t want to miss. See you there!
Rock Bug Gets Ready for W.E.Rock Season Finale
Oroville’s new man made course may be the toughest one yet. Construction photos courtesy of Werocklive.
Less then a month ago, Reno Rock’s hit the Sand’s Regency Hotel and quickly became the most talked about competition of the year. For Tracy & The Rock Bug, the entire 2009 rock crawling series came down to this one single event. If they wanted any chance of winning the series, they had to finish 1st in Reno Rock’s. With the pressure on, Tracy & The Rock Bug showed the world, once again, why they compete with the best out there. With an amazing 2 day performance, Tracy & The Rock Bug dominated Reno Rock’s and took home a 1st place finish.
Now, heading into the season finale, Tracy & The Rock Bug are sitting 2nd in points for the series. They have a long way to go to beat the series leader, Brad Lovell of Lovell Rock Racing, but as we know anything can happen in the finale. Here are your series standings so far for both Unlimited & Pro Modified Classes:
The only notable upgrade made to the Rock Bug, in preparation for the season finale, was the installation of 2 chromoly shift forks for the Stak D300 2 Speed Transfer Case. With the help of Ken from Stak, we manufactured a billet 4130 chromoly shift fork and normalized & heat treated the entire welded shift fork assembly. Last but not least, we opted to weld the shift fork assembly to the shift rail instead of running the factory set screw. The end result created an incredibly strong shift fork (about 8 times the strength of factory) that should hold up to the high demands of competition abuse. Only time can prove that statement though, so we’ll have to wait and see how this competition upgrade pans out.
The "Tracy Jordan" Special Edition 4130 Heat Treated Shift Fork
The W.E.Rock season finale will take place in Oroville, CA this weekend (July 18-19th) and is guaranteed to be one action packed event. For those able to attend in person, the event site will be held at Surplus City Jeep Parts and gates open at 9 am on Saturday. For those unable to attend in person, fear not as live coverage will be available online. Pirate4×4 typically broadcasts the best live coverage on the planet, so keep an eye on their main Home page for more details. Also, don’t forget to follow me on Spidertrax’s Twitter Account for additional live competition coverage. As always, I’ll post a blog entry at the end of each day of competition, complete with story and videos. If you want to get these blog updates automatically by eMail, you can subscribe to our Blog using FeedBurner. Now, I have to pack and get ready for Oroville. Good luck to all the teams this weekend!
Rock Bug W.E.Rock Update for Round 3 Day 2
It’s amazing what the Rock Bug can do with a perfectly tuned Scat v4. Tracy Jordan and the Rock Bug were absolutely on fire on day 2 (not literally) and secured a well deserved Pro Mod 1st place spot with a final lead of 40 points! Once again, teams running Spidertrax Spider 9 axles and/or components also proved they run with only the best axles on the planet. All in all, Spider 9 axles & components took home 7 of the top 12 positions in Unlimited & Pro-Mod classes. Here are your top 6 winners from both classes:
W.E.Rock Round 3: Unlimited Top 6
1st: Jesse Haines – 67 pts *
2nd: Cody Waggoner – 101 pts
3rd: Matt Messer – 115 pts *
4th: Matt Heimsoth – 116 pts
5th: Brent Bradshaw – 142 pts *
6th: Jason Paule – 184 pts *
W.E.Rock Round 2: Pro Mod Top 6
1st: Tracy Jordan – 99 pts *
2nd: Troy Bailey – 139 pts
3rd: Brad Lovell – 139 pts *
4th: Craig Thompson – 152 pts
5th: Bill Kunz – 176 pts *
6th: Nicole Johnson – 192 pts
(*) Teams running Spidertrax Spider 9 axles and/or components
Enjoy the Rock Bug videos below from Day 2 which includes all 4 courses plus the final shootout. Tip: If you have a fast connection and computer, hit the “HD” button in the video window when playing to watch the movie in full High Definition.
Course A3
Course A4
Course A1
Course A2
Course Shootout
Rock Bug W.E.Rock Update for Round 3 Day 1
It was an awesome first day here in the Sand’s Regency Hotel & Casino of Reno, NV. The weather, for the most part, was great and the crowd was awesome. Although building a man made course in the confines of a casino parking lot has its size limitations, the excitement of being in the “Biggest Little City in the World” made up for any small shortcomings.
As expected, courses were very tight and extremely technical. Due to the extreme level of traction with the man made course, carnage was also on the high side. The hardest roll of the day definitely goes to Team Tsuda Racing of Japan. This team of 4 flew out from Japan and purchased Tracy’s Twisted Customs chassis from last year to compete in this event. On Team Tsuda’s last course of the day, they launched the rig clear off an obstacle and landed straight on their roof. The impact was so intense the entire chassis deformed on impact. Luckily, both drive and spotter are alright and have managed to get the vehicle running again for more action tomorrow.
As for Tracy and The Rock Bug, the day went great. The Dana 300 is still acting up (that story seems to never end), but all in all they were both in great form and finished the day in 1st place. Troy Bailey finished the day right behind them so it is still anyone’s game in Day 2.
If you were following along on Twitter, chances are you noticed a lag in my updates. Unfortunately, my iPhone died right as the event started, forcing me to update with only my laptop. I’m happy to say my iPhone is back in action and should be ready to go on Day 2. In the meantime, enjoy the course videos below of the Rock Bug from Day 1 and we’ll see you back here again for Day 2s wrap-up. Also, be sure to check out the final scores of both The Unlimited Class and The Pro-Mod Class from Day 1.
Course B3
Course B4
Course B1, Part 1
Course B1, Part 2
Course B2
W.E.Rock’s Round 3 Heads to Reno, NV
Just a quick reminder on what’s coming up this weekend. The Rock Bug is heading out to Reno, NV for W.E.Rock’s Round 3 competition at the Sands Regency Casino. You read it correctly, for this event W.E.Rock is sectioning off a massive chunk of the Sands casino parking lot to hold, what may very well be, the best man made course of the year!
If you can’t make it out in person, no need to worry as there are many places online to follow this weekends action. We wrote a detailed blog post awhile back titled “5 Must Visit Websites for Following W.E.Rock” so be sure to check that out if you are interested in following along. Also, don’t forget that Saturday, day 1 of Round 3, is set to be a night event so the Pro-Mod & Unlimited class will start at 4:00 pm. Sunday, day 2, will start in the morning at 9:00 am.
Derek West and Spider 9 Axles
(Photo courtesy of Rock Midget Motorsports)
Spider 9 Axles are proving themselves, year after year, as a dominant player in competition motorsports such as W.E.Rock, XRRA, and King of the Hammers. Because I have the marketing skills equivalent to a burnt piece of toast, I have neglected to share the many stories that come in from competitors and their success using our products. Just the other day, we got a great e-Mail from Derek West and a light finally went off in my head. We have to make these stories public for all to read.
For those new to the sport, here is a quick summary of Derek West’s achievements. In 2008, Derek took 1st place in W.E.Rock’s Pro Modified Series, W.E.Rock’s Grand Nationals, & XRRA’s Eastern Series. So far this year, Derek has already secured two XRRA 1st place finishes, a MOROC 1st place finish, and a W.E.Rock 2nd & 3rd place finish. In person, Derek is about as humble as one can be, but in competition motorsports he is without question a force to be reckoned with!
So when someone like Derek West chimes in, it means a lot in terms of how well our products are holding up. Here is his e-Mail, unedited, which was sent to us on 22-May-2009:
Just wanted to drop you a note with an update on my teams performance. We were able to pull off a double win at the first XRRA double header at the Gray Rock off-road park in Alabama. With the competition getting tougher every event I rely on quality Spidertrax components to stand up to the abuse we dish out. Being able to turn 50 degrees in the tight, twisty courses was a huge advantage and a major factor in our back to back victories. I cant express enough how great it is to have complete confidence in my axle shafts after breaking 5 shafts and twisting splines on 3 more of another brand last year. I absolutely depend on my axle components to not fail so I can concentrate on my next course and not be rushed fixing something. I had all of my Spidertrax axle shafts out recently for inspection and there was absolutely not signs of twisting in the spline area, what a relief. Thank you for your great support and innovative products.
Regards,
Derek West
Crush Motorsports
Thanks Derek for the kind words and to all the other competitors out there running our products. We would love to hear from everyone using Spidertrax components, so please drop us an e-Mail and let us know your thoughts. If you want to learn more about Derek West and his team Crush Motorsports, head over to his website at http://www.crushmotorsports.com.
Rock Bug W.E.Rock Update for Round 2 Day 2
Tracy & The Rock Bug were in amazing form today, dominating Day 2 and paving the way for one of the most incredible comebacks in W.E.Rock history. The Scat V4 was running great and, with the exception of the Dana 300 t-case “splitting” issue as described in Day 1, the Rock Bug was working fantastic. Tracy finished yesterday in 10th place but, by the end of Day 2, he was sitting in 5th place and secured a spot in the final shootout.
When it was Tracy’s turn in the shootout, the t-case “splitting” issue caused the Rock Bug to roll hard on a bonus descent, locking Tracy into his 5th place position. Although we’re still blown away by the amazing comeback and overall performance of the Rock Bug, the Dana 300 will be replaced by an Atlas in time for the next competition. The issue of t-case “splitting” is not just hurting the performance of the Rock Bug but is creating dangerous situations like that seen in the Shootout roll over video below. It is the opinion of the Rock Bug team that time spent swapping the Dana 300 for an Atlas is better used then trying to fix the “splitting” issue in the Dana 300 itself.
Last, but certainly not least, a special congratulations goes out to all the teams running Spidertrax Spider 9 Axles & Components. In W.E.Rock’s Round 2, Spider 9 Axles & Components have secured 7 of the top 10 spots including both 1st place positions in Unlimited and Pro Mod classes!
W.E.Rock Round 2: Unlimited Top 5 Running Spider 9 Axles & Components
1st: Jesse Haines
3rd: Jason Paule
4th: Brent Bradshaw
5th: Matt Messer
W.E.Rock Round 2: Pro Mod Top 5 Running Spider 9 Axles & Components
1st: Brad Lovell
2nd: Bill Kunz
5th: Tracy Jordan
Enjoy the videos below of the Rock Bug in action on Day 2. Tip: If you have a fast connection and computer, hit the “HD” button in the video window to watch the movie in full High Definition.
Course A2
Course A3
Course A4
Course A1
Course Shootout
Rock Bug W.E.Rock Update for Round 2 Day 1
Tracy & the Rock Bug were back at it for W.E.Rock’s Round 2 in Cedar City, UT. It was a tough start to say the least, with electrical issues haunted the Scat V4 for nearly the entire day. It all began right from the start of the Rock Bug’s first course, B2. Right after crossing the start line, the Scat V4 lost almost all power. Tracy’s incredible driving skill got the Rock Bug through the course with a solid score, but it was off to the pits immediately after.
At this point, no one knew what was going on with the Scat, so a call was made to use 45 minutes of breakdown time. With everyone focused on the motor, a bad coil pack was found causing the Scat to run on only 3 cylinders. So, the coil pack was swapped and the Rock Bug was back in action. Or was it?
Now up on B3. Once again the Rock Bug crosses the start line and once again the Scat begins running on 2 or 3 cylinders. Tracy does his best but can’t get the Rock Bug through the course. Immediately after the Rock Bug exits, the team quickly replaces the rest of the coil packs in fear of further problems.
Now up on B4. The Rock Bug crosses the start line and guess what? The Scat begins running on 2 to 3 cylinders! Tracy works his magic and manages to get the Rock Bug all the way through the coarse with a fair score. After finishing, Tracy races back to the pits hoping to shed some light on this never ending problem.
Well, in the haste of constantly installing new coil packs between courses, one of the spark plug wires ended up contacting the header, destroying the cable. This was easily fixed and finally allowed the Scat to run the way it should have from the start. Now up for the last course of the day, B1.
As it stood, only 2 teams were able to complete this coarse so Tracy still had a great shot of ending the day strong. Both he and his spotter Jason gave it their all, but luck would still not be on Tracy’s side. The Dana 300 t-case shifters unexpectedly “split” toward the end of the obstacle, causing the front to be in low range and the rear to be in high range at the same time. There was not enough time for Tracy to compensate for this problem and time did run out.
Somehow, despite all of these troubles, Tracy and the Rock Bug still managed to place 10th for day 1. The event is not over either. Tomorrow marks day 2 of this two day event and it is still anyone’s competition. We will be back again competing at 10 am, MST and don’t forget you can follow along live as described in our post “5 Must Visit Websites for Following W.E.Rock”. Enjoy the day 1 course videos below of the Rock Bug (despite all of the motor issues) and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow.
Course B2
Course B3
Course B4
Course B1
5 Must Visit Websites for Following W.E.Rock
With round 2 of W.E.Rock just around the corner, it’s a great time to talk about how to follow the competition without actually being at the competition. Granted, nothing is better then physically being at the event, but following along LIVE at home or work certainly is the next best thing. So, here are 5 “must visit” websites for following upcoming W.E.Rock events.
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Twitter - Spidertrax’s Twitter page is a great place for getting quick, rapid fire text updates as they happen. These updates come live from the event & are typically posted right on-course. What’s great about Twitter is it doesn’t require you to login or register and works from almost any computer or phone.
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Facebook – Although Facebook requires you to login & register, it is without question the most popular spot for finding out the latest. All Twitter updates from above are posted live on Spidertrax’s Facebook page as well as extended information like links to end of day pictures & videos. So, if you already have a Facebook account or were thinking about setting one up (you know you want to), add “Spidertrax Off-Road” as a friend and follow along.
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The Blog of Spidertrax – Spidertrax’s blog is a great place for an “end of day” summary complete with story, pictures, and videos focused around teams running Spidertrax products. To get a taste of how this looks, check out our previous W.E.Rock coverage of Day 1 and Day 2 from round 1.
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WE-Rock.cc – This is W.E.Rock’s official website where you can listen to live streaming audio of announcer Dustin Webster. The main page can get a little crowded, but look for the link titled “Streaming Audio: Windows | Apple“ under the title of the event, typically toward the top of the page.
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Pirate4×4.com – Look for a W.E.Rock event link at the top of the main page to get an “all-in-one” package deal of streaming audio, live blogging, photos, and videos all broadcast live from the event. While you’re there, also stop by the “Competitions and Events” forum page for user generated updates and insight of the event.
There you have it, 5 “must visit” websites for following W.E.Rock. Don’t forget, W.E.Rock’s round 2 (Cedar City, UT) starts May 2nd @ 10 am. See you there…or better yet see you online!
