Gravelrama isn’t just a two or three-day event…it’s pretty much a party week for all things off-road. There’s a kickoff parade, a bracket and Quick 16 flat drag race, an uphill drag race, flat drags with a class structure, an obstacle course rally, and of course, that four-story tall pile of sand and pea gravel known as Eliminator Hill. If you want to understand the entirety of Gravelrama, you need to be there every day of the throwdown to soak it all in. Once again, we rolled in just in time to catch two events. Eliminator Hill was without a doubt on the menu…it’s the reason I know about this event at all…but before drivers with brass ones try to scale up the big obstacle, Sunday morning is dedicated to the young ones.

The Jr. Racer’s Flat Drag bracket race is for the kids, and it brings out all types, from go-karts to side-by-sides, and a broad age span as well. It’s a great learning curve for a kid who wants to experience speed and a little bit of the fun of putting power down while off-road. Parents and relatives, and some brothers and sisters were on the line to watch, observe and help out when needed. To some, this is just a time-killer before the main course, but trust us…to these kids, this is deadly serious racing and is a great introduction to speed with minimal risk involved.

We also nosed around at a couple of the prettier vehicles parked nearby, like the B-series Mack that rumbled in with V8 grunt blasting out of the stacks and that gorgeous Willys Jeep. We then got hydrated and prepared…after the young guns finished up their bracket race, there would be a quick awards ceremony, then all hell would break loose on the hill. Stay tuned!