(PHOTOS BY DOUG GREGORY) – One of the cool things about our BangShift army of contributors is that they have it as bad as the rest of us do. Doug Gregory has filed photos from drag strips, car shows, land speed races, and of course from Gravelrama, one of the most large by huge off road events in the world. Earlier this summer Doug and his boys hit the dusty trail and enjoyed a day at the event where they spent a bunch of time watching the action on the famed Big Eliminator hill. This is a virtually vertical slope of pea gravel that challenges the high horsepower Jeeps and trucks that try to scale it to no end. If you make it to the top, you are placed in a starting spot higher up the hill to make it all that much more difficult.
One of the more exciting parts of the whole operation is watching the strategy that drivers employ when going over the top of said pea gravel mountain. Some guys pedal the truck to keep it on the ground and others keep their foot glued like lead to the floor and catch big time air when they crest the top of the mound. As you will see in Doug’s photos, it seems that more competitors used the WFO program than the other, much to the delight of the crowd we’re sure.
Gravelrama is one of those rare events that has endured for decades and continues to thrive. Maybe it is the location, maybe it is the culture, and maybe it is the fact that it has engrained itself into generations of Jeeping families and those that enjoy off roading but Gravelrama holds a special place among any and all car/truck events in a country that is teaming with them. Although Chad and I have never been, we both hope to get there someday and take it all in for ourselves. Until then we’re going to live through Doug’s great photos!
That blue Jeep is powered by a blown 4cyl Pontiac.
We know. It’s called a trophy 4. Mickey Thompson loved them. 1/2 a 389.