| 2014 Rally on the Rocks
5th Annual Rally on the Rocks – May 14-17, 2014 Discount Tire Rally on the Rocks is pleased to announce the fifth annual UTV/SXS Rally in beautiful Moab Utah, May 14-17, 2014 The Title Sponsor for the 2014 was Polaris RZR. Polaris showed up in full force doing demo rides with theRZR XP 1000 and the all newSportsman ACE. Discount Tire Rally on the Rocks was held in Moab, Utah on the weekend following Mothers Day and was headquartered at the Old Spanish Trail Arena. Discount Tire Rally on the Rocks (ROTR) is a guided trail ride event. Trails covered everything from the extreme rated 10+ to a scenic dirt road 1 rating with everything in between. Rally on the Rocks had over 20 distinct trails to choose from. There are no bad trails in Moab as it is arguably the most scenic, unique place on the planet and is perfectly suited to UTVs.
We brought our 2014 Kawasaki Teryx that we just got back from SDR Motorsports a few weeks ago. SDR Motorsports built us a new cage and bumper for increased safety and style. Then SDR installed a Muzzys Performance dual exhaust, SSV Works audio system, PRP Seats and Harnesses, Warn winch with new Custom Splice synthetic line, Super Bright LEDs accent and rock lights, Lowrance GPS, Axia Alloys mirror and Fire Extinguisher. Factory UTV UHMW skid plates and rock sliders and HCR Racing long travel suspension was added to gain wheel travel, ride height and width. This allows our Teryx to go faster in rough terrain, and the added ride height let’s us navigate large boulders while rock crawling. The UHMW skids protects the underside when we are going extreme in the rocks. To give our Teryx more ride height and ground clearance, plus added style points, we mounted up 30″ STI Roctane XD tires on their newest HD5 Beadlock wheels. Read more:Kawasaki Teryx Takes on Rally on the Rocks
Tuesday –Hell’s Revenge – The 5+ rated Hell’s Revenge trail exposes great expanses of slick rock sandstone with slopes so steep you will wonder if your tires will have enough grip to climb the obstacles. These very steep climbs and descents are not that difficult, but also not for the faint of heart. The most extreme obstacles are Hell’s Gate, Hot Tubs and the Escalator can be bypassed. Read more:Rally on the Rocks – Hell’s Revenge
Stair steps at the end of Cliff Hanger Wednesday –Cliff Hanger & Moab Rim – The 8 rated Cliff Hanger trail begins with stair step descent right off the road then crosses Kane Creek. Then the trail climbs up out of the creek with several challenging obstacles before hugging the cliff with Jackson Hole several hundred feet below. The trail is just under 5 miles long and ends with awesome panoramic views of the Colorado River and the La Sal Mountains. Read more:Rally on the Rocks – Cliff Hanger & Moab Rim
Moab Rim trail ascends steeply tilted rock strata to the top of Moab Rim. The trails starts off with Devil’s Crack then it gets even more interested at the “Z” turn. Once at the top, the views are spectacular. There is even a cool sand hill to play on.
Thursday –Poison Spider and Golden Spike – Poison Spider Mesa trail is one of Moab’s most popular. We trailered our UTVs to the trailhead that is on the opposite side of the Colorado River from Moab Rim and Cliff Hanger. The trail features a variety of terrain that includes rock ledges, a sand hill and some fast desert sections. The trail has great views of the Colorado River Gorge, Behind the Rocks area and even stops at Little Arch high above the river. Read more:Rally on the Rocks – Poison Spider and Golden Spike
Golden Spike is a dream trail of challenging obstacles, which include such well-known names as the Launch Pad, Skyline Drive, the Golden Crack, the Golden Stairs, The Wall and Double Whammy. Much of the trail skirts the edge of high cliffs overlooking Moab. The trail cannot be accessed directly from any paved highway. To reach Golden Spike you must first drive Poison Spider Mesa from the south or Gold Bar Rim from the north.
Guardian Hill on Behind the Rocks Friday –Behind the Rocks – Behind the Rocks is an 8+ rated trail that offers some extreme obstacles, some with bypasses and others like White Knuckle Hill do not. Behind the Rocks is one of Moab’s most challenging trails, and not for the faint of heart. The trail starts just south of town on a dirt road. You aren’t very far into it when you are treated to Guardian Hill, a very rocky, sandy and steep hill. If this hill gives you a lot of trouble then you should be prepared for a day filled with issues. It’s a good test to see how you’ll do on the rest of the trail. At about 3.5 miles into the trail you’ll come to the next challenging obstacle. High Dive has a bypass, but many in our group chose to take it on. High Dive is a very steep and bumpy hill. There are a few different lines down High Dive and Damon at HCR Racing helped guide everyone down without issue. At the bottom of High Dive is Upchuck. Upchuck is a slick, steep hill with a significant crack in the middle that most successful climbs will straddle. Slipping into the crack can spell body damage or worse. A few in our group slipped in, then hammered down and tipped over or broke axles. White Knuckle Hill consists of some ledges and big outcroppings of rock that you must drop down before completing the final part of the hill that is very nearly vertical and about ten feet tall. When your tires touch the bottom you need to use hit gas pedal to pull your front tires away from the hill so your rear end doesn’t come over. Or you can have a rope tied to your rear bumper with a few guys up top to help keep the rear from coming over. Longer wheelbase is a huge advantage here, but with a careful approach and the right amount of brake and throttle, it is easier than it looks. Read more:Rally on the Rocks – Behind the Rocks
Our friends Jeff brought his RZR XP 1000 to Rally on the Rocks with some big rubber to try out. His car looks incredible and did really well. Read more: Running 33’s on the XP 1000 in Moab Vendors at Rally on the Rocks:
Polaris, Kawasaki, Can-Am and Arctic Cat were all on hand as well. Event Resources: Past Event Coverage: |
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