Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival 2013

As you can tell, we had another busy weekend on the road. This time we stopped in Butler Pennsylvania to check out the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival. This festival is a tribute to the Jeep vehicle and it’s birthplace, Butler Pennsylvania.

A little background on “Bantam” and this festival.  At the start of World War II, the US Government was looking for a vehicle that was 4Wheel Drive, light weight, and able to transport soldiers/artillery. The American Bantam Car Company won the initial bid for vehicle design when it delivered a pilot vehicle in 49 days.  Although The American Bantam Car Company had won the bid, they did not have the infrastructure for full production. The Bantam design was instead sent to Ford and Willy’s Overland to aid their design.  Quickly those prototypes became production.  And now, many years later, we have one of the most recognizable vehicles ever produced.

The Bantam Heritage Jeep festival , only in it’s third year, is one of the premier Jeep events in the Northeast. This year’s event attracted 1500 Jeeps and even more people.  On display were Vendors, Manufacturers, and Jeep themselves had some of their vehicles.   Included in Jeep’s lineup was the new grand Cherokee shown below:

The event is full of stuff for the whole family too. There is a history display showcasing almost every model Jeep you would want to see.    My favorite vehicle was a pre 58 (narrow track) Forward Control Pickup.  You don’t see too many of these trucks anymore and never have I seen one in this pristine of condition.   Unfortunately the vehicle was roped off and I was forced to inspect it from a distance.

Located on site was a working WWII encampment.  You were able to walk back through history and see the living conditions for the average solider.  At one point we even saw a German soldier driving around on a motorcycle, seriously.

There is a little something for everyone here at the Bantam Festival.  Jeep owners could go on a trail ride, mess around in the Jeep Playground, Show off at the show and shine, or if you’re not into washing/waxing you could take a stroll through the mud pit.   And don’t feel bad if you can’t take your Jeep, there is still plenty of fun.   Both Quadratec and 4Wheel Drive Hardware were on site selling parts.  Skyjacker and Clayton Suspension were on hand helping you choose your next suspension lift.  Spectators could watch people thrash their vehicles in the mud pit or on the obstacle course.  And if after a full day of fun you were too tired to drive home, the campgrounds on site would take you in.

We must say that this was a great weekend trip for the whole family.   The weather didn’t agree with us the whole time but that made for a better mud pit and a more challenging obstacle course.  If you’re looking to attend next or want some more information about the Bantam Heritage Jeep Festival, checkout their WEBSITE.

2013 Ontario Jeep and Truckfest

On our last trip, we spent some time in Southern California and set up at Ontario’s annual “Truck and Jeepfest”.   This show is put on by 4Wheel Parts and attracts off-road enthusiasts from all around SoCal.  The two day event is open Saturday and Sunday for roughly six hours each day.  Pictured below are the long lines of people waiting to get into the show on Saturday.

Heavy crowds swarmed vendor displays, all searching for a peek at the newest and hottest items.   Bank’s sidewinder 4.0 engine was the one display that stood out for the Jeeping crowd.   The sidewinder is a bolt-on turbo kit for the popular straight six motor.   You could see crowds of Jeep fans circling this display, all smiling, imagining what a power plant like that would feel like in their Jeep.

The other big attractions during the event were the vehicles. Greg Adler, CEO of 4Wheel Parts, brought out his fleet of race vehicles. Mr. Adler had on display his Pro-2, Pro-4, and Ultra4 vehicles; all of which looked very fast and increased my jealousy of his racing program. These vehicles all have podium finishes in their respected race series.

During the event some reality show celebrities showed up and signed autographs.   “Ton” from Spike TV’s Auction Hunters was at the event signing autographs.   After signing autographs we caught him walking around, checking out the display vehicles.

At Truck and Jeepfest, there is much more to do besides walk around and look at vehicles.  4Wheel Parts has show special pricing with the best deals you’ll find anywhere.  Many of the parts are even on hand during the event.   You can buy an item, take it home, or schedule an installation at one of their 50+ stores.  Also, during the event there are hourly giveaways that include parts, swag, and gift certificates.   One of my favorite things to watch/do at this event was outside at Traxxas’ display.  They had a track setup where you could demo their RC cars!!

The best part about this event, would be that it’s free.   Yep, you can just show up, take a look at a bunch of custom vehicles, talk to the manufacturers of the newest and best parts on the market, and enter for a chance to win hourly giveaways, all for free.  And like I said, if that’s not enough you can take a walk outside and play with some really fun remote control cars.

For those of you that missed this year’s show we’ll close with a collection of Jeeps at this year’s event:

Crown visits Rausch Creek for 2013 King of the Hammers Qualifier

On April 12-14 members of the Crown Automotive crew drove down to Pine Grove PA to see this year’s Rausch Creek Qualifier.  The fans and racers refer to this event as the “RCQ” and amongst the majority of racers it is known as one of the toughest races in the Ultra4 Racing Series.

For those unfamiliar with Ultra4 Racing, it is a new desert racing/rock crawling hybred that has evolved quickly over the last six or so years.  There are three classes that race in the Ultra4 Series: Stock, Modified, and Unlimited.  The classes have different rules regarding tire size, drive train, wheelbase ect.   The stock class has the most restrictions while the unlimited buggies are only limited by safety requirements. That means in an unlimited Ultra4 car the motor, tire size, wheel base, and most everything else is completely up to the owner/builder.  This makes for some exciting racing!!

The day prior to the event the entire Park was plagued with severe fog.  The fog was so bad that prerunning and qualifying was suspended until the next morning.   That meant the majority of drivers would be turning laps on a course they had never seen or driven before.  Those that were able to prerun ran into extreme conditions causing many rollovers and severe part damage.  We caught one of the rollovers on film: Practice Roll

We awoke to birds singing and sunshine on Race day.  It truly was a beautiful day.   Most of the mud and water puddles had disappeared and the course was ready.   Racers tore from the start line and on to the rocky hill climbs and old coal roads.  Racers who DNFed early expressed how this was the toughest race to date at Rausch Creek OHV park.   Vehicles with broken axle shafts, flat tires, and blown motors littered the race course.  There were a few major rollovers but thankfully no injuries.

The damage to Lucas Murphy’s unlimited car is a great example of the punishment this race puts on equipment.  Less than a mile from the finish line, on his final lap, his control arm mount ripped away from the chassis.   He was able to limp the car to just feet from the finish but was stuck on a rock pile.   In an act of true sportsmanship, two competitors who had already finished ran to aid the stuck driver.   One backing up his vehicle to tow him across the other working to help fix the damaged front end.   With other competitors driving past the group was able to get the car across the line in a spectacle of motivated carnage.

Lucas Murphy Race Finish

In the end the race was won by Derek West, (pictured above), this his second win at the RCQ.  Coming in a close second was a local driver and former King of the Hammers winner, Erik Miller.  In third place was Shannon Campbell.

For more information about this race  and other races in the Ultra4 racing series visit www.ultra4racing.com