Gorilla Run – Superlift ORV

I have been wanting to make the trip out to Superlift ORV in Hot Springs, Arkansas for a long time. When they called me to come down for the Gorilla Run I was all about it. We got back from California on Sunday and left for Arkansas on Thursday. We got in around 9pm on Thursday night. We got a cabin right down the road from the park which was incredible. Mark Simpson (the owner of Jenny Craig Buggy) loaned us a RZR S to get around in all weekend. Tim Cameron and the Tanners had already arrived and had their rigs ready to go.

We left out Friday morning to go do a tour of the park. Mark Simpson led the convoy of nasty built RockRods around the park. The first trail everyone did was called “the ravine”. It was a good warm up trail and most of the guys just throttled right up it. We left there and went straight to a tough trail called “Slammer” It was a nice Rock wall that dropped off at an angle. Most of the rigs got to lean into their motors as they launched up the nasty ledge. Once everyone was up it was time to hit a “real” obstacle. Outlaw was next on our list. It consisted of two hug ledges spaced about 65 yards apart. This is where the carnage began. Adam Lee smoked his low range gearset in his atlas transfer case. This didn’t slow him down too much. He threw it in high and romped on the gas out to the top bypassing the last ledge. Old Man Phillips did a sick wheelstand in his Jeep Buggy much to the crowds delight. Tim Cameron of course picked the hardest line and wheelied up the final ledge with ease. Bobby Tanner never let out from the bottom of the hill to the top and almost took me out in the process. There is no safe distance from Bobby Tanner when he is behind the wheel! Next Josh Bishop grenaded a CTM Shaft in his rig. The rest of the group made the climb and headed back to camp for lunch and spare parts.

After lunch everyone was rounded up to go hit one last obstacle for the day. Ingred’s Revenge was out last and final obstacle. It was alot like boat ramp but steeper with huge boulders at the top. The crowd went crazy as rigs were bouncing off of rev limiters left and right. Tim Cameron hit the gas and never let out as did Bobby Tanner. When you drive like that it takes you on some interesting lines. Charlie Fox was beating his Riddler Buggy liked it owed him money. He was bouncing all over the place with the skinny pedal firmly held to the floor. JoJo Tanner put on a show in Screaming 2 with the wife riding shotgun. She decided to get out after they violently bounced up the slick rock face. The highlight of this trails was a guy in a Toyota Buggy that thought he was a rock bouncer too. He bounced his way up the trail like he had a V8! What a great show! A Perfect day for trail riding. Everyone made their way back to camp for dinner.

We awoke Saturday monring to the sounds of healthy v8 engines running on race gas. The Gorilla run was on! We made our way over to the course. It was huge! It had to have been 150 yards long. You couldn’t see the top from the bottom or visa versa. The competitors drew their starting order as the hillsides filled with huge crowds of spectators. The course was designed with rockcrawlers in mind. It showed when the first few rock bouncers hit the bottom of the course. They were hard on the throttle, flipping over, breaking transfer cases. It was insane! Tim Cameron made it up the entire course but too many backups on the final ledge cost him time. Tim Bacon finished the course with three flat tires begging for mercy! Bobby Tanner flipped over twice at the bottom section of the course but eventually finished for the crowd. When all was said and done Mark Simpson took home the cash with the fastest time in Timmie’s old Jenny Craig Buggy.