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Show 20 Fall 2000 Discover Dinosaurland 4-wheeling is new attraction A new and exciting attraction to the Uintah Basin is extreme 4-wheeling. 4-wheeling. Recently the Ute Tribe hosted the first of many national extreme 4-wheel competition near Bluebell. The grinding of a specially modified engine to put out as much torque as possible brought on cheers from the crowd when the vehicle topped over an unsur-mountable unsur-mountable obstacle. It w as a first time the Ute Tribe has opened its land to such an event held on the reservation about 15 miles west of Roosevelt on the Bluebell Road. The Goodyear Extreme Rock Crawling Championship Series, sanctioned by the American Rock Craw ler Association, attracted 62 drivers, spotters and their families fami-lies to Vernal. Although the competition com-petition was in Duchesne County, the vehicle inspection, check-in and aw ard ceremony at the end of the event were held in Vernal. "We owe many thanks to the Ute Tribe for allowing the event on their land," said Jacqueline Felt, Convention Bureau coordinator coordi-nator About 8,500 people attended the event including 40 Goodyear executives. An economic assessment assess-ment is being complied to determine deter-mine the benefits of the event, but Tribal leaders were impressed and have tentatively agree to host the event again. . Two courses were set up with 15 obstacles each. Simply clearing clear-ing an obstacle or section does not ensure a win. Clearing an obstacle while accruing as few points as possible is the key to winning the event. One point is assessed for stopping or backing, 10 points for knocking down a gate, 20 or 40 points for winching, winch-ing, 20 points for using a jack or other tool to help complete a section, sec-tion, 40 points maximum for each event, 50 points for bypassing an obstacle, 40 points for timing out and 10 points for turning into a sappling or brush. Since the driver of the vehicle cannot see where his is going much of the time, a spotter outside out-side the vehicle directs the driver. In some cases the spotter will move rocks to give the vehicle, more traction, or physically pull and nudge the vehicle back on track. After the first day of competition, competi-tion, drivers switched courses. There were a couple of rollovers, but no one was seriously injured during the two-day event In a controversial call. Walker Evans, and his spotter, Kevin Hawkins took home the first place trophy with -27 points. Joel Randall and spotter Mike Kokoun, took second with -18 points. Originally Randall and Kokoun were in first place because the judges ruled that Evans knocked over a flag. The judge didn't see the infraction, but the crowd pointed it out to the judge. After reviewing a video of the event, the judge determine that Evans had indeed knocked over the flag and assess the penalty. After an appeal, it w as ruled that the video was inadmissable and the points were not assessed. Despite this official second place finish, Randall and Kokoun were given a standing ovation by the crowd some of w hom w ere upset by the ruling. Walker's Chevy Blazer is a brand new rock crawler with a front Dana 44 and rear Dana 60 both with detroits. Goodyear MTR 35xl2.5rl5 tires help give See 4-wheel on page 21 i ' - . -' mti 0 L& v:.--..--r 4-wheel competition tests both man and machine. sssruo. Great Taste, Great Prices, Great Value Invites yon to enjoy USDA CHOICE STEAKS Cut-in-House Daily Chef Carved Meat Daily after 4 pm Chicken & Fish Fresh Salad Hot Food Buffet Rotisserie Chicken Soups Dessert Weekend Breakfast Buffet 1096 W. Hwy. 40, Vernal Mastercard, VISA accepted 1 'fflfalcim - jf r ,.1.1,11- ' iL"S;:if liiiiiiiii L Enjoy Vernal s finest dining experience in a beautiful historic home Patio Dining Listed on the National Registry of Historic Places Gourmet Appetizers, Salads, Entrees and Deserts 189 South Vernal Ave. Two Blocks South of Main Street on Vernal Ave. Lunch Served Mon.-Fri-11 a.m.-2 p.m. Dinner Served Tues. - Sat. 5-10 pm 789-2289 Your table is ivaiting ' A |