By 8:00 am this morning the early risers arrived here to the Spanish Trails Arena to check out the incredible selection of products displayed on manufacturer’s row.
The line of cars funneling into the parking lot was strewn all the way out to Highway 191 – Moab’s main drag, where the left turn lane was stacked up as the last day of the Easter Jeep Safari Show is underway.
Fox Racing Shox VP- John Marking rebuilds a Jeep coilover shock for a customer here at the EJS.
Jeff Howe of Howe Performance Steering spending time with the Howe Steering sponsored Jody Everding.
Many people have decided to forgo the Moab trail adventures today until they’ve got a chance to see the entire show. The parking lot of the arena has nearly 80 vendors, which includes the impressive FABTECH Supension tractor-trailer rigs displaying their product to the Jeep world.
Skyjacker’s Curt LeDuc has been in attendance all week long splitting his time both inside the arena and outside at the Skyjacker semi display where the off road racing champion has embraced the dirt nation. If you’ve never experienced a LeDuc story about one of his racing adventures, it’s a must to track him down at the Skyjacker displays and listen to one of the champion’s tales.
We have been anxiously awaiting the announcement of the winner of the 2007 Jeep Rubicon to a lucky raffle winner. However, we’ve just learned that the winner will be announced at approximately 10:00 p.m. tonight after the huge raffle event inside the arena.
We ran across RAWX-Racing’s top driver – Jody Everding while he spent time with his sponsor – Jeff Howe, of Howe Performance Steering. Listen in to what Jody has planned for the upcoming 2006 professional rock crawling season.
Interview with Jody Everding & Jeff Howe:
DirtNewz is perusing the rows here as we continue to bring you the latest from Moab.
Interview with JT from Extreme Engineering:
1:00 PM MasterCraft Seats Update
MasterCraft Seats Signs Driver to Lifetime Sponsorship Deal
MasterCraft Seats CEO Robbie Pierce continues to push the edge in off road racing motorsports as he signed a new driver at the 40th Annual Easter Jeep Safari Show today in Moab, Utah. Pierce announced to the show attendees that he had just signed the next generation off road racer – Bryce Marking, to a lifetime sponsored deal. The deal brokered between Pierce and Bryce’s dad, John Marking-Fox Racing Shox VP, pushes the envelope in sponsorship agreements here in 2006. Bryce Marking, already an accomplished rock crawler and off road racer has been schooled by what some people have claimed to be one of the top off road racers in recent history, John Marking. Marking was crowned the 2004 SCORE Class 1 Champion beating out a slew of top desert racing teams and Bryce was part of that team. Here in Moab, Utah, Bryce wheeled his Jeep Rubicon over the rocks that others failed to climb. Pierce commented, “Bryce has demonstrated top talent already early in his career and we’re looking forward to a lifetime of off road racing achievements by the youngest Marking."
2:00 PM MasterCraft Seats Update
MasterCraft Unveils New Show/Race Trailer
A multitude of newly designed truck and trailer combinations
debuted this year here at the Easter Jeep Safari, however
none stands out as much as the new MasterCraft Show/Race
Trailer. Of course, MasterCraft’s CEO-Robbie Pierce
races in the MasterCraft Pro Truck across the barren deserts
of North America, which he christened with a 5th place finish
at the 2005 BITD Vegas to Reno 500-mile race. Since then
Pierce has led his MasterCraft race team to the famed Parker
425 race held in Parker, Arizona where Pierce and MasterCraft
President, Jim Chick, shared seat time before crossing the
finish line in the very difficult race. The Parker 425 was
won by NASCAR’s Robby Gordon who had just returned
from the 2006 Dakar Rally held in Africa. Robby Gordon,
sponsored by MasterCraft Seats, took the overall in the
heavy silt of the Parker, Arizona desert and was chased
by a group of veteran racers including Pierce and Chick.
The duties associated with operating a complete desert race team, as well as a busy 2006 show schedule relegated the purchase of a bigger trailer to handle the big jobs involved in racing and running a successful off road aftermarket business. Pierce looked long and hard and eventually located a near new condition 36’ foot Featherlight double-axle trailer that could handle the job. After only a few weeks of ownership and working closely with SignPros Graphic Team – Tim Cecil and Ryan Alexander, an incredible vinyl wrap was designed featuring the MasterCraft Rob-i-con and the #4 Trophy Truck of Gustavo Vildosola/Rob MacCachren. SignPros trekked to Santee, California where they were able to get the installation job finished in one day and the result…we’ll lets just the pictures speak for themselves.
You can visit the MasterCraft Truck/Trailer at various off road racing
events and shows throughout the nation in 2006.
Mother Nature has a way of sending a distinct message and
late this afternoon high clouds covered the Moab Valley,
almost as a message that this year's Easter Jeep Safari
Vendor Show was about over.
If fact, a short time later the wind picked up as the sun
dropped behind the Moab Rim. With this drastic change in
the local weather and the wind raking the valley the 140
national manufacturers wrapped up the 40th Annual Easter
Jeep Safari Vendor Show.
The Red Rock 4Wheelers are hosting their world famous Easter
Jeep Safari Raffle beginning at 7:00 p.m. tonight and culminating
with the 2007 Jeep Rubicon Giveaway after the main raffle.
Tomorrow is Easter Jeep Safari's Big Saturday as thousands
of the nation's Jeep enthusiasts take to Moab's trails in
search of adventure, however local news reports are forecasting
wet weather for Moab early Saturday morning and into early
afternoon.
XRRA hosts their first event of the season at Moab's Area
BFE where a winner will be crowned by late Saturday afternoon.
This year's event has been an excellent example the off
road aftermarket's thriving business here early in the spring.
The Red Rock 4Wheelers saw a record amount of vendors this
year with huge crowds attending all day on Friday. This
event has long been considered a grand opportunity for the
off road industry to embrace the dirt nation and that was
evident here in Moab.
DirtNewz thanks all of our advertisers for the opportunity
to showcase the 40th Annual Easter Jeep Safari on the beautiful
red rock of America's Southwest. Special thanks to MasterCraft
Seats and Walker Evans Racing for their Presenting Advertising
support and thanks to all of our associate sponsors, FOX
Racing Shox, Toyo Tires, Howe Performance Steering and All-Pro
Off Road for their dedicated support to the DirtNewz coverage
of the Easter Jeep Safari.
