2000 Hummer Challenge

Third place team of Vince Gable, Bill Foth & Grant Graham, ’97 4dr hardtop

Big trucks, big fun, burnt woods

By Jack W. Peters

Monte Eagle, Tennessee, October 2000.   Hummer Challenge has the reputation of being one of the toughest Hummer events anywhere in the country.  While usually held in Florida, Hummer teams invaded the Tennessee woods to test man, machine and checkbook.

Life is good...  Can it get any better than the great outdoors, Hummers, and testing navigation skills with a good cigar?  We think not.  Team Schweizer agrees. Hummers first captured our hearts and imagination during the Gulf War.  Once reserved for the rich and famous, lower used truck prices are making the vehicle available to the rest of us.  Look for GM’s smaller Tahoe sized H2 next year.

This three-day event was promoted by Bob Hazel from Sports in the Rough, and sponsored by Hummer of Orlando.  It is a first class event attracting competitors who enjoy pushing the limits of their favorite truck, while having a great time doing it.  And why not indulge your senses in the ultimate off-road vehicle?  Now that used trucks can be found for under $35,000, owning your own may be only a second mortgage away.  Hummerowners are often in a class that can drive any exotic sports car they want.  So why is it that they choose a vehicle who’s speed and handling characteristics can be compared to a delivery truck?  This explanation was best described by Bald Bill Foth, navigator of the third place team.  “Hummers are the only exotic vehicles that are more in their element, the worse the elements get.”

The event included three-days and hundreds of miles of time-speed-distance (TSD) rallies and navigation challenges.  Drivers followed a “Tulip Chart” for sets of directions to unfamiliar destinations with the goal of arriving at an exact location precisely at the right time.  Each event is worth a set amount of points, with points being docked for every minute early or late.  The navigation challenges required the location of about a dozen “Nav Targets.”  Latitude/Longitude coordinates and photos were provided for tree landmarks.  The goal was to locate each target, then photograph it to match the photo provided with an instant camera.  Teams generated points for each target successfully located and photographed. 

Minor problem…a fire swept through one of the rally areas between the time the event organizers took the Nav Target photos, and the time of the event.  To make matters worse, fire crew bulldozers altered the landscape even further.  Teams were trying to find trees that were burnt stumps, or no longer existed.  As Bill Foth states, “It is hard enough to find a specific tree in the woods, let alone one that looks like a charcoal briquette.”  Teams were working together trying to build consensus on where the Nav Target used to be.

Between rallies, teams competed in Special Tasks events for additional points.  These included switching wheels, and changing various parts on the trucks.  There was even a kayaking and .22 caliber shooting event, (but luckily not at the same time).  One of the most entertaining is the “Blind Man” competition.  The driver and navigator traded places, requiring the driver to yell out directions to a blindfolded navigator behind the wheel.  As Bill said, “You would not believe how quickly people forget their left and right, or how fast they can invent new curse words.”

Left:  A trusty Garmin GPS 3 sits on the on the dash next to a lucky clover, both were probably heavily relied upon.

Right:  Many teams used the trick set up of combining GPS receivers with laptop computers loaded with topographical mapping software.  Note the unique laptop mounting system that allows access to the computer from all front and rear seats.

GPS is required, as these events are set up around the use of the equipment.  Nav Target Latitude/Longitude coordinates are converted into waypoints, used to plot the best course to the location.  The estimated time of arrival feature is ideal for the time-speed-distance (TSD) rallies.  This feature advises the distance and estimated time of arrival to the waypoint based upon the current speed.  This allows teams to arrive precisely at the desired specified times.  The GPS receivers’ speedometer and odometer features were also heavily relied upon as more accurate than the trucks’ stock speedometer cable readings.  Directions were provided requiring the travel at exact speeds and distances.  The satellite readings are more accurate without the problem of spinning wheels in loose off-road terrain. 

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Navigator Bill Foth sums it up best, “This event was a blast!  I can’t wait until the next one.  If you like ‘wheeling’ and don’t mind a little forest pinstriping, this is the event for you!”

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