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Brady Melville photos
2016 Island Cup
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Brady Melville photos
2016 Island Cup
Tucker LaPlante lifts a wheel in anger.
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Brady Melville photos
2016 Island Cup
Matt Nieman finds himself between a rock and a hard place.
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Brady Melville photos
2016 Island Cup
Taran Halawerich had a slipup that left him hanging in his belts.
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Brady Melville
2016 Island Cup
Just another quiet night in camp.
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Brady Melville
2016 Island Cup
Curtis Warner also found himself with the shiny side down.
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Brady Melville photos
2016 Island Cup
Adam Furlong negotiating a stubborn tree.
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Brady Melville
2016 Island Cup
Rohan Erck in the low budget Suzuki secured runner up.
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Brady Melville
2016 Island Cup
Cory Hinds came out on top as a first-time winner of the Island Cup.
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Brady Melville photos
2016 Island Cup
A balancing act performed by Aaron Cliff.
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2016 Island Cup
Steve Duke attacking one of many tough step ups.
Story & photos by Brady Melville
Vancouver Islands premier off-road competition
When the days are short and the rocks slippery, it’s time for another Island Cup. February 16, 2016 was the start of the seventh competition in nine years, and it has turned into a "can't miss event" on any serious Canadian rock racer’s schedule.
From humble roots as a backwoods competition taking place in different locations each year, the Cup has found a home at Frogstompers Automotive, Mount Garibaldi, for the third year in a row. The event is all about the trucks and buggies, as most off-road events are, but this event is just as much about the after-hours fun and camaraderie as it is about the wheelin’.
Mount Garibaldi is situated on the west side of Vancouver Island about half an hour from downtown Victoria. If you're not an Islander, then you're in for an hour and a half ferry ride through the beautiful Gulf Islands from Vancouver. Once docked, ocean views, farmers’ fields and big trees greet you on your way to the competition site. Frogstompers is rustic yet civilized, just five minutes from a store, with outhouses on site and a large pit area.
The event takes place on the hillsides surrounding the pit area, with the Friday Night Bounty Hill event taking place just metres from camp. The rigs line up on the hill for a quick photo op and to let the crowd check out all the buggies. This competition is an Unlimited Class, "run what you've brung" event, meaning if it passes tech then it can race. Because of that, there is everything from high dollar 4400 class desert racers, full body mega trucks with 600 hp, 4-wheel steering moon buggies and even a "$3000 Suzuki" that ended up on the podium. The race is a timed event with lowest time taking the trophy and time-based penalties for breaking the rules. This is far from cone dodging but not quite rock bouncing. It requires a lot of finesse with a heavy foot to conquer the slippery moss covered rocks.
This year, rain and darkness fell as the trucks got underway. Lightbars came on and the runs got crazier as the terrain got slippery. The action that night started slow, but a few big rollovers and some nice saves really got the crowd and the drivers into the mood. By the end of the night, John Kennedy took home the $500 prize money with a sub 35-second run. The wet night carried on as everyone huddled around the fire talking about the day to come.
Saturday morning started early under blue skies with the camp coming awake to the sounds of warming engines and chattering impact wrenches. Bacon sizzled and coffee brewed as the excitement built towards an epic day on the mountain. The day’s events are within sight of camp, but Lionsgate Scaffolding had brought out some bleachers and created seating on the side of a mountain with room for a huge group of spectators.
Tape is strung and the event gets under way, starting with some huge climbs from “Mega-Truck Gord” to set the tone for the day. Next up on the list are the notorious desert racers, ‘the Flying Zucchini Brothers’, in their 4400-class car. Their run starts off great but a bad bounce on a huge climb causes them to roll hard down the hill coming to a stop against some trees. No one is hurt but it serves as a reminder that this course isn't meant to be easy, and concentration is key. More epic performances and more wild rollovers followed but by the end, there were some standout performances as a few drivers had a clean day with no winching or breakage.
With a great day of wheeling in the books, and clear skies in the forecast for Sunday, it was time to celebrate. Saturday night the fire got big and the party got loud.
Once again, Sunday’s action was close enough to be viewed from camp or you could get really close to the action in the bleachers. One of the highlight drops from last year had been turned into one of the craziest climbs anyone had ever seen, involving a huge crack and a nearly vertical face. If you were one of the few lucky enough to make the climb unassisted, you were then faced with a very slippery drop that rolled and broke numerous rigs throughout the day. The second stage was equally ugly with a tight pinch tree against a cliff, requiring trucks to drive through almost on their side. Following that there were some fast corners and loose climbs in front of the crowd bringing everyone to their feet.
After a hard weekend of wheeling the scores were tallied and Cory Hinds came out on top as a first-time winner of the Island Cup. He was followed closely by another Islander, Rohan Erck in a low budget Suzuki. Right behind Rohan in third place was Tom Sanford in his V-8 powered 4-wheel-steer buggy. Full scores and more information can be found at www.islandcup.ca.
Event DVDs covering the action, the crashes, the climbs and the carnage can be purchased directly from www.pathmakerproductions.com/dvds.
Hope to see you out there next year!