Highriders Challenge 2012

Story by Rich Walker, Photos by Kelly Walker

Our trek to the Highriders Challenge (HRC) was almost over before it began. It seems Mother Nature was wreaking havoc on many parts of BC and Alberta with rain and mud slides on the major highways. It was just 3 days before we left that Highway 1 was fortuitously re-opened.

The course layout remained the same as the previous year. Saturday started with the outfield (1 lap), followed by a short lunch break (and the HRC Redneck antics), and finally the infield (2 laps). Competitors would run the courses counter clock wise on Saturday and switch directions for Sunday. Lowest total time for all 4 runs is the winner.

In past years, there were 2 lanes on the infield. Racers would start head to head, finish one lap in their lane and then switch for the second lap. New for 2012, the HRC Crew did some re-arranging and essentially made it one lane. The busses and logs stayed the same, but the rocks, blocks and tank trap (log section) became one, barely 2 vehicle wide lane (especially when you see the size of some of these rigs).

Considering the amount of competitors there this year, I figured we would be in for a couple long days of racing. Well, I don’t know if the competition is just getting more fierce, if the rigs are getting faster and better built, or if everyone is just putting the hammer down looking for that trophy, but boy was I wrong. We saw times under 2 minutes for the infield runs, just over 2 minutes for the outfield and it seemed nobody was getting stuck. Everything ran super smooth and we saw more than one record setting time (one was Eric Brinker, pulling off a 2:23 in the outfield). Saturday was a great day of racing and a mere 35 seconds separated the top 5 competitors going into Sunday.

Saturday evening was filled with the usual HRC festivities. Many teams were wrenching and prepping for Sunday, but that didn’t stop the parties. And I have to say parties (plural), because until you see the size of the HRC site you won’t understand how many people hop from camp to camp to hang out and enjoy a bevie or two. It’s a really cool way to spend the night - I didn’t remember taking a picture of the sun rising until we got home and downloaded all the photos.

Sunday was another amazing day of racing. With the times so close it was really still anybodies game. Every competitor attacked the courses like mad men on a mission. When it came time to run the infield, the action got crazy. The log section was the first part of the course (remember, they run opposite way on Sunday) and we had some intense passing. Rigs were driving over other rigs and using each other for traction just to get through. I think the record setting crowd enjoyed each infield race more than the previous race.

When all the dust settled (yes, there was no typical Alberta storm to keep the dust down this year), Richie Tremblay (aka Porkchop) was the 2012 HRC Champion. Richie has been a long time HRC competitor and each year his rig gets a little more advanced. This win was very well deserved and was a long time coming for Richie. 2nd place went to Kyle Orriss and 3rd place went to last year’s champ, Dave Green. In the Pro Stock class Andrew Scott took the win.

All in all, this was hands down the best year at HRC. The stands were packed all weekend, the racing was absolutely tops, and even the weather cooperated. Also noteworthy was at the awards, Stephanie and Jenssen Aiken auctioned off a quilt in an effort to raise money for Breast Cancer. They work all year to collect old wheelin T-shirts and sew them into a quilt. It was truly a work of art and this year it fetched $2000.

Thanks to Kevin Hennel and the entire HRC crew for another amazing event at Tail Creek Race Way. You guys make it all worth the trip and the reason we come back each year.