2009 High Lifter Mud Nationals - Digging Deep In Texas

After wrapping up the Buddy Run, we made our way back to the pits and I made a few calls to some friends back home. While our pals at Yamaha had allowed us to use a Grizzly 550 to get around on and get in a little riding, we were in need of something to carry more equipment as well as a passenger as both Thad and I were going to the many events. This is where Kawasaki came to our rescue by hooking us up with a brand-new Teryx 750 FI, which is exactly what we needed for hauling our camera equipment. The bed of the Teryx allowed us to stow all of our camera gear as well as a cooler for our food and drinks, a good thing too because it was going to be another long night for us. Thanks guys!

As everyone in camp grabbed a quick bite, we all made our way over to the Polaris MuddaCross pit. With the cancelation of the wheelie contest, the MuddaCross was moved up by an hour and even that wasn't enough. The racing action was fierce as riders in groups of three battled to complete two laps in the frigid cold waters of the pit. That water was unusually high compared to the previous events, and that left many a competitor in need of a tow while their rivals raged on. While I enjoyed seeing much of the intense competition, the action continued on well beyond midnight and that was tough on both fans and competitors as the Mud Bog competition was to be held early the next morning. When the Open class finals finished close to 2 a.m., our group again packed it up and headed back to camp to a warm fire and some nourishment to fill our stomachs.

This is where we had the chance to see that the racers weren't as lucky as us. Once we were back and our stomachs were full, we could hit the sack. Quite a few of the racers encountered mechanical issues in the MuddaCross races and had a long night of wrenching ahead of them. Many worked into the wee hours of the morning hoping to have their machines race-ready for the next contest. These guys are true die-hard racers.

Saturday brought out masses of fans to line the hillside of the bog and watch the action unfold. Anyone who has never been to a mud bog competition and thinks there's no skill involved in getting their machine across the water first needs to see one of these battles firsthand. There was as much bumping between racers as I've seen at some motocross events all while trying to keep the front end of the machine down and traction to the ground. We cheered on our friends as we took pictures and watched some of them advance to the next round while others finished after one run. Either way, when they came out of the pit, they were right back on the sidelines hanging out and cheering on their fellow racers. This was racer camaraderie at its finest.

Rounding off the day's scheduled events was a freestyle ATV performance by the H-Bomb Films Bomb Squad along with Team Akraix. These high-flying stunt riders kept the crowd on the edge of their racks with their acrobatics including a backflip by Caleb Moore. Just when everyone thought the show was over, what I would consider one of the highlights of the weekend was about to unfold. Moore jumped into his Polaris RZR and launched it into the air from the same freestyle ramp from which these guys had just been jumping their quads. To take things a step further, Moore convinced High Lifter owner Scott Smith to ride shotgun as he took the RZR off the ramp yet again. The crowd roared to life as the RZR sped toward the ramp and launched into the air sending the duo 30-plus feet into the air. It was absolutely amazing watching that RZR fly! As the show ended, everyone fired off their machines and headed back to camp because the night was just getting started. The awards were being handed out soon, and not long after that, the competitors could put away their race faces and have a little fun.