A hot sun, when it poked out from behind the roving clouds, and humidity greeted lucky Tucker Rocky reps and select dealers at the WB Ranch outside Hillsboro, Texas. Adjacent to the ranch is the Lake Whitney MX track, mostly known as the host of a major National amateur motocross event every year.
The annual gathering to give the reps and dealers a chance to mingle with some of the companies distributed by TR began five years ago at CEO Steve Johnson's house, and this year the sprawling WB estate served as the base camp. The 2005 retreat was also an opportunity to get in some ATV riding and perhaps catch a glimpse of the zebras (yes, zebras) and deer bounding through the grass. I attended the event to get a handle on the ATV industry, meet some new faces and spot new products for 2006.
In this quest, I had some success right off as the new Answer and MSR gear were introduced Friday night at dinner (MSR has renamed its lines and given the women's gear its own name: Starlet). I then spent the weekend tramping along the outdoor vendor row composed of the aftermarket companies represented by TR, which acts sort of like a big supermarket. There I encountered more stuff, from DG's new laser-cut stainless steel armor to Tommy Topper's fully enclosed, radio-equipped Rhino. In all about 25 vendors displayed their wares and educated the dealer/rep groups on ideal product placement and selling strategies. For a magazine guy, it was an interesting glimpse into another aspect of the market and revealed how the product makes it from the factory to the dealer display.
It wasn't all work for the 186 vendors, reps and dealers attending. Dallas, Plano and Rockwall Honda dealers and the Yamaha Suzuki of Texas dealership supplied 41 ATVs and two Suzuki 50s for organized rides complete with guides. The rides were offered all three days, Friday to Sunday, and we spent about two hours enjoying the scenic woods and limestone cliffs around Lake Whitney and playing in the streams and mud.
In all the weekend was a pretty flawless affair thanks to the hard work of about 15 people who kept track of buses, arrivals at the airport and delays; made sure there was enough water (54 cases and 35 20-pound bags of ice); and generally coordinated the whole thing. It only took about 10 months of planning!
Sad NewsA member of last year's Baja 1000 ATV winning team, Alfonso "Poncho" Castro was killed May 7 during a local desert race in La Paz, Mexico. From what is known, 3 miles into the race Castro went off a cliff.
He was a seasoned veteran with several years of desert racing experience, and it's not known what caused him to crash. He is survived by his wife, Lupita Castro, and three-year-old son, Alfonso.
More Riding available!East Coast: There is now another trail network available called TrailPass, with two systems in place at the moment, the Northeast and MidSouth. The pass costs $75 and gives you access to every riding area and trail on the network, organized rides and events, plus discounts and free passes for many popular OHV riding parks for a full year from the date of purchase. At select trails and parks day passes are also available for only $25, which may be applied to the cost of your TrailPass (some restrictions apply). You can get the pass at your Tucker Rocky dealer or online at www.trailpass.com.
When you purchase your TrailPass, you will receive a sticker to place on your machine (it must be visible when you are on a trail in the network) and an ID card with a unique rider number. This code allows you to have access on the web site to detailed trail maps, directions to each trail and priority preregistration for rides and events.