RockCrawler.com

Category: Press Release

  • RUGGED RIDGE ANNOUNCES NEW SPARTAN SERIES BUMPERS FOR WRANGLER JL

    RUGGED RIDGE ANNOUNCES NEW SPARTAN SERIES BUMPERS FOR WRANGLER JL

    Trend-Setting Off-Road Inspired Bumper Designs Are the Focus of This Budget Friendly Lineup

    Suwanee, Ga. (February 5, 2019) – Rugged Ridge®, a Truck Hero Inc. company and a leading manufacturer of high-quality Jeep®, truck and off-road parts and accessories, today announced the availability of its new Spartan Series of bumpers for 2018-2019 Wrangler JL models.

    The new Spartan Front and Rear Bumpers are engineered to give the new Wrangler JL a rugged off-road appearance while providing high-quality construction in an affordable package.

    Rugged Ridge Spartan Bumpers are assembled using high-strength steel plates featuring fold and weld construction. Then they are finished with a tough satin black powder coat to protect against hazards regardless of where the trails may lead.

    The Rugged Ridge Spartan Bumpers are direct bolt-on replacements for the stock JL bumpers, engineered to provide a uniform fitment and trouble-free installation. They also utilize the original factory fog lights into the design to minimize the expense of a pricey lighting upgrade.

    There are two front bumper variations available to suit a range of tastes, including models with standard ends or muscular high-clearance ends for a more aggressive look. Each bumper can be fitted with an off-road winch using the included winch mounting plate and can be accented with an optional tubular over rider. The Spartan Rear Bumper is compatible with all factory towing equipment.

    Each Rugged Ridge Spartan Bumper utilizes a pair of D-ring mounting plates and includes all necessary installation hardware as well as detailed instructions for the do-it-yourself enthusiast.

    The Spartan Series of bumpers from Rugged Ridge are backed by an industry-leading five-year limited warranty and are available online and through select Jeep® and off-road parts and accessories retailers nationwide.

    For more information about the new Spartan line of front and rear bumpers, or any of Rugged Ridge’s complete line of high-quality Jeep and off-road products, or to find an authorized retailer, please contact Rugged Ridge at 770-714-6101 or visit www.RuggedRidge.com

    ABOUT OMIX-ADA, INC.

    Omix-ADA®, Inc. is the world’s largest independent manufacturer and wholesaler of Jeep®, truck and off-road parts, accessories and floor liners. For two decades, Omix-ADA has designed, tested and manufactured more than 20,000 of the highest quality restoration and replacement parts and accessories. The Omix-ADA family of brands, Rugged Ridge® and Alloy USA®, are distributed throughout the USA and in more than 90 countries worldwide. For more information, please call Omix-ADA, headquartered in Suwanee, GA at 770-614-6101 or visit http://www.omix-ada.com.  

    Omix-ADA is a subsidiary of Truck Hero whose product offering includes: hard and soft truck bed covers, truck caps, bed liners, floor liners, steps, suspension kits, Jeep® parts and off-road accessories. Truck Hero’s industry leading family of brands includes Advantage, A.R.E., BAK, BedRug, Extang, Husky Liners, N-FAB, Omix-ADA, Retrax, Rugged Liner, Rugged Ridge, Superlift, TruXedo, UnderCover and an online retailer, RealTruck. Jeep® is a registered trademark of FCA USA LLC.  

  • NEXEN TIRE USA MAKES FIRST APPEARANCE AT 2019 KING OF THE HAMMERS SPONSORING TRUE NORTH RACING TEAM

    NEXEN TIRE USA MAKES FIRST APPEARANCE AT 2019 KING OF THE HAMMERS SPONSORING TRUE NORTH RACING TEAM

    — True North Racing will be Competing on Nexen’s MTX Premier Off-Road Tires —

    DIAMOND BAR, Calif. (Feb. 4, 2019) – Nexen Tire America, Inc., a worldwide leader in high-performance, passenger, SUV / light truck and winter tire technology, is now taking its Roadian MTX Extreme Off-Road mud-terrain tires to one of the world’s most grueling off-road racing events – the 2019 King of the Hammers in Johnson Valley on Feb. 1 – Feb. 9. Nexen Tire is partnering with True North Racing to showcase how well its leading off-road tires perform under extreme load and demanding environments. King of the Hammers is one of the world’s toughest off-road racing events. The race entails a grueling full-week event that combines rigorous desert racing with positional rock crawling, tackling some of the harshest desert terrain that Southern California is home to.

    True North Racing of Western Canada competes in the 4600 Stock Class with two highly advanced off-road capable Jeep Grand Cherokee builds, as well as the 4800 Legends Class with a custom-fabricated ‘Brinkfab’ off-road vehicle. Nexen Tire has provided its Roadian MTX Extreme Off-Road tires for all three vehicles and will utilize the company’s extremely popular 35×12.5×17-inch and 37×12.5×17-inch off-road tires. The Roadian MTX Extreme Off-Road Tire has quickly made a name for itself as a tier 1 tire choice among off-road enthusiasts since its initial release just over a year ago, which is why established off-road racing teams like True North Racing have selected Nexen Tire as its exclusive tire provider for competitive racing.

    True Racing North will have two highly custom Jeep Grand Cherokee builds and one custom-fabricated off-road vehicle on the scene at this year’s King of the Hammers event:

    • Joey Shilliday – driver of the 2014 King of the Hammers’ winning #4674 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 4600 Stock Class
    • Alex McNeil – driver of the #4675 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 4600 Stock Class
    • Lyndon Sheppard – driver of the Brinkfab Chassis off-road vehicle, 4800 Legends Class

    “We’re excited to finally announce that we will be working with our newest sponsor, Nexen Tire! We have tremendous goals for this year, and Nexen Tire will help solidify those goals and position True Racing North as a top contender during the annual King of the Hammers event,” said Joey Shilliday, driver of the 2014 King of the Hammers’ winning #4674 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee. “More than 90% of competitors who enter this competition do not finish. Teaming up with Nexen Tire means we have a better chance at winning this year, and we plan to capitalize on that thanks to our new Roadian MTX Extreme Off-Road tires.”

    For more information, please contact nexen@godriven360.com or call 310-374-6177.

    About Nexen Tire:

    Inspired by Nexen’s global family of drivers to engineer superior performing tires – from championship-winning Formula DRIFT drivers, rock-climbing off-road enthusiasts to everyday commuters – Nexen Tire utilizes proprietary technology and the highest quality standards in the industry to guarantee world-class products backed by unrivaled customer support for the life of each tire. As a worldwide leader in high-performance, passenger, SUV / light truck and winter offerings, the company is second-to-none in research, development and state-of-the-art manufacturing. And as part of a select group of tire manufacturers worldwide that are specified as standard fitment on original equipment vehicles, Nexen delivers premium products at a sensible price. Find out more about how Nexen has your back at nexentireusa.com – and join us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. #WeGotYou #NexenTire #NexenRacing

  • Vision X Supports Off-Road Industry at KOH

    Vision X Supports Off-Road Industry at KOH

    Vision X Lighting Supports Racers and Enthusiasts at Nitto King of the Hammers Powered by Optima Batteries

    Vision X is excited to return to the Nitto King Of The Hammers powered by Optima Batteries race week from February 1 – 9 in Johnson Valley, California.  The Vision X Event Team will be providing lighting support to racers and enthusiasts throughout the week while stationed inside Hammertown.

    • Vision X athlete and Two-Time King Of The Hammers Winner, Loren Healy will pilot his Vision X lit MBRP/Nitto/KMC Wheels Red Dragon 2.0 dirt slayer for another attempt to make history.  
    • Jordan Pellegrino will seek to overtake the kingdom aboard his all new state-of-the-art GenRight/Rockstar Energy/Mickey Thompson race car, featuring CG2 Light Cannons and XPL Chaser Bar.
    • European Vision X team member, Nicholas Montador of WEP Racing WSR, is making the Long haul from France to fulfill a dream of racing the famed King Of The Hammers race.
    • For the first time Unlimited Trophy Trucks will race during Hammers week, with Vision X Racer Eric Hustead looking to secure the Inaugural victory of the Toyo Desert Invitational presented by Monster Energy.

    Keep an eye out for all of the Vision X Hammers Family: Cody Addington, John Mathews (Off-Track Motorsports), Don Fisher (SEI Racing), Brian Caprara, Jade & Kyle Wickham (Wickham Racing), Scott Morse (Moose Motorsports), Airen Patrick and others flying the Vision X Flag.

    As the action packed week winds down, we fire it back up on Saturday with the GenRight/Vision X KOH Experience by Mickey Thompson Tires with over 150 Jeeps & Off-Road Vehicles to explore the ULTRA4 KOH Course.  The sold-out event always brings huge smiles and a new appreciation for the rugged KOH course.

    Be sure to stop by the Vision X Semi Truck in Hammertown for a limited run of Loren Healy and Jordan Pellegrino Posters and to see the latest Lighting products!  

    For more information about Vision X Off-Road Lighting products visit VXAutomotive.com

  • Larry Roeseler, J.N. Roberts & Rob MacCachren to be Honored at the Mint 400 Dinner of Champions

    Larry Roeseler, J.N. Roberts & Rob MacCachren to be Honored at the Mint 400 Dinner of Champions

    Get your seat at the Dinner of Champions here.


    The Mint 400 announced today that Larry Roeseler, J.N. Roberts & Rob MacCachren will be honored at the 2019 Mint 400 Dinner of Champions.  The Dinner of Champions is a curated dining experience with both current and past champions of off-road.  Guests are invited to rub elbows with some of the greatest champions of off-road racing while partaking in a three course dining experience delivered by The Kitchen at Atomic’s Chef Justin Hall.

    The 2019 Mint 400 Dinner of Champions will be held at The Kitchen at Atomic on Wednesday, March 6th at 7:00pm.  This is a 21+ event and open to the general public.  Click here to reserve your seat at the table.  Please note, this is a 21+ event.

    Confirmed Champions: J.N. Roberts, Larry Roeseler & Rob MacCachren
    Chef:  Chef Justin Hall
    Date: Wednesday, March 6th, 2019
    Time: 7:00pm – 12:00am
    Location: The Kitchen at Atomic

    “The Dinner of Champions was created to honor the former and current champions of off-road racing.  It’s important to us that we show our respect and admiration for the pioneers that came before us. There is no better way to prepare for the race than to get people together and share a meal before the madness of Mint 400 week begins,” commented Mint 400 CEO, Matt Martelli.

    Come enjoy wine and mezcal tastings and experience the culinary soul of off-road culture. Dinner includes a three course, plated meal for up to 150 people.  Stay Classy Meats, a Montana based wholesale meat and jerky distributor of bison, elk, cattle and other free-range animals, has joined the Mint 400 Dinner of Champions as title sponsor of the event, and will be providing their exceptional high-quality meats for the dinner.

    “Matt and I have been very blessed to travel all over the United States and world while working in the off-road industry. As a result we are constantly trying new foods from different regions. The movement globally to grow and harvest local, natural, sustainable, quality meat is embodied in the Stay Classy ethos. They avoid the use of antibiotics by raising their animals the way mother nature intended, and you can taste it in the meat. We’re thrilled to be able to share their amazing meats at the upcoming Dinner of Champions,” commented Mint 400 COO, Josh Martelli.

    About The Mint 400
    Known as “The Great American Off-Road Race™,” The Mint 400 is the most celebrated, prestigious, and challenging off-road race on the planet. This annual four-hundred mile marathon between the top off-road racers in the world includes over four hundred and fifty race teams in twenty-four different classes of off-road vehicles. Established in 1968, The Mint 400 is steeped in American lore. Thousands of racers and celebrities from around the world have attempted to tame the brutal Nevada desert, but less than half of them have ever finished the Mint. An entire week of events lead up to the famed off-road contest in and around Las Vegas, including a vehicle parade down the Las Vegas Strip, a drivers meet and greet, a pit crew challenge contest, the Miss Mint 400 beauty pageant, massive parties, a qualifying race, and a huge ten-block “contingency” gathering on Fremont Street East. Over forty-thousand spectators gather to watch the world’s best off-road race teams do battle at The Mint 400!

    About Mad Media
    Established in 1995, Mad Media is a San Diego based marketing and creative agency, specializing in adrenalized film and television production. Owners Matt and Josh Martelli have spent over two decades crafting authentic, culturally engaging brand messages in print, web, photography, and film platforms for some of the worlds top brands including Red Bull, BFGoodrich Tires, and Polaris Industries.  Mad Media’s viral film projects, such as the Gymkhana series and XP1K series, have been viewed hundreds of millions of times. From their early days as pioneers of branded viral video content for skateboard companies Osiris and Expedition, to their most recent work spreading the gospel of off-road racing with the world famous Mint 400, Mad Media remains a powerhouse pioneer of digital media.

  • California Off-Road Vehicle Association Petitions Department of Agriculture and U.S. Forest Service to Rescind or Revise 2005 Travel Management Rule

    California Off-Road Vehicle Association Petitions Department of Agriculture and U.S. Forest Service to Rescind or Revise 2005 Travel Management Rule

    Sacramento, Calif. – On Dec. 12, the Texas Public Policy Foundation filed a petition on behalf of approximately 22,497 individuals represented by organizations in six states to ask the Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Forest Service to rescind or revise the 2005 Travel Management Rule. The California Off-Road Vehicle Association along with 18 partners played a key role as petitioners.

    On Nov. 9, 2005, the Forest Service published the Travel Management Rule that “requires designation of those roads, trails, and areas that are open to motor vehicle use” and “prohibit[s] the use of motor vehicles off the designated system, as well as use of motor vehicles on routes and in areas that is not consistent with the designations.”

    Before the rule, motorized access in national forests was permitted unless specifically prohibited due to evidence that restricting motorized use was necessary to avoid significant damage to the environment.

    “The 2005 rule essentially flipped the previous standard and now only permits motorized use on designated routes,” said Managing Director of CORVA Amy Granat. “In some national forests, as much as 90 percent of traditional motorized access routes were eliminated.”

    In the Plumas National Forest, the application of the 2005 Travel Management Rule resulted in the closure of over 3,000 routes, comprising approximately 94 percent of the historically available motorized access routes in the forest.

    In that case, the Forest Service inventoried 1,107 non-system, unclassified, historically used and lawful miles of trails, which comprise 3,236 individual routes. Only 410 of the unclassified miles (or 200 routes) received any on-site environmental impacts review, while 697 miles (or 3,036 routes) were summarily rejected from inclusion in the Plumas National Forest Travel Management Plan based upon decisions made in the office by Forest Service employees without the site-specific information required by the 2005 Travel Management Rule and the Route Designation Handbook.

    The national parks and forests are designed to be accessed by the public. For many disabled and handicapped individuals, motorized access is the only way that those areas can be accessed and enjoyed.

    And while national land also serves the purpose of conservation, this purpose is equal to, not greater than access rights.

    The petitioners requested that the administration return to a general presumption that user-created routes and trails for access to national forests are open for motorized use, while providing a mechanism by which the Forest Service or members of the public could take action to have specific routes or trails closed for conservation purposes.

    The full petition may be viewed at http://bit.ly/2LgX9Ql. The letter accompanying it can be read at http://bit.ly/2EtVHts.

    Those interested in helping contribute to CORVA’s efforts may donate at corva.org/donate.

    The Petitioners

    The petitioners include Amy Granat, Corky Lazzarino, Houston Gem and Mineral Society, American Lands Access Association, Great Western Trail–Wyoming Council, New Mexico Off Highway Vehicle Alliance, San Diego Mineral and Gem Society, Friend of Independence Lake, Inc., Butte Meadows Hillsliders, Magic Valley ATV Riders, Lake Tahoe Hi-Lo’s, Stewards of the Sequoia, Recreation Outdoors Coalition, Bucks Lake Snowdrifters Snowmobile Club, High Mountain Riders Equestrians, Sierra Access Coalition, California Off-Road Vehicle Association, La Porte Service and Repair, and Lazzarino Machine Works.

    About CORVA

    Working for off-road interests at all levels of government since 1970, the California Off-Road Vehicle Association is based in Sacramento, Calif. CORVA is solely supported by members, donations and sponsors. The organization’s primary focus includes working with federal and state agencies to promote off-road recreation and prevent trail closures, while protecting motorized access in California for the people, not from the people. CORVA ensures that the voices of off-road recreationalists are heard and that off-road trail users retain the right to enjoy public land. For more information, visit CORVA.org.

  • BFGoodrich Tires Collaborates with Tire Stickers for Exclusive Tire Customization Technology

    BFGoodrich Tires Collaborates with Tire Stickers for Exclusive Tire Customization Technology

    GREENVILLE, S.C., Nov. 7, 2018 — BFGoodrich® Tires and Tire Stickers, a specialist in tire customization, have teamed up to launch exclusive tire decal technology on five BFGoodrich tire lines. (more…)