tOddball's Vintage ATV Overland Challenge
Proudly Sponsored by
Oddball ORV & Firelight Adventures
Overview:
Over a period of four days, we will see what Vintage ATV and Rider prevails best in an Overlanding Adventure in the California High Sierra’s. The purpose of this challenge is to go back to yesterday when times were simpler and enjoy the ATV machines of our childhood. Over the period of four days, we will drive the trails together, experience the scenic beauty of this amazing mountain range. In the evenings we will be camping on the trail, enjoying good food, good campfire, good conversation and hopefully some spectacular views of the night sky.
The trail will be over mostly 4x4 dirt and gravel trails that should be in fair to good condition. Atltitudes will range from ~3000ft to 7000+ft. To the extent possible, we will avoid rock crawling trails that require four wheel drive and excessive ground clearance. The challenge will be to get all machines that start the course to finish the course. If somebody breaks down, we will stop as a group and help.
The event will be recorded by professional videographers for a YouTube video series. The series will highlight the beauty of the California Sierras, the nostalgia of the vintage ATVs and hopefully by the end, the friendships made during the journey. By participating in the event you agree to being recorded for the series.
Event Notes:
This event is in the begining stages of development. These details may change entirely before the actual event takes place. Check back here often to get the latest information as it becomes available.
Dates:
The date for the event is tentiavely set as September 14th to the 17th, 2023.
Location:
The exact starting location is yet to be determined but will be somewhere along Highway 49 near the Sierra Buttes in the California Sierras mountain range of Nothern California.
Approximate Event Location Map
YouTube Mini-Series Details:
This event will be filmed by professional videographers for release as a mini-series on the Oddball ORV YouTube channel.
Route:
The route will consist of ~100 miles starting at Downieville, CA (~3000ft) and traveling over the trails up into the mountains cover ~25 miles per day. The culmination of the trip will be the Sierra Butte Lookout Tower trailhead (~7000ft) and a hike up to the lookout tower itself (~8400ft) to enjoy the amazing scenery.
Participants will bring their own camping gear, food and fuel. Expect limited to no trail support other than your fellow riders.
Challenges:
The challenge will be to see which Vintage ATV fares the best under these conditions. Near the end of the ride, participants will be asked to rate their fellow riders and their machines. Results will be tallied and a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place awards will be given. The purpose of this event is to have fun and as such the possible categories to win in could include the following:
Vintage ATV Categories: |
Rider Categories: |
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Rules:
Vintage ATV Rules:
- To qualify, ATV must be 30 years or older.
- ATV Type may include Motorcycles, Three Wheelers, Quads, Buggies (Honda Odyssey’s & Pilots) or similar.
- ATV must be in reasonable working condition.
- High Altitude Warning!!! Riding will range up to ~7000+ ft. You must jet accordingly or have a carb that auto compensates (SmartCarb for example)
Rider Rules:
- Participant must be 18 years old or older or accompanied by an adult.
- No Drug Use (including Marijuana) allowed.
- Smoking is not allowed (per National Forest Rules)
- No drinking alcohol while riding on the trail & don’t get drunk in camp!
- Keep your profanity to a reasonable amount.
Challenge Rules:
- This is not a race! This ride is about enjoying Vintage ATVs, meeting fellow enthusiasts and enjoying the great outdoors.
- Vehicles must be operated in a safe manner at all times.
- We work together as a team to help all ATVs finish the course. No Lone Wolfs or Left Behinds!
- Respect the environment, that means staying on established trails and leaving things cleaner than you found them.
- Riders must use all appropriate safety equipment for their ATV of choice. Helmets are a must!
Cost:
There will be a registration fee of $50 dollars to participate in the event. All fees will be used to provide prizes for winners of the different challenges. The purpose of the fee is to ensure that the people that express interest are serious about attending.
Maximum Number of Participants:
This event will be limited to ~ 8 particpants. That is not a hard limit, exceptions will be made based on the interest and types of machines already participating. The purpose for keeping the event participation small is to keep it focused and to minimize the impact to the roads, trails and other users in the forest.
How to Sign Up:
At the moment registration is not open for the event itself. There are many details yet to be worked out and so we don't want people to make a reservation only for details to change on them. What we are doing is asking for all interested people to fill out the pre-registration questionaire. This will allow us to gather the contact information for interested people and help us determine the type of people and ATVs we could expect.
There is no cost to preregister and preregistration is not a firm commitment. It just let's us know who is for sure interested and who to reach out to when we are ready for registrations.
To pre-register, please fill out this Google Docs Form:
Oddball's Vintage ATV Overland Challenge Preregistration Form
Note!!! Pre-registration does NOT gaurantee participation. This is only to gather whom is interested. Those that do pre-register will be contacted with a registration form early Spring.