A Decade can seem like an eternity or a blink of an eye depending on how much fun you’re having. Crawl-A-Palooza is the longest running RC crawler comp in the United States but you wouldn’t know it has already been ten years since it all began! Crawler enthusiasts from all over the country have descended on Disney Oklahoma on the 2nd weekend in October every year since 2007 to get their crawling fix. The spillway on Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees serves as hallowed crawling terrain for full size and scale size off-roaders alike. That makes this event a special treat for attendees because you’re almost as likely to see full size crawlers out on the rocks as you are scale versions.
In the beginning Crawlapalooza was centered around comp rigs with some scaling being done on the night prior to the actual competition. At the time scaling was in its infancy and just wasn’t considered the main event. That has all changed now as comp crawlers have largely gone by the wayside and the scale scene has taken prominence. Almost the entire competition is now based around trail rigs. Crawlapalooza retains its roots and still has a Pro Comp course, but the ratio is very much tipped in favor of scalers. Who would have guessed?
Through the years the size of this event has fluctuated but event organizers have tried to cap the attendance at 100 competitors to keep things on a reasonable time table. This has led to this event sometimes selling out in a matter of minutes! The 2016 event titled “a Decade @ Disney” was one of the largest turn outs to date boasting around 120 entries. This caused some longer than average wait times to get your runs in on the courses but moods generally remained good as I wondered the grounds. The sun was brutal, but the mild temperatures made for an enjoyable day on the rocks. The Crawlapalooza staff headed up by event organizer Jerry Justice worked tirelessly to keep the lines moving and get everybody through the courses. A HUGE thank you to those who volunteered and made it all happen.
On the subject of making it happen, any longtime Crawlapalooza veteran can tell you this event has been fraught with the unforeseen over the years. From “Flood-A-palooza” to “Outcast-A-palooza” the unexpected is no stranger to this event. This year was no exception. Not long after the team got done setting the courses prior to the event the Grand River Dam Authority decided to open the flood gates. The 10 minute warning siren went off and the team was forced to clear out while they watched half of the courses get washed away. Being very late in the day the guys really had to hustle and set the gates again in a completely different area. On the following day I don’t think very many people were even aware that it had happened. The courses were still amazing because the Disney rocks never disappoint.
Even though I was only able to attend the event for Saturdays festivities Crawlapalooza has events going on all weekend long to keep attendees entertained. Friday consists of the Show and Shine and night run. Saturday the Poker Run, the King of Disney (fastlap) and comps take place, and Sunday the Tuff Truck challenge and Chip Cross Memorial Fun Run. That’s a lot of wheel time for one weekend.
Just like any crawling event I met lots of super nice people. Unlike the racing crowd, crawling events generally leave the attitudes at home. Back at Hogans campground (also known as Crawlapalooza HQ) the atmosphere is festive and fun as it is mostly filled with RC Crawler fanatics from all across the nation. Several have attended almost every single year the event has been held which is impressive as well as a testament to just how good of an event this is. Just hanging out around camp will give you a chance to rub elbows with a veritable who’s who of the crawling world. You can run into anyone from long time pro drivers to parts manufacturers.
Speaking of manufacturers I can’t go much past that subject without mentioning the huge amount of industry support we had for this event. On behalf of the organizers i’d like to take this chance to personally thank all of our sponsors from this year.
- Billet Works Design
- Bullrope Recovery Ropes
- Brazin Scale RC
- CBE RC Fab
- Dinky-RC
- DMG
- Deadloc Racing
- Freqeskinz.com
- Howler Custom RC
- Holmes Hobbies
- Jasper Hobbies
- Jwalker Designs
- KCRC
- OKRCRC
- 149 R/C Worx
- MORE Engineering
- Proline Racing
- rcMart
- Rc Scale Worx
- RC Bros.com
- RCCrawler.com
- Scaler Fab
- SuperShafty
- Vanquish Products
Around mid-day Hogan and his buddies brought the full size rigs out to put on a bit of a demo for us. Snorting V8s, huge Interco swampers and metal grinding on bare rock, it was a visceral experience and had me wanting to build a 1:1 before it was over.
Towards the end of the day I retired back to camp with the Howler Customs guys to put my aching feet up and enjoy some flame charred burgers before my long trek home. Crawlapalooza is a one of a kind event that combines competition, comradery and camping. It has a rich history rooted in the conception of this hobby that honors the past as well as embraces changes in RC Crawling. It exists more for the love of the hobby than as a marketing tool. It is the people that make it special and that is what makes it unique to any other crawling event out there. Even if the comp scene is not your thing there is still plenty of things to do at this event. It is family friendly and just an all around good time for the outdoor enthusiast. I certainly enjoyed myself and will definitely be going back.
See you in 2017
-Evol
(Picture gallery below scores)
Results: more scores as they are posted
“KING OF DISNEY” 1.9/2.2
These guys ran there wheels off – good job drivers !
1.9 King of Disney D@D – 2016
1st #8 – “Tyler Dankenbring – Dinky R/C” – 28:14
2ed #5 – Shane S – 29:59
3rd #3 – Rick M – 31:17
4th #4 – Derek V – 31:24
5th #66 – Michael Dillon & #22 Micheal Holnbeck – 31:39 – tie for 5th
6th #105 – Eduard M – 41:47
7th #16 – Jonathan F – 42:60
8th #26 – Brian A – 64:50
9th #20 – Doug T – 68:21
10th #41 – Eric M – no time
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2.2 King of Disney D@D – 2016
1st #102 – “Caleb Scott” – 26:31 (Fastest time over all)
2ed #64 – Michael M – 27:14
3rd #4 – Austin G – 28:49
4th #15 – Jesse W – 34:18
5th #111 – Leroy C – 36:22
6th #39 – Dana M – 39:21
7th #107 – Gino H – 40:39
8th #108 – Matt W – 60:31
9th #100 – Ryder F – 62:48
10th #99 – Scott F – 62:49
Diva C10/poker run D@D – 2016
1st #68 – Morgan K – 83
2ed #80 – Jamie S – 55
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Junior C10/Poker run D@D – 2016
1st #44 – Jonathan H – 64
2ed # 104 – Christen C – 55
3rd #63 – Tristen W – 51
4th #48 Joseph F – 48
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Senior C10/Poker run D@D – 2016
1st #18 – Bill R – 68
2ed #9 – Lucky B – 49
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1.9 C10/Poker run D@D – 2016
Highest chip total won !
1st #28 – Derek Venable – 117
2ed #3 – Rick M – 96
3rd #96 – Zech W – 94
4th #11 – Jon N – 88
5th #31 – Ashton B – 83
6th #38 – Bruce L – 81
7th #20 – Doug T – 80
8th #67 – Mike O – 71
9th #29 – Rick C – 69
10th #30 – Sean C – 69
11th #23 – Steven H – 67
12th #48 – Joseph F – 62 t
13th #87 – Michael S – 62
14th #36 – Doug S – 60
15th #84 – Chris D – 58
16th #35 – John M – 57 t
17th #61 – Chris L – 57
18th #98 – Brett A – 56
19th #26 – Brian A – 53 t
20th #105 – Eduard M – 53
21st #109 – Justin D – 52
22ed #37 – Nicholas H – 51
23rd #60 – Justin B – 50
24th #10 – Howard R – 49 t
25th #34 – Jeremy R – 49
26th #42 – Randy W – 49
27th #103 – David C – 48
28th #89 – Jon A – 47
29th #7 – Matt D – 46
30th #39 – Ben B – 44
31st #55 – Joseph R – 42 t
32ed #76 – Brian C – 42
33rd #65 – Lee P – 41 t
34th #72 – Dusty W – 41
35th #16 – Jonathan F – 41
36th #101 – Paul W – 37 t
37th #111 – Leroy C – 37
38th #104 – Chris C – 36 t
39th #54 – James B – 36
40th #92 – Shane M – 35
41st #63 – Tristan W – 34
42ed #21 – Chris Z – 31
43rd #8 – Tyler D – 27
44th #40 – Coltin B – 24
45th #19 – Ethan B – 22
46th #12 – Sam R – 19
47th #53 – Daniel S – 15
48th #59 – Rick P – 14
49th #41 – Eric M – DnF
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2.2 C10/Poker run D@D – 2016
Highest chip total won !
1st #88 – “Robert Graves” – 89
2ed #62 – Peter W – 87
3rd #15 – Jessie W – 84
4th #27 – Dana M – 77
5th #67 – Daniel K – 76
6th #111 – Leroy C – 71
7th #79 – Travis S – 67
8th #6 – Ryan S – 66
9th #70 – Dustin H – 61
10th #106 – Eric J – 59
11th #64 – Michael M – 57
12th #93 – Parker M – 52
13th #87 – Philip L – 51
14th #78 – Trent S – 48
15th #14 – Scott F – 46
16th #87 – Michael S – 45
17th #43 – Greg T – 44
18th #24 – Joseph R – 41
19th #17 – Ryder F – 37
20th #2 – Adam J – 33
21st #21 – Austin G – 28
22ed #22 – Caleb S – 26
23rd #107 – Gino H – 22
24th #108 – Matt W – 15
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Hill Climb Challenge – D@D – 2016
1.9 Hill Climb – D@D – 2016
Fastest time wins !
1st #62 – Peter W – 3:79
2ed #111 – Leroy C – 4:25
3rd #27 – Dana M – 4:55
4th #67 – Daniel K – 4:79
5th #115 – Joe M – 5:48
6th #113 – Zachary M – 5:58
7th #89 – Jon A – 5:76
8th #28 – Derek V – 5:84
9th #101 – Paul W – 6:02
10th #8 – Tyler D – 6:07
11th #108 – Matt W – 6:33
12th #64 – Michael M – 6:34
13th #53 – Daniel S – 6:37
14th #57 – Chris D – 6:38
15th #22 – Michael H – 6:55
16th #49 – Davis S – 7:56
17th #45 – Tommy G – 7:83
18th #3 – Rick M – 7:85
19th #30 – Sean C – 7:90
20th #68 – Morgan K – 8:55
21st #23 – Steve K – 8:63
22ed #60 – Justin B – 9:32
23rd #18 – Bill R – 9:44
24th #85 – Jacob B – 10:33
25th #61 – Chris L – 14:00
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2.2 Hill Climb – D@D – 2016
Fastest time wins
1st #101 – Paul W – 3:64
2ed #79 – Travis S – 3:82
3rd #53 – Daniel S – 4:13
4th #14 – Philip L – 4:31
5th #16 – Jonathan F – 4:32
6th #64 – Michael M – 4:77
7th #10 – Howard R – 4:90
8th #115 – Joe P – 5:31
9th #99 – Ryder F – 5:62
10th #62 – Peter W – 5:97
11th #18 – Bill R – 6:10
12th #23 – Steve H – 6:42
13th #110 – Scott M – 7:08
14th #49 – David S – 7:27
15th #100 – Scott F – 8:55
16th #45 – Tommy G – 9:07
17th #59 – Caleb S – 13:22
