TurboMinivan
Still plays with cars
- Location
- Lehi, UT
Yesterday, this appeared in my FB feed:
https://www.facebook.com/events/658...pe":"22","action_history":"null"}&pnref=story
Have any of you guys ever seen/heard of anything like this? I would love to participate, but with such short notice there's not much I can do (unless I just hop in the Jeep or Suburban and follow along as a tow rig).
https://www.facebook.com/events/658...pe":"22","action_history":"null"}&pnref=story
IF YOU ONLY READ ONE THING, READ THIS!!!
Updated: 12 August: IT’S GOT THE START COORDINATES!!!!
ABOUT:
This is not a race, so it's impossible to cheat. It's an Off-Road Overland Navigation Challenge, try to get a cheap, cool or impractical car through a set of waypoints strewn through the mountains and desert. We stop and help our fellow Gamblers, we obey the law, we are safe and courteous at all times. We invite our friends with dependable, capable rigs to come along in case our crap doesn't make it. Above all don't be a dick and you're invited. We are lovers of all car culture especially if you're willing to drive it off-road. Be safe, cool and help people, don't complain about the value of people's cars it kills the mojo. If you want to win better drive a beater, let's also have fun seeing what kinda weird cool stuff people bring.
The event takes place over two days, with wilderness camping in the middle. It will be held Oct 21st and 22nd, 2017. From 6-8:00AM on Saturday the 21st we will be checking people in and staggered starting.
HERE ARE THE START AND END COORDINATES: 40.509204, -111.982167
Hint: More Saving. More Doing.
We will travel along a top-secret route performing challenges and covering difficult terrain. We will camp in the wilderness on Saturday night, then on Sunday morning cover more ground before we return to the starting point Sunday evening. The route is kept secret until the morning of the start. The route will be equal parts street, highways, dirt roads, and off-road trails.
RULES:
1. Don’t be a dick.
2. This isn’t a race. It’s a fun road rally adventure.
3. Be weird. Bring weird Cars. Decorate your cars to be weirder. Dress weird.
4. Spend as little as possible on your vehicle. $500 is your goal.
5. No minors are allowed.
6. If you have a 4WD vehicle, be prepared to help others.
7. Vehicles should be fully street legal with a license plate & insurance. Gambler 500 is not legally or financially liable for any of your shenanigans.
NOTABLE POINTS:
- There is no cost to participate. That being said, there isn’t anyone to blame should this go wrong. This was planned and operated on a $0 budget.
- You will have to camp overnight on the course. Don't forget the essentials: food, sleeping bag, firewood, and beer.
- You need to download the FollowMee App, GPS Location Tracker DELUXE Edition and link with our system. It’s 8 bucks (one time cost), but it reports back your location so if you don’t show up at Camp or at the Finish Line we can find you. We’ll give you the login info at the start line.
- The legality of your vehicle is your choice. Utah Gambler isn't paying for any of your speeding tickets, illegal vehicle fines, bailing you out of jail, etc.
- Bring a tow strap, help out your fellow gamblers.
- You are responsible for yourself and your team; food/drinks/parts/towing/tickets/etc
- You are responsible for following the laws of the county/town you’re in.
- Suggested equipment = paper maps, standalone GPS, tools, extra parts, food, camping gear, fire extinguisher, spare tires, battery, air compressor, CB radio, extra fuel (don’t put it inside your car, duh, fumes and stuff). You will be in remote areas with NO PHONE SERVICE. Plan accordingly.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
-what happens if my vehicle breaks down? Get parts, bring parts, get help from other Gamblers, call a wrecker, get a ride to your tow vehicle/trailer; whatever you have to do to get it home. DO NOT LEAVE VEHICLES ON THE ROAD! We will have some designated recovery trucks, we will pull you out, and we will tow you to a major road. They will have the coordinates to the campsite if you have to leave but still want to come out and party!
- Will there be gas stations/stores? Gas is pretty limited in the area defined on the map. Check out this area and plan accordingly. You will most likely travel past or near at least 1 per day.
TIMELINE:
Saturday morning, the early bird gets the worm. We’ll be checking people in from 6AM to 8AM. There will be a line at “check-in”. First come, first serve. Once you get to the front of the “check-in” line you get the sheet of GPS waypoints, and will be given a start time and your first coordinates. As soon as you’re checked in you’ll be released in staggered starts. Your teams start time will be recorded.
*Note, if you and 10 other teams show up at 8AM, you’re not all going to start at 8AM. Could be more like 10AM.
Day 1 is going to run you about 10-11 hours, 220-250 miles, and have 8-12 checkpoints. *PRO TIP: Show up early so you’re not out until 8PM.
You’ll get a coordinates sheet with 2 Letter Designators and coordinates. (WGS84, Degrees, Minutes, Seconds). You will not navigate to every point on the paper. The extra points are there to throw you off.
You’ll get a unique Gambler DOPE ASS CARD. The 3 of Clubs perhaps. Don’t lose it or share it.
- Once you located the waypoint, take a picture of your DOPE ASS CARD, and the waypoint post. The post will be labeled with the top letters being the waypoint you’re at, and the bottom letters being the waypoint you need to get to. I don’t know how you could cheat these waypoints, but don’t even try. Don’t be a dick. *The post is not going to be out in the open, look around!
4:00pm or so? Saturday – The first people should start arriving at our camping area. You’ll get marked down what time you arrive, get time deducted based on start time, and be racked and stacked for day 2.
7PM or so Saturday – Start times for Day 2 will be posted/announced/yelled.
Saturday Night – Campfire stories. Try to build a forest-safe campfire. Clear a fire-ring, use local firewood only, and have a way to put it out if you need too. Camp however you want, but remember rule #1, Don’t be a jerk. We’ll be sorta quiet after midnight, wear earplugs if you need silence to sleep though.
8AM Sunday - Back on the road, work towards completing Day 2’s GPS Waypoints. Day 2 is going to run you about 8-10 hours, 200-250 miles, and 8-12 checkpoints.
3PM Sunday - The first teams will probably be arriving at the finish. The finish is the same as the start, so teams will be reunited with their trailers or chase vehicles. You will have traveled approximately 500 miles in two days.
5PM Sunday - Award ceremony of some kind.
6PM Sunday - Everyone leaves.
FURTHER EXPLANATION OF THE RULES:
1. Don’t Act Like a Jerk – Look, we are all a bunch of screwed up dysfunctional people. If we weren’t, we wouldn’t be entering this crazy thing. But even if you are a total mess, you can’t act like it. You have to be polite. You have to be nice, and you can’t do anything that other people don’t like. You can’t run your generator all night, you can’t bump into other people’s vehicles, you can’t shoot fireworks at people, you can’t steal stuff, no doing heroin, or leaving a messy campsite. You can’t break the rules that everyone else is following, you can’t cut in line, you have to shut up sometimes, and you can’t assume that anyone else wants to listen to the music you like. We are all a bunch of dirtbags, but we are different types of dirtbags, so if we want to have a fun time, you simply cannot act like a jerk.
2. This is not a race. You know why? Because if it was a race, we would all cheat and spend more than $500 on this stupid event. No, this is an adventure. The goal is to find the crappiest vehicle you can and complete the event. It is a celebration of crapboxes and acting like McGuyver. Your challenge is to find a weird vehicle and make it do things it was never designed to do. If we do crown a champion, it will be the person who completes the event with the crappiest ride. There will also be prizes for ridiculous stuff, weird tasks, and other things that encourage people to do adventurous things, so there will be some competition at times. But it isn’t a race all the time. You should be happy this isn’t a race, because that way we will be able to stop for gas, to get food, and to go to the bathroom, just not all at the same time, that’s gross. We will also get to sit around the campfire, tell funny stories, and make friends. It’s a fun adventure.
3. Be Weird. Do you want to have a fun adventure? Show up with something weird. Show up with something that has only a slight chance of going 500 miles. Weird cars and trucks will make your fellow Gamblers happy. Do your best. Get in trouble. Your fellow gamblers will save your ass…probably. Be weird.
4. Spend as little as possible on your vehicle. $500 or less is a great guideline. Again, the way to “win” the Gambler 500 is to complete the event with the crappiest vehicle possible. The more you spend, the more of a loser you become. Some team out there is trying to spend less than you. Beat them at that game.
Speaking of spending, the event is free of charge. It costs nothing to enter, but you get very little. There is no registration, not much organization, and no one to ask questions to. You can only read these rules, show up at the right place and time, and take care of your own stuff. We are going to give you a single sheet of paper at the start. It won’t even have our phone number on it, just a bunch of GPS coordinates. Everyone will be asked to be part of the event. Be prepared to help out your fellow Gamblers, maybe volunteer a bit, try not to complain, and mostly don’t act like a jerk.
5. No minors are allowed. No one under 18. No one. They can’t ride along, they can’t come along, they can’t be around. No minors. Guess what? No minors. You know why, because minors aren’t capable of accepting legal risk and liability on their own. That’s why. So no minors. Please stop asking me.
6. Leave No Trace. We like the trails and the forest and we want to do this more than once. So we will leave no trace.
* You cannot leave your vehicle anywhere on the route. If it breaks, you will have to find a way to get it out of there. Bring your title just in case you have to leave it at the scrap yard. Bring money in case you need to pay to have it towed or repaired. We repeat: You cannot leave a vehicle someplace!!!
* We will leave no trash and no trace. We are rustic camping, so you have to bring in your own water, food, bury your poop and haul out your own trash. The sites will not have trash cans, there will not be toilets, there is no running water, there is no mowed grass to tent upon, there is nothing. After we leave there will be no trash, no waste, and no trace that we were there.
7. If you have a 4WD vehicle, be prepared to help others out of bad situations. Showing up with 4WD is the same as volunteering to help, you automatically get that responsibility. Bring a tow strap, a come-a-long, or a winch. Think of it as part of the game. The more people you help, the better you are doing on this crazy adventure. Maybe they’ll give you a beer if you yank them out, that seems fair.
8. Vehicles should be fully street legal with a license plate, insurance. We don’t have tech inspection for this event, we just have the police. I’m betting they will show up too. A bunch of crappy vehicles will be at the start of this thing and a bunch will probably be smoking. It will definitely attract attention. Have your stuff together and you won’t have any trouble. Try to cheat or lie and you might miss the event, get fined, and have to tow your vehicle home. Think of the police as our volunteer tech inspectors and please be polite.
NAVIGATION:
You will be given the GPS coordinates of waypoints along the route, so you'll need some way to navigate using only these. Google maps on your phone is capable of this if you know what you are doing. Google maps is also capable of not doing this if you don’t know what you are doing. Look up: “How to navigate using google maps without internet”
COMMUNICATION:
With a cell phone you can call anyone whose number you know, as long as you have reception. You won’t have reception everywhere we travel, but you will have it a lot of places.
There will be no central “Gambler phone number” to call. If you break down you will have to find your own help. You will either have to call a friend, wave down a fellow gambler for help, or call a tow truck. So, if you see someone who is broken down, try to help them out, they might really need it. We will have designated recovery trucks roaming about that will tow you out to a major road.
AGAIN,You need to download the FollowMee App, GPS Location Tracker DELUXE Edition and link with our system. It’s 8 bucks (one time cost), but it reports back your location so if you don’t show up at Camp or at the Finish Line we can find you. We’ll give you the login info at the start line.
CONCLUSION:
That's about it for rules and advice. Be nice, keep it weird, and this could be a life-defining adventure. Remember: Always Be Gamblin’. ABG.
(These are a modified version of the Detroit and Illinois Gambler 500 Rules, Thank you Detroit/Illinois OG’s!)
Have any of you guys ever seen/heard of anything like this? I would love to participate, but with such short notice there's not much I can do (unless I just hop in the Jeep or Suburban and follow along as a tow rig).
