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We are equipped with a "LODAR" winch remote control system. Anyone who is serious about off-roading should have one of these coded, wireless systems. Operate your winch from 200 feet away! Click below for more.

After we crossed the first check point, it was time to WINCH! We came up to a steep hillside and locked it in "All six wheel drive". It was so slick under the leaves that we only made it up 30 feet or so. The winch cable and "LODAR" remote comes out then! All 150 feet of cable came out actually... and we still needed more.

We get up to the top of the hill to find a thin logging road in which we need to set ourselves on. It was 180 degrees off of our position... which was being held with only our winch cable. There was no way to steer the Pinz onto the road. A thunderstorm starts at about this time... things get VERY dangerous for everyone. After thinking about it for a while, it was obvious that the rear "Ramsey" winch would solve this problem FAST! So we hook it up and we are on the old logging trail and ready to drive again in a few minutes time!

What a sore sight! This was the official end for us. It's hard to tell how dark it was getting due to the quick rising thunderstorm. This was at least a contributing cause to the accident. I have to admit to it though, tunnel vision was the biggest factor involved in ending things for us. I foolishly decided that winning the race was something I should concentrate on, when it should have just been to FINISH the race. I did not want to loose my 3rd place position and tried hard to pass everybody that I could. I passed some stuck trucks just because I could. The Pinz was the only truck (short of the Mogs) that could pass them in this section... what a mistake that was for us. After keeping the momentum up that I needed to get through the really rough and rutted section, the Pinz was launched up and to the side because of a HUGE rock that was simply out of my view.

Most likely the Pinz would have sat on it's side and we would have got things back upright and kept racing if it weren't for the drop off right next to where it rolled. It rolled down the mountain side about 4 or 5 times with me (Vince) inside it! LUCKLY Wouter had been outside the Pinz looking for a tree to winch to... he was very surprised to see that I had made it through the section without winch help, but I think he was even more surprised when the Pinz started rolling over and over, out of his view, down the mountain trail.

Somehow I survived the whole thing. I had about 30 bruises on me and a crushed foot. The foot problem is the ONLY reason the race was over for us. I could not walk, much less push a clutch pedal. Frustration is not a good enough word to describe my state of mind at the time (and even still).

Amazingly, the Pinz only suffered sheet metal damage and a broken motor/tranny mount. If only my foot would have been so easily fixed!!

After rolling over several times.

So did I learn anything from this incredible experience? Yeah... no matter how much you plan, prep or train for something,

POOP HAPPENS! even to the best of us.