Tough Dog Tuff Truck Challenge 2008 - Latest Updates

Joined: 02 Feb 2008 Location: Sydney

Three New Stages Added
After a HUGE weekend of excavation and earth-moving over the Australia Day long weekend, Greg Hamilton (Competition Manager) is pleased to announce the completion of not 1, not even 2, but 3 new stages for TTC08. Yes, that’s right, to keep it fresh and interesting for both teams and spectators alike, there will be 3 brand new courses for the Tough Dog Tuff Truck Challenge in 2008.

The first, is the all-new “Devil’s Marbles” (brought to you by DPChip), with over 80 metres of retaining walls, combined with over 150 tonnes of solid rock, masterfully placed into position by some crazy excavator and bobcat drivers. To be run by Dale Moore, this stage will combine all the best aspects of the All Terrain Challenge from prior years, with a magnificent viewing area for thousands of spectators. This stage will be absolutely insane and a must to see.

The second all-new stage has been christened Out The Back, as it is just up the back-blocks to the left of Mini Wirraba and above the Frame Twister. Here you will find a natural amphitheatre, ready for spectators to pitch their chairs and watch non-stop action as the teams pit their machines against the many twists, turns and squeezes that Stephen Barton has brought to reality. While quite different to the Rocky Horror in the past, Stephen has taken-up the challenge to create something that is truly special, and will test all comers.

And to round out the trio of new stages, we have Mick Watts who complained that cause the other guys got a new track, why couldn’t he. So off he went, in search of trees, boulders, ledges, twists, turns and sheer rock faces, returning with an evil grin on his face, and a master plan to ensure all competitors remember this stage for years to come. The plan is to restrict the drivers vision, but giving them plenty to concentrate on from behind the wheel.

Not to be outdone, there are going to be some major changes to the Frame Twister, with Rob Alexander coming aboard to set the bar higher than ever, and build on the enormous efforts of previous stage manager, Glen Philpott. Look for no other options but going over the tyres this year, and an all-new path through the obstacles.

Not to be outdone, Steve Price has some magic in mind to re-vamp the Mini Wirraba stage, with more twists and turns that ever, and some extra entertainment to keep the crowd happy when one of the big rigs fails part-way.

But the best part for spectators is that all stages will be so close together this year, that once you plant your backside in your comfy chair, you should be able to see all 5 day driving stages from your one vantage point. So whether you choose to be up the back of Up The Back, or lined along the Frame Twister, or even prime position at the start of Devil’s Marbles, you should be able to see all the action across all 5 stages, and kept up-to-date by our Tuff Truck commentary team over the weekend.

And that’s before we mention the Mudrat’s Revenge (the annual crowd-pleaser), the Mystery Night Run, the Travel Ramp and Show n’ Shine / Engineering stages. All up, 9 stages for competitors to attempt and complete (we hope).

So what will be your favourite stage this year? Will it be the rocks, the tyres, the mud, the logs, or will it be the jaw-dropping angles these rigs must navigate and endure to complete the courses. Suffice to say, there will be something for everyone, and everyone will enjoy the entire event. Make sure you get your tickets ASAP, and take advantage of the $10 discount for ordering online http://www.tufftruck.com.au/store/.

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2008 6:32 am

fav stage will be sunday nite !! as per the last couple of years !!!! Twisted Evil

watching you ride a bike @ nite !!!! Very Happy

Joined: 02 Feb 2008 Location: Sydney

moose wrote:

fav stage will be sunday nite !! as per the last couple of years !!!! Twisted Evil

watching you ride a bike @ nite !!!! Very Happy

Sunday night, finally a beer!!!

Barbed wire fences jump out in front of bike riders Laughing

Joined: 08 Nov 2002 Location: wheeling the guppy

sounds good.

some of the new tracks sound a bit harder Cool

Joined: 22 Oct 2002 Location: brisbane

are the judges in the engineering section going to know what they are looking at this year???

pffffffft what a joke!!!

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 10:44 am

1MadEngineer wrote:

are the judges in the engineering section going to know what they are looking at this year???

pffffffft what a joke!!!

Just go spend a lot at autobarn and then paint everything chrome!!

Joined: 11 May 2004 Location: Armidale

WICKED wrote:

1MadEngineer wrote:

are the judges in the engineering section going to know what they are looking at this year???

pffffffft what a joke!!!

Just go spend a lot at autobarn and then paint everything chrome!!

Thats not going to help your bro but

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 12:27 pm

New stages sound tops! nice one!!!

Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Location: western shitney

CANT WAIT

Joined: 22 Oct 2006 Location: yallourn north,victoria

j-top paj wrote:

CANT WAIT

X1000000000000000000000 armsup

Joined: 02 Sep 2007 Location: Singleton

hell yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

can't wait.

Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:23 am

This should be great. toiling away busily trying to get truck sorted in time.

Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 2:50 pm

Looking forward to seeing the pics again this year. Last year the pics of the Diahatsu eating it was great. I wish I could make it down to see the event.

Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Location: western shitney

DIRTY ROCK STAR wrote:

This should be great. toiling away busily trying to get truck sorted in time.

what are the chances ofit being finished in time??
hope to see it there armsup

Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Location: Penrith

heard theres gonna be some great entertainment this year, besides DRS.

Joined: 02 Feb 2008 Location: Sydney

Vote for a Great Cause
A wonderful gesture by Mark Mitchell of ‘Team Bandage Bear’ will go a long way to putting a smile on the faces of the kids at the Westmead Children’s Hospital. Mark is very passionate about the kids and sympathizes in the struggles that they endure; hence he has brainstormed a unique method to raise funds for the hospital.

Mark has purchased over 250 magazines and made the offer to the voting public, as well as any nominated TTC08 team, to cast votes in exchange for donations for the hospital. On offer is a donation of $3.00 for a 1st vote (7 points), $2.00 for a 2nd vote (5 points) and $1.00 for 3rd vote (3 points). When you do the homework, it is a very economical alternative for any team to gain votes and goes to such a great cause.

The TTC08 team thank Mark for his amazing generosity, and hope that both voters and teams embrace the idea, not only to assist in their nominations for this year’s event, but that the hospital gains great benefit from the results. Voting is on in earnest this year and these votes could make the difference for many of them.

Anybody that would like to know more or simply want to take Mark up on his offer, should call him direct on 0414 448 549 or alternatively e-mail mark@erh.com.au

Joined: 13 Jan 2006 Location: Newcastle

Ahhh I just cant wait for the Sunday night too Moose. Nothing like letting our hair down and raising some hell late at night.

Only thing is..we're all too ruddy tired from the comp and fall asleep after only downing a few drinks..sad really. Crying or Very sad

Joined: 20 Oct 2002 Location: Greenbank

So this is the final Nomination list? Nominations closed 29th Feb? http://www.tufftruck.com.au/nominees.html

Looks like some are not going to get a drive this year. Only the top 40 get in. And there are 43 listed at the moment.

Joined: 02 Feb 2008 Location: Sydney

There is actually another two nominations that were received by the 29th but with what's involved in processing, they'll be another day or so before being posted on the site. One is Phil Noble, 2nd place getter from last year. This makes a field of 45 nominations in total, so voting is on!!

Joined: 20 Oct 2002 Location: Greenbank

Cool. Good to see at last there are more nominations than places. Most other years its really been a waste of time voting other than it effecting your starting position.

Lots of new faces this year to it appears Cool

Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 8:40 am

j-top paj wrote:

DIRTY ROCK STAR wrote:

This should be great. toiling away busily trying to get truck sorted in time.

what are the chances ofit being finished in time??
hope to see it there armsup

mate we are on it every weekend til its done.
all of easter long weekend.
and taking a weeks annual leave the last week to "get er done"
i have got a top crew of volunteers so we are getting there slowly but surely.

well done to mark for his bandaged bear idea. top work champ.

Joined: 22 Sep 2004 Location: Kings Park, NSW

nasnut67 wrote:

Looking forward to seeing the pics again this year. Last year the pics of the Diahatsu eating it was great. I wish I could make it down to see the event.

Joined: 22 Sep 2004 Location: Kings Park, NSW

Pagie wrote:

Vote for a Great Cause
A wonderful gesture by Mark Mitchell of ‘Team Bandage Bear’ will go a long way to putting a smile on the faces of the kids at the Westmead Children’s Hospital. Mark is very passionate about the kids and sympathizes in the struggles that they endure; hence he has brainstormed a unique method to raise funds for the hospital.

Mark has purchased over 250 magazines and made the offer to the voting public, as well as any nominated TTC08 team, to cast votes in exchange for donations for the hospital. On offer is a donation of $3.00 for a 1st vote (7 points), $2.00 for a 2nd vote (5 points) and $1.00 for 3rd vote (3 points). When you do the homework, it is a very economical alternative for any team to gain votes and goes to such a great cause.

The TTC08 team thank Mark for his amazing generosity, and hope that both voters and teams embrace the idea, not only to assist in their nominations for this year’s event, but that the hospital gains great benefit from the results. Voting is on in earnest this year and these votes could make the difference for many of them.

Anybody that would like to know more or simply want to take Mark up on his offer, should call him direct on 0414 448 549 or alternatively e-mail mark@erh.com.au

http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/viewtopic.php?t=133013

Joined: 26 Jul 2003 Location: Brisney Land

this is interesting:
TEAM ABT

Quote:

Team ABT4x4 FireTruck use and recommend Valvoline fluids and we run Valvoline gear oil, engine oil, ATF, brake fluid, radiator coolant, etc.

Quote:

you know what i mean? armsup

meanwhile there is a huuuuge disparity of votes.. some people in the 200's, some in the 30's..
when do the votes get tallied?

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 2:28 pm

I noticed the valvoline/castrol thing too.
in the photos i think there is 1 photo with an oil brand on it.

i noticed the way they mentioned every company, brand, person ever in the world.
and i thought i was bad always trying to promote stuff.

Joined: 13 Aug 2004 Location: Newy

DIRTY ROCK STAR wrote:

I noticed the valvoline/castrol thing too.
in the photos i think there is 1 photo with an oil brand on it.

i noticed the way they mentioned every company, brand, person ever in the world.
and i thought i was bad always trying to promote stuff.

spoken by DRS, for the VOTE MEGATWON party, Lemon tree

Joined: 13 Aug 2004 Location: Newy

DIRTY ROCK STAR wrote:

I noticed the valvoline/castrol thing too.
in the photos i think there is 1 photo with an oil brand on it.

i noticed the way they mentioned every company, brand, person ever in the world.
and i thought i was bad always trying to promote stuff.

spoken by DRS, for the VOTE MEGATWON party, Lemon tree

LOVELLS - The ride of your Life

Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Location: Penrith

it will be party time sat night Very Happy

Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:18 pm

goodwork!!
go the silent. i have all their albums The Finger

do you know "under the rainbow"?

Joined: 20 Oct 2002 Location: Greenbank

Will you guys sing this song? It was sang in a pub so it is Pub rock and it is a classic sing.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=mt7_bpfbN9U