Climbing Walls with Rock Bouncers
Rock bouncers take off-roading to a whole new level. These custom-built buggies can practically climb walls.
Written by Alex Reale
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
In certain pockets of the U.S., applying the word “
off-roader
” to your Jeep Wrangler in conversation may elicit exchanges of glances or hasty departures to grab another beer. Sure, your baby did a great job knocking out that fire road last week, but unfortunately it won’t be impressing anyone at a party in Dyersburg, Tennessee. True off-roaders can literally climb walls.
A trip to the South
Just north of the town of Dyersburg, Tennessee is a place called Bikini Bottoms Off Road Park. It’s green and lush, like so much of Tennessee, but that’s not what it’s known for. Tucked between the tranquil forests, visitors will find a dusty, denuded section of winding trails.
When viewed from above, it looks unassuming. It’s just a bunch of rocks and steep dirt roads. But on the ground the purpose of this area quickly comes into focus: it’s a playground, and not for kids.
Driving them up the wall
Bikini Bottoms Off Road Park is one of several sites that the National Rock Racing Association rents out for its competitions. People pour in to watch, filming from their cars, lining the treeline, and cheering for their favorites. What they’ve come to see is a test of mettle and metal.
At the base of a rocky hilltop, helmeted drivers pile into buggies, strap in with a five point harness, and eye the challenge in front of them. They barely notice the roll cage that surrounds their cockpit as they prepare to gun it—vertically.
One at a time, they’ll guide their custom-built rock bouncer up the hill, hoping to make it past both the giant boulders and roll-inducing concave sections. The goal is to crest the hill, and to the untrained eye it looks like a fool’s errand. How could a car go straight up a wall?
Building a rock bouncer
The rock bouncers look as stripped-down as possible: they’re all giant tires and skeleton bodies. Drivers are inevitably coated with dust as they coax their buggies up the hill, patiently trying again even as they roll dramatically backwards or sideways during encounters with tough sections.
Video after video shows a steel-caged, big-tired vehicle, working valiantly to bypass a giant rock, engine whining with effort. It’s thrilling when a rock bouncer finally makes it over the top, but it’s not shocking to the people who built the thing: they’re designed for climbing.
Though custom-built by each racer and his or her team, rock bouncers share a few key characteristics.
HotCars
notes that these monster off-roaders are four-wheel drive, naturally, and are often powered by GM crate motors. Horsepower ranges from 500 to 1000, and torque is, in a word, ridiculous. Suspension comfort would not pass muster in even the toughest consumer pickup, because it prioritizes absorbing the shock of any terrain, and the steel cages atop the beasts are happy to do a few turns and rolls.
So you wouldn’t take champion racer Tim Cameron’s favorite build on Pacific Coast Highway, but that was never the goal.
Insuring a rock bouncer
For those with an adventurous streak, rock bouncers are a wild DIY opportunity. And of course, if you’re of a more mild bent, you can still do plenty of fun off-roading with the Wrangler. Sorry, we didn’t mean to insult it earlier.
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