A few weeks ago, the 1st annual(?) Wrecker Games took place in Sand Hollow Park in Southern Utah. This unique event was put together by Matt from Matt's Off-Road Recovery and was the first of its kind. Matt invited some a few friends of his on YouTube to build their own rigs and compete, those including Paul from Fabrats, Merlin from Merlin's Old School Garage, Eric from BSF Recovery, and Rory with Moab Motorsports (@trailmater) to compete in a series of challenges to see who made the best off-road wrecker.
Around 8000 people showed up for the event and the activities included a dead-pull involving pulling the Banana through soft sand with no assistance and then immediately pulling 20,000lbs of Blue Steel connected to a trailer with the MORRvair on it through the same sand. The competitors also tested their welding skills using welders built into the wreckers and participated in a dyno pull. The competitors then pulled a dead car up an off-road trail to the top.
The event was an absolute blast. A few highlights included Paul, after he damaged a soft shackle during the car flip, he then proceeded to do a pull on blue steel where the shackle broke and sent ropes flying in both directions, damaging the tail light on his wrecker, and the other rope removed Blue Steel's head light, damaged the hood, and removed the passenger mirror.
On the last day, during the trail clean up, Alan with Yankum Ropes got a little heavy on the throttle and sent his Land Cruiser to the moon, well attempted to at least, then gravity took over and he ended up rolling it completely over. Everyone was ok, luckily.
The Wrecker Games was an incredible event that showcased the ingenuity and skill of the of competitors as builders and drivers. It provided a unique opportunity for the youtubers to show off their talents and for the audience to witness an event like no other. It is safe to say that the Wrecker Games was a resounding success and we can't wait to see what Matt and the other participants come up with next year!
