THE DRIVING SKILLS YOU NEED TO GO OFF-ROADING.
THE UNITED STATES encompasses 3.8 million square miles. Less than 0.1 percent of that is paved roadway. So, to see America, to really know the place, you need to keep rolling after the street ends.
But don’t be intimidated. With mild modification, most four-wheel-drive vehicles, including pickups, can handle recreational wheeling. Forty-one states offer Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) areas, backcountry trails on public land sequestered for motorized play. These are fine places for your first overland expedition. That doesn’t mean you should just hop in your truck and head out there.
“Whether it’s a day trip or race, leave knowing you’re prepared,” says longtime driver coach Bob Bower. Bower, 71, is a former executive director of the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame. He’s also won the SCORE Baja 1000, the world’s toughest desert race, seven times. Preparation, he says, is mostly about thinking ahead.
This story is from the June 2017 edition of Road & Track.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 2017 edition of Road & Track.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
LONG TAILS
THE BEAUTIFUL AND BIZARRE RACE CARS DESIGNED TO CONQUER A SINGLE STRIP OF PAVEMENT.
EVEN BETTER THAN THE REAL THING
Winner, Over $100,000: Porsche Taycan Turbo GT
THE GREAT PRETENDER
Winner, Under $100,000: Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
BREAKS, NOT BENDS
SINGER'S DIVETRACK TELLS A VERY NICHE KIND OF TIME.
RADIAL FLYER
A MEYERS MANX WITH AN AIRPLANE ENGINE IS A WEIRD FIX FOR SPEED ADDICTION.
THE BALLAD OF CRAZY ROCKETMAN
WHAT A BUILDER OF PULSE-JET-ENGINE VEHICLES CAN TELL US ABOUT MOTORING PASSION.
SOCIETÀ UTOPICA
THE PAGANI UTOPIA IS MORE THAN JUST A CAR. IT'S A HANDCRAFTED INVITATION TO ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST EXCLUSIVE MOTORING CLUBS.
ST.ELMO'S FIRE
AN INDIANAPOLIS RESTAURANT WITH FACEMELTING SHRIMP HAS BEEN A DE FACTO RACING CLUBHOUSE FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY.
THE FOUNDATION OF CIVILIZATION
Why Adam Smith would have loved a Boxster Spyder RS.
A MIGHTY WIND
THE 930 TURBO LAUNCHED PORSCHE'S DOMINATION OF THE RACETRACK AND THE SHOWROOM.