2016 All Pro Trail Breaker

The 2016 All-Pro Off-Road Trail Breaker was one to remember. For the first time in the sport of Off-Road and Rock Crawling, were the best drivers put on the most difficult trail in the U.S. and forced to break it open. Of the 10 drivers that attempted the trail, only 5 finished. Some of the biggest names in the sport were kncoked out of contention due to the extreme difficulty and nature of the trail. Jesse Haines saw a blown motor end his day early. Alan Woodson broke a shock and blew a motor. Kevin Carroll blew a rear ring and pinion. James Treacy broke a 300M rear shaft, and Jason Feuilly caught on fire resulting in outside assistance to put it out. 

The teams that completed the trail are surely the top drivers in the world. The amout of skill it took to complete the trail took extensive knowledge on how to push their vehicles to the extreme and beyond. This is no trail for the faint of heart as it forced drivers to take immense risks that could have ended that driver's vehicle. It wasn't a matter of being able to wheel the rest of the weekend, but more like the vehicle would have to be scraped and dismembered to get them out of certain obstacles.

Take the top 10 drivers in the world and present them with a trail that is so difficult that it has never been conquered. This insane new competitive format will invite only the best drivers in the game, and feature an exclusive look into what it takes for top drivers to defeat the impossible. This feature has quickly developed into an exciting venue for everyone from the most extreme and hardcore enthusiasts to the average weekend wheeler warriors to watch the most daring drivers in the sport.

This new outlook in the sport allows for no judges, cones, penalties, or spotters, and allows for the terrain to be the determining factor on the difficulty. Boundaries will be set for spectator safety and a given time limit for each obstacle will be displayed. Drivers must defeat the obstacle within time to receive their score (Obstacle score based on difficulty), the driver with the most points will win, with the tie breaker being cumulative time throughout the entire course. 

The twist to this new sport? Drivers will not be able to watch each others attempts. With every vehicle, driver and style being different, this is sure to add to the excitement.

This feature will be held Wednesday, October 4th in an undisclosed location... Location will be released the day before the event for drivers to walk and put together a game plan.  

In the mean time, let's meet the drivers invited to the battle it out and see how they faired in the 2016 event.

#1 - Jeff McKinlay (Auto Invite to the next Trail Breaker)

Jeff McKinlay completed the entire course with the fewest errors resulting in the quickest time. Local to Rigby, Idaho; Jeff has been living “off-road” for well over 25 years whether it be in a Rock Crawler, on a Motorcycle, or a Snowmobile. McKinlay has also broke open new trails at the Hammers, Moab, Sand Hollow, Arizona, and Idaho. Driving a new Red Dot Engineering buggy, McKinlay may not have the notoriety that some of the other drivers do, but he definitively has the experience on some of the hardest trails in the country.  Jeff rightfully was granted the ability to name the trail that he won the first Trail Breaker event on. IRON MAN is now the name of the toughest trail at Sand Hollow.

#2 - Cody Waggoner (Auto Invite to the next Trail Breaker)

Not a lot of people gave Cody Waggoner a thought when it came to doing well in this event. His vehicle is amazing and his driving was literally only second to 1. He was not given much attention because of his lack of Rear Steer on his vehicle. But let me tell you that Cody was able to pilot his car to an impressive finish and only lost by a mear 57 seconds. Driver of the Lasernut #48 Moonbuggy, Cody has won well over 20 events and 5 championships over multiple classes throughout his rock crawling career. With another Rear Straight Axle car, his goal is to not only perform well but pave the way for his daughter to eventually get into the driver’s seat by showing her how fun the sport can be as well. 

#3 - Tracy Jordan (Auto Invite to the next Trail Breaker)

With Tracy Jordan's resume, he was one of the favorites to win. He almost accomplished that by finishing the trail and taking 3rd place by 3 minutes. Tracy Jordan and longtime friend Jason Paule constructed a rear steer, SCAT V4 powered moonbuggy that debuted at the W.E.ROCK Season Opener in early March with a demanding win. Jordan, who has recorded more top 3's and wins than any other driver in the 2 decade history of the sport, will look to conquer the 2017 Trail Breaker event on October 4th.

#4 - Justin Keilman (Auto Invite to the next Trail Breaker)

Justin doesn't give himself enough credit when it comes to his driving. After the first 2 vehicles were denied on the first obstacle, Justin then led the way in completing the rest of the trail from the front of the pack. He was the only driver that tried the famed "Waterfall" on the 3rd Stage and was the first driver to complete the trail. Residing in Phoenix, Arizona, Keilman has earned quite the following in the south west hardcore wheeling scene. Known by locals for breaking open new trails in the rugged terrain that Arizona has to offer; Keilman recently won the National Championship in 2015 with seasoned spotter Jody Everding helping navigate the way. Most recently, Keilman won Trail Hero's Maxxis Night Crawl by W.E.ROCK and took home $5,000.

#5 - Cary Gleason (Auto Invite to the next Trail Breaker)

Cary Gleason won his position through the Pirate4x4.com Member vote. He has a long history of extreme wheeling and the results show that he has a HUGE following of fans that are dedicated to Cary's effort. Cary has limited Competition experience, however he is well known for tackling the hardest terrain Arizona has to offer. With this in mind, he was the perfect fit for this event and he showed us why with a 5th place finish and taking the last spot available for the next Trail Breaker event. 

#6 - James Treacy

James Treacy completed Stage 1 fairly easy, but found himself stuck between a rock and a hard spot on Stage 2, Obstacle 2. The over hanging rock bound Treacy's rig and he broke a 300M axle shaft. Unfortunately this led to a DNF and ended his attempt at finishing the trail. Treacy is no slouch when it comes to hardcore wheeling as he is well known and revered as one of the Pacific Northwest’s best drivers. Treacy has competed in the W.E.ROCK Nationals during events local to the PNW and placed in the top positions consistently over the last decade. James drives a vehicle that he custom built specifically for an environment such as the Trail Breaker. A front engine, rear steer Jeep TJ Buggy that has room for his wife and child as well.

#7 - Alan Woodson

Alan Woodson came all the way out from the east coast to attempt this famed trail. He drew first off the line at the Trail Hero Kick Off Party at Red Desert Off-Road and he gave the trail hell. Stage 1 was a tough choice for any driver and he tried multiple lines that resulted in a DNF due to time. On Stage 2, Alan found himself in a similar spot of James Treacy, but instead broke and shock and lost a cylinder in his motor. Alan Woodson owner of Axis Fabrication from Troy, Virginia has built and driven highly competitive vehicles within the sports of Rock Crawling, Rock Racing, and Endurance Racing over the past 15 years for each vehicle classification in each form of racing while posting consistent top 3 finished throughout his career. Woodson has also claimed multiple series championships in Rock Crawling on the East Coast.

#8 - Jason Feuilly

Jason Feuilly Had new car blues as he tried to work out bugs in his rig momments before his start. Unfortunately he transfer case wasn't quite locking up, but the rig overall performed great. Stage 1 he really needed that T-Case to work properly, the lack of air pressure resulted in a DNF. On Stage 2 he caught fire after giving the first climb everything he had in front wheel drive. Again, T-Case issues. Jason has been involved in Rock Crawling since the early days, but his craftsmanship has expanded beyond that of the Competition scene. Feuilly is the lead designer and builder of Jimmy's 4x4 in Cortez, Colorado where he and his crew have built winning cars in both W.E.ROCK and the King of the Hammers. Jason has won 6 events as a driver, and built vehicles for the likes of Loren Healy and Derek West plus a whole slew of top rated drivers with local and national wins and top 5 finishes. As a driver, Feuilly has shown for a long time that he runs with the top names in the sport.


#9 - Kevin Carroll

Kevin Carroll was one of the favorites going into the event. Just moments after this picture above was taken, Kevin found himself with a broken Rign and Pinion. Presumably broken for a while, Kevin commented that he had heard slight noise for some time and could not locate the issue in time. Owner/Fabricator of Red Dot Engineering located in Moab, Utah; Kevin Carroll has been known to push the envelope of “Trail Wheeling” into a whole new difficulty. All hardcore enthusiasts wish to conquer the impossible obstacle, most of which Carol has seemingly made it his mission to do so. Carroll’s completion of the Black Flag trail in front of CRAWL Magazine’s cameras made it well known within the industry.

#10 - Jesse Haines

Jesse Haines and his new rig Prickle was definitely a name to contend with on the roster. Unfortunately Jesse found himself with a blown motor the day before the event and couldn't get it fixed in time. He attempted the Stage 1 anyway and couldn't get enough power out of this tiny 4 cylinder to move him much further than what was shown in the picture. With almost 2 decades in off-road and rock crawling, Jesse Haines has competed in events ranging from Top Truck Challenge to King of the Hammers to winning W.E.ROCK’s Grand Nationals. Owner of Jesse Haines Fabrication, Haines has 22 wins and 3 Championships to hang his hat on. Jesse Haines’ invite was based off his relentless effort to push the rock sports industry through innovation, driving skill, and multiple other contributions.

The Vote forthe #10 spot in 2017 will be set up come after the new year on Pirate4x4.com. Until then the drivers in next years battle will be as follows:

Jeff McKinlay
Cody Waggoner
Tracy Jordan
Justin Keilman
Cary Gleason