Here at Quad Nation we love all things off-road, not just quad biking, so when we’re not exploring the countryside on a quad bike we like nothing more than checking-in on some of the world’s weirdest off-road events. Admittedly, some of them are a little bit madder (and a lot muddier) than quad biking, but you can’t deny how much fun they are. So hold on tight because we’re going to take a look at some of our favourite off-road motorsports – and it’s going to get very bumpy!
Part F1 racing, part 4×4 driving this manic motorsport is just about as mad as it gets! The drivers of these insane off-roaders race round tailor-made courses which feature everything from impossibly steep hills to heart-racing water crossings.. and then there’s the mud!
The terrain tackled in Formula Off-Road is so tricky that the drivers have to use special tyres known as ‘super scoopers’, which feature giant spades to help them skim over water, plough through sand and clamber over rocks. Points are awarded for each gate a driver passes through, with deductions for flipping, rolling or even sinking! That’s right, the water these speed freaks race across is so deep that their vehicles can completely submerge. Mental!
Swamp Buggy Racing
Only the Americans could come up with something this crazy, but we can’t help but want to give it a go! Swamp buggies are part boat and part drag racer, which makes them perfect for speeding across stretches of boggy water, and unbelievably they can hit speeds of up to 75mph!
What started out as a race between a couple of hunters has now become an annual event, and Florida’s famous swamp buggy race now attracts over in excess of 6,000 spectators. The original bog’s been upgraded too, and modern racers speed down a flooded dirt track known as the “Mile O’ Mud”. There’s even a pageant to crown the swamp buggy queen, who as well as her tiara receives a dunking in the “Sippi Hole” the deepest and dirties part of the track.
It turns out lawnmowers aren’t just awesome at cutting grass, they’re great for off-road racing too, which is probably why lawnmower racing is such a big hit! OK, so it’s not quite as extreme as some of our other favourite off-road motorsports, but trust us it’s just as exciting.
The blokes behind lawnmower racing first came up with the idea in a pub (which is where all the best ideas start), and what started out as a pint-inspired pipe dream quickly developed into a worldwide motorsport. There are now purpose-built off-road circuits around the globe, and mower racing is even making waves in Australia. Who new cutting the grass could be so much fun!
Off Road Shredders
Although Shredder racing hasn’t been invented just yet, we think it’s only a matter of time before petrol
Everything about the DTV Shredder has been designed for all terrain action, but it’s the distinctive tank tracks that really makes them stand out from the crowd. In the right hands they’re capable of conquering even the most extreme terrain – and they’re not exactly slow either! What makes Shredder riding so special though is the fact they’re still fairly new to the off-road scene, which means you could still be one of the first people to put these insane inventions through their paces.
Off-Road Karting
There are tailor-made off-road karting circuits across the UK & Ireland and they not only feature bucket loads of mud and bumps, they also pack in plenty of sweeping bends, high-speed straights and tight hairpins. So if you really want to test your handling skills, trying to tame these off-road beasts is guaranteed to put your skill at the wheel to the ultimate test.