America has long been in love with motorsports. Ever since the early days of the automobile, the competition bug has bitten men and women. Whether it's on a dragstrip, a racetrack, or even a dirt field, if you bring out a few internal combustion-powered machines and compete, to see who's the best driver with the best machine, you're sure to draw a crowd. This used to be termed the need for speed, but with the slow pace of rockcrawling, this enthusiasm is really a need to compete.

Like knights of old in twisted metal armor, the competitors at the Goodyear Extreme Rock Crawling Championship went into battle. The final event of the season was held in Farmington, New Mexico. Those competing didn't ride into the arena on fire-breathing horses, but rather on draft animals bred to work hard in the dirt. As with the gladiators and knights of old, the crowd roared as it attempted what looked impossible and made it seem more than plausible. When it was done, the nation had a new champion to applaud, and all were