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The recent Jump Champs on May 13th marked the third time that we’ve been out to one of these events, held at Glen Helen Raceway near San Bernardino, California. The venue has a way of bringing out not just the daredevils and test-and-tuners, but the regular Joes who just so happen to have some badass builds.
While we definitely enjoyed the hucking madness later in the day, we got to Jump Champs early enough to catch some time trials. This was also the perfect time to cruise the scene, find some excellent builds, and compile our list of the top five vehicles.
So, without further ado, let’s get right into it. Starting us off is Ridge Guarneri and his 1996 Ford F-250!
#5: Ridge Gaurneri’s 1996 Ford F-350
Ridge’s F-350 had all the right moves for an OBS Ford: lifted, green, and looking ready to roll out to a nearby mud hole and sling some wet earth around. We caught up with Ridge and got the lowdown on how his pickup came to be.
“This is my 4×4, and it has the 460ci V8 in it,” said Ridge. “It’s been lifted about 10 inches with a reverse shackle in the front.”
Asked about his favorite aspect of the F-350, Ridge said, “My favorite part about it is just driving it around. I’m up high, I can see everything, and being that I’m from south Orange County, the truck is not something people are used to. It’s fun to run up on a Prius and have them get out of my way!”
Ridge found the truck on Craigslist six years ago. To him, it was a perfect specimen, as it had the crew cab configuration with a long bed out back. He paid just over $6,000 for the truck, and it had about 148,000 miles on it at the time.
“I bought it pretty much as-is,” he said, meaning that it had already been lifted at the time of purchase. “A shop out of San Diego did the work on it. They put a Pro Comp driveshaft, air bag suspension, 22-inch Eagle alloy wheels, and 37-inch Toyo Open Country M/Ts.”
#4: Nico Cabrera’s 2012 Chevrolet Colorado
The first-gen GM midsize trucks make for some mean off-roaders; just ask our editor, Steve Olsewski, and his Project Stormtrooper! One such example at Jump Champs was this 2012 Colorado, owned by Nico Cabrera.
“It’s my third truck,” said Nico. “I bought it back in 2013, when I was in high school. I bought it because it was good on gas, and I still needed a truck, so to me, it was the best of the both worlds.”
Nico's Colorado gets its suspension from King shocks, which provide 18 inches of travel both front and rear.
The build, as Nico explained, was storied. “It went through a minor lift kit initially,” he said. “I did a CST five-inch spindle lift up front. Then I did an Atlas progressive leaf pack in the rear, which leveled it out. After that, I did new upper control arms and Fox shocks, and then I wanted long travel, so I did that. Now I have 18 inches of travel front and rear with King shocks.”
Next on the mod list is a 5.3-liter V8 swap, which should make for a great upgrade from the pokey 3.5-liter inline-five it has currently. Until then, Nico’s happy just taking his Colorado out to Johnson Valley, California for some desert mobbing.
#3: Mason Taylor’s 2007 GMC Sierra
One GM truck just wasn’t enough; that’s how we felt when we came across Mason Taylor’s 2007 GMC Sierra, looking beautiful with its gray paint and smoked headlights.
Hailing from San Diego, Mason is near some choice off-road hotspots, and his Sierra is equipped to deal with the open desert areas nearby. He bought the pickup brand-new in 2007 and waited until he had paid it all off (about four years later) before he started doing the upgrades.
In the near future, Mason plans to swap out the 4.8-liter V8 for the beefier 6.0-liter V8.
“I started with the front first,” said Mason. “I went with a Mazzulla race kit and some coilovers and bypasses. The rear was done up with Deaver leaf springs and a Camburg floating rearend, and I added in a bedcage and shocks after that.”
Some of Mason’s best times with the truck have been off-road, of course. “There’s nothing like having the windows up, A/C on, and going 60 miles per hour through a whoop section,” he commented. “I don’t have to slow down for anything!”
#2: Dan Waters’ 1997 Ford Explorer
The “sea” of Tacomas and Rangers raring to go during the Time Trials and Jump Champs made this 1997 Ford Explorer stand out from the pack. Upon closer inspection, we noticed that this SUV really had a lot going on.
The owner, Dan Waters, bought the Explorer 14 years ago to replace a rolled truck. “I got it on Valentine’s Day for myself, so it’s a special gift,” he joked. “It was never built for Jump Champs, but that didn’t stop me. I started working on it three years ago, and got a buddy of mine, Robert Harry, to cut off the back half of the frame, link the suspension, and get it to how it stands now.”
Given the level of fabrication and designing that went into his Explorer, Dan is satisfied with how the vehicle now sits. "I'll probably do some more motor work, but that's about it," he said.
The Explorer still sports its original 5.0-liter V8, but that’s about the only original piece left on this Blue Oval. “The back half is a tube chassis, and the suspension is four-linked,” said Dan. “The front arms are factory, but have Fox coilovers and bypasses on either side. I’ve got 20 inches of travel in the front, and 29 inches in the back.”
Dan is happy to have a vehicle that he knows catches eyeballs. “I like that it’s different,” he said. “It’s bitchin’, all around. I can put two kids in the backseat, get the groceries, do what I have to do.”
Dan was stoked to be at Jump Champs, and had a good time while there. 2017 marked his first foray onto the course for time trails, where hucking over tabletops was the order of the day. “She exceeded my expectations,” commented Dan. “I’m very happy with the way she’s doing.”
#1: Jerry Larimore’s 1997 Ford F-150
Sporting an American flag paint job and all manner of suspension upgrades, it was easy to pass by Jerry Larimore’s 1997 F-150 and think it would be a showstopper. Little did we know, it really would!
Still, at the time we stopped by to talk to the man about his rig, it was just another competitor in the Linked Class, awaiting its turn to go around the short course for time trials. Known by Jerry as the “Juggernaut,” its sheer patriotic profile could not be denied.
Jerry sold the truck in 2004 after falling on hard times. He then bought it back in 2012 to take out racing again.
“It’s got a big motor, big shocks, and big tires,” Jerry commented. “It’s really meant for the desert, but I’m out here to try and make it go around corners.”
The story behind the truck begins “in another lifetime,” as Jerry said. The F-150 was built as a prerunner for the man’s trophy truck, but was sold as he fell on hard times. He bought it back eventually, and over the years, worked on it to get it beefed up.
Shots of Jerry's F-150 doing its thing during the time trials.
“The front end is an H&M-designed kit with just under 18 inches of travel,” explained Jerry. “The rear has a traditional four-link setup, with right around 28 inches of travel. King 4.0 bypasses are on all four corners. The motor is a stroked and bored 454 ci small-block Ford, kind of like what’s found in trophy trucks, only mine is carbureted.”
That trophy truck spirit was put to the test later on in the day, once Jerry was queued up on the track for the Jump Champs competition. Just like the other contestants, Jerry was able to whip around a hairpin turn, and then go full-speed at a tabletop that stretched over 200 feet.
Jerry's jump was the stuff of legend, going farther and higher than anyone else up to that point.
Up until his run, most of the competitors had taken it “easy,” not flying far or landing hard. But Jerry changed all of that in an instant, soaring his Ford the longest of anyone up to that point. The crowd was on its feet cheering as the American-colored prerunner came down, bouncing upon impact and pulling away.
We caught up with Jerry as he was packing up his vehicle onto a trailer. Asked what it was like to go as far and as hard as he did, he said: “The truck told me, ‘That’s it, that’s my limit.’ But I did it. I got it out of my system.”
What an awesome spectacle to end our day on, and easily the winner of our top five! What do you think of our picks? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to check out the gallery!
