....hundreds of people gathered for the flex-off on Sports-in-the-Rough's 30-degree ramp.
Trucks went up and trucks went down. Joseph's Jeep went up and to the top then ran out of gas. Apparently, after the trail ride that day, we forgot to fill up. The gas was gathering on the passenger side of the fuel cell. The pick-up is on the driver's side. It was terribly embarrassing and infuriating. With the vehicle not running and 3 lbs. of pressure in the tires, it was stuck on top of the ramp. People started hollering and laughing. I got to see Joseph pissed off for the first time! He put the transmission in reverse and turned the ignition over to move the Jeep slowly down off the ramp. He looked around, stood up through his cage and declared, "I'm going fill this thing up. When I get back, I'm gonna drive over this SOB!" You know that got everyone pumped up.
We left, filled the tank until it overflowed, and headed back. I think everyone was surprised just to see us return. As Joseph pulled up, the crowd parted. There was a clear path for 20 yards straight to the edge of the ramp. You could hear the mumbling and snickers of the doubters. It was pretty nerve racking. As Joseph approached the ramp, he didn't bother with positioning or popular ramp angles. He drove to, up, and back on top of the 30 degree RTI ramp. People started screaming and yelling, cheering him on to drive over it. With the driver's side tire dangling off the edge, he looked over at me with a question mark stamped to his forehead. I said, "well, you know what ya gotta do." With that, he turned the steering wheel far right and goosed it. The Jeep went off the top of the ramp and "gently" slammed to the ground with the suspension perfectly absorbing close to a 6-foot drop. Absolutely incredible! People were cheering so loud you couldn't hear yourself think. I stepped away and watched from a distance. If you could have seen the look on Joseph's face that evening; you could begin to understand why I do what I do. He got his chest to stick out a full inch! (Good job Joseph! You earned it that night, pal!)