For most people, going to the county fair involves carnival games, rollercoaster rides and artery-clogging food. But for myself and other SoCal off-road fans, the main event will always be Tuff Trucks Racing. In 1995, John Borba, founder of World's Greatest Action Sports (WGAS), had an idea to bring local off-road enthusiasts to the San Diego Fairgrounds to battle it out on a custom-built short-course style track featuring moguls, sharp turns and big air jumps. Twenty-two years later, the tradition of Tuff Trucks Racing at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Solana Beach, California, is bigger and better than ever.
I had a chance to chat with WGAS Motorsports Director Greg Atherton about the history of the Tuff Trucks event. The first Tuff Trucks event in 1995 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds did not feature the same caliber of off-road trucks it does today.
"Contractors would bring their work trucks to the event and race the course with them," Atherton explained. "A lot of stuff went home broken on a flatbed trailer back in the day."
The event costs $20 to enter, and prizes are awarded to the fastest overall average lap times — $500 for first place, $300 for second place, $200 for third place. The track itself has evolved over the years as well. As off-road suspension technology advanced over the years, the moguls got bumpier and the jumps got taller. The current track now takes racers outside the Del Mar Stadium, around a 180-degree turn corner and up a ramp that sends them flying about 45 feet back into the stadium.
San Diego isn't the only home of Tuff Trucks. WGAS holds events in Oregon and Washington as well as California. But because of its rich history in desert racing, San Diego has always been the biggest show they put on.
"We've got some of the baddest off-road hombres here in SoCal," Atherton said with pride.
Tuff Trucks is great of fans of all ages, and even features a monster truck ride between races. It's definitely a great way to spend an afternoon with the family. As Tuff Trucks grows each year, you can be sure to see more desert racers and home-built hucksters sending it at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, so don't miss out next time!
