Mud-bogging full-time hobby for some
Staff writer
Jeff Stenzel of rural Marion drove one of the 83 vehicles entered in Saturday's Rockin' G Mud Sling on George Gore's property, two miles south of Durham and just off K-15 Highway.
This is Stenzel's third year of mud-bogging as a "full-time hobby." Previously, he did it "once in a while," he said. He travels now to various competitions in Kansas.
Stenzel farms with his father, Don. "This is my getaway from farming, my fun time," he said. He drives a 1981 Nissan pickup with a 454-cubic inch Chevy engine.
The Durham event was the last mud run of the season for the Central Mud Boggers Association.
Thirty-four drivers were entered in Class 3, and three of them were women. They were:
Heavenly McQuillan, Gypsum, driving a 1977 Chevrolet with four-wheel drive. This was her third mud run at Durham, as she competed in two there last year.
Belinda Gantt, also of Gypsum, driving both a 1981 and a 1980 Chevy. This was also her second season of competition.
Annissa Boulanger, Eureka, in her fifth year of competition, driving a 1970 Jeep Jeepster, a utility vehicle a bit like a Jeep Commando, she said.
She uses ethanol in her Jeep's engine. Stickers on the vehicle said, "Ethanol Kicks Gas" and "Silly Boys — Jeeps are for Girls."
Glen Eickleberry, Marion, president of the CMBA, said there were six or seven drivers from Marion participating in Saturday's event. He welcomed drivers and audience shortly before 1 p.m.
Eickleberry said, "God don't hate us right now!," in reference to the beautiful weather. The temperature was about 72 degrees at race time.
Eickleberry told drivers the rules of the event, including "no drinking before you run."
"It'll disqualify you, and we're just here to have fun," he said.
Those placing first in a class were to win $340. Second place was good for $204, and third won $136.
The CMBA will have its awards banquet Nov. 8 at the Best Western Motel in Emporia. The banquet recognizes those who have accumulated the most points this season.
Charles Holub of Florence is a 10-time points champion. Tom Holub will win the Class 6 Championship, Charles Holub said, and Charles will claim the title in Class 5.
He drives a 1983 Isuzu Pup with a 628 cubic-inch displacement engine, a big-block Chevy one. That big engine was built by Stan Williams of Williams Service, Marion, Charles Holub said.
Ditch Diggers, his company, is the main sponsor of his truck in these competitions, he said.
His fastest run this year was 3.9 seconds, Holub said.
His vehicle was not entered in any of the divisions Saturday, because he was waiting on some parts to arrive.
The Durham event was the only one on the Kansas schedule this year that he missed, so he made 21 of 22.
He was sad to miss competing in this one, he said. He's competed in Missouri and Oklahoma too, but "Kansas is enough," he said, "if you make all the races."
Mud bogging is a big, growing sport, especially in the last five years, Holub said. "I'd say it's grown three-fold in that time, in popularity and participation," he said.
"The trucks are a lot faster. And sometimes we have up to 3,000 spectators at some of these meets." There were several hundred at Durham.
The CMBA started about 10 years ago, Holub said. He's been in it since 1999.
