October 24, 2006
Talking rock with 2005 UROC Modified Class Champion Brad Lovell
GREENVILLE, S.C.

Brad Lovell has been tackling tough trails since his father first took the family for weekend treks in the Colorado Mountains. In three years of competition Lovell has earned some significant wins including the 2005 UROC Modified Championship. From his earliest rides on the rock, Lovell has always crawled on BFGoodrich^® tires.

How did you first get into rockcrawling?
"We've been involved with UROC for three years, but since 1983 my parents took Roger (Lovell's brother & spotter) and me camping in the mountains. We'd encouraged my dad to push it to the limit. When Roger turned 16 he started modifying my dad's Bronco. When I turned 16 there was a competition between him and me. We were both technologically minded and the tech nature of the sport attracted both of us to it.

About 13 years ago - before rockcrawling had a name - we'd head out to old mines or passes. We used BFGoodrich^® All-Terrain T/A^® tires way back, then we changed to All-Terrain Mud-Terrain T/A^® tires. As soon as we got involved in competition we started out with BFGoodrich^® Krawler T/A^® tires."

How important are tires to you?
"If I felt we didn't have the right tire, it would affect our confidence. It's one-third truck, one-third driver and one-third spotter. The truck is the right tool if it has the right equipment. The rest is up to the team.

The best advantage of BFGoodrich tires is the traction. It's something you can depend on. One time, the front end slid down into a crevasse that stopped everyone else. We were able to crawl and grab and get out of that hole. We screwed up and they (the BFGoodrich tires) made up for it."

Is there a particular rockcrawling "moment" you remember?
"If there is one highlight that stands out, it's the Supercrawl in Vegas last year. We had a bad first day. We were first up on the first obstacle. I hit it a couple of times. Hit it really hard. We just popped up. And we ended up winning it. At that point it all turned around."

Where is your favorite spot to rockcrawl?
"My favorite place for technical rockcrawling is Farmington, New Mexico, but I've never competed there. Cedar City is a great place with great fans. I also love the mountains of Colorado and Moab, Utah too."