Over 100 trucks gathered from around the nation to compete in the 20th ROTELLA SuperRigs Truck Beauty Contest, held at the East Ontario TravelCenters of America in Ontario, California, June 6-8. Trucks began pulling into the parking lot as early as Monday the 3rd, hoping to have extra time for cleaning their rigs and having some fun.
Not only did the truckers come
to compete for over $20,000 in cash and prizes, but also for a chance to
be picked to fill one of the 13 available slots on the 2003 ROTELLA SuperRigs
calendar. If the judges liked a particular truck, they almost immediately
notified the owner/driver of that truck and whisked them away to a pre-selected
photo location, sometimes only allowing a few minutes (if any) to prepare.
For the lucky ones picked early, it was a whirlwind of excitement. For the
ones picked near the end of the show, it was a long and anxious waiting
game.
The weather was hot and smoggy,
making truck polishing not the most fun thing to do - but these guys scrubbed
and cleaned and polished anyway. Mere heat and exhaustion can’t stop a determined
trucker if his mind is set on making a good showing. And it certainly didn’t
stop Best of Show winners David and Allyson Geer of Oklahoma City. Their
“Marooned” rig, a 1998 Pete 379 tractor-trailer which features a tropical
beach theme, was much improved over last year’s show. The couple had the
murals on their truck redone just before the Mid-America Show in Louisville
last March (where they took top honors in their class, paint and graphics,
lights and a special award for being the most improved truck of 2001).
Another top finisher was Donnie
and Diana Harper of Somerset, Kentucky for their orange Peterbilt called
“Enduring Freedom” which features murals commemorating the September 11th
attacks on the World Trade Center. The top of the hood has a fantastic mural
of the Trade Center towers, an American flag, the Statue of Liberty, and
the faces of President George W. Bush and former New York Mayor Rudolph
Giuliani. Exterior aside, this truck also has an awesome interior. Not only
were they photographed for the calendar but they also met up with us on
Sunday, the day after the show ended, to shoot a future cover and centerfold
for 10-4. Look for that in a few months. Donnie and Diana Harper are super-nice
folks who represent truckers and the trucking industry in a very good light.
Trucks with exciting and colorful
graphics and murals were everywhere. Donald Goulet of Lakeland, Florida,
finished second to Tod Job in the tractor-trailer class with his 2000 Kenworth
W900L painted dark blue with bright orange accents (the colors of his favorite
NFL team - the Denver Broncos). Rhett Butler Trucking’s “Frankly My Dear...”
featured on our cover this month didn’t place at the show but was a real
crowd pleaser. Some past 10-4 Magazine cover trucks did well too. Darian
Stephens of Hereford, Pennsylvania and Chuck Prigge of Valley Center, California
took 2nd and 3rd respectively in the Tractor class. Both of these trucks
feature exciting paint and graphic schemes.
Another highlight of the event
happened when it got dark and the contestants turned on their lights for
a spectacular display of the latest in illumination. Jerry and Allan Asbury’s
KW glowed brightly with Spectralite’s strip lighting, as well as many others.
Mike Humphries’ yellow Pete had hundreds of yellow lights lining both his
tractor and new trailer. But the coolest lights we saw were on Ever Fresh
Farm’s “The Gambler” truck. Stainless strips along the bottom of the sleeper
and cab, as well as the bottom of the front bumper, had hearts, clubs, diamonds
and spades cut out and backlit with different colored lights. Neon lights
mounted underneath the truck helped give it that “floating” look.
Every entrant received a $50 value
gift package of Shell products which included oil, coolant, diesel fuel
additive, gear oil, grease and a SuperRigs hat and T-shirt. Entrants also
received prizes ranging from music CDs to satellite radio systems. The 2003
ROTELLA SuperRigs calendar will be available in November of 2002 through
Shell distributors and on the internet via www.rotella.com and www.etrucker.com.
“These really are super rigs,” said Shirley Yin-Piazza, marketing manager
for Shell ROTELLA T. “Not only are they immaculately maintained, but they
are true working trucks. We had a couple of entries with more than two million
miles. These are operators that take extra pride and care in their vehicles.
This is why we work so hard at Shell to ensure that ROTELLA T gives the
truck owner what they need to be successful. This industry is constantly
changing and the fact that this is our 20th year shows our long-term success
at delivering what our customers need most.”
Our congratulations go out to all who helped make this show a success. Here is a list of all the winners:
BEST OF SHOW: 1st: David & Allyson Geer of Oklahoma City, OK - 1998 Peterbilt 379 tractor-trailer (Marooned); 2nd: Donnie & Diana Harper of Somerset, KY - 2002 Peterbilt 379 tractor (Enduring Freedom); 3rd: William Sandvik of Valley Center, CA - 1992 Peterbilt 379 tractor-trailer (Delirious Dizire).
TRACTOR -TRAILER: 1st: Tod Job of Jefferson City, MO - 1996 Peterbilt 379; 2nd: Donald Goulet of Lakeland; FL - 2000 Kenworth W900L; 3rd: Bed Rock Inc of Point Arena, CA - 2000 Peterbilt 379; 4th: Rick Walker of Denver, CO - 1953 Peterbilt 411; 5th: Keith Bell of Arp, TX - 2002 Peterbilt 379.
CLASSIC: 1st: Bill Pierce of Poway, CA - 1986 Peterbilt 359; 2nd: Trees Forever Pipe and Equipment of Brownwood, TX - 1986 Peterbilt 359; 3rd: Ron Kelsey of Peoria, AZ - 1981 Peterbilt 329; 4th: Robert Keffer of Ventura, CA - 1983 Peterbilt Cabover 362; 5th: Earl Hogan of Columbus, GA - 1955 Peterbilt 332.
TRACTOR: 1st: Jerry and Allan Asbury of Dayton, OH - 1999 Kenworth W900L; 2nd: Darian Stephens of Hereford, PA - 1995 Freightliner Classic XL132; 3rd: Chuck Prigge of Valley Center, CA - 1996 Peterbilt 379; 4th: A.J. Leonhard of Byron, IL - 2000 Peterbilt 379; 5th: Jeff Hillyer of Minerva, OH - 2002 Kenworth W900L.
