Posted: 8/9/22
A Look Back at Axialfest Badlands 2022
By Wally Armstrong
Each year, Axialfest Badlands gives RC rock crawling enthusiasts a chance to master the trails and enjoy some good old-fashioned camaraderie. Even heavy rain couldn’t dampen the fun in 2021. Fortunately, the weather was much better for Axialfest Badlands 2022, held June 22-25 at Badlands Off-Road Park in Attica, Indiana.
For the 1:1 off-road world, Badlands Off-Road Park is the ultimate playground. It has over 1400 acres of sand dunes, wooded trails, gravel, mud, rocks, and other diverse terrain. An area called The Quarry serves as the stage for Axialfest Badlands. Its rocks, cliffs, and woods provide epic trails for Axial RC rigs, from the massive SCX6 to the mini SCX24.
Axialfest Badlands 2022 began with registration on Wednesday, June 22, followed by an opportunity to ride in 4X4 vehicles on a 1:1 scale trail run. The day’s events also included an ice cream social, an SCX6 Try-Me, and a welcome party at Axial Base Camp in the evening.
The RC trails opened on Thursday, June 23, and the adventures were on! Teams of two, three, and four drivers competed in the U.T.A.C. (Ultimate Team Adventure Challenge), using their rigs and a few required items — a magnet, paracord, smart phone, and two quarters — to find and retrieve a “hide”. Like every day of Axialfest Badlands, Thursday ended with award presentations and raffles back at Base Camp.
The TTC (Top Truck Crawling) challenge on Friday, June 24, tested the limits of drivers as well as their rigs. The creativity of crawler owners was on full display at the Concours staging and judging. After kicking back at the Canyon Cooler/Reefs RC Axialfest Base Camp Party that evening, drivers set out on one of the gathering’s signature events, the Light Up the Night crawl. Sponsored by Rigid Industries, it was spectacular as usual, with hundreds of LED-laden rigs illuminating the rocks and roots.
To relive the adventure or see what you missed, check out more Axialfest Badlands 2022 photos at the Axial SmugMug account. Also be sure to watch our event recap video.
As always, a great time was had by all. We look forward to seeing you for more adventures at Axialfest Badlands 2023!
