For a second year in a row (third time overall) Eric and I took a mini vacation/work trip to the West Coast for the 18th annual Lucas Oil Off Road Expo Powered by General Tire. This event is held at the Fairplex in Pomona, CA and draws hundred of exhibitors and thousands of off road enthusiasts for a weekend full of new product releases, event deals, live demos, new concepts, plenty of swag and more. The fairgrounds and halls are lined with booths, Jeeps, trucks, buggies, builds and local organizations advocating for the preservation of the offroad sport and promoting the access and use of public lands. From rock crawlers and buggies to overlanders and lifted to desert racing and concept builds, this show is guaranteed to have something for everyone. Although we weren't able to make it to every single part of the event all at the same time, we were able to check out every nook, cranny, corner and spot within the 2 day event to bring you some of the highlights from this year.

As soon as we walked through the gates, we were greeted by friendly staff who handed us event guides and times for live demos, music and shows. After checking out the Method Race Wheel booth and watching Bag-O games at the K&N booth, we stopped by our good friends Jeremy and Adam at the Rock Krawler booth to check out the JKL (JK 2 Door with 10" frame stretch) and Big Blue (unveiled after its total rebuild).

Again this year, Rubicon Express, Smittybilt and ProComp teamed up and recreated a mini Rubicon Trail course where guests could take a chauffeured ride in a built up Jeep JK. Riders got to experience the Jeep flexing and crawling over boulders, mounds of dirt and sand, and, in some cases, along the Jersey barriers that encased the course. Fans and viewers lined the course to watch the Jeeps flex and navigate with precision and ease. 

One of the display rigs we just kept coming back to was the Rezvani Motors concept build, TANK. This is a custom built tactical urban vehicle that can come fully loaded with ballistic armor, infrared vision, military grade run-flats, bullet proof glass and built on a Jeep chassis. The 6.4 liter 500 horsepower V8 engine is capable of pushing this beast over any obstacle in its way. The rear opening doors provide passengers with easy access to the spacious cabin and on-demand 4x4 can be activated during off road use and deactivated when on road. 

Over at the MAV TV Proving Grounds, desert racing was brought to life as spectators watched modified karts, UTVs and Pro 2 trucks race around the mini course. Dirt was flying, tires were spinning and the crowd was cheering as pro racers showed us how it was done.

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Fans watched as the team unveiled the course map for the highly anticipated SCORE Baja 1000 demo. Clips of past events and trailers for upcoming events played across the massive screen throughout the day and on Saturday evening, vendors and exhibitors got to watch the trailer for Dust 2 Glory for the first time.

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We were also very excited to check out the Rigid Industries Adapt Light Bars in person. These have been a highly anticipated product in the offroad world and are the first ever light systems that can adapt instantly according to your conditions. These lights offer 8 selectable beam patterns ranging from spot to flood to driving and adapt depending on your vehicle speed. The built in accent color lights can be set to any color in the light spectrum.

Event organizers are planning to expand the events size for next year based on the 10% growth in attendance and sold out exhibitor space. This event should definitely be on everyone's bucket list at least once!

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As always, check back here for the latest and greatest in Jeep and off road news!