Diem Turner
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Yeah, this mirrors much of my own thinking on the subject. To me a natural park green that hasn't been leveled/manicured would be the ideal standard so that there are some natural moguls involved. Again, this is just my own personal opinion, but to me a beach during low tide would be far too smooth. Making a car go fast on non-pavement surfaces is one thing. Adding the challenge of moguls and suspension tuning is what would really set it apart in my view. I think the ultra long wheelbase of KT's snowboard sausage was a primary contributing factor to it's ability to smooth out the bumpy surface of the field he was running on. Shorter vehicles will hit a bump in quick succession with the front and rear axle which is far more likely to result in an endo.I think if people keep pursuing speed runs not on paved surfaces, there will need to be clear distinctions of what kind of "off road" surface. Groomed surfaces such as well kept sports fields and well maintained/graded dirt roads will allow higher speeds than ungroomed natural areas. Truly natural surfaces could be their own category, but even then, there are major advantages/disadvantages some may have with natural surfaces. Just speculation on my part, but I would think the best truly natural surface for off road speed runs would be the beach during low tide. Of course then you have to watch the salty moisture getting in your rig.
It's already an impossible task to ask for homogeneity on road surfaces when comparing speed runners (unless you're at a sanctioned event where everyone is running on the same surface such as ROSSA). But it is what it is. Finding an agreed upon standard for off-road passes would be even more impossible (if it's possible to be more impossible than impossible...but seeing as there are different types of infinity and not all infinities are created equal, I think you could argue that there are also different types of impossible). Sorry for the ramble.