2001 MDA Off Road for Hope III

This year once again the San Diego Off-Road Coalition will be participating in the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Off Road for Hope fund raising event. We would like to invite off-road enthusiasts of all types to come out to the Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area for a weekend of fun activities that benefit the children affected by muscular dystrophy. In addition to the Coalition the other primary groups supporting this event are the California Off-Road Vehicle Association (CORVA), the California Association of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs and many of their member clubs and the Los Pretot's Desert Club.

Events are scheduled for all three days, February 2nd, 3rd and 4th, with a majority of them taking place on Saturday the 3rd. The theme of Gettin' Dirty for a Great Cause pretty much sums it all up. Whether you have a dirt bike, dune buggy, extreme 4X4, an ATV, SUV or dual sport motorcycle there will be events for you to participate in and have fun with.

Everyone is urged to register early and get your friends, family and co-workers to sign up on your pledge sheet and sponsor your entry if they cannot attend (or even if they do attend!) There will be prizes awarded for sponsor donation totals of $100 and up for each individual entrant and for the top fund raising clubs.

On Saturday and Sunday mornings there will be breakfasts served for $5 a person and on Saturday evening there will be a barbecue dinner for $8 for adults and $4 for kids 12 and under. After the dinner there will be a raffle with thousands of dollars in all kinds of off-road related merchandise to be given away. You will receive a raffle ticket with your entry and additional tickets can be purchased. Special edition event tee shirts will also be available for purchase.

For the dual sport motorcycle riders the Coalition will be hosting a true dual sport ride on Saturday where street licensed motorcycles will be required and riders must have a motorcycle drivers license. Starting times will be between 8 and 9 a.m. for the 100+ mile ride through Ocotillo Wells SVRA, Anza Borrego Desert State Park on trails and highways. Lunch will be included and provided at approximately the halfway point in the ride. The route will feature Fonts Point, Jasper Trail, Grapevine Canyon, The Squeeze, the Dropoff, Fish Creek, Split Mountain and plenty of other fun stuff.

For the four wheel drive enthusiasts there will be many runs from easy SUV drives all the way up to extreme challenging runs for highly modified short wheel base Jeep type vehicles and everything in between. The buggy drivers and dirt bike and ATV riders will have a Desert Round-Up event where you go to various points around the SVRA and participate in many fun events like Sand Bowling, the Blind Fold Obstacle Course, the Balloon Launch and who knows what? All vehicle types will be able to participate in Mystery Rides on Friday and Saturday and the Sunset Poker Run on Friday evening.

For additional information and to get a registration package you can visit the MDA web site at www.mda sandiego.com or call 858-492-9792. The event will be taking place at Main Street at Ocotillo Wells SVRA which can be found by heading east on Highway 78 from Julian. For larger vehicles and those that wish to avoid the steep and winding Banner Grade east of Julian you should turn off Highway 78 at Santa Ysabel and go north on highway 79 to S-22 and then to S-2 and back down to highway 78 and east again.

Get your registration package as soon as possible and sign up as many sponsors as you can. We hope to see all of you out there for a fun filled weekend supporting a great cause!

28 December 2000