I was driving a brand new 2007 four-door Jeep Rubicon Wrangler and was accompanied by two Jeep engineers.

In the pre-course waiting area, 900 Jeeps divided into 17 lines and waited to head into the mountains. Decorated in mud and grins, drivers and passengers admired the surrounding vehicles and exchanged impressive off-roading stories. People stood on top of the Jeeps to either take pictures or admire the striking view.

Dressed in inappropriately thick clothing, I was stifling and brutally uncomfortable, not to mention terrified. To calm my fears, the engineers, Hadeer Konja and Mike Muehmel, explained all the Rubicon’s functions that would keep us safe: front and rear axle lockers that would force the tires to rotate simultaneously and a disconnected the front sway bar that allowed the wheels will compress independently.