Things get hot at High Desert Roundup, and I mean really hot.  Not only is the action hot but the weather can be stifling as well.  I remember Hi Desert Roundup, back in 1995, when the thermometer topped 105 degrees.  Geez! That's hot for May!

 

Left:  Instrestered onlookers at Wet Lap Race.  Right:  Last minute registration duties are performed before the start of the race.

Action was hot, but the weather wasn't so hot on Sunday, May 29, 2005, as my brother Paul and I checked out the vehicle games, an important part of CA4WDC's Hi Desert Round-Up, one of the most awesome four wheeling events that you cam imagine.  However, as you attend the event, what do you do on a Sunday when the weather is hot to cool off?  Hey, I have a friendly suggestion:  Participate in the Wet Lap Race, hosted by the Rim of the World 4WDC.  

 

Photos:  Before starting Wet Lap Race, you get a safety check.  Hey, safety is everything at CA4WDC sponsored events!

To run Wet Lap, your best bet is to find a co-driver, a.k.a. passenger, who doesn't mind water spilled on his/her lap.  Like in many of the CA4WDC events at Hi Desert Roundup, Wet Lap is divided into two classes:  Men and women.  Simple Simon, but not so simple as to run the race.  You see, you have to navigate a course, outlined by stakes, while your passenger balances a bowl of water over his/her lap, maintaining it inside the vehicle for the duration of the course.  The bowl of water contains 32 ounces, and the object of the "race" is to drive the course as fast as possible, but you have to keep in mind that each ounce of spilled water results in a 2-second penalty. Ouch!  Not to mention that there is a 5-second penalty for each stake the driver hits.  Another caveat:  Any team finishing with less than 12 ounces of water is disqualified.  The fastest official time, measured by the combined actual. time minus the penalties, wins the race

 

Left:  Friends gather to chat about the race.  Right:  A finisher in Wet Lap Race, how much water do they have?

What about the race track?  Four wheel drive required, as it's situated in the Mojave desert, and there are dips, loose shale, twisty curves and just about anything else that Stoddard Valley can throw upon the contestants. However if the driver messes up and misjudges the course, the passenger is rewarded with a cooling jolt of water from the pan that's perched upon their lap.

For a refreshing change of pace, the Wet Lap Race is the hot place to be at Hi Desert Round-Up.