Owners test Hummers' mettle off-road

[PARAGON]

<Table>
<H1><FONT face=Arial,Helvetica>Owners test Hummers' mettle off-road</FONT></H1><FONT size=5>Illiana club gears up for May competition
</FONT>
BY JUSTIN POST
The Times



<TABLE cellSpacing=5 cellPadding=6 width=240 align=right bgColor=#ffffcc
border=0>
<TBODY>
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<TD>http://www.southbendtribune.com/stories/2005/04/25/cOff-Road-104.jpeg
<FONT face=Arial,Helvetica size=2>Roberto Rios, of Crete, Ill., leads a group of Hummers through the Badlands Off-road Park in Attica, Ind., in search of trails. Officially organized in 2002, the Illiana Hummer Club is comprised now of roughly 25 members. The group has been preparing in recent months for a national event May 4 to 7 at the Badlands Off-Road Road Park in Attica.
<P align=right><FONT size=-1>AP Photos/The Times, CHRISTOPHER
SMITH</FONT></P>

http://www.southbendtribune.com/stories/2005/04/25/cOff-Road-101.jpeg

Often leading the pack
has consequences as Illiana Hummer Club member Roberto Rios, of Crete, Ill., found out after running aground and getting wedged against a tree while leading a group of three Hummers.

http://www.southbendtribune.com/stories/2005/04/25/cOff-Road-102.jpeg

Scott Lay, of Tipton, Ind., drives his Hummer H1 through water nearly as high as his hood.
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ATTICA, Ind. -- In 1999, Mark Price bought his first Hummer, a model H1, and didn't waste any time testing the hulking rig's limits.</P>


During his first off-road outing, Price encountered a pond and made a split-second decision to battle through the obstacle.</P>


"You could actually see the dirt and stuff in the water because it was above the windshield. I jumped into the deep end, literally," the 33-year-old St. John resident said, adding that his Hummer is outfitted with a snorkel carburetor that allows the vehicle to drive while partially submerged in water.</P>


"I was amazed what the truck could do," he said.</P>


Price, a retired institutional trader who now owns a financial consulting business, said he was overwhelmed by the experience and spent the coming years scouring the area for fellow Hummer owners and bigger and better trails.</P>


"There were just a couple of us owners in Lake County way before the introduction of the H2" in 2002, Price said. "When we saw another one we would make an extra effort to introduce (ourselves)."</P>


Officially organized in 2002, the Illiana Hummer Club is comprised now of roughly 25 members. The group has been preparing in recent months for a national event May 4 to 7 at the Badlands Off-Road Road Park in Attica, Ind.</P>


What kind of person takes a $100,000 vehicle off road?</P>


"It takes a different kind of person to do that," Price said. "You have a $100,000 truck and you have a dent the size of a rock in your door, and at the end of the day you say it was fun."</P>


While club members consider scratches and dents "racing stripes," he acknowledges being concerned about damaging his beloved Hummer during his first off-roading events.</P>


But Price said most Hummer owners discover their vehicles are extremely rugged and exceed expectations.</P>


"As anybody does with a new vehicle, that first ding and scratch kills you," Price said. "I guess it's kind of like baseball or football: You get that first bruise or hit and you don't pay attention to the rest of them."</P>


Many club owners, including Price, own two Hummers. One is designated exclusively for off-roading, he said.</P>


"It was a matter of buffing out the scratches and fixing the dings. It got to be such a pain that I convinced the wife that she needed one too, so that became the designated off-road truck," he said. "You will see a lot of guys like that who will have a play truck and an off-roading truck."</P>


AM General announced in 1991 plans to market a civilian Hummer after previously building the multiple-purpose vehicles exclusively for the military.</P>


The first civilian Hummers hit the market late 1992 and, with a price tag of more than $100,000, quickly became a sign of prestige and wealth.</P>


General Motors released its own version of the Hummer, the H2, in July 2002 as a 2003 model starting at $50,000.</P>


Illiana Hummer Club member Roberto Rios, a 32-year-old creative director and manufacturer of corrugated displays, purchased his H2 the first week the vehicles were available.</P>


The Crete resident and father of five explained that the Hummer is more than a status symbol.</P>


"There is no other off-road vehicle on the planet that can seat seven and do the things I do in this vehicle," he said.</P>


Rios said he has traveled with his wife and children throughout the country in their Hummer.</P>


"We were able to see things that we were never able to see before, and that is what this truck has done to us," he said. "I think that kind of sums up why I beat the hell out of my truck: It is a family affair."</P></Table>

[PARAGON]

<Table>
<H1><FONT face=Arial,Helvetica>Owners test Hummers' mettle off-road</FONT></H1><FONT size=5>Illiana club gears up for May competition
</FONT>
BY JUSTIN POST
The Times



<TABLE cellSpacing=5 cellPadding=6 width=240 align=right bgColor=#ffffcc
border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD>http://www.southbendtribune.com/stories/2005/04/25/cOff-Road-104.jpeg
<FONT face=Arial,Helvetica size=2>Roberto Rios, of Crete, Ill., leads a group of Hummers through the Badlands Off-road Park in Attica, Ind., in search of trails. Officially organized in 2002, the Illiana Hummer Club is comprised now of roughly 25 members. The group has been preparing in recent months for a national event May 4 to 7 at the Badlands Off-Road Road Park in Attica.
<P align=right><FONT size=-1>AP Photos/The Times, CHRISTOPHER
SMITH</FONT></P>

http://www.southbendtribune.com/stories/2005/04/25/cOff-Road-101.jpeg

Often leading the pack
has consequences as Illiana Hummer Club member Roberto Rios, of Crete, Ill., found out after running aground and getting wedged against a tree while leading a group of three Hummers.

http://www.southbendtribune.com/stories/2005/04/25/cOff-Road-102.jpeg

Scott Lay, of Tipton, Ind., drives his Hummer H1 through water nearly as high as his hood.
</FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>





ATTICA, Ind. -- In 1999, Mark Price bought his first Hummer, a model H1, and didn't waste any time testing the hulking rig's limits.</P>


During his first off-road outing, Price encountered a pond and made a split-second decision to battle through the obstacle.</P>


"You could actually see the dirt and stuff in the water because it was above the windshield. I jumped into the deep end, literally," the 33-year-old St. John resident said, adding that his Hummer is outfitted with a snorkel carburetor that allows the vehicle to drive while partially submerged in water.</P>


"I was amazed what the truck could do," he said.</P>


Price, a retired institutional trader who now owns a financial consulting business, said he was overwhelmed by the experience and spent the coming years scouring the area for fellow Hummer owners and bigger and better trails.</P>


"There were just a couple of us owners in Lake County way before the introduction of the H2" in 2002, Price said. "When we saw another one we would make an extra effort to introduce (ourselves)."</P>


Officially organized in 2002, the Illiana Hummer Club is comprised now of roughly 25 members. The group has been preparing in recent months for a national event May 4 to 7 at the Badlands Off-Road Road Park in Attica, Ind.</P>


What kind of person takes a $100,000 vehicle off road?</P>


"It takes a different kind of person to do that," Price said. "You have a $100,000 truck and you have a dent the size of a rock in your door, and at the end of the day you say it was fun."</P>


While club members consider scratches and dents "racing stripes," he acknowledges being concerned about damaging his beloved Hummer during his first off-roading events.</P>


But Price said most Hummer owners discover their vehicles are extremely rugged and exceed expectations.</P>


"As anybody does with a new vehicle, that first ding and scratch kills you," Price said. "I guess it's kind of like baseball or football: You get that first bruise or hit and you don't pay attention to the rest of them."</P>


Many club owners, including Price, own two Hummers. One is designated exclusively for off-roading, he said.</P>


"It was a matter of buffing out the scratches and fixing the dings. It got to be such a pain that I convinced the wife that she needed one too, so that became the designated off-road truck," he said. "You will see a lot of guys like that who will have a play truck and an off-roading truck."</P>


AM General announced in 1991 plans to market a civilian Hummer after previously building the multiple-purpose vehicles exclusively for the military.</P>


The first civilian Hummers hit the market late 1992 and, with a price tag of more than $100,000, quickly became a sign of prestige and wealth.</P>


General Motors released its own version of the Hummer, the H2, in July 2002 as a 2003 model starting at $50,000.</P>


Illiana Hummer Club member Roberto Rios, a 32-year-old creative director and manufacturer of corrugated displays, purchased his H2 the first week the vehicles were available.</P>


The Crete resident and father of five explained that the Hummer is more than a status symbol.</P>


"There is no other off-road vehicle on the planet that can seat seven and do the things I do in this vehicle," he said.</P>


Rios said he has traveled with his wife and children throughout the country in their Hummer.</P>


"We were able to see things that we were never able to see before, and that is what this truck has done to us," he said. "I think that kind of sums up why I beat the hell out of my truck: It is a family affair."</P></Table>