Rat rod and bike builders from around the country prepare for second annual 30 day $3000 build-off drive-off challenge.

News provided by

Aug 06, 2014, 08:00 ET

SHAKOPEE, Minn., Aug. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of the annual Rat Rod Magazine Tour - a tour that has traveled more than 10,000 miles through such places as Route 66, the Rocky Mountains, and more – the build-off pits 3 classes of builders against each other in a head to head competition. Last year's rat rod champion and 24 rat rod and rat bike builders will have 30 days and a $3000 budget to build and then drive their creation from St Louis MO to Lebanon TN, with a stop in Chattanooga TN. There is also an open class that could see as many as 100 entrants.

The Tour and build-off is coordinated by two magazines: Rat Rod Magazine, an award-winning national newsstand title based out of Shakopee, MN, and Ride Hard Magazine, a leader in the St Louis motorcycle magazine market. Both magazines crown the build-off winners on their covers simultaneously and each devote an entire issue to the event.

The build period starts August 13^th and lasts 30 days during which time build teams document their own progress. The builds are shared in real-time on Facebook, and viewers from across the world are invited to vote for their favorite and affect the results of the competition.

"This is a true blue-collar build off. No big money, no staged BS. Just real working class people doing something awesome," says Rat Rod Magazine editor Steve Thaemert, who organized the first Tour in 2011.

About the Rat Rod Tour and Build-Off

The Tour was created in 2011 by Rat Rod Magazine as a way to get out and connect with it's blue-collar readerbase. In 2012 it led a caravan of rat rods on a 4500 mile trek 12,000 feet over the Rockies. In 2013 the Tour followed the Mississippi River from Canada all the way to Louisiana. (Tour documentary videos can be viewed at www.youtube.com/ratrodmag)

Added to the Tour in 2013, the build-off was an answer to the highly-staged big money build-offs popularized by network television. With it's random competitor selection, it has given the average joe a chance to compete in a highly-publicized national event.

www.ratrodmagazine.com / www.facebook.com/ratrodmagazine

SOURCE Rat Rod Magazine