We bailed up Pete Antunac after the event was run & won and had a chat to him about this year’s happenings. As well, we talked about the future of the event and some exciting new things that will happen in the years to come. Here are his thoughts on the 2013 Tough Dog Tuff Truck Challenge:
DirtComp: Hi Pete, thank you for taking the time to talk to us after such a busy event. How many days were you on site for in the lead up to this years event?
PA: Personally, I was on site every weekend for nearly two months leading up to the event. Those weekends were usually always 3-4 day weekends too. Cam (operations manager) spent every second weekend up there and Tony Price (competition manager) spent the 5 weeks leading up to the event living onsite. Apart from that, the office work in the 12 months leading up to the event ramped up and consumed more time as we got closer. The 2014 event was already being planned before the 2013 event had been run.
DirtComp: What were your thoughts on the crowd this year?
PA: We pushed really close to 10,000 spectators this year. That’s a whopping new record for the event and a sign of things to come. Friday night was a record crowd and it was noticeably a better group of people when it came towards attitude and alcohol consumption. 2,000 folk Passed through the gates on Saturday just for single day passes which was also a staggering number.
DirtComp: What did you think of the vendors and sponsors and what would you want them to know?
PA: This year blew me away with the participation of the vendors. From personally talking to them, the vendors who have returned from previous years all found the weekend to be the busiest yet with the spectators genuinely showing interest in their products and sales. I have received nothing but positive feedback from the spectators regarding the quality of the vendors and their setups as well.
The sponsors really stepped it up this year. I was really proud to see most of them return from previous years and display their banners and equipment with gusto.
DirtComp: How can people help out with the event or get involved next year?
PA: There will be more opportunities for businesses to sponsor the event next year, as well as further allocation for vendors to come on board and set up shop for the weekend. If people want to express interest in helping out in an official role, or just come and be part of the growing volunteer brigade, they can email me at petea@tuffevents.com
DirtComp: Looking ahead, what are the following years going to have that we didn’t see this year?
PA: There is a whole host of new things already planned for the 2014 event. Some things I’m happy to disclose, others you will have to wait a little bit longer. What I can tell you is that we are going to commit to a dedicated family camping area. In that; there will be separate tickets sold to families and if you don’t have a child, you won’t get sold a ticket. This is a measure that we are undertaking to make the event suitable for all age groups and give mums and kids the chance for a better nights sleep.
Some big news is that we are also going to be adding a new stage to the event for 2014. Although we cannot tell you too much more, there will be plenty of hype over this in the next 11 months.
DirtComp: That sounds awesome Pete. So a move towards more families attending, as well as a new stage to be added!! Winning!
We understand that you have a few more things in the pipework for TTC 2014 but they are a little hush-hush at the moment. Where can people hear about all the new developments happening with the event?
PA: Everyone can log onto the Tuff Truck website www.tufftruck.com and see the news as it is released or, follow the event on Facebook and know as soon as the information drops.
DirtComp: Great. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us today Pete. good luck with the prep for next years events and we look forward to helping you drop the exciting news for 2014 as it goes public.
