Things got wild at Dennis Anderson’s Muddy Motorsports Park in Poplar Branch, North Carolina last week, as trucks got hucked over and over on a muddy ramp in front of hundreds. Some caught air and made it to the ground in one piece, but others were not so fortunate. This young kid piloting a first-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee definitely falls into the latter.
The ZJ looks great leading up to the jump. Its bright orange wheels and grille separate it from the pack, while the faux wooden paneling attributes this particular specimen to the Grand Wagoneer trim package, which was only available in 1993 following the end of the Jeep Wagoneer.
But that’s enough small talk–let’s get to the jump, shall we? The action kicks off at 0:14 mark in the “>video above, and everything instantly goes to hell in no time at all. At least the Grand Cherokee is back on all fours, for what it’s worth.
Fortunately, the teenaged daredevil is unscathed by the bad landing, though the Jeep is a little worse for wear: the left headlight was forcibly ejected, the hood latch broke, and doubtless a part of the chassis snapped on the ZJ’s front left section.
From 'Whee!' to 'WHAM!' in less than two seconds.
Our hero begins the jog of shame after what just happened, but he’s got the support of the crowd to cheer him on as he thinks of a way to tell his cousin about what happened to his Jeep. The announcer reassures him: “Hey, when you’re young and tough, you can ride a bull, you can jam on a monster truck, you can win on a straight draw, but let me tell you, that was a hard hit!”