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FOCUS PSB ATV www.PowersportsBusiness.com Powersports Business • May 5, 2014 • 19 18 • May 5, 2014 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com High Lifter event draws a record 120 exhibitors BY DAVE McMAHON EDITOR IN CHIEF Larry Popp never ventured far from his tent and 53-foot trailer full of product from STI Tire and Wheel. Rain and mud are the perfect reasons for him stay on higher ground. "I'm from California. Why in the world would I go in the mud? My bike gets dusty, and I get upset," Popp laughed. But those who were looking found plenty of the brown stuff at the High Lifter Mud Nation- als in Jacksonville, Texas. Mud Creek Off-Road Park once again was home for the annual can't- miss event for the mud market. In fact, the 120 vendors on hand set an all-time record at the nearly 4,000-acre facility. Scott Smith, president of High Lifter Prod- ucts, said the 12th running of the world's larg- est mud-riding event proved to be one of the best and biggest rides to date. "This year's High Lifter ATV Mud Nationals was beyond what we could have imagined," Smith said. "From the exciting competition during the races to the entertainment, it's truly amazing to see the camaraderie of a variety of people who love mud and the outdoors." Popp, owner of STI, has attended Mud Nats for 11 years in a row after missing the inaugural year. It's the perfect place for ATV and UTV enthusiasts to work up a muddy crust on them- selves and their machines. "I let the other guys go out and do that crazy stuff," he told Powersports Business. "I just like watching all the folks there and visit- ing with them, taking care of their machines for them. It's a great thing. I'm from California, so I understand what's happening out there. They don't have any place to ride, they don't have this, they don't have that. Our sport's going to hell. You turn around and here's a great venue for what these people like to do. If they'd just sell the desert off to someone who would care, other than our wonderful govern- Vendors get down and dirty with sales ment… But down at Mud Nationals, it's just nice people there. You get to ride and nobody drives you crazy." STI makes life easy for its nine dealers who set up shop as vendors at Mud Nats. Rather than sell to customers, STI staffers provide product knowledge to the customers, who then go purchase the tires and wheels from any of the STI dealers on site. "Then they go buy what they want, and come back to us 10 seconds later and we mount them for free," Popp said. Jason Blake was part of a two-man crew at the Millennium Technologies tent, with the company exhibiting for the first time at Mud Nationals. EPI president Jeff Supinski calls Mud Nationals the company's favorite event of the year. P16x29-PSB6-Focus.indd 18 4/23/14 10:16 AM