This past weekend, the Michigan Bronco Club (MBC) held a meetup at Holly Oaks ORV Park. Eighty or so Broncos showed up, including older generations, Bronco Raptors, an Everglades, and a Sport. The goal of the meetup was to have a great time doing what these vehicles were made to do and for owners to gain confidence off-road.
Similar meetups have been taking place weekly in the Bronco community across the Nation: On just that same Saturday alone, 67 Bronco drivers got together in Colorado from the Colorado Bronco Owners club, and 20 met in Alabama for a trail drive, with additional meetups happening in Indiana and New York.
These events are an excellent way to meet Bronco owners near you, put Off-Roadeo vehicle learnings to use, and practice your skills off-road.
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MBC Meet ‘n Greet
And as more people have taken delivery of their Broncos, it’s awesome to see them organizing and arranging meetups regularly. Michigan has been fortunate to see a lot of Broncos early on, and the Michigan Bronco Club has been meeting since last November. “We thought there would be a few of us,” says Aly DuBois. “Turned out to be around 30. And it’s grown like wildfire from there.”
On Saturday, about 125 people showed up in the 80 Broncos, from absolute beginners to experienced off-roaders. “One goal of our group is confidence in driving these Broncos and what they can actually do,” says Aly. “We don’t care if you’re an expert or you just got the keys today. I want people to have the same experience I have had so far to see why I’m so obsessed with this vehicle. Sometimes it’s hard to put into words all the amazing things that this Bronco has brought into my life. If I can get one person confident behind the wheel or help create memories for them and their families, that’s what it’s all about.”
Aly helped host the club’s 101 and 102 coaching sessions that day. “The 101 group was people who needed the very first basics. They’ve never stepped foot in anything off-road.” The club members explained topics such as airing down tires and basic commands.
“The 102 group was people who have been off-roading a time or two,” says Aly. Topics covered were G.O.A.T. modes, hero switches, and recovery. The group wants to help bring Ford’s big picture to light, Aly explains.
“Between the Wild Fund, Tread Lightly, preaching Off-Roadeo and the amazing skills you learn from it, and getting classes together here to teach people what Bronco is capable of –– right now, the sky is the limit for us. We really want to accomplish so much with this amazing community of people."
And the Bronco community certainly is amazing. Several came out just to hang with the group, despite that their Broncos are still in production, and members of the Ford team came out to support the meetup as well, including Bronco brand manager Matt Winter. Another attendee I had the privilege of chatting with, Scott Wright, came with his Wildtrak. He was more than ready to get it off-road with his daughter, Emmie Lu.
“I have been wanting to get out and see what the Bronco could do ever since getting it a little over a year ago. When I saw that there would be a couple reps there to walk us through the capabilities, I decided to give it a go. Having owned four old Broncos –– ‘68, ‘70, ’72, and ’74 –– this is a whole different ball game.”
“Upon arriving at Holly Oaks, we were greeted by other Bronco owners. Being that this was our first time out, we were not set up for a flag. A couple of guys next to us assisted in getting a mount and flag rigged up, and once we had that we were off. I started out following the ‘instructor,’ and once we got into the park I felt comfortable turning the reins over to my 15-year-old daughter. She was a bit nervous, as she only has about 20 hours of highway driving under her belt. Once she got the feel for it and ran through the water hole a couple of times, she was ready for more. She followed the instructor over to Mt. Magna, where he and Aly assisted her in getting over the stair climb and then up and over the mountain itself. She proceeded over to the tire crossing where she got high-centered and had to be winched off, which shook her up a bit, but she got back behind the wheel and finished the day.”
“My dad had been wanting to go for a few months now,” says Emmie Lu. “He finally had the opportunity to do so, so I decided to go with him. The opportunity to go out was very exciting because I only have a permit. It was exhilarating to not have to follow the road rules, and I definitely would like to do it again!”
And that’s the Bronco story in a nutshell: Getting out with friends and family, enjoying the wild responsibly in a capable vehicle, and helping others do the same with their own Broncos. We love seeing owners and enthusiasts meeting up to have an awesome time, and like Scott and Emmie Lu, we’re always ready for another get-together:
“The Bronco is more than capable of handling most things thrown at it,” Scott says. "Both of us are more comfortable with its operation and looking forward to the next event.”
Take a look at some of the pictures of the day from Aly, and head over to the forums to see more from Matt Weaver.
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