Family wheeling…barefoot
Story and Photos by Veronica Mizerak
What does off-roading mean to most people? Well, in the Barefoot Motorsports household, it means a family that gets to spend time together outdoors and in the off-road world doing what we love. Our family is very big in the off-road community.
We participate in professional rock crawling (W.E. Rock series) and love to go recreational wheeling all over the East and the West coasts. It’s about exploring, adventure, being able to get places and see things that most people never will, and connecting with friends and family to make memories that will last a lifetime. Off-roading allows our family a unique and exhilarating way to explore diverse landscapes by stepping off the beaten path and venturing into remote landscapes.
The Barefoot Motorsports family consists of Erik, Veronica, Nevaeh (13), and Emmett (6). Erik currently drives a rear-steer, single-seat transaxle buggy. Veronica drives a Jeep-based, three-seat, drag-axle buggy named Muffy. Nevaeh recently outgrew her kid buggy, she now has a lifted Jeep Cherokee XJ for trails, and occasionally competes in Muffy (against me in the same class).
Emmett drives a “Mini-Twisted” custom tube buggy with an ATV engine and transmission mated to a Suzuki t-case and Suzuki solid axles. It is an exact visual replica of a Twisted Custom buggy. Although everyone has competed at one time or another, Erik spends all his time spotting for the rest of the family these days and hasn’t had the time to get behind the wheel in a competition himself lately. 
Living in the mountains of north Georgia allows us great opportunities for doing all the outdoor activities we love, especially wheeling. There is a private rock garden (2M) that is very nearby, we use for shakedown runs or just to go play if we need a “quick fix.” The closest major parks for hardcore rock crawling are Adventure Off Road Park in southeast Tennessee and Gulches off-road of Indian Mound in northeast South Carolina, which we frequent quite often. Also nearby is the new Coalmont OHV area, which is the place to go if we want to have a more relaxing trip and do more overland type of wheeling. Coalmont includes fording rivers, long trails through mountain valleys, remote campsites, and limitless exploration of caves and waterfalls. We also enjoy fishing and kayaking on the countless streams and rivers that are all over north Georgia.
When the comp season rolls around, that’s when the serious travelling begins. With Western competition sites as far as Northwest New Mexico and central Texas, and Eastern sites as far as Southern New Hampshire and central Pennsylvania, the logistics of getting the whole team, and all our machines, to each location becomes challenging. Thankfully though, Erik and I are both able to drive any of the tow vehicles and pull any trailer. One of us will be in the motorhome, often pulling a small trailer with the Mini-Twisted on it, and the other will be driving the dually with a 3-car gooseneck loaded up behind it. Once at a site, we set up some awnings for the rigs, offload the buggies, get settled, relax a bit, then put on our game faces (and take our shoes off) with the podium in our sights. Being that Erik must spot for everyone, which is rarely just Emmett, usually Emmett and me, and on some occasions Emmett, me, and Nevaeh, he doesn’t spend too much time trying to plan perfect lines for everyone on each course; it would be too much to remember. Instead, he visualizes what he thinks will work and then just spots each one of us “as we go” to see how each rig and driver negotiates the terrain (and follows directions). In the end, I think most competitors will agree, it really isn’t about the podium and the trophies anyway – it is about the memories! That being said….memories sure are sweeter when there is a podium finish!
My family, Barefoot Motorsports, loves our outdoor and off-road lifestyle. We are always thinking / planning / dreaming about our next trip, wherever that may be. We love to see new places and meet new like-minded people. After all, this off-road community is relatively small in the grand scheme of sporting activities, so keeping the camaraderie going is very important.
Thanks for being part of this awesome sport and community that we so dearly love. Keep it rubber-side-down and we’ll see you on the trails soon!
