The off-road motorsport industry is still relatively infantile. Sure, there are recreational and racing off-road events that are celebrating 50+ years, but compared to other motor sports, 50 years is nothing. That being said, there is incredible room for growth in the off-road world, and one event that shows that growth is the Unlimited Off-Road Expo (UORE). UORE is the largest off-road show in the mid-west and east. The majority of industry support is in the west, where the outdoors seems limitless. As the industry grew there was a need for east-coast support so the UORE was born.
This was only the 3rd year for the UORE. They have grown substantially every year and saw a 60% increase in attendance in 2016. This is partly due to the show’s efficiency and partly due to the industry’s growth. The introduction of the side-by-side market with Polaris, Can-Am, Yamaha, etc, has thrown a ton of new people into the high-end off-road market that would otherwise not be privy to it. In the past, it took knowledge and dedication to build an off-road vehicle and be capable. With these new side-by-side machines, they are available for financing and are more capable than most Jeeps and trucks off-road!
The Jeep and truck market isn’t slowing down though. The Jeep JK has seen a surge in the market introducing new people as well with this family-friendly Jeep with incredible capability and after-market support. Additionally, the lifted truck market is growing and we are even seeing it in mainstream media with reality shows such as Discovery Channel’s “Diesel Brothers”.
As the off-road motorsports industry grows, events like the Unlimited Off-Road Expo are crucial to support and educate the buyers as well as the sellers to continue to feed the growth and prosperity in this extremely fun industry.