Nine dirty pictures (discretion advised)

Loud engines, big tires and lots of mud were the three main ingredients for a dirty afternoon at Runway Park yesterday.

The third annual Mud Bog race tore up the ground as contestants from Ontario and Michigan drove to see who could make it the furthest or the fastest across 200 feet of mud.

For rankings, the trucks are put in categories by their wheel size.

Some drivers have bone-stock tires also used on streets, while others have tires as tall as 44 inches.

Shown is Brandon Lemieux, who was driving an '86 Ford and was taking time after his first run to clean mud off his tires.

As a safety precaution, all drivers must wear helmets and passengers are not allowed.

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It usually takes four to five seconds for a driver and truck to slosh their way through the mud.

But some drivers aren't that lucky.

A cable is hooked to the back of the truck in case it gets stuck in the middle of the bog.

The other end is attached to a tractor that can pull it free if necessary.

In that case, the truck will be ranked on how far it went instead of its time.

Mud Bog organizer Donnie Vallee said in other years they've usually gotten up to 1,500 spectators.

But with other events taking place this weekend, it was hard to attract the bigger numbers.

"Whatever weekend you pick there, is always something else going on. We just want to keep building to make things better," said Vallee.

Although participant numbers were also down, Vallee said the people out driving this weekend were more dedicated with bigger and more powerful trucks.

"We've lost a little because of other things, but we've done fairly well. It would be nice to see more of the community come out to watch or try it," Vallee said.