The Dirt Life
The Dirt Life
Baja 500 Recap - Toby Price, Justin Davis, Cayden MacCachren, Polvoorde, & More
What happens when meticulous preparation meets fierce competition? Join us on the Dirt Life Show as we unravel the intense journey of the Baja 500 with co-host Ryan Edwards from Vision Wheel. This episode is packed with exclusive insights from victorious racers like Toby Price and Joe Whiting. Toby shares the strategic brilliance behind their flawless execution, emphasizing the game-changing performance of the BFG Ridge tyres and the invaluable addition of Brent Bauman to their team. Joe takes us through the rigorous pre-race preparations and consistent planning that were key to their success. We also shine a spotlight on standout performances by racers such as Justin Davis and Ethan Ebert, who made waves in Mexico.
Let's talk about the heart-pounding pressure of desert racing. We navigate the chaotic landscape around Mike's Sky Ranch, discussing the nerve-wracking experience of qualifying and the importance of giving bikers their space. Our guests, including Haley Hine and Caden McCachran, reveal their triumphs in UTV racing, detailing how teamwork and communication were pivotal to their victory. We also delve into the evolving pace of the sport, the advancements in vehicle technology, and the relentless need for constant updates and coordination. The camaraderie and passion that fuel these races are palpable throughout our conversations, highlighting the collective effort behind every achievement.
Experience the highs and lows of racing with our discussions on overcoming technical difficulties and managing unexpected challenges on race day. From a close call with a quad bike to dealing with a bent sector shaft, the tales of perseverance and strategic pacing offer a glimpse into the reality of off-road racing. As we wrap up, we reflect on the dedication and teamwork that propel these athletes forward, celebrating the support from families, volunteers, and sponsors. Tune in to hear firsthand accounts of the thrill, danger, and sheer joy of racing, encapsulated in stories that will leave you at the edge of your seat.
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Welcome to the Dirt Life Show with your host, George Hamill.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what's up guys? Welcome to the Dirt Life Show. I'm your host, george Hamill. Today we've got an awesome show. We're going to have a Baja 500 recap. Ryan Edwards is going to join from Vision Wheel. He's going to co-host the show with me. Let me see here. We've got some serious talent on this show. So Toby Price, paul Wheel's not going to be able to join us, unfortunately, but Joe Whiting is going to talk about a little bit of behind the scenes stuff, so that'll be cool. Let me get Ryan on here so he can talk about some Baja stuff as well. Let's see here Some other guests Caden McCackering he was the UTV Unlimited winner in his Polaris Razor, with Haley Hine in the co-driver's seat. Justin Davis and Dan Eckert are going to join us.
Speaker 3:Ryan, what's up? What's up.
Speaker 2:What are you up to?
Speaker 3:You know, just living my best life. How's my camera angle there? I?
Speaker 2:don't know You're going to have to get down, get low.
Speaker 3:Oh shit, all right, hold on. What if I go like this?
Speaker 2:Oh, there we go, while you figure out your technical difficulties. I'll finish the intro stuff. So, Justin Davis, the Green Army is going to join us. Dan Eck, Christopher Polvorti you know that, dude, don't you?
Speaker 3:Yeah, and Justin Davis, big, big Green.
Speaker 2:Army guy.
Speaker 3:Big Green Army guy. Let's see here.
Speaker 2:Brian Moore. He's going to join us talk a little bit about the media stuff, the Terribles flying around in a helicopter, ethan Ebert and Jeff Proctor they had a pretty good showing down in Mexico too. They were ripping Dude, he was killing it right.
Speaker 2:And then Evastar racing is going to join us, uh as well. So, uh, it'll be pretty cool to talk with all those guys. Uh, let's get joe whining and uh toby price on here real quick. Dude, toby was on one. He dude, he like he qualified first. Everything that he did they put it all together. Yeah, like on point for the whole weekend, right, yeah, okay, so let's get Joe and Toby on. We'll talk about it. See how those guys are doing Toby.
Speaker 7:Price. What's up? What's happening, guys? What's happening?
Speaker 2:Joe Whiting. What's happening? Dude? Hey Toby. Hey Joe Georgie. What's happening? Dude? Hey Toves. Hey Jack Georgie. What's up? Dude? You guys both know Ryan Edwards as well. Yeah, how you doing.
Speaker 9:How you doing, Ryan.
Speaker 2:So Baja 500. Ryan and I were just like barely talking about it, but Baja 500. I don't know if you could have executed any better, toby.
Speaker 7:Finally, finally, one went to plan. We've been able to execute the qualifying side of things quite well for us all last year and this year, but, yeah, it's just been that second piece of the puzzle that just hasn't gone to plan. And finally, yeah, got it to run smooth and, yeah, the BFG Ridge tyres. We had no flats all day and passed the truck off to Paul at 360. And then, yeah, paul did an amazing job as well and yeah, brought it in at the finish line. So it was, yeah, the Menzies motorsport crew looked after us there with all our pits and everything and done a great job with us, getting us in and out really quick, and it was a perfect uh, perfect executed day.
Speaker 2:So we're stoked yeah, for sure, joe. Was there any changes that you guys made to? I don't know to execute like that?
Speaker 9:no, not really. Um, we kind of stuck with the same plan. We just just finally had Mason put a little bit of extra love into the prep of the truck and got us a really good truck and we recently bought Brent Bauman. He came aboard with us to do some Navion with Paul and Toby and that kid every single night doing notes and working on notes and looking at this and doing that and he, he hardly ever slept that's huge he's, he's a huge part of that game.
Speaker 9:You know him and toby and paul. They're all on the same page and, uh, there's a lot of work that goes into this pre-run and trying to find the best lines throughout the course and hit all the vcps and all the speed zones and it's a lot of work. And I say brent really stepped up. He did a killer job doing it, along with, of course, toby and paul just behind the steering wheels.
Speaker 2:Great right now you can like talk about putting all that together right like you got. Qualifying is super important in trophy truck now because it's so tight, right.
Speaker 3:Well, and then pre-running, pre-running in the trophy truck game. If you're not racing the last couple days around the course to figure out the course, you're not even going to be in the top ten.
Speaker 2:What is that Like? How does that? Actually work out, then Toby, Like what do you guys do on the last couple days of pre-running? Like Ryan said, yeah.
Speaker 7:So basically, yeah, we get over probably a week, a week and a half earlier to the race. We just go to the shop and get everything set up, loaded up, ready to go. We have about probably 10 people that fly from Australia and then including some people, so it's probably about seven, eight people that fly from Australia and then, yeah, we have a couple of mexicans that help out with everything. Um, and then, yeah, the biggest change here we made this year was, well, for this race, we had brent in the truck with us and then also including joe um being basically head of everything for us to um, control everything. So, um, yeah, I think those two bits there have, um, yeah, been quite a big change for us and made a big difference.
Speaker 7:But, yeah, the pre-running part of it you're out every day for my section was 360 miles, so I was out basically full days every day. Those are the longest days, yeah, the longest days, them ones. So we're just trying to get every bit of the notes we could. And then, virtually straight after qualifying, still, we went straight out on the track, done some more pre-running and then started to finalise some notes of some areas we thought was going to open up and make some lines and something different. And yeah, and then even the last day before the race, we were still out doing a bit of pre-running in the morning and then just trying to rest up. The race. It's um, yeah, yeah, it's a big, big task. Uh, a lot of people yeah, like everyone hears it all the time but they, um, yeah, the work and the effort that goes in behind the scenes of it all, it's uh, actually it's, it's massive so, on the pre-running to race, like, did you finally connect it all to where you're like?
Speaker 3:all right, now I know I can take these lines and everything's just like dialed, instead of just out there racing.
Speaker 7:Yeah, for sure it's. It's always just trying to, yeah, find new lines and find new areas. That more so sometimes probably may not be as quick for the race, but it's a lot smoother and a lot cleaner. So sometimes, yeah, you might take a line, it feels a bit slower and sometimes is, but it's just. It's a lot easier on the truck that it just doesn't beat the thing. You've got a 500 mile race to basically compete and, um, yeah it, even though these trucks are worth a million dollars, um, they still break.
Speaker 3:So it's uh, it's crazy yeah, and, as you know, one bolt could take you out of it. Yeah, don't want to bring it up yeah, so I felt pretty bad.
Speaker 7:It's uh, it's been looking pretty average on my side that uh, I haven't been able to deliver a truck to the owner, paul wheel, and uh, yeah, that was, uh, that was. The most satisfying part was being able to give the truck to Paul and a pretty good, healthy shape, and, um, paul executed perfectly as well. So, uh, yeah, unreal, unreal.
Speaker 2:Does that make you guys think about like uh? I don't know Everybody wants to think about the future.
Speaker 2:You always have your debrief and you're like how can we get better, even if you win right, like does that make you guys think about that, that whole smooth comment that you made like they're smooth on the track and there's also smooth in all the prep and the process and everything that goes on behind the scenes does it make you think about those little tiny details to make everything better for the next time? Like the 400, the thousand?
Speaker 7:ah, for sure it's um. Like you say, we had a fairytale run at this one and there's no guarantees that the 400 will turn into the same.
Speaker 7:So, yeah, it's a little bit of chaos sometimes and, sorry, I've got a dog going off in the background here at the moment a Watson, but yeah, he's. Yeah, it's always hard to know what the race is going to bring, but we always learn little bits and pieces along the way and something that's going to help a lot more to, yeah, get ready for the 400 and be stronger and faster there as well.
Speaker 3:Yeah, because it's just going to get faster for that one.
Speaker 7:Yeah, it's going to be a little bit faster pace, a little bit shorter distance race, so the pace will lift a little bit because the trucks can kind of handle the 300, 400 miles, no problem. So it's um basically, yeah, just we're gonna have to try and just uh, stay smooth, consistent, um, probably be faster and um, yeah, go from there well qualifying is like.
Speaker 2:Is that much more important? Right, joe? Because, like you, you only have a certain amount of time to execute and the mileage is going to be shorter.
Speaker 9:Correct, correct, like I say we would between Brent and I, we would switch off pre-run and I'd pre-run with Paul one day and then I'd swap and pre-run with Toby the next day, and the whole time we're doing that. I'm looking at access, roads and ways to access, and we're also getting intel on okay, well, this is a bad section for rocks, so I need to have a tire in this area or I need to have a crew over here. Which is nice about the mexico races is we can do that. Yeah, we can pit wherever the heck we want to. Really, um, so, being able to pre-run and, same time, look at all these access points uh, that's just part of it, too, making sure that, hey, this is an area where there's a possible flat. We need to have a crew who are sitting here.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean it's kind of crazy to think about that too, because, like you know how, like, if you put away the wrench, you need it five seconds later if, if you leave a tire out, on course you're not going to get a flat there. So it's like if you leave a tire out, on course you're not going to get a flat there.
Speaker 9:So it's like bringing good luck to yourself, exactly. And, like you say, we had crews hopscotching all day long between the three of us. We had three different chase trucks and, like I say, toby managed the tires and managed the truck and everything was great. But who's to say that's not going to happen next time?
Speaker 2:so we just keep implementing and and take the pros and the cons and focus on the cons and see if we can't make it better for next round. Yeah, that's true. Well, the game is getting so tight, toby, like I don't even know how to explain it because, like, I ask everybody the same question like does it change the way that you deal with the race, or do you just go balls on the wall?
Speaker 7:yeah, uh, yeah, it doesn't really change the way we approach the race, but, yeah, like I say, uh, a flat tire can cost you the race. Um, it's, it's minor little things these days that are really bringing the whole, the whole thing unstuck, and it doesn't matter how much money you throw at it. Um, it doesn't guarantee you nothing in this sport and that's the hardest bit to take. Yeah, from our very first Baja 1000, where we burned a million-dollar truck to the ground, until, yeah, basically going through a whole year of failures and not really achieving what we wanted. It was, yeah, definitely tough on Paul to try and keep accepting that and coming back, but, yeah, finally being able to get that monkey off our back and get that 500 win was something pretty special. And, yeah, I think, yeah, we're the first Australians to win overall in a score championship race. Yeah, that's big.
Speaker 3:You went in history books again.
Speaker 7:Yeah, we'll claim that as much as we can. I, um, I'm waking up with that trophy sitting right next to me every morning because it's, uh, it's been a very damn hard one to get. So, uh, yeah, that's awesome. But, um, yeah, the competition is just crazy. Like you say, you've got chris bavardi coming in, young, um, up and coming talent that, yeah, I'm sure in many years to come he's going to be only stronger and faster. And then you've got Bryce and McMillan's. Those guys are just, yeah, basically second to none to what they're doing. And then, yeah, we were fighting with Tavo, basically to the finish line, and everyone knows what that guy's like he's a madman. And, sorry, I had some nerves going when, um, when I climbed out I think we only had a three minute 40 gap, I think over tarbo and I was like, oh, I didn't quite give paul enough leg room there and, yeah, he stretched it out actually and what was the the gap by that?
Speaker 3:the final gap?
Speaker 7:I never, yeah, I think the solid, I think, just shy of seven minutes or something. That's crazy, pretty crazy. Like I say, seven minutes, it hasn't happened like that for a little while. Like I say, you've watched the battles between Luke and Bryce and they're coming down to 43 seconds at the finish line, and it's not to say that it won't be like that at the 400, but it's yeah to get that run we had there. Like I say, we just had a good, flawless, clean run. We did our homework, like everyone else does, and yeah, unfortunately just some little things played into their hands that didn't pan out for them, but it worked out in our favor and yeah, we'll learn from it. We'll come back for the 400 and be ready and see if we can try and back another win up. It'll be unreal.
Speaker 2:Like I was walking past you doing some of the live broadcast stuff at score and I was walking past you as you were, you know, talking to the fans and you had finished and I don't want to say I can see the emotion on your face but I kind of could. Right Like I. It looked like it was a relief. It looked like like Toby was like Toby right Like fuck, we got this thing off our back Like it's good, like, and you were really happy. I mean, you had a smile ear to ear Like it was good.
Speaker 7:Man, it's crazy to think about it. It's like I haven't done full seasons over here, but I've been coming over since probably 2016,. Starting with Jesse Jones. Then that's how I met Joe through that program and then I've done numerous races here and, yeah, to be, over the years, gradually getting the grasp of everything and understanding of the trucks and knowing how quick I can actually drive these things and it's there was definitely a lot of weight lifted off the shoulders.
Speaker 7:Yeah, some people don't realise you do read a lot of the comments of things that are like ah, he's a bike guy, he's too hard on the truck, he's just breaking it and he's just being a clown and being an idiot and it's like man, okay, if I could treat a truck any nicer. The thing should be able to do 3,000 miles, but it's just one of them things. You always have those people just, yeah, cruise along and all those things, but you, yeah, to just get that monkey off our back. That felt amazing. And just to be able to hold a trophy for a finish line was unreal Like, let alone trying to hold that finisher's plaque. That's a task in itself, but actually the number one trophy was, yeah, mind-blowing. So I was pretty relieved, really stoked, and yeah, I think I still haven't stopped smiling since that day. So it's been cool. Yeah, it's been super cool Joe.
Speaker 2:like he's been saying honest and accountable stuff this whole time. Right, like Toby knows what he went through for everything to get to that point of winning the race. Like and you see it in his you know smile and you see the work ethic and stuff going back Like it must've been fun for the crew to see him cross the finish line and Paul cross the finish line, you know first.
Speaker 9:Yeah, no, for sure it was. As you know, there's so much work that goes into it to prepare for it. You know what I mean. But yeah, to get, get well, to get to the finish line, yeah, first step, you know, and then, not alone, in the fashion that we were able to do it, it was good, it was really good, we were all super happy and, uh, and, like I said, with the exception of menzies doing our fuel and tires for us at two pits, all we had was 10 of us.
Speaker 3:It was that, and was that the first time you guys used menzies for pits?
Speaker 9:no, we used them up in san felipe oh okay, um, and they do an outstanding job.
Speaker 10:To be honest, those guys are.
Speaker 9:They've been doing it forever and they're serious about it and fortunately we haven't come in right behind, right in front of right stacked on, stacked on top of each other, but it's going to happen and we'll just make the best we can out of it. You know what I mean. But yeah, no, it's been, it's been good it was, it was good to get there finally.
Speaker 7:That's a big credit to Steve and Bryce as well, like, yeah, to accept us into that whole program and yeah, especially since you're a contender you know what I mean, since we've been a contender and they've known we've been a contender for probably the last few races yeah, when we basically said the only way to be able to try and get this to work is by bringing in a full, proper, professional team that does the pit service all the time and practice these things, they know the truck too.
Speaker 7:It's the same truck. It's the same truck. It's the same truck. So, yeah, they know the truck really well. So, yeah, they ticked all the boxes for us and, yeah, we thought we were dreaming when we were asking and then when they turned around and said, yep, no, worries, we can make this work, it kind of blew us, blew us away and uh, yeah, they've been a big part of being able to get this, this first win for us as well. So it's um massive big credit to them and um, yeah, can't thank the menzies guys enough for it. It's it's unreal that's cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's super cool. What was some of the like highlights of the race for you? I wish we could ask paul. I talked to him a little earlier today. He was doing the equestrian horse thing with his daughter. It seems super cool.
Speaker 7:Yeah, I think he's over in Germany somewhere now. So, yeah, I've just been at the shop just cleaning some things up bits and pieces. But yeah, look honestly, yeah, just the normal like Mexico stuff that really goes on Like there's almost had a head-on with a car, um, up through mike's sky ranch, which was a little bit of a hairy one.
Speaker 3:yeah, um, yeah, I saw a good video you going around the local traffic.
Speaker 7:That was pretty good yeah traffic there and um, man, it's just crazy. It's like they know we're coming through and it's just um. Yeah, I know, everyday life stuff happens and everything, but it's just um, these are six thousand pound trucks.
Speaker 3:I got a question for you, since you're a bike guy. When you started catching the bikes, like what's going through your head?
Speaker 7:ah, look honestly, I know 100 what it would be like on that bike. Um I my section was really good like um, because you were at the beginning.
Speaker 7:yeah, yeah, we, we did the beginning section of it. So every bike rider we had like, yeah, look, I gave them plenty of room because I know, having that thing behind you and 1,000 horsepower and just that big heavy truck, it's just, I gave them plenty of room. Yeah, there was a couple that Paul said that decided to look back and then think that they could beat a trophy truck and stay in front of one and and then pass them back onto it and he was like man, that gets a little bit annoying, cause like we're in a heated battle with Tavo and trying to trying to him. And we understand too, they're in a, they're probably in a heated battle and race as well.
Speaker 7:So it's, it's, it's a little bit of a tough one, but yeah for sure it would be a nerve-wracking time for any guy on a motorcycle, and probably motorcycles. That being a bike guy. But I'm probably glad I'm not on a motorcycle because at the end of the day I think if I was getting caught by a trophy truck, I've had a really bad day. So it's not to say my speed's out of control and perfect, but yeah, I'd like to be staying in front of the truck, that's true, yeah dude.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's so wild, joe. Was there anything that you guys had to do special, uh, behind the scenes, to make sure that the truck got to the finish line first?
Speaker 9:you know, no, not really after qualifying. Um, uh, robert and neil mason had came over to our little compound there and insinata and the three of us worked on the truck together, just kind of tidied things up and made sure it was happy and yeah, we just had a good truck. We had a great truck and, like I say, toby was able to manage it.
Speaker 2:And yeah, like I say, really, we had a couple little issues throughout the day, but Brent was able to adjust it on the fly and and kept the skeleton thing up well, we, we talked about it before and I asked this question to most of the professional guys, even menzies and all those guys but like qualifying is so important now, like I feel like desert racing, like it didn't used to be like this. Right now I feel like it's like imso or like supercross Qualifying is everything. Does it feel like that to you guys too?
Speaker 9:For sure. No qualifying is huge. I can say this was the first time in a long time pretty much opening up the road, so there's some extra nerves there because the dust is settled from the bike guys and cattle has wandered back out onto the course and people are trying to drive to their spot where they want to come through.
Speaker 3:There's no dust to catch either. You can't get excited and go after somebody.
Speaker 9:Correct. And it's just you don't know. You know you come over a hill and you don't know what to expect. Like you say, a cow, horse, goats. You know what I mean.
Speaker 7:So it's a little, it was a little nerve-wracking, but uh, yeah, I say it's just, it's there's no dust, so that's good does that put more pressure on you, toby yeah, for us it's nice to have no dust, for sure, and, um, for sure it's that the pressure is always there on qualifying day because you pretty much have to run at 99.9% in that whole lap to be in that probably top 10 group.
Speaker 7:But, like I say, I think if you can be in that top four, top five group, you've got a really good chance of being able to do well in the race. Doesn't necessarily mean you need to be out in front straight off this, off the bat, because I guess, um, as joe was saying, you deal with a lot of extra stuff that, um, yeah, cows wandering back on the track and um, and, and everybody probably shifting another spot to try and get to another place to watch from or something, and um, yeah, to deal with that straight off, uh, straight up it. It's definitely difficult and a lot more to manage, but at the end of the day we can see what's in front of us, which is sometimes a bit of a help. Like it's just scary when you're passing people actually on the race course, driving the race course, and you're like, well, a truck 20 seconds behind me off my back door and driving in the dust Like it's, you're not going to see them.
Speaker 7:You're not gonna see him and you're in a pretty high risk of, um, yeah, either hurting somebody else or hurting another racer and it's like so, yeah, you you're a little nervous on that, but yeah, you, you've got that clean air and that fresh run. Um, it definitely makes the job a little easier to not get any flat tires and stuff like that. So it's, um, yeah, a big help for sure. But we, we enjoy the qualifying. I love to be able to um, get one that, uh, joe gibbs engine out um to about 8 000 rpm and let it sink and um, yeah, get back as quick as we can yeah, that was funny too, like we, ryan and I were sitting there qualifying.
Speaker 2:He just pulled up and I was talking to joe on the starting line while you guys were in the truck. And I go, I'm just going to stand over there by the rear tire and just watch it eat dude, Just eat it up. It did look pretty cool. Is it easy to knock out those qualifying laps like that? Because I feel like, with the way that everybody's been driving, because what was it?
Speaker 3:Just a few seconds between you and I think it was 10 seconds dude like between the top five, that's like Moto, shit right. Like you've got to be on point yeah 100%.
Speaker 7:You've got to be on point with that qualifying lap and, yeah, I think we had just shy of three seconds over Alan, which he won the San Felipe 250 race. We're in a good battle with him, so he's um definitely on the move in the qualifyings, and that now. And um, yeah, we were able to, yeah, get it up the front, which was, which was nice, but it's um, yeah, you, you can't make a mistake and that's uh, that's probably the most pressure of the whole weekend, because you can um make one little mistake and if the truck's upside down, you really have to start right. And uh, robert and neil, uh, well, robert preps our truck for us at um at mason, which is uh super helpful as well. I'm sure he wouldn't be too pumped uh, doing a late night over at our place, uh, trying to put the truck back into shape and also well, so it's um, yeah, it's definitely um one one place. You can uh really lose the whole weekend to be a good weekend, but, um, you need to be at near that front and you need to be on the gas and um, yeah, trying to give it the best start that you can possibly get one of the things that I was thinking about that's like, uh, I don't want to say you have an advantage, but you kind of do right, like coming from moto, the, the qualifying, some guys that race desert, right, it takes them an hour to get going right like it's they got to get warmed up, they got to get going and for that qualifying, like you got to be like milliseconds or like right on point yeah, it's like super
Speaker 7:gross, like you just got to go all in 100 percent. That's, um, the biggest thing. Yeah, you got. You got to flick that switch, um, and go from being cool, calm, collected to basically wide open and full gas in a matter of split seconds. And coming from the motorcycle background, I think that definitely helps us a fair bit as well, because on a motorcycle it's life or death sometimes and you can really really injure yourself if you're not on point and just, yeah, clicking every single time and yeah, that's like at the San Felipe race. I just didn't feel like I clicked too well, so we took a bit of a conservative run there and we still end up being third. But yeah, that day there I felt on point, I liked that area where we qualify and yeah, everything just seemed to match in perfect and, uh, as soon as you cross that line, you, uh, you try and flick that switch off as quickly as you can and save some energy for, uh, for the race day.
Speaker 3:but I mean really like, and how fast you guys are going being able. Like you said, san felipe, you weren't feeling it and you were able to back it down a little bit and not go out and do something dumb. That's what put you in the position you're in. You know you could have went out and hung it out and did some stupid mess up the truck and you'd have been going backwards, you know exactly, that's right and I think that just comes from the motorcycle background a little bit.
Speaker 7:It's um, some days you're a days and some are not, and um, yeah, just that, that qualifying didn't feel that great. So I was like, well, let's just bring a good truck in, we'll bring it in a good position. I know I can be in the top five side. As long as we can be in there, we'll have a good chance. And yeah, we were running really good at San Felipe 250 and caught up to the back of Alan. I knew I didn't have to pass him so I was just sitting out the back of his dust making sure we didn't get a flat tire and then, um, yeah, one silly, uh hundred dollar bolt seeing himself and, um, that's it done on dust. So it's uh, yeah, but it's um, it's yeah. Sometimes it's a love-hate relationship with this sport. Sometimes it's um, sometimes good to you and sometimes bad hey.
Speaker 2:So we get a lot of positive comments and stuff like that. It made me think of, uh, some of the younger people that are obviously fans of yours, and I always like to ask people this, because you can provide a lot of motivation and a lot of guidance to a lot of these younger drivers that are out there. There's a lot of kids racing utvs now, you know, anywhere from 12 years old all the way up to, you know, 20 in their mid-20s. What's something that you would tell them to do like you've said a couple of times here is like keep your brain or keep your wits about you during the race. Like what's some advice that you would give to these kids to be able to be in a Toby Price position in the future?
Speaker 7:Yeah, for me it's always just dream big, yeah, and take every opportunity with both hands. It's yeah, there's like, there's some days it's um, it's, it's, it's nice to win, for sure. But just some days these things don't click and when you can kind of, yeah, remember how that feels that these days aren't clicking, um, yeah, it's there the day you just gotta maybe back it down a little bit, um, chase some championship points and and and look after it and um, yeah, it's. It's definitely a difficult thing, but it's.
Speaker 7:It's great to see so many young kids coming through and following um in my footsteps with motorcycles and hopefully now with with some car stuff and uh, but yeah, it's just um, keep at it, um, don't give up on it. And yeah, it's, it's hard work, it's um, it it's not all handed to you on a silver platter and actually, yeah, you do the work and yeah, good things will come, and that's what I've always kind of ran by. And, as long as you're good to the fans that support you, yeah, the sport will love you back and keep you going.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 100%. Joe, I think you agree with that too. Right Like you don't have to be the racer, you can also be a crew guy. But you got to have that never give up attitude, like toby said yeah, for sure, for sure.
Speaker 9:You can't. You know, even after after this baja 500 win, after the dust settled for a couple days, you know, and the crew was still in america on stateside, we all kind of got together and what, what happened and how did this go and what do we need to change? And, like I said, you can't give up, you gotta keep. You gotta keep pushing forward and everybody else is pushing, so you gotta keep one step ahead if you can. And that's like say, just just keep, keep moving forward. It ain't easy, there's no doubt about it.
Speaker 2:Speaking speaking of moving forward toby.
Speaker 7:Does that mean you're going to keep letting your hair grow? I'm trying, mate, but I think that's why I keep this cap on pretty solid. She's starting to get pretty thin on top, so she's been a stressful few months for me as of late. But yeah, look, we're trying to grow it out, but it's a long off-growth, don't worry. It's been like a three, eight, nine nine year growth, so it's not that long for eight, nine years.
Speaker 2:So hey that that wind will make it grow a little bit more. It's like yeah, hey, release the stress thank you guys very much for joining us. We really appreciate both of you guys taking the time, hey, and congratulations on getting that, uh monkey, off your back.
Speaker 7:Dude, you guys crushed it, so you should be proud of yourself, thank you yeah for sure, thanks guys, thanks for having us on and, yeah, appreciate everything, so we'll see you at the 400.
Speaker 3:Later, guys, see you. Guys Talk to you soon, yep.
Speaker 2:All right, so we're going to get Haley Hine and Caden McCachran they're going to come on. Oh, our dream team. They're talking about their win in the utv class. Uh, so plaris factory racing uh, comes away, comes home with another win? Uh, as well, that's pretty cool to see. And you know what's crazy, ryan, that I think about, like whenever I think about the utvs, is, I don't know we talked about, I feel like it's a broken record, but they're like, seriously closing the gap like they're going so fast.
Speaker 3:What was crazy to me was my dad when we were watching. He's like, all right, we'll stay for the 10 cars and then start leaving. I'm like, uh, let's wait for the utvs. My dad's like, oh, that's gonna be another hour or so. Sure shit, like two 10 cars come by and then here comes caden.
Speaker 2:That's how fast they're going. It's crazy right hi hey hi george, hi ryan, hey, hold on one sec hey, joe whining, you gotta hit the button, dude, like it's crazy, right, hi Haley, hi George, hi Ryan, hey O, hold on one sec. Hey, joe Winning, you got to hit the button, dude, like click that thing off, otherwise Caden's not going to be able to come in. Dude, there we go, all right, so let's get Caden on here. How's your day, haley?
Speaker 1:It's pretty good. I'm sunburnt. I'm five days in. I'm chasing IndyCars around.
Speaker 3:Oh, back to IndyCar life huh.
Speaker 2:Yeah, holy cow, motorsports, life Kane, what's up?
Speaker 11:How are you guys?
Speaker 3:We're doing very well. How are?
Speaker 11:you, you look angry. I was just bashing in all the good things you guys are saying about me. Oh, perfect.
Speaker 3:I mean, maybe we'll go the other way with it. Yeah, should I mean, maybe we'll go the other way with it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, should we get all crazy? Yeah, hey. So first of all, congratulations to both of you guys.
Speaker 3:Big winner, thank you.
Speaker 2:Thank you. So I texted Nelson earlier. I'm like dude, that purple car man Can't sleep on the purple car.
Speaker 3:What happened to the window net?
Speaker 10:Who's going to?
Speaker 3:explain it.
Speaker 11:The window net seemed to be a strategic weight shedding and, oh, some people seem to think that's the reason I won. So uh, maybe, maybe uh you know it definitely wasn't on purpose, but um yeah, we had a little accident about mile 40 um, but I'm not gonna talk about it I love how everybody can always bitch about something though, though.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, freaking window net Haley, how was the race?
Speaker 2:for you. Give us a little bit of a breakdown from the passenger seat.
Speaker 1:Super uneventful. Not having to get out has been perfect for three races in a row. I got to say this is probably the most I've ever talked in a race. I was calling notes over the notes. We were in-depth a lot of time, so it was a lot of reading the line and making sure that we were as far as we could get into the turn before we had to turn and whatnot.
Speaker 2:Was that stressful?
Speaker 1:or what I wouldn't say. It was stressful, it was, I don't know, it wasn't bad.
Speaker 3:Was it just different? You're not used to talking that much. I know Caden just likes to drive, don't bother him.
Speaker 1:We have our notes pretty dialed on the setup we have that I don't have to do much work, but this time I did.
Speaker 2:Caden, was it pretty. I don't know. When you say she was talking the whole time, does that make it different for you, or do you just like to go?
Speaker 11:he wasn't I think she said this is this is the most she's ever talked in a race. It's probably the least I've ever listened in a race. So, uh, I, uh, I, um good to have somebody like speaking to you in your ear and keeping you on course, but, um, I'm I pre-run pretty well and know the course, but obviously, like she said, when you're in the dust, you kind of can't pre-run the dust too much.
Speaker 2:So she's definitely super helpful in the car and seem like we're making a pretty good team here, yeah yeah, well, clearly, yeah, but the when you talk about the dust, right, like so we just talked about when we were talking to toby, we just talked about passing dirt bikes and, like you, you guys have a totally different job than they did, right, because you're in the dust all day yeah, you got, and they started first with nobody in front of them yeah, you got faster cars ahead of you.
Speaker 2:like the job or the task to win is almost completely different because you have a completely different race course with all the trucks going. You got like people in front of you with faster cars Like, does it? I don't even know, like what is it like being in the driver's seat?
Speaker 11:It's pretty hectic. But I mean, I always say that I like it super difficult, like when the races are super hard and people, you know, get upset about the race courses becoming more difficult and more difficult. But I like it On the dust side of things. It does make it more difficult and, again, I like that kind of aspect to it. I think it brings a aspect of having to slow down once in a while and not always just going as fast as you can. I don't like going too fast. I, like you know know, chilling out and just cruising for most of the day and, um, after a little more technical mile, about mile 200, we did kind of just cruise the rest of the day. So, um, yeah, it's fun, but uh, it sometimes getting in the dust is pretty uh climactic. I would say it gets scary once in a while when you can't see nothing does?
Speaker 3:does caden get like? Does he get excited when he sees this, or is he like no, just tell me where to go I.
Speaker 1:I don't think it's excitement for anybody, but um it. It makes it different when you can see three helicopters ahead of you and you just know you're going to be in heavy truck dust for a second here, so you got to hang on either way. I mean, that's off-road racing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, but that's using your tool set to make those decisions. You know, what's funny is that you guys bring this up and I still remember oh, nice dude, jealous. Uh, your dad was the one that gave me the best answer. I go how do you go fast in the dust, can you like see through it? He goes no, you just slow down. Yeah, like that, that was it. Yeah, but that's it. But he's right, like that's the way that you do it. And one of the other things that I noticed when you were talking, kid, and as you said, I like to chill or I like to. You know, have a good pace, ryan, that pace is still fast as f I Cooking, chilling.
Speaker 3:His chilling is way faster than anyone's about me again Making my ego go up, take it while you can buddy.
Speaker 2:Exactly. You don't want us racing against you, dude, it's not going to work out very well, george will just stop for tacos every five miles.
Speaker 11:As long as he brings me something, I might be stoked on it yeah.
Speaker 2:So what was some of the most eventful things that happened, or was it a pretty chill race?
Speaker 11:um, I said I said this at the finish line, but that that section from mile one to the finish was all pretty hectic I would say and it kind of always is that way and um with the classes that start in front of you, with with how fast a lot of our competitors and even everybody on my team is so fast that you've got to keep the pace rolling, and any time you're stopped it's just going to kill you. So I'm really focused on no stop time, and that does mean you have to slow down once in a while, because most of those mistakes are made when you're driving over your head. So I never drive over my head. I don't think it makes any sense to do it. So there's times, when you're in the dust, though, that you just you know you have to get through it and you can't see anything and you can't slow down. It's not an option.
Speaker 3:But I don't think a lot of people realize how tight the start-finish 40 miles is, like it's not wide open desert, you're literally single file through a lot of it.
Speaker 11:Yeah yeah, so we, we're obviously, you know, back in the mid maybe, maybe almost 100th car off the line, um, four-wheel vehicle, and I don't know the exact time frame on that, but um, but everybody behind the trophy truck starts 30 seconds apart. So let's just say that's. You know, 40 vehicles. You know that's 80 minutes of of cars. Yeah, sorry, it's 20 minutes of cars. Whatever the, however the math works out on, it's just they're just not a math right?
Speaker 11:no, definitely not a math guy. But there's, they're super stacked up in front of you and you know the guy you're trying to pass is trying to pass the guy ahead of him, so he's doesn't gonna, he's not gonna let you buy and you don't expect him to. But, um, there it's definitely a lot of cars and a lot not a lot of mileage. So that first 40 miles is like kind of the only thing I ever like pray to get through is just, you know, get me to case any seven, get me to OOS and um.
Speaker 3:I'll be good the rest of the day, but kind of take a breath.
Speaker 11:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it kind of sounds like like when he explains it like that, right now, I know, like cause I wouldn't want anybody talking to me, I'd want to be like fully focused if I had to deal with all this. And and I'm not saying that bad about haley, I'm just saying like in general, like anything, but like you have to have that level of focus because everything that caden just said is going through his head every two seconds, every half a second, like well, and you have to have the trust of the person next to you that they're going to tell you the right thing, that haley's not going to say right and it's a left or whatever.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean that's what notes are for right yep notes are for don't catch me in the last 10 minutes though, because after 10 hours of talking, I forget oh, all you can do is just think about the tacos, I guess, or french fries sleep for hay blowing bubble.
Speaker 3:Good bubbles, good For real.
Speaker 2:Was there anything that happened, on course, that you were like? Because, I like to debrief after the races. Right, and you want to always do better. Was there anything that you were like? You know what?
Speaker 11:I definitely could have cleaned that up. Not necessarily, you know, I think you know you're taking what's given to you most of the time in the race and you know, know, if you're not given a good set of cards, you can't play them well. So you know, you just you know their opportunities arise when you feel like you're not in a great spot. But the guy behind you could be in a bad spot too, and it's no biggie. We got up over mike's down, down for mike's mile 300 and whatever 320, and had almost a 10 minute lead, um, so from there it was like, okay, sweet, this is gonna be an easy day, I'm gonna cruise this and no problems.
Speaker 11:And we got to the crossover road at mile 340. So I had about 20 miles of thinking I'm gonna, I'm gonna just drive in sonata pre-run day. And then we caught a bunch of truck dust and we just sat in truck dust for a good 80 miles straight, um, and that not. You know, I lost almost you know three or four minutes um to the car behind me there and it was like, uh-oh, this might not turn out well. Thankfully I built that gap to where it never got that close. We were able to work through the trucks super patiently and got over to Europe and back in Ojos with clean air. We were good from there. How's?
Speaker 2:the pace been since last year. Haley, have you got to? I don't know understand how much faster you guys are going now than you did before, because it seems like it's quite a bit faster.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think from the start of the Polaris team the pace has been fast, from these four drivers especially and with everybody else.
Speaker 2:But I think it's just growing and growing and growing and it's going to keep getting faster so long as everybody keeps pushing these cars as hard as they can yeah, it seems like it's pretty wild, right like I, and I hear talk, you know, behind the scenes of people getting wider cars, getting faster cars, different suspension components, like it just blows me away how crazy fast these things can go yeah, I remember riding in george's uh pro r when he first got it.
Speaker 3:I'm like this thing is stock and we're killing barstow right now I couldn't imagine being in a car like you guys are racing yeah, well, that's.
Speaker 1:The thing too is as you were saying, people are building wider cars and more shocks and everything, but we're taking basically stock pro rs and running that same pace and leading the pace, which is crazy it's gotta feel pretty good to be going that fast too, especially because you've driven the faster cars too.
Speaker 2:I mean, I remember seeing you was it the first time, I think, when you're in lafayette and you drove your dad's truck, uh two years ago about it yeah, yeah 2022 because
Speaker 6:that two-day race.
Speaker 2:That was a completely different like uh, I don't want to say it was out of your wheelhouse, but like that was a completely different thing than you know drinking the rs1 or whatever cars you were using.
Speaker 2:Rs1 the trophy truck and yeah, yeah, and to see the level that you achieved, like there I mean, like some of the techniques that we talked about this before like you you're braking and your throttle control and the way that you manipulated the vehicle. And then you know I don't want to say going down, but going to the UTV now that you're driving, like you're taking all that stuff and you're making it like next level, it's pretty cool to see, dude.
Speaker 11:What I can say to all that is we have a, we have a little race shop down in Vista and I'm starting to not call it a race shop anymore and called calling it a speed factory, because those guys are just like producing speed and I don't know like I'm not really changing anything or driving any differently or faster, and the cars are going faster and I can say that we have a lot more left to go. We're kind of just, we just got our feet under us about six months ago here, four or six months ago, and now we're really on a roll, um, to start, you know, pushing, pushing these cars. Um, before it was like okay, new car, new team.
Speaker 3:Um, let's figure out and go smoothly, you know absolutely.
Speaker 11:And and now it's like, okay, well, we kind of have a good base. This car's, this car's, the the gen 2s we just came out with at san felipe are incredible and the next step further of the ETV progression. And now we're starting to, you know, make speed. Between the Vista Shop SCI and the guys back in Minnesota there's a good amount of people that are devoted to trying to make these cars faster and that's ultimately up to us us four drivers and four navigators on this Polaris team to prove that product. And we're doing it so far and I'm going to do everything I can to keep doing it.
Speaker 11:And I'm sure Craig, max and Brock are all the same and I'm just super thankful to have that team behind me, making it really easy on me just to focus on these races. And it's going to be super hard to beat for anybody, but they're trying and they're trying harder every day. And we're going to Vegas Trino here in a couple months and got a couple couple guys we haven't raced yet and I'm stoked on that and I'm sure they're stoked to race us. Um, hopefully, at the end of the race they're not stoked to race us. That's what we're working on, you know just making sure we get there and we have every opportunity to win that race well, you guys are doing a great job, say so.
Speaker 2:The last question that I have for you guys what'd you guys do to celebrate?
Speaker 11:really went to sleep for like three days straight, pretty much. Yeah, yeah, we got. I'll let her speak. But we got to the finish line and I I sat around there a little bit waiting for travis was driving the red park, travis clark was driving for scandinav's car, waited him to get to the finish line and then after that it was, you know, straight to the hotel. Um Walked into the room, I showered, got out of the shower, she showered, I went and walked outside to say thank you to everybody, their heads down, packing everything up, ready to go home. And then I walked back into the room 10 minutes later and she was under the covers. I'm pretty sure she was under the pillow, not on top of the pillow. So she slept for a good little bit there. But yeah, not much celebrating, just really focusing on the next one.
Speaker 2:Haley's just in her cocoon. That really was that's awesome Well you guys did a great job, so congratulations and thanks for taking the time out of your guys' busy schedules to hang out and talk with us.
Speaker 10:Good job.
Speaker 11:Two times up.
Speaker 11:I want to thank you and all the other partners that are on the Polaris team, bfg, vp, fox Method, all those guys Rigid, synchrony, progressive Each of those companies, for the most part, has changed something or developed something for this team and they're putting that product into their retail space. So that's a big part of what I'm thankful about doing retail space. So that's a big part of what I'm thankful about doing. Is, you know, for example, last year we came out with a um BFG 35 KR2, uh, utv slash side-by-side tire and uh, that that's. You know, we were the flagship, flagship team to run that tire and we won the thousand on the tire last year. So I'm I'm pretty stoked to, you know, keep working with those partners and building a cooler stuff for their companies and and using it on my personal stuff as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, dude, when I get my version 2 Pro R, I'm getting that progressive insurance. Dude. Got to keep that thing in mind.
Speaker 3:Smart. Thanks, guys, we'll see you guys later.
Speaker 1:Later guys. Thank you, George, Thank you, ryan, bye All right.
Speaker 2:So up next we got next, we should have a drum roll. Up next we got, next we should have a drum roll. I have the list. Green Army. Dude, it's your boy.
Speaker 3:Green Army. Nobody said Dan was going to be on the show.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Dan the man let's see here.
Speaker 3:Somebody's telling me to calm down on the language over here. Who is Emily?
Speaker 2:What did you say? You say a bad word.
Speaker 3:I said bug, oh, just gave me a dirty look. Well, we got it, man, there we go. Oh, dude Look at.
Speaker 8:Dan.
Speaker 2:He looks like a cop right now.
Speaker 6:He's a wannabe cop.
Speaker 2:Justin Davis and Dan Eckhart. What's up, dude?
Speaker 3:How are you guys doing so? First things first, congratulations, dude, bringing home that dog.
Speaker 2:I'm beginning to see a trend here.
Speaker 3:You're going with all the winners I mean kind of, you should have just called this the winner's show, dude.
Speaker 2:I just wanted to say like I felt like, because I did the same thing when I was looking at the list yesterday and I was was like dude, we got some pretty cool friends, yeah, hey. So we asked everybody kind of the same questions. But I'm going to ask you guys first, what was the worst thing that happened that day?
Speaker 6:Probably right off the start. Something was wrong. We didn't know at the time, but as soon as the truck would land off any kind of roller it would just terribly grind and vibrate the whole truck. So we didn't even. I mean, I knew I thought at ohost it was going to be one of those days where we would just be like this is not our day again. But uh, come to find out, our drive shaft was actually a half inch too long, so that thing was trying to shove to the back of the tranny for 480 miles. It made it the whole way. It made it the whole way.
Speaker 6:So dang it probably was aggressive ground down a bunch of those gears inside there and smooth itself out and it was one of those were like, when you heard the noise you're like that is, that is terminal, that not going to make it. But we got to Ojos, they checked the truck out, they're like, well, we can't visibly see anything, so just keep driving until something falls out or blows up. So yeah, and we kind of thought we're like, well, maybe it's bedside rubbing, maybe it's something small, just like, just keep keep driving and we'll see what happens. You know we got a long race, um, but yeah, it was too long. I mean it messed up some stuff but it made it so.
Speaker 3:But the whole time, the whole race, every time the truck would compress, it would grind and you're the whole time you're, you're just trying to figure out what the hell's going on yeah, in your mind, in the back of your head, it took us a little bit like is this gonna make it?
Speaker 6:like this can't be, this can't be good, like that noise is not good so, and what's the move?
Speaker 2:you just cross your fingers and like, when he's getting to, like mile 10, like left over, like mile nine, mile seven, like, and you're just like, oh, he's almost there so funny story is uh, we didn't know what it was, but we just to keep him calm, we just told him it was a tire rubbing a new bedside.
Speaker 3:Some body fitment issues. We knew that was not the million.
Speaker 6:No, no, that was directly coming into our butt, cheeks, we knew that was not bedside rubbish.
Speaker 2:I can feel it grinding, though.
Speaker 6:Yeah, so that was. It was stressful all day just listening to that noise, like it literally was there all day, and the closer you got to the finish line you're like please don't just break now, like don't do this. When we're looking at, you know, looking at Ensenada, and you know something falls out the back of the truck.
Speaker 8:It sounds like dude just forget about it, go. Yeah, we checked everything and we said that's probably the bad side and that's what we thought, but obviously it wasn't.
Speaker 2:So did Justin? Does it make a difference to you or are you just like? You know what?
Speaker 6:I'm just going to give her the beans and let her ride um, I mean it kind of played a little bit of a part, like we in some of the sections we did not push like we could have, like I'd say we drove most a day like 65, just because, you know, at the time we didn't know what it was. So we're like, well, it's going at this pace and not breaking, it's not getting worse. So like why push it? You know we're still up in front and, um, you know, after like mile 140 or something, we were first. Physically we might not have been on time, but you know we don't really pay too much of the trackers early in the race because they're jumping all over the place. They're not. You know, it's not really the accurate. Who's leading the race?
Speaker 3:yeah, people are all stacked up on each other yeah.
Speaker 6:So we kind of got out front, kind of just set the pace and then just kind of pace raced it. You know didn't take, you know, too many chances. You know got around some stuff in the dust and just real patient. You know we didn't want to get a flat, just keep it moving. You know, in this class you know you don't want to stop, you don't want to lose any time everything comes down to seconds, especially in this class, so we just went in. The game plan is yeah, it's not right, something's broken, but we're just gonna persevere and not try to worry too much about it and see how all the cards lay out. Do you like leading better do?
Speaker 2:you like being in the dust?
Speaker 6:it kind of depends, like when you're out front I mean in spec truck theory, you're always in the dust because we don't get to start. You know, towards the front of the faster truck you're always in the dust because we don't get to start, you know, towards the front of the faster truck. So we're in class ones, we're in the slower trucks and the legends. So we're never really clean air. I would say there's always something we're catching. So you know, sometimes it's better to chase, you know. But I think for this race, because we had issues and we were having vibrations, of that, it worked out in our favor because we didn't have to push too hard. You know, we kind of pushed towards the end when we got maybe a little bit close, but we just set the pace and make them make mistakes and try to chase us.
Speaker 2:You know they're having to get through all the other stuff we get, try to put as many cars in between us and them, and it worked out, dan does that change the way that you guys do things on the back end, like if the the logistics do, you have to manage the race from the well, from the front and the back? Like you telling them all right, push the truck only to 65% because you got three dudes that are 10 minutes behind, but if they got closer would you tell them to raise up the pace.
Speaker 8:I like to say yes and I like to say no at the same time. So you don't want to give him the wrong times and let him lollygag back and try and conserve the vehicle, but then you also don't want to have him push the vehicle too hard. So it kind of plays a ballpark. It's a ballpark figure on for chase crews. You got to be accurate on splits, but you also don't want to give him the wrong timing as well, so it all kind of plays into field when it comes to it's all a mental game too.
Speaker 3:You don't want to stress justin out and think he's way behind.
Speaker 8:And then, hey, well, and with this thing, yeah, with this class it's there's so many competitive guys where you have to be on it 100 and one critical error can just cost you the race, you know. I mean, I mean this race we kind of won by a larger gap due to the herps having an issue towards the back but, uh, towards the finish, but again it's, it's usually down to 10, 20, 30 seconds usually. So you have to be on your, your a game at all aspects well, that's what I was.
Speaker 2:When it comes to that's kind of where I was going with. It is because, like we were pretty much on your guys back door the whole time right and then so you guys didn't have very much time to manage and then right at the end pierce obviously tipped it over a little bit, so you guys had that little bit of a cushion, but that was only for a few minutes compared to the whole day yeah yeah, I mean it's just we know.
Speaker 6:We know these races are close, so you just just minimize your mistakes and keep it moving. And if you're out front and you're keeping moving, it's hard to beat. I don't care who's out front.
Speaker 8:When you're making the dust and they're having to chase through your dust, it's hard to beat, yeah, what plays. Another hard aspect in this race is we actually race two cars. Justin's younger brother races in a Maverick r? Um as well and he had problems early on and, uh, jeremy's other driver hits a car in a silt bed at race mile 40 outside. Oh. So it played a whole different game into aspect where I kind of jumped off the truck and helped try to get the car uh back together, which we weren't able to. So having two cars is hard, especially cars that are on a different pace.
Speaker 3:Yeah, completely different pace and the.
Speaker 8:UTV. I mean they're fast, but they're just again. The fuel reach is the same.
Speaker 3:There's so many aspects. It's not like Jeremy was racing the pro turbo class or whatever. He's in the stock class, so he starts further back too.
Speaker 2:Not saying it's a lesser class, but just how far back he is, because there's such a big gap in where the chase trucks need to go.
Speaker 6:We usually have to have a truck in between the pits for Jeremy, was there a?
Speaker 3:mileage of what? 100 miles, 120 miles, if that?
Speaker 6:Yeah, yeah, I mean there always is close, yeah, push on it?
Speaker 4:Was there a close call, Justin?
Speaker 6:I mean there always is close calls. I mean it's off-road racing, you know, off to start.
Speaker 3:I got a pretty good video of you blowing a turn, so that's not going to get you. I mean that happens.
Speaker 6:I mean I think that first 120 miles before the summit was pretty stressful, just because I mean we were behind Abdali.
Speaker 3:We couldn't see right the bumper for like 100 miles we were just in the dirt and you knew in the dub abdali was going to push.
Speaker 6:Yeah, we kind of last. It seems like every race, me and abdali start right right with each other. So we've kind of, you know, we knew we could run with him. We just, you know, played it smart. Um, we actually caught him going up the summit. He went right at the Y and I went left. Not normally we go left, but I'm like, hey, let's try it. We're sitting in gut. Sometimes it might not be his fast line, but he can see, so maybe we can get around him. And we literally popped out like door to door and I knew I was on the outside, I knew he wasn't going to give it to me, he was going to take off, which we all would have done the same thing. So, but we just, we just kind of in the beginning just try to be patient.
Speaker 6:That first 100 miles was pretty gnarly, that, especially that right after ohos. Um, we almost actually like t-boned san petro because we were in this such heavy dust and my co-driver told me, hey, we gotta turn left. I'm like, uh, where he's like, no, you gotta turn left, turn left. I'm like, okay, so we just turn left and I literally like monster trucked over a big old tree and as the tree came down, uh, he was like looking at us. I'm like, well, and the vcp ping. I'm like, okay, well, I guess we can go this way. So yeah, I mean that's that beginning is always. Uh, it's always a mess. That first 80 miles it's just, it's a hectic, there's a lot going on. You know, you barely even warmed up. You're just like just trying to get through it and get to the open desert where you can actually go racing yeah, totally so, dan, there's a couple things that we you guys have talked about, like, obviously, the the drive shaft issue.
Speaker 2:You guys are going to work on that, but, um, a lot of the guys, like some of our our favorite shows on the dirt life have been, you know, fabricator shows and behind the scenes shows of stuff that happens behind the scenes, not just the racing portion of it. When you have a race like this, you have so many moving parts that are happening. How do you keep the team and manage everything that's going on?
Speaker 8:It's not one person, it's a group of a lot of people putting in a lot of time and effort to get to the race, and that's not even including the actual race. So it's not one person, it's not Justin, it's not me, it's not David and Troy in the shop, jeremy, it's, it's everyone, it's a group effort. Chase guys, like I said, it's all got to sync up to make it work Right, and so to come out on top in this class is is is definitely an achievement itself.
Speaker 2:It's Ryan at Vision Wheel doing all the work.
Speaker 3:Me, I'm out here.
Speaker 8:I'm keeping dan in line. All right, yeah, if he doesn't know how to put in a tpms sensor by now.
Speaker 3:We need to figure they yeah we gotta figure it out, okay.
Speaker 2:But, in all seriousness, like it does take a shitload of work to make all this stuff happen, right. And when you say that it's the team, it's not just people, right, it's. When you say that it's the team, it's not just people, right, it's people, it's leaders, it's workers, it's everybody doing their job and staying in sync the whole time. I mean, it's almost like an orchestra when you think about it, because you had two cars in completely different parts of Mexican Peninsula and you have to manage all that stuff. So, first of all, kudos to you. But when you think about it, there's a lot that can be learned when we talk about all this stuff, or newbies that are coming into it and for everybody that's listening to the show. So what are the tips that you can give somebody that's wanting to be part of a team?
Speaker 7:Like, do you just stay in your lane Are you structured?
Speaker 2:Do you try to be a leader?
Speaker 3:I have a good one on this. I always have told people just you know, learn and work to your capability. Don't be the guy that knows everything. Don't be the guy trying to do everything you know. Be the guy learning and working with your strengths. I mean the guys that think they know everything are going to mess up the race. You know, yeah, they do something stupid.
Speaker 5:Right Something new. Every race right, you just got to every race race.
Speaker 8:You know, yeah, you do something stupid right, something new every race, right. You just gotta. Every race you learn more, you learn more and you're gonna have issues this race and we're already addressing those issues that we had. So every race you learn something and you gotta fix it and the next race will have other problems and well, and you gotta, and there's just straight up mexico problems you never know what's going to happen down there Mexico.
Speaker 6:Mexico teaches you something every time.
Speaker 2:That's actually a really good way to put it.
Speaker 6:You can plan, you can prepare everything. Everything's good. And then Mexico as soon as the race takes off, just all throw that out the window and start over.
Speaker 2:We're going to get Christopher Pavorti on real quick. Why don't you throw a shout out to everybody that helped you? Justin, throw that out the window. All right, we're gonna get uh, christopher for christopher pulvordi on real quick.
Speaker 6:Uh, why don't you throw a shout?
Speaker 2:out to everybody that helped you justin oh, you know.
Speaker 6:You know just everybody again, like the whole crew that comes down. You know it's all. You know volunteers. So you know they put their time on. You know get off work and all the stuff to come down and help us and try to succeed, to be, you know, to win. You know all of our guys put in a lot of effort to help us win and do a good job. And you know, obviously, all the guys behind the other scenes. You know Toyo, tires, ryan, vision, you guys, everybody that helps us out, rigid, just everybody that really puts in the time We've been working for three years.
Speaker 6:People that sit behind us. You know we've had a couple years of just no luck. You know three years people that sit behind us. You know we've had a couple years of just no luck. You know we just couldn't get the right. Something would go wrong or something happened. So finally you know we got the right truck I think the tisco truck and um, it's showing. We got second at san felipe. We won the 500. So we're in good points, obviously a good battle with the herps and we're looking for the rest of the year and we're just going to do our best, put our heads down, fix the problems we had at the last race and, uh, even try to come out even better for the 400 I gotcha and dan yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 8:I mean justin nailed it on the head and it's it's a group effort. Uh, obviously uh couldn't do it without justin's parents, uh and uh the wives, and we have the munchkins and kids that we have to fumble through all this too. So it's a battle, like I said, just to get to races with everyone. But nobody could do it without the support and sponsors, and Ryan as well. So we'll have to get Ryan in Jeremy's car when there's eventually rain.
Speaker 3:Yeah, when I can fit in there and I have to lose about a foot, I'd personally like to just too small.
Speaker 2:I'd personally just like to thank Troy for not choking me out at qualifying, because he was so frustrated with the live stream. So thank you very much, troy.
Speaker 6:Troy, he's getting a little old. On me he's been out of work since his back's been all messed up. I guess I beat him up too much.
Speaker 2:He was trying to take some of that effort out on me.
Speaker 6:I think, because he rewired it like seven times now. So I think finally that it was working. He was okay. But now his back hurts and he's been out of work for like four days. All right, he's old and grumpy.
Speaker 2:I'll give him tacos one of these days. Thanks, boys, we really appreciate it. Congratulations to the entire team. Go Green Army.
Speaker 3:Go Green Army Later. Guys Love you too, ryan.
Speaker 2:Yeah, let's see if we can get Christopher Polvorti on here.
Speaker 3:Is he live streaming from his plane? We in the system right now.
Speaker 2:We're going to test him with him in a little while. You want to go, let's go.
Speaker 3:I should have some new wheels for him here real soon, some cool ones, some cool shiny ones, nice Shiny gold boys.
Speaker 2:Let's see if Chris wants to jump on. Sometimes he gets busy, so we'll see if he jumps on. If not, then we will go to our next guys.
Speaker 3:He is a busy kid. For being a young kid, he is doing everything.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's got a lot going on.
Speaker 3:When he manages his whole team, he's the manager.
Speaker 2:It says he's on here, so we'll try that it says it's not letting me join oh, uh, update your instagram app like.
Speaker 3:Go like to your app store and update it typical it response yeah I'm plugging and plug it back in what was going on with you on race day, ryan. I just cruised around Me, my dad, gunnar, and my mom I think we went three different spots Valley Tee, taco Stand I mean that's a must. You went the other way. Yeah, we tried to go over the crossover road, found a semi stuck in the road. Wait what? You didn't hear about that? No, it was a full-blown semi-truck in the middle of the crossover road, Still running hanging off the side of the cliff.
Speaker 3:I'll send you the picture Right between where the course goes through the meadow and where it meets back up with the crossover. That's where we were Dead nuts in the middle blocking the whole road.
Speaker 2:Dude, that's crazy. Yeah, we were on the other side heading back north on the end of the crossover road.
Speaker 3:Oh okay, yeah, you couldn't make it across. You couldn't even get by this thing. How did they reroute everybody? Was that where everybody was? Well, by the time I got there, I called Weatherman and I guess I was the first one that told them what was going on.
Speaker 2:But like, like, no chase truck traffic could get through, dude, that's wild and I don't even know how the truck made it this far well, that that's exactly what you were talking about, though mexico just throws shit right at you, yeah, you think you'd have it all planned out and then all of a sudden there's a semi-truck middle of the crossroad is gunner at home yeah, he's outside doing hot laps on his Stasic right now.
Speaker 3:Oh okay, yeah, he don't got time for Chris Polvorti then. Oh, he's a big Polvorti fan, though. You should have seen him in the pits, really yeah.
Speaker 2:It's not letting him in. What the heck man? Why do you have your shirt off? Let me see If I invite you. Chris, maybe just try to accept that. I'm not sure. Did you update your app on the app store?
Speaker 3:Tech support Tech support All right, so let me download these.
Speaker 2:We're doing a Starlink show inside the van. I don't know if you knew that I was going to say is that a new? Setup. No, we're in a starlink uh show in inside the van. I don't know if you knew I was gonna say is that that a new setup no, we in a van.
Speaker 3:Yeah, oh, he's in the van. Are you down by a river? Yeah well, actually I was by alberto's taco shop, but same thing. Are they just bringing you tacos the whole time?
Speaker 2:no, like I was telling, I was telling regina earlier. I was like, yeah, I just ordered a burrito. I had a blowout Burrito totally took it was a bean and cheese, extra cheese and I got. Okay, he's going to reset his phone, all right, thank you very much, christopher. And I ate one of the chili cerritos and I was like fuck.
Speaker 2:And I didn't have anything left to drink and I just started to show it would have been good if we started, and you're just sweating red face about 10 minutes into the toby price interview, my mouth finally started cooling off.
Speaker 2:But hey, we prevailed good thing, toby can talk yeah, well, dude, honestly, like I, I was really, really surprised like I don't want to say surprised, but I was really I don't know, even know how to say it like it's really getting to be like moto, like qualifying is fucking important yeah, and and he, he obviously has been qualifying phenomenally.
Speaker 3:I think he's like four for four on poles, but to get it all into one where he won it and qualified first, I think that's's huge.
Speaker 2:Is that sustainable? Like can you well, actually, this is a better question Can a trophy truck driver win all four races in one year?
Speaker 3:I mean it's been done, but I don't think they've had the competition like they do, Because you, you can go all the way to 10th place now and pick a guy that could possibly win this. It's wild dude I don't like I don't, remember I don't remember a time of trophy truck racing that had a field so deep. It's like watching the 450 class at supercross. It's like you could pull any one of those guys out and you know roxan will win one day, webs the next day.
Speaker 2:So it's the same thing with trophy trucks now it's freaking crazy man like I love it I love it because it puts so much more.
Speaker 3:Uh, I don't know well, it puts a bigger spotlight on us. You know when, when stuff like this happening, there's sick content coming out, you know. You're putting it out there. So now everyone can see how hard these guys are going yeah, I do think that's cool.
Speaker 2:We can ride along with those guys. Um, hopefully Christopher can get in.
Speaker 3:Speaking of ride along, how was the boat thing?
Speaker 2:Oh, it was wild.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So it's crazy to see like I don't know the level of effort that those guys put in, but they were like they were hauling the mail, Some of those. Let's see what Brian Moore says. Oh, I don't know if Brian Moore is going to be able to join us now either, because he said he's on it. Oh, he's big, he's doing a Raiders film shoot.
Speaker 3:No time for us.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, he said the director is killing him so he's probably not going to be able to join. So hopefully Christopher can figure out his iPhone.
Speaker 3:IT tech support.
Speaker 2:But that both stuff was super cool, dude Super cool.
Speaker 3:Christopher said let Ben Del Taco in yeah, that's his media guy Only if he brings us some Del Taco.
Speaker 2:How many of even see Ben? Ben's got to follow us first, dude, why you got to make my tech support job so much more difficult? Because he's not coming up on my list. Or maybe Ben could just ask to join, because I don't see him on here.
Speaker 3:They must be in the Cessna right now Live stream, who knows?
Speaker 2:Nope, there's no Bandel. Taco dude.
Speaker 3:Big media guys over here, dude, update your phone, son. He said he has Unplug it and plug it back in.
Speaker 2:That's funny and I was going to say should we get Gunnar in here to talk to his favorite?
Speaker 3:Oh, he'll come in here. Full kit Ben Del Taco alright.
Speaker 13:He just joined.
Speaker 2:Come on man, come on, still not popping up Dude. This is getting annoying.
Speaker 3:Maybe Instagram is messing with us.
Speaker 2:Oh, you got a bunch of Baja memorabilia in the background right there. I didn't even see that.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, check that out. See that. All my cool stuff, Jay.
Speaker 2:Rizzle just joined. Is any of those ones the ones that we got down? Oh, yeah, the one on the right.
Speaker 10:Well.
Speaker 3:I only keep the ones up that I earned. I'm like Gunner, who gets finisher medals for just going across the podium.
Speaker 5:Gunner who gets finisher medals for just going across the podium.
Speaker 3:I know that is kind of weird. Gunner hangs his finisher medals in his room and he tells people that's his race trophies, but now he expects T-Stone to give him one every time.
Speaker 2:I invited Ben Del Taco, so let's see if they can get their system to work.
Speaker 3:They're probably in Utah. Maybe it's the Utah state blocking us Internet yeah. No, you can't go live in Utah. They're keeping us out of Utah.
Speaker 2:All right, so I invited him, but I don't know if it's coming through. I invited Ben. I wonder if that is actually like a proxy or something.
Speaker 3:They don't want us hooligans out there.
Speaker 2:Oh, they've logged off. Now I don't even know what to do, man.
Speaker 3:Who was after Christopher?
Speaker 2:Proctor.
Speaker 3:We can always talk to Proctor.
Speaker 2:So Ethan and, oh no, brian Moore, I wonder if we should. Just We've already joined Vandal. Taco was unable to join, so he needs to update his app too. I wonder if Christopher's sister can get him to get on here.
Speaker 3:I just don't get it, dude. I'm surprised mine worked the two dudes pumping out the most content and they can't get logged on to Instagram. You would think it would be us failing at this. They upload a YouTube video mid-Baja pre-run.
Speaker 2:Oh, are you serious?
Speaker 3:Yeah, these dudes are down there doing Baja content within eight hours of doing it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like Mr Zachary says, Baja update. Well, they're like literally doing it.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:All right, so we'll just wait.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we know we're out of time. Emily's yelling at us why she says I'm live. Why is she yelling at? You she thinks we're just chatting, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, I am in a van.
Speaker 3:Down by the river.
Speaker 2:It was a pretty gnarly Baja, though, and honestly, baja 500 is my favorite race of the year.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, because you get the speed the length. You know. The 250 is rad, but I feel like this year it went so fast when the 500, it's like double that and you're getting the good racing action when you go like to this last one.
Speaker 2:Did it make you want to race again or no?
Speaker 3:oh, a thousand percent really I mean, that's why I still go down there is because I just need to be involved. If I was sitting at home, I would be. I would be so sad. What'd you say if you could pick any?
Speaker 2:class to race. What would you pick?
Speaker 3:I really want to ride a bike down there again. No way, dude, that's balls of steel. I feel like I've only done it once on a bike and that was the first time I ever raced.
Speaker 2:Ever since then, I've never been in a car. That's so gnarly. Alright, let me ask Christopher to come on again and see if he can figure it out.
Speaker 2:I don't know man Like I think like the new Polaris, I think I would probably pick that. And then, if I did get at that, I'd love to race a 6100 truck. Yeah, because I just feel like the 6100s like are not like, I feel like I would break a trophy truck, not going to go kill yourself. Yeah, I feel like I would break a trophy truck right, like my moto background, like I shouldn't.
Speaker 3:You don't know where your limit is.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly, but I feel like a 6100 truck, like it would be stable, it would be fun, like the whole deal.
Speaker 3:Well, you got to drive it differently. You got to momentum like a UTV. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I feel like that would be pretty good. I always like riding 125s too, I don't know what we're going to do with Christopher. He says he can't log on, so I'm not really sure I don't know what happened, ben Del Tacos.
Speaker 2:He tried three different. Maybe it's with your account. Oh, it says Christopher 40 is unable to join, and you updated your phone too, christopher. That's crazy, but you can comment in. There was like a new Instagram app that got released like a couple of days ago, so I don't know if that helps. Yeah, this is what happened last time when we couldn't get people logged on.
Speaker 9:They weren't updated.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't know. Maybe something's wrong with it. Yours is probably not. You probably like, left it like six months ago and you have enough and it's working I said he deleted
Speaker 2:his app and downloaded it. Yeah, I'm not sure how to how to even do it on, christopher, wait, hold on, I got an idea. Hey, siri, facetime call Christopher Paul Vardy. Which one Starting a FaceTime call to Christopher Paul Vard? All right, let's see if we can get him out here. Paul Vard, there, he is there. He is there, he is. Can you see him? We're live. Yeah, we're good to go. Dude, what are you doing?
Speaker 4:I'm out. I was getting dinner for my crew chief, Jimmy's birthday, so I was like, oh, I'm going to block out for 15 minutes, and now I'm going to block out for 15 minutes and now.
Speaker 7:I don't know, none of our phones I got everyone's phone at the table.
Speaker 4:It says failed request. That's hilarious. It must be a Utah thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's what we were saying they blocked us. Yeah, that's what Ryan was saying. He's like, yeah, they probably just blocked him out of Utah.
Speaker 4:Yeah, they don't. We're pretty limited on what we can do around here and Ben's phone didn't work either.
Speaker 2:That's hilarious, hey, so we don't have to take too much of your time. I'm just going to hold you in front of the iPad for a little bit.
Speaker 3:This is riveting. This is high-tech stuff we're doing here.
Speaker 2:Can you see Ryan at least?
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, I pulled it up on another stream, so I got it too. I got it going on. You got like 6,000 phones going on.
Speaker 2:That's hilarious dude. You got like 6,000 phones going on. That's hilarious dude, oh man, hey. So give us a little bit of a breakdown on how your race went. Came home third right.
Speaker 4:Yeah, came home. Third, I mean I was really happy with it but I like to win. So there's a few things, but yeah, overall it was pretty smooth coming into it. I knew we had like a good run at it and I knew Toby was going to be really fast out front. So my goal was like hey, let's just pace these boys all day.
Speaker 4:And I got a flat right before the summit and ended up bending my sector shaft. So had to go down the summit with like a crooked steering wheel, which doesn't sound bad, but like our paddle shifters move with the steering wheel, which doesn't sound bad, but like our paddle shifters move with the steering wheel. So it's a little scary. Yeah, just like line things up, but when you're like the trucks you're literally rubbing, like you're rubbing on the left side, and then there's like a 500 foot cliff on your right side. So that's never fun. So, yeah, doing that with a crooked steering wheel, got down there, passed Alan and Pudia. He had a flat and then kind of was just facing Toby. He had a nice little lead but I was like, hey, let's just pace him. Unfortunately, around coming into Borrego area like right about like 230, 240,.
Speaker 3:I started having some cooling issues. Was it hot over there?
Speaker 4:It was. I didn't make it that far. Yeah, it had to have been at least like 110, I think it was toasty, it felt hot, it felt hot.
Speaker 4:So we we kind of assumed like, oh, we're just going up the you know up a sand wash, like it's going to come down as soon as we get out of sand wash. So we kind of just maintained and then unfortunately, I could just start climbing out of control, um, to the point where it was like scary, scary, so we had to back her down and it kept climbing and climbing, and climbing. So then I had to really back her down and at that point Alan got back by me, then Tavo got by me and yeah, so that was kind of a bummer Pulled into a pit. They kind of were able to troubleshoot some things, um, get that resolved. And then from there on I was like, hey, let's just pace. Um, we're not gonna win this thing.
Speaker 4:You know, we said a lot of downtime, let's just cruise. So kind of just cruised and yeah, by the end, um, you know, all of a sudden Luke was out and Alan was having issues, and then we kind of just caught Tavo's dust. We made up like six minutes or something on Tavo and Toby, and then at that point it was like let's just cruise home. But yeah, it was good, it was good, it was exciting. I mean first, like you know, in my own truck podium, baja 500.
Speaker 3:With issues. I'm pretty pumped.
Speaker 4:It was uh did you feel like toby was just was getting it. Oh yeah, in the beginning, uh, dude, toby was getting down, he, I, he probably, for toby was probably just cruising, but the man was getting, um, like you're like, uh, every time I the first, you know a little bit, you get splits and everyone's kind of there. And then all of a sudden, like I get splits at like mile 75 and we're leading like okay, perfect. Then get splits at like mile 90 and like toby has like two minutes on us, I'm like holy guy was putting it down. So yeah to, yeah, toby charged definitely through the desert. He was smart, he got ahead of us all there and I mean I think he knew like if he could get out there, it was going to be tough for all of us to catch him.
Speaker 2:Dude, that's kind of like what is happening in Supercross and motocross nowadays. Like you, just go balls to the wall for the first five minutes, get that gap and then you just maintain, yeah, the Deegan approach right?
Speaker 4:Yeah, no, I think it's definitely. And I think it's so tough now like the pace is so fast that you know, if you make it through that first five minutes, essentially we're all pushing to a point where it's like, oh, are we going to crash the truck, or like you know. So it's kind of where it's like, oh, are we going to crash the truck, or like you know. So it's kind of it's interesting. It blows my mind like, honestly, how fast the pace is Jumping up to trophy truck, like I assumed. You know, I thought us fat guys ran pretty hard, but you know, trophy truck we run really hard.
Speaker 4:Does it ever scare you? It doesn't scare me, think I'm still at that young, dumb age, but it's definitely there's points where you're like you're going so fast. Does?
Speaker 3:it scare mike in the passenger seat.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, that's the real question you're doing 130 on a road that you're rubbing trees on on both sides and you're like why am I doing this? That's wild. That's what I mean. The trophy truck, it just blows my mind. All of a sudden, every time you look down, you're doing 100. And so it's kind of just trippy in the beginning. All of a sudden it becomes normal. But then you look down, you're like doing 100 through a narrow road right now. It's pretty wild.
Speaker 2:Hey, dude Ryan, did you hear one of Christopher's 18 phones just started?
Speaker 3:ringing. Oh yeah, yeah. I'm surprised they're not all up to his ears right now. Jerry McGuire over here, I don't know how I got one on?
Speaker 2:Was there any close calls, or were you guys keeping it pretty mellow?
Speaker 4:We kept it pretty mellow. We had a couple of really close calls with some motorcycles and quads Dude that I mean we gave them a lot of warning and they like didn't want to pull over, so we'd have to like run up on them and I had one guy stomp in front of me.
Speaker 3:The worst is when they look back right at you like deer in the headlights, like oh shit yeah, he looked back like five times and then he decided to stop.
Speaker 4:And my 7 000 pound truck doesn't stop quite like his motorcycle.
Speaker 2:Yeah, hey, is that ship in the background yeah, now everyone's in the car oh, I'm gonna say hi guys hey I'm jimmy birthday, my crew chief, so we had to go.
Speaker 4:You know, go get it and talk on Tuesday Happy birthday Jimmy, Happy birthday. He doesn't drive with me though, trust me. But yeah, then we had a motorcycle fall in front of us as we came around the corner, which we didn't see him. That was really scary. We missed the guy by inches. Um, besides that, I mean most of the day we just kind of maintained we didn't really take any big chances.
Speaker 4:I think that's the benefit with all wheel drive is yeah you can't just like cruise and maintain and you're still going extremely fast where, like in 6100, I felt like I had you had to hang it out for race. Yeah, um, so it's. It's a different mentality. You definitely have to be a little more calculated in trophy truck, where in, like the spec truck, I think it was just kind of balls to the wall and whoever doesn't crash wins well, yeah, but like I still feel like there's a lot of that in trophy truck though too well, yeah, I think he's just comfortable in the truck now to where he can manage it.
Speaker 4:You know what I mean yeah, no, it's, it's still really fast. It blows my. You're just like you're. You're charging and pushing these trucks to the point where you're like I don't know if this is going to last another 400 miles, but the trucks are starting to show that they can. I mean, I think this Ball 1000 was kind of like the testimony. We did 1,200 miles, 1,300 miles and all the top all-wheel drive guys finished.
Speaker 2:That was kind of a good test. You're talking about the truck, but I like I like the human aspect of it, right. Like how gnarly is that on your brain to be able to stay focused at that pace for that long? Cause I feel like your brain gets super tired if you have that much going through your head.
Speaker 4:Oh it's, it's gnarly and it's intense and I personally can tell you I had a huge concussion a little over a month ago, a month and a half ago. So coming into this I was extremely nervous and like my brain was smoked by the end of it mentally. There's no turning it off because you're going so fast. Anytime you try to take a break, something gets you. And yeah, like my kid can be be, he'll just be like, hey, focus, you need to focus. Like also, I mean you take a half a second just to try to drink a water and all of a sudden you're in the bushes because you're going just so fast and if you miss the braking points and all will drive it doesn't stop.
Speaker 2:Well, dude that happens to people going 55 miles an hour on a normal road right and you guys are going double, double that face on a really skinny, dirt road in the desert. It's wild to think about.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I mean, the trucks are so heavy, you just don't realize it. That's one of the biggest things I have to remind myself. Pretty much every mile is hey, this thing does not want to stop. It's over 7,000 pounds. It's a lot of mass moving velocity. I don't know what you call it.
Speaker 2:Do you ever have to check up and just kind of feel the truck and make sure it's doing? Good, you know, like every time I think about that, like even when we were doing UTV it's way slower pace, but like I would touch the brakes just to make sure they were there the brakes just to make sure they were there, like way before I hit the turn.
Speaker 4:Oh, yeah, yeah, definitely towards the end even I think you know you start getting a little break fade and all of a sudden you come into one corner and you know you lose your trust. So I find myself, even though I was great doing 100 just making sure okay, those brakes are still there, like just to make sure when I come into that next corner it's gonna stop. When you.
Speaker 2:When you crossed the finish line, were you just like, wow, okay, I accomplished a goal, because I know that concussion bothered you a little bit and you were making sure that you were focused on your health the weeks leading up to it. When you crossed the finish line, were you like oh sweet, I did it. Because that, to me, is like a milestone.
Speaker 4:Yeah, no, it was huge. I was really worried. I know my mother was very worried. A lot of people were like whether I was going to be able to survive the whole time. So, yeah, it was a huge kind of check on the list, shout out to all the, I guess, the doctors now. Now you hear concussions and everyone thinks slow down. But I went to a specialist and he was like, no, just keep charging and here's all we do with athletes like you. So, yeah, modern technology allowing us to kind of push ourselves. But yeah, when I got done with that race, it was one of the biggest like weights off my shoulders in a long time, because the 500 is a lot of prep and then it's just a strain. I mean, it was like like what nine and a?
Speaker 4:half hours, ten hours, I mean. Yeah, my body was done. I couldn't even. I think there's a video of me trying to get out of the truck.
Speaker 2:I barely could stand up so, yeah, but that's good that you pushed through it right, because otherwise if you hadn't done that, you wouldn't feel like the accomplishment that you did.
Speaker 10:Yeah, and all that effort yeah, that's what it felt.
Speaker 4:It felt good. It felt even like, uh, you know, I I felt very good like leaving that race. It was just one of those like accomplishments of we pushed through it and I think the team really pushed through a lot of. We had a lot of ups and downs and we're learning a ton every race. This all will drive way different. So, yeah, I think everyone was super happy. And obviously, the timing my dad was so involved with the timing and the live stream that was like a check in the box. The truck finishing, that was a check in the box for the crew chiefs, the logistics, you know there's so much behind the scenes that we were all kind of stressed out on our own levels.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but you guys got a lot done. So there's two things I want to ask, because we're going to get Brian Moore hopefully on the phone here in just a second, but first I want you to thank all the people that supported you. And then I'd like to know what you're going to do next, like because there's a lot of planning that's going to go into your next event.
Speaker 4:Yeah, no, I mean big shout out to I think I mean the big one even for the whole score event. Which I don't know if a lot of people knew is the fact that Optima Batteries did all of the timing and everything. So huge shout out to them. They support me, huge, but they're supporting the sport, which is what we need to go to the next level. And then Ford Performance, toyota tires, vision wheels, k&n VP Racing Fuels, dect USA, borla, exhaust. The list goes on and on Steal it. There's so many different variables that I still blow my mind that we're out racing trophy trucks.
Speaker 4:But uh, next for us, uh, we're already planning, um, I mean, the ball 400. Um got a lot of that stuff. Um, redoing a bunch of stuff on my pre-runner, trying to get our live stream mastered on the helicopter and the race car, um, and then just trying to get our pits and everything faster. We're trying to do a lot of training and stuff. Um, is that? That's kind of what's next on our list? We're, you know, we're up here in utah so we're moving into our new shop, kind of as we speak right now. So I don't even we haven't even touched the race truck, which I know would freak out most people because we've just been so focused on the race shop um since we decided to move last year, so this will be our first official prep in a real race shop in utah dude, it's pretty crazy to think about all those changes and moving parts.
Speaker 2:Man, you guys are doing a good job. I mean that's like juggling literally a business like with a bunch of different divisions in it, right like. So you guys are doing a good job and I appreciate the fact that you guys are trying to push the sport forward. I mean every little thing helps. So kudos to you guys, keep it going.
Speaker 4:No, no Well, thank you guys, and thanks George for having us, Thanks for your StarStream stuff. I think that's the. You're helping people push themselves at a, you know, push the sport with streaming, which I think a lot of people didn't think was achievable, and then you made a product that obviously proved everyone wrong.
Speaker 2:I appreciate it, man Dude, we're big boat guys now too. You just got back from West Palm Beach. It's a great boat ride, I know, I know.
Speaker 3:I kept seeing your pictures. I was a little jealous. I was flying around and going. I know, I know I kept seeing your pictures. I was a little jealous For George to be hanging out with Donald.
Speaker 8:Trump.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I almost landed at his place, dude. He has Not to change the subject, but Donald Trump has these big towers with gunmen In them, so you can't fuck with his house.
Speaker 3:George is going to be eating tacos with Trump. Dude, it's crazy.
Speaker 2:Alright, hey, thanks and happy birthday, jimmy, thank you. Thank you, guys. Later guys. Yeah, I'd like to thank Instagram for screwing Chris over. Thanks, ben.
Speaker 3:Del Taco for the support. Later guys, Later, that's hilarious man.
Speaker 2:What a good kid.
Speaker 3:Stupid Andy. Like we said earlier's, it's him doing it.
Speaker 2:You know he's got jimmy, his dad, helping, but he's doing a lot of the behind the scenes, putting the pieces together, making it happen well, we always talk about how much kids learn and how much it benefits just going through the whole process, and I mean he's a prime example of it, right he's?
Speaker 3:been racing his whole life, but he's leading the new generation Well and it definitely shows just by what he's doing with YouTube and the live streams and all that stuff Like outside of Menzies and you know, mcmillans I think Christopher's right up there with him on that side of it.
Speaker 2:Well, I just invited Ethan, ethan eber and, uh, jeff proctor on, so hopefully they can get dude.
Speaker 3:I wonder if maybe it's our instagram or my instagram mine's been doing good.
Speaker 2:I feel like my stuff's always slacking I don't know it's doing good, but uh, ethan and jeff, why don't you guys jump on? I invited both of you guys, so feel free to jump in and accept the invitation. Hopefully it works good. If not, then update your Instagram app or I'm going to have to FaceTime you guys or call Ben Del Taco. So, yeah, I don't think Brian Moore is going to be able to come. He's way too busy doing football stuff. Big football guy, big Raiders guy. That's what happens. Raiders move to Las Vegas. Brian Moore takes over their media.
Speaker 3:It was bound to happen.
Speaker 2:I don't even think. Ethan and Jeff are not even online anymore, so you have to have the green dot next to your name to know that you're online.
Speaker 3:My mom just asked where I want to go for Father's Day and I said Valley T Taco Sound. Can you pull it off? I mean why not.
Speaker 2:That would be so fun. I bet you Jim would like it. He's probably already there. Yeah, Ethan said it won't work. I wonder if it's my Instagram that's jacked up either. Want me to log out and log back in?
Speaker 3:It's that request, but it's frozen.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's what mine did too, like I literally just sent one from my personal Instagram and it never popped up on the Dirt Live. That's weird. I'm going to close the live and then start it again, okay, okay, all right, guys, we're back. Technical difficulties Hopefully, since we reset Instagram, it'll be better now. See how it works, see if Ryan can join us too. I don't know what the heck man. Well, here's Ryan's. See if he can hop on now. Except Ryan, except Ethan. What's up Albert? There you go, you got me. Maybe it was my Instagram that's messed up.
Speaker 3:Oh, my Dude, unplug it and plug it back in.
Speaker 2:Pretty much. I don't know, man. We put all this pressure on Christopher, but maybe it was the Dirt Life's Instagram that was jacked up, we'll blame Christopher. Okay, that's fine. Now we'll get Jeff to come on too. Are you back in Tucson, Ethan?
Speaker 13:Yeah, dude, I just got off iRacing, maybe making people mad on NASCAR dude.
Speaker 5:Really.
Speaker 13:Yeah, they get all fired up.
Speaker 2:Do you play any iRacing?
Speaker 12:Who Proctor? No, he's got a sim at the shop. I've got a sim at my shop, but I haven't been on the sim in years, so what was the deal with iRacing Ethan.
Speaker 13:Dude, I just like to make people mad on NASCAR. You just go with them when you're like practicing, you just spin them out.
Speaker 2:You like, get a hot lap and you spin them out when you're done with them. Dude, people take that stuff seriously dude.
Speaker 13:Yeah, I've gotten like serious threats.
Speaker 2:Hey. So you guys want to hear a little secret that you'll like. So, jeff, you're a big fan of the KOH and all the stuff that happens out there. Hopefully, in the next couple of years, you'll be able to race against Lauren Healy and all those big guys sitting at home in your sim. Why they actually race Really, oh I did hear something about this.
Speaker 10:We're going on, I racing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're going to actually be able to race in a sim against them Like let's just say you have a position here and this is Lauren Healy sitting on the starting line. This spot will be empty, but it'll be a dude on a computer actually racing against him.
Speaker 12:Wow, who's producing this? George? Probably George. We've had some meetings.
Speaker 2:I can't let that out of the bag, george.
Speaker 3:It's definitely not me.
Speaker 2:I don't have the funds to be able to do that. So don't let me.
Speaker 3:I mean, you were just with Trump.
Speaker 2:So, yeah you never know, that's true Huge. Trump? Yeah, he's my president, hey, so let's talk about something that's not so friendly to Trump. Let's talk about Baja in Mexico. What's going on with you guys, man?
Speaker 13:You guys had a really good race. Yeah, no, dude, it was an awesome race down there. I mean, obviously you guys know half the race is done in the shop. So it was a lot of prep, a lot of great prep by Evan Weller and then obviously by Proctor too, just by rounding up the team and all the volunteers that help us. So, yeah, it was a really good race overall.
Speaker 2:So we saw you guys come across the finish line. In what position was it, Jeff?
Speaker 12:Seventh place in trophy truck.
Speaker 2:So I thought, like when I uh seventh place in uh trophy truck, so uh, I thought, like when I saw you guys cross the finish line, like to be completely honest, I go holy shit, ethan got here way earlier than I thought. That was my, that was kind of my point. Where I was going with this was like this program is gaining so much momentum because of all the work that you guys are putting in, and that wasn't an easy course by any means.
Speaker 3:Like you guys, put in the work for sure.
Speaker 13:Yeah, no, absolutely. I mean even just testing and tuning, just with Fox alone, with their live valve. I mean it's a game changer out there Because you can be going through rocks and change the setting and it does way better than any other truck. So instead of setting your truck up once, you can set it up multiple times and it just gives you that much more of an advantage.
Speaker 2:Has that been a lot of work on the backside, Jeff you know it has.
Speaker 12:I think there's kind of some misnomers out there that you develop a new race truck and it's ready to go right out of the box. It usually takes I think it takes about a season to kind of work through kind of the the new truck bugs and get the the truck sorted the way that we want, and I think ethan can back me up on this that we've been putting the work with with fox on the shocks and with the engine tuning and paddle shifting, calibration with our gearbox, and the truck is just starting to come alive now. But I will tell you and Ethan can back me on this again, there's still some untapped potential there. So we've got some other tricks up our sleeve for Vegas Torino that we're changing that we didn't have at the 500. So I think the truck will continue to get better and Ethan's continuing to get better and and ethan's continuing to get faster yeah, it's a whole, it's the whole growth, right like it.
Speaker 2:Like I said, like it's. It's visible, like literally visible, on course, like the way that you guys are doing it. So it's cool to see, um, what were some of the things that you guys had to achieve or fight through during the race, because nothing ever goes smooth in Baja.
Speaker 13:Honestly, we didn't really have any mechanical problems at all. I mean, the Honda motor did great. We had no overheating, no, nothing like that. It was more of just getting through dust, really, because we started so far back. I think we started like 27th off the line.
Speaker 7:And so starting that far back.
Speaker 3:It was like and you guys know, because you guys uh, 30 miles qualify right we, we wouldn't, we weren't able to we didn't race uh san felipe, so they didn't let us um
Speaker 12:but yeah, we're gonna do that, yeah, yeah, because it's a new rule, right, jeff, if you don't race yeah, I got a call from score, I want to say, like a month before the 500 and they said hey, we know you guys signed up to qualify but you're unable to. You have to take a rear start because you didn't race the first race of the series. So if we don't race the 400, we're gonna have to take a rear start for the thousand as well. So a little bit of an issue, but yeah, I guess it is what it is right. Yeah, we had.
Speaker 2:Uh, we had kind of the same thing happen with the herbs guys. The 19 truck, uh unfortunately wasn't able to, you know, get enough work done to it to be able to race the entire race. So we just started off, took our starting position, and then we'll be able to qualify for the 400. Yeah, yeah it's kind of crazy that that happens, though I mean I guess it's, I don't know, it's an okay rule.
Speaker 12:I mean, I know why they want to do it. They want us to race the whole score series. But you know our contract was made three years ago with the races that we're going to race. So it's really hard for us to kind of pivot on a new rule one month before or a couple months before the series starts. So you know, we're just gonna have to roll with the punches, and ethan did a fantastic job. Yeah, I mean it a lot of back markers it definitely.
Speaker 3:Uh, didn't hinder you that much, let's just say that how was?
Speaker 2:it pretty exciting going through? Was it pretty stressful going through? Like what did you do?
Speaker 13:like, because that's a freaking, that's a huge weight yeah, no, I mean, it was a lot, that's for sure. But uh, it's safe to say that that front clip is no longer white, it's mixed with some green and a lot of brown and all that
Speaker 13:stuff, but uh yeah, no, I mean, it's just bushwhacking everywhere if you can't see, and it's just. And the way with baja works is this is all basically silt down there, so it just sits, yeah and uh, makes getting through that dust even, uh, harder. But no, I mean, it's just, gallon is a great co-driver. I mean we just sat there said, okay, look, we're not going to win it through the dust, so why try to like, set down a qualifying lap in the dust but then back off when we're not in dust? So we try to save ourselves for the clean air and then get through the clean air and then just start chasing down the other truck.
Speaker 12:Yeah, Tell them about the close call with the quad. Everybody saw that on Dude. That's not.
Speaker 3:All right, I was going to bring that up next. That was insane. Yeah, no, that was partially my bad.
Speaker 13:Yeah, no, it was partially my bad. So Gallin and I were ripping down mile like 175, almost 180. And we were just about to pit and we were on this long stand straightaway, so we were doing like 110, something like that, and I saw this bike and we're like okay, dude, did you sell him? And he was like oh no, I mean he's gonna see us because the helicopter and so it looks like he got up outside of the rut but he like quickly cut back on because he was probably just dodging a rock and he didn't know where we were.
Speaker 13:So when he caught on, you can see in the heli footage that turn two got. I jumped out of the two track like or the single track right away and was like totally buzzed them on accident. But I totally thought that he got them, like saw that we were behind him and so I yeah, I buzzed the crap out of all an accident. I felt really bad, but it was like dude, he looked like he was getting out of the way because I thought he saw us but he obviously didn't.
Speaker 12:So yeah, yeah, yeah. Fun fact on our media helicopter. I got a message from Jose G after the race and our media helicopter got banned from score for an entire season for flying too low off the deck. Oh yeah, and over the road he saw the footage of him following our truck from some fans that posted it. Did you see that, george?
Speaker 3:No, I didn't know that, yeah it's from a guy under an EZ-Up. He buzzed an EZ-Up Like the landing gear almost hit the EZ-Up it was sick.
Speaker 13:It was up, he was so low, it was sick, hey, but he got the shot. He got the shot yeah.
Speaker 2:Dude, that's crazy. You got to be careful with that, yeah.
Speaker 13:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Dude, and some of those helicopters well, not the Robinsons, but some of those helicopters put some serious downwind. Oh yeah, yeah, it's pretty crazy Shit. There was this question I was just gonna ask, but I forgot what it was. Hey, when, when, so well, first, first, things first, like that sucked that. That guy like came back on the track or whatever.
Speaker 13:But, dude, you had to probably react so quick yeah, no, I mean, and the uh with our steering pump and all that stuff, it was perfect. Just because it you basically don't even feel the 40s that are there, so we're able to just get right out of the way. But I mean, it's just, it's all. And honestly, sim racing actually kind of helps that, just because you're so focused on reaction time and you're yeah just with reaction time.
Speaker 13:I do a lot of road racing, so that's why, like get out of the way if this guy's split out or something. But yeah, no, I mean it was. It's just really you gotta be on your game, like you guys said with Christopher, you can start doing those wall exercises like the F1 guys.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I actually do have the lights.
Speaker 13:Yeah, dude, it's like the Formula 1 lights. They're pretty dope.
Speaker 2:He's juggling balls before the starting line we film a video in Mexico at a stoplight and it's Ethan, not a regular guy, yeah, dude, yeah, whatever he's doing it's working it's working. Keep it going. Yeah, dude, totally, uh. So there was a little bit of a sketchy moment there, but it seemed like for the most part, you were able to keep your wits about you and keep up a good pace, coming home like passing 20 trucks, yeah yeah, no, it was definitely gnarly, but, just like I said, gallen and ivy just clicked.
Speaker 13:For some reason, gallen and I clicked really good, so we're just able to log miles off like, all right, did you? Did you hear that? Yeah, it's a little noise, but it's probably just fiberglass, this and this and this and like it really wasn't any scary noises, any vibrations, just kind of kept your head down and kept cruising, really.
Speaker 2:Jeff, what about on the back side of things? Were you able to manage the stuff from the way that they were driving and communicate with them, or were you because you have a utv as well? So focusing on both vehicles?
Speaker 12:yeah, yeah, you know it's tough for me to focus on both teams because there's such a big gap between trophy truck and an na, pro, pro, utv, na. So, um, I just focus on the truck on race day and I've got a separate team that focuses on the talent. And uh, you know I was in constant communication with gatlin all day. You know whether it's split times. We use a sat communication system.
Speaker 3:We just need to make sure that Ethan's mom gets a Starlink for the next race, so she's not out there in Valley T bumming Starlink off everyone.
Speaker 12:I thought Ethan's dad had a Starlink in the truck.
Speaker 11:It's funny she comes walking up to me oh like, hey, I just need a.
Speaker 3:I need to link up with you because I don't know what's going on yeah, all right.
Speaker 12:No, that's how she was trying to get a starling yeah, we'll get mrs ebert uh dialed in for the next race, but oh yeah, I felt so bad for her.
Speaker 3:She's like I don't know what's going on.
Speaker 12:I don't even know if they're at the pit, yet I'm like okay, yeah but from my perspective, you know, there was constant communication with the truck all day, constant split times. Um, it was really really good to be able to talk with them the entire race and gatlin was phenomenal on the radio and and ethan just drove a hell of a race, so just super stoked all around yeah, I mean just to think about how many, how much action you guys must have had on course, ethan, like you didn't just pass 20 trucks, you had a whole bunch of other stuff happening.
Speaker 2:Dude, like that's just crazy to me to think about. We just asked christopher pomorti like how his, uh, his brain was feeling after, like do you get fatigued like in your head since you have to process so much information?
Speaker 13:um, yeah, no, I mean because you have to be on your a game the whole time, you're in a trophy truck. I mean you have bryce menzies, uh, hauling butt out there. So like trying to keep a pace with a all wheel drive v8 truck in the v6 two-wheel drive truck, it takes a toll on you for sure, but it's also remembering that you're racing your race and not bryce's race. So it's just a lot of different. Like okay, where should I push my brain and where should I think faster? And then where should I kind of like relax and like regain some consciousness near here, so like on a lot of the straightaways, but your truck also has a lot of, a lot of benefits benefits in other areas than the bigger trucks too.
Speaker 13:Yeah, no, no, I mean like it loves living on the limiter.
Speaker 7:Callan and.
Speaker 13:I have tested that.
Speaker 7:It makes it pop, but yeah.
Speaker 13:no, she likes to fly, she likes to track straight too. I mean, it's a great truck overall. I don't see why we can't put this number nine HRC truck on the top of the box in a future race Jeff, just big old grin.
Speaker 2:I do love that. Go get them attitude Like that's just like. That's why you guys are doing so good, jeff, is because you guys have a fresh perspective on everything that's happening on course?
Speaker 12:Yeah, absolutely, and we're. We're pushing hard behind the scenes too, I think it. We don't do a good job at telling the story of how much work it really is behind the scenes to run up front and pull a volunteer crew together, but we are pushing hard and we want this truck to continue to develop and get better, and that only gets Ethan more comfortable and pushes the pace even harder.
Speaker 5:Yeah, totally.
Speaker 12:I think something that we were all surprised with you know Ethan just racing Trophy Truck for the first time, and the team as well is just the pace is incredible. We heard Polvarti talking about the pace and it's hard to fathom until you're in the hunt with those guys. Everybody's pushing hard, nobody's holding back on saving their equipment.
Speaker 2:Dude, it's wild. I mean ryan and I were talking about it just in the utv class.
Speaker 7:It's insane like yeah, I could only imagine.
Speaker 2:Like to be honest with you that one time that I went and rode in the truck with you, jeff, when we just took a you know uh, I don't know what we got you took me 117 miles an hour in barstow and I was sitting there. I was sitting there thinking like, first things, first. Jeff is an amazing wheel man, but how the hell, ryan, do they go that fast for that great 10 hours like it is just?
Speaker 3:that blows me. It's insane, yeah, yeah it's insane that ethan has the stamina to keep it going right, no I mean is it working?
Speaker 2:out oh yeah no yeah yeah no, it's uh.
Speaker 13:We're on a good regimen, um yeah, just waking up early going to work after. So, yeah, eating clean too, but um, yeah, no, I mean, just staying at those speeds is like it basically turns your 110 miles an hour into a 60 miles an hour. So you basically have to flip your brain into thinking, oh, I'm just kind of cruising, like I can go harder, uh, when you're really going 110 miles an hour. So it's just kind of trying to flip your brain into processing things differently that's kind of what toby was talking about too.
Speaker 3:All right, like yeah, you're doing 100 and something and you don't even realize yeah but man, what talking to him at the beginning, like he is so comfortable at that pace. You know we're I'm not saying ethan and christopher are lesser drivers, but it's like they're like we're hanging it out. Toby's like yeah, I was hanging it out, but like comfortably, that's scary.
Speaker 2:That's scary that that was comfortable to him but that's something that ethan has to look forward yeah, no, it's cool. It's cool to hear all these different perspectives hey, so, um, what was your favorite part about the entire race?
Speaker 13:oh, dude, it's after our pit 180 and leading up to it, um gosh. I forget the guy's name, but it was tsa, most trial, yeah oh yeah dude, it was so sick.
Speaker 13:We just kept going back and forth, back and forth. It was awesome. But uh, yeah, it reminded me of short course because he was like dude, like this guy's trying to take my line and like get back in there, and I we almost doored each other, like I think, once or twice. So it was pretty dope. I was like dude, this is finally gonna happen, I'm gonna finally use my door, and it never happened. Which kind of sucked.
Speaker 2:But um, yeah, I know it's just a lot of like clean, fun battle, which was nice yeah, that's cool you got to battle, but I don't think that was probably very good on stress level.
Speaker 12:Well, I didn't see it real time, I saw it post-race, you know, in the Instagram video, so I thought it was pretty clean.
Speaker 3:Racing, to be honest, was that going up to Mike's road, or where was that?
Speaker 13:No, it was like in the white sand dunes, basically. So all those through, all those whoops in the sand, and then you drop into the rock wash.
Speaker 12:Like that's basically where it happened. It was between La Ventana and Borrego area.
Speaker 3:Yeah, there's some fun stuff out there. Dude, it was so sick, you just wind up the whole time Was there just that many lines?
Speaker 13:Yeah, I mean he would dart off to the right and Gallin and I would stay on the main line, so I'd be like dude, this has got to be faster.
Speaker 3:Right and he would come back.
Speaker 13:Yeah no it was so sick. You're probably like dude. This is wild. Yeah no, I was floored the whole time. I was like dude. I was so much fun, dang that's cool man, hey.
Speaker 2:So, jeff, I'm going to ask Ethan the same question. But how do you feel Ethan is doing, since, you know, getting a little bit more experience?
Speaker 12:You know I'm really impressed with his progress. What he didn't tell you is that he's got Brutus, his trainer, that's been doing, really been pushing him in the gym, you know, outside the racetrack, and he's he's building up his endurance and his stamina. Just really pleased with his, his progress and adapting to the pace of of trophy truck. I mean, let's look at the results, right, you know, he, he, he comes in fourth at KOH, he goes podium at the mint and now he's with the big dogs in mexico and he puts up a seventh. So I mean, from my perspective, I I love the progression.
Speaker 2:He's only going to get faster, um, so I'm just really pleased with the progression and the direction that he's going yeah, that's cool, man and ethan like the same thing for you, but answering it a little bit different of a fashion, right like we have. Eva star racing's gonna come on the show in just a little bit. She's, you know, a young girl and she's, you know, getting her feet wet and off-road racing um and obviously wants to work her way up the ranks and probably be in a position like you someday. Like what kind of stuff do you tell people to um? Follow in that same path that you're on?
Speaker 13:um, I mean really, it's just looking at every loss or every race that you have. So, like Adam and Cicero said, a winner is just a loser who kept trying.
Speaker 13:So it's just really going over what you lost and how to get better at it.
Speaker 13:So I mean, it's just, I always look at it like, hey, we did good, but I could have done this, I made a mistake here, I should have done this differently. So I always think of how many different ways I can improve on, and I sleep on it. I sometimes you just don't go to sleep because you're like dang like what if? And it's you can't really live in the what if world too much. But you have to think of, okay, if I do this next race, what's the outcome going to be? And you just have to kind of keep building your mindset's the strongest thing you know.
Speaker 13:I mean physically you can do 200, like or 500 miles, but mentally you can only do 150, because you're like, oh, I have to get out, or oh, I'm doing this, I'm doing this. So it's really just mentally thinking okay, look, I can beat all these guys in a truck. That may not be as fast, but I can drive, I can out drive them. And then there you go. That's at the end of the day. You can't buy talent. You can buy the best truck, but you can't buy the talent to drive it.
Speaker 13:So it's just really thinking like you're the best of the best and then just going from there yeah.
Speaker 2:So there's a lot of mindset that goes into that and there's obviously like you you mentioned a couple times in statements that you just said an accountability, and you're thinking about what you can be accounted for and be better at. I will tell you this, though we got a really funny or a really interesting comment from our boy, aj, back. He said but nobody can wheel the ridgeline like my man, jeff Well.
Speaker 3:I am kind of the.
Speaker 12:OG ridgeline driver.
Speaker 13:No.
Speaker 12:I'll let him have it.
Speaker 13:Let him have it.
Speaker 12:No way, man, I'm giving it all to Ethan. I wasn't a TT driver. It's a whole different pace out there.
Speaker 2:But it's cool to see you guys work as a team, like the stuff that you guys are starting to accomplish, and you know what people say, jeff is like they're like wow, you've done really well and you're like no, dude, this is just the beginning and I feel like you're really it.
Speaker 12:Yeah, you know, I heard Toto Wolf say. You know, the beauty of motorsports is that. You know it comes down to being defined by the stopwatch. The stopwatch tells the real truth and until we put this ridgeline on the top step of the podium, we're not going to stop working hard and pushing um ourselves, the crew, the drivers, the navigators, the truck, everything until, uh, we get that first win for hrc yeah, totally has it been a pretty easy uh, I don't know working path with the team, because everybody seems to always be doing their best on the team, like it seems like everybody is trying so hard.
Speaker 12:Yeah, we're definitely trying hard, working hard. You know it's always a challenge to get volunteer crews, you know, to mesh, but we've been fortunate to have some guys that have been chasing us around the desert for over a decade and you know I can't thank, you know, those crew guys. Enough to you know they, they leave their jobs, their families and dedicate, you know, a solid five days down in Mexico for our efforts and it, it, it really goes, it's, it's really uh, because of those guys, it allows us to come out with, you know, a 43 second pit stop, a 50 second pit stop. You know, when we're taking 70 gallons of fuel and two rear tires. So you know our pit stops have come a long way too. And, uh, you know it's, it's a volunteer crew.
Speaker 2:Yeah, totally All right. So I'll give you guys both the opportunity. Ethan, you go first, throw a shout-out to whoever you want. Oh man.
Speaker 13:I just want to thank Jeff for just giving me this opportunity. You know, I wouldn't be in an HRC showbiz show without Proctor, so I mean just big thanks to him, and then the whole team, like you said, all the volunteer crew. I mean my dad's out there actually uh, really cool uh he actually upgraded from mud scraper to a short course to a tire changer for honda.
Speaker 3:So yeah, he's climbing the ladder.
Speaker 12:Glad to see he's moving up we promote from what he's been yeah he's climbing the ladder.
Speaker 13:But uh, yeah, no, I mean just my whole family. I mean my sister loves it. I mean it's just, it's so awesome to see. She's like, oh, did you see this happen? I'm like, dude, no, I didn't even see that. But she's on on top of everything. I mean it's just, it's a whole team effort and we have a great team behind us. So, yeah, we're going to go out swinging in Vegas Arena.
Speaker 2:Big winner, though, is your mom for making me a michelada, oh yeah.
Speaker 13:No, dude, she gets it done.
Speaker 12:Don't worry, she pre hard too. She knows the good ones. Uh, go ahead, jeff. Yeah, I just want to thank uh evan weller and austin behind the scenes and aj back uh prepping the truck for us, and uh, max's tires. They've got a we're. We're racing on dot tires. Nobody talks about that, but yeah, that's crazy. We uh we're a top 10 trophy truck finishing team on dot tires, but we've got a project tire that we've been developing. It looks like we're going to have it before the thousand this year. So big shout out to Max's tires for all the support and investing in this sport and coming out with a project tire. Uh KMC wheels. Uh steel it coating steel has been with us for six seasons now and uh, just everybody out everybody out there in HRC land appreciate all the engine support and everything that they provide for us. And, last but not least, really excited to be able to share this with everybody. This November will be our 10th year as a factory Honda program.
Speaker 3:So that is impressive.
Speaker 12:Yeah, we can't wait to kind of share that story come November for the 1,000. Yeah, that would be pretty cool.
Speaker 2:What timing for right before the 1,000, too. And yeah, kudos to Michael McFadden too. He's starting to do a great job. He's learning the ropes of the HRC team and, just you know, coming into his own too.
Speaker 12:Yeah, super stoked to have young Michael on the team and he's a great partner to Ethan. I've just got two stud 18-year-olds. Couldn't be happier. That's cool.
Speaker 2:All right, well, thank you guys very much. We're going to have a star on here, See you guys.
Speaker 13:Great job guys.
Speaker 2:See you, boss. It's so cool man. I always get so pumped up when everybody else is so pumped up, Don't you, Renna?
Speaker 3:I love it. This is why I keep doing what I do All right, so we're going to round out the show.
Speaker 2:We got about 15 more minutes with Eva, and then I think her dad's going to join us as well. So what's up, eva here?
Speaker 3:she is what's happening.
Speaker 5:What's up?
Speaker 2:How are you guys doing?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I got a couple of those stickers from somebody at Contingency.
Speaker 2:Dude. I love that graphics kit.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it is so recognizable. What do you think Gunnar would decorate his car like if he could have it? The reason why I have the stickers is because Gunnar had to get them. One of your guys were handing them out. My kid just had to have the UTV sticker. He put them all over my ice chest and everything.
Speaker 2:See, eva, you can be a young Asag fan oh yeah, Keep the good rap going and people will follow. Hey, so all right. First question how long have you been racing, eva?
Speaker 10:Since 2018, when I was 10.
Speaker 2:Hey, will you sit a little closer to your dad so we can see you a little bit more, instead of just your left eyeball? There you go, since 2010, 18, 2018. And I got it. I was, oh, you were 10. I got it. Okay, that's, that's kind of crazy to think, but you've been racing for a little bit now.
Speaker 10:Are you really enjoying it or what? Yeah, I like. What's your, what's your favorite part about racing?
Speaker 2:I like I think the adrenaline it's addicting, huh does the adrenaline kick in at every race, or yeah, pretty much. What about when you're battling?
Speaker 10:Does it get higher? I think so, I think yeah, I think it does.
Speaker 2:How about dad? Does dad get the adrenaline rush too when he?
Speaker 5:sees his daughter, or is it stress? Oh yeah, man, that's like she has to tell me to be quiet.
Speaker 2:Oh, are you spotter too?
Speaker 5:Yeah, yeah, so I prep the car and I'm her co-driver, since she's got into the Racer 1000. That's awesome, yeah, and she's just super calm. You know, when she was racing 170s, it was a land rush start, you know. So she was racing 170s, it was a land rush start, you know. So she was used to battling right off the bat and, um, most of her racing is has been in baja through the corvitos kids. Uh, when she was in a 170 and um, yeah, she just stayed in baja. She wanted to stay in baja. That's hey, that's kind of crazy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so, sean, you have a little bit of racing underneath your belt as well, so are you able to pass some, some information and some knowledge and some advice down to eva yeah, I try my best.
Speaker 5:I mean um. When we started racing um in 85, 86, my dad, we were in a 516 and I went with my uncles and roberto's taco shop bug 516 and um I got to race as class 11 um against some, some greats like eric salorzano, shared the, shared the wheel with him a couple times um, raced the 7100 truck, won a race over there and did pretty good at parker you know 2006.
Speaker 5:So, um, I think racing limited cars, uh, I got the mindset of kind of just saving the car and I try to instill that in her, like we can't win unless we finish the race. Yeah, and she's perfect for the utv class. Yeah, and she's really good at saving the car. You know, they're a really good finishing ratio and and that was just a really smart driver yeah, totally.
Speaker 2:And so, eva, do you take a lot of that advice from your dad, or do you go?
Speaker 10:oh man, I'm gonna do it my way well, I I do take a lot of it in and I do listen to him, but I do try to not at the same time, because I like to have my own driving style and it does end up working out in the end.
Speaker 2:What do you mean your own driving style? Do you drive a lot different than what your dad um? I don't know, you to suggest or how he drives, because there's a like I don't know how to say it, but there's a big difference in the way that people perceive things right, and women perceive things a lot different than men and they do things different. But something somebody that always told me, that I always listen to and remember, was that women have faster reflexes than men.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's probably true.
Speaker 2:Do you think it's true, Eva?
Speaker 10:I don't know.
Speaker 5:Like I take chances and I get aggro sometimes. You know, I'll use all the course, I'm used to class 11 and she likes to stay on the course, she likes to follow the markers. She makes clean passes, like I can get up in your bumper and I'm I get really aggressive, you know, and she just takes her time and it works.
Speaker 3:Have you guys had any fights in the car?
Speaker 10:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I've raced with my brother as a co-driver and, believe me, it's fun until it isn't.
Speaker 5:I've been fired a few times.
Speaker 3:No, what happened, Ella? You can't put that one on air. Yeah, you're not allowed to talk about it on the dirt.
Speaker 5:I'm going to turn your intercom off.
Speaker 2:That's kind of cool, though, that you guys have that Like. You guys can get past that, right, Because it takes a lot. It takes a strong family, and you really have to learn a lot about people, people around you, like how to control your temper, all of these different things. Right, Like it's I don't know, it's always one of those things that just makes you grow as a person, right, Eva? Yeah.
Speaker 10:Yeah.
Speaker 3:It's a stressful situation in that car, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Have you ever had any wrecks?
Speaker 10:Wrecks. No, we've gotten stuck in somebody's bumper before, though oh really what happened well, my bumper was like curved kind of, and it got stuck oh, like hooked in there, yeah yeah, like, yeah, like the hook. Oh. So what did you?
Speaker 5:do. She didn't want to move and she she pressed the issue. There was some the guy that she passed came up on us real fast so we got kind of sandwiched so she went, yeah, so she hit, she hit the car in front and and um, and then the other car hit us from behind and like push the bumper into the other car. That was at a record race it's not a San Felipe which she drove like almost the whole race, wow.
Speaker 2:Did you? Drive the entire race of the Baja 500?.
Speaker 10:No, I was going to do half of it, but I got out at VFG Pit 1 because I started getting nauseous.
Speaker 2:Did you get back in the?
Speaker 10:car I got back in at the last 30 miles of the race.
Speaker 2:And you felt it.
Speaker 10:Yeah, that's cool.
Speaker 5:So I jumped in the car at EFG pit one, we put in a message and we called our co-driver, alan Yost, and he was ready. They jumped the gas, we took it over the summit and then we got it to mile 260, in which our other driver was there ready to get in the car, and, um, surprisingly we were in second place awesome oh, that's cool not far behind either. So, um, yeah, everything was working out. Car was working, rad did some good passes and, um, she was ready to go.
Speaker 2:You know, when the driver brought it around up to host negro, she wanted to do the finish yeah, so how did it go for you all around, ever like, where did you cross the finish at and how did you feel for that last stint?
Speaker 10:I didn't like it. It was different because usually I don't drive at night. I don't think I've raced in the night in this car, so it was different. And also we were in the mountains, so it was was like foggy I've never, but you pushed through it, right?
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah, through a European and all that stuff, it gets super foggy yeah.
Speaker 5:She took some good lines. There was a couple of lines that I uh that I learned from Tim Martin um riding with old Tim Martin motorcycle, baja bound uh adventures. And she took the line on the way out, on the start, and then she took the same line in on the way back. I've heard all that.
Speaker 2:What was your favorite part about the whole race?
Speaker 10:I really liked the start and the finish.
Speaker 3:That's usually everybody's least favorite.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was going to say you didn't like any of the other stuff.
Speaker 10:Well, I do, but I think I like that part the most.
Speaker 3:The technical, tighter stuff. Yeah, it's just a lot of action.
Speaker 5:Yep, we saw the Honda guys come by us. Both of them came by. At the same time At the same time, and we got the footage of the start, the star stream, and that was incredible, you know. I mean that just really adds so much to our, to our, to our racing program, the marketing part of it, and also to get to get all that out to the fans out there and some of our team that can't make it to the races. Yeah, that's cool.
Speaker 2:Well, it probably helps mom get a little bit more comfortable with being able to watch. Yeah, to hear the bickering, she's like I'm going to turn the volume down and just watch.
Speaker 3:It watches.
Speaker 2:I didn't know they were that angry what did you come across the finish line? What place? We came across in third and were you proud of that, or do you want to do better next time?
Speaker 10:I think that's good. I just wanted to finish yeah well, just like what.
Speaker 2:Who just said it? Joe was saying first you gotta finish, especially in Mexico. Yeah Well, just like what did. Who did? Who just said it? Joe was saying first you got to finish. Yeah.
Speaker 5:Especially in Mexico, she came across. Third, it was like 18 and a half hours we had about. We had some parts failures that took us out about three and a half hours. Like I said, we were right behind the Honda team and then we got on one of those forbidden roads just for about 300 feet up through the mountains and, um the morning time I think we got fourth place. I went to score and wanted to check out the. Uh, you know what happened with the BCPs and the guy oh, wait a minute, you hit a forbidden line. That's four more hours. So we like.
Speaker 5:Oh, oh. And the guy looked at me maybe you shouldn't have come here. And the guy looked at me maybe you shouldn't have come here really man. But you know what super proud of her third place, baja 500, you know, even though they took it, you know we lost that. But her first race was San Felipe and she got second place there too, you know. And then the race before that that was a big race was a third place at the Mint about a year ago, so that's awesome.
Speaker 2:Things are going good yeah, yeah, are you proud of yourself? You should be really proud, yeah she just wants more. She wants to keep going that's exactly what I was gonna ask ryan yeah, like what's? What's on your like dream or bucket list now? Like, are you gonna race? Uh, you know any more big races this year? Like, what are you going to do?
Speaker 10:I'm doing the rest of the score season this year.
Speaker 3:It's a big commitment.
Speaker 5:Yeah, yeah, she, since right now she's currently third in points, you know, uh, behind Petter and um and groom. Congratulations out to all those guys in our class. They did a heck of a job and we'll show up at the 400 and she's going to try to drive the entire race and if she gets tired, you know dad will be there. But you know I don't, I don't plan on getting in that driver's seat at all, because I think last year you rode with who, With Cisco, With Cisco BO. Yeah, so she, she really wants to take it up through the mountains and up that coast Dude, it's so fun going through those.
Speaker 2:It's a blast those areas of Mexico are so cool, you're going to love it. Hey, do you do? We asked Ethan Ebert just a second ago like if he's been working out and training, because when he first got into UTV, like I feel like he would tell you the same thing too, like he thought he was ready but he wasn't quite ready. Are you like doing anything like that? Are you like on a special diet?
Speaker 10:Do you do anything specific that you want to to better yourself in the future?
Speaker 2:I don't do anything. Well, you don't have to, but I'm asking that question what would you do if you did something right?
Speaker 10:I haven't really thought about that, you can go train with George.
Speaker 3:He road bikes for hundreds of miles. At that age she can eat anything.
Speaker 2:That's perfect. Well, I really appreciate you coming on the show, Eva. It was cool talking to you. Do you have anybody that you want to thank before we let you go? Well, I really appreciate you coming on the show. I thought it was cool talking to you. Do you have anybody that you want to thank before we let you go?
Speaker 10:Well, my dad and my mom.
Speaker 2:Is your mom watching behind the scenes right now?
Speaker 10:No, I don't know where she is.
Speaker 3:It's all nervous. I think she's in the house. She didn't want you to put her on blast.
Speaker 5:We got BF Goodrich, rugged Radio, shreddy. Shreddy takes care of Blake, loki and them. Mobile Sewing Machine Repair. Baja Bound Insurance hooks up the cars and stuff Fox Shocks. The car was working unbelievable. I don't know if you've seen any of those stories she put up, but it looked like she was just riding on pillows and they did a lot of testing with her. You know, the week before the race, a benchmark performance. Chris and Landon out there got this thing dialed in Transmission. They do all of our drivetrain and our tuning. Baja designs, prp, star mounts, star Stream, of course, and Trinity and Heat Shields.
Speaker 2:Hey, so one of the sponsors that I heard on there was pretty non-endemic. That's a sewing company.
Speaker 5:Yeah, that's our buddy, eddie Chaka, so I don't know if you saw us in Contingency, but he came with the big boom box. Yeah, I didn't see that Mobile sewing machine repair, and he repairs sewing machines and he's mobile. There you go. They say if you want to make money you've got to specialize in something. And Eddie's doing that.
Speaker 10:Yeah, that's cool.
Speaker 5:He also donated a Polaris Razor 1000 for her to pre-run in all season long. That's huge, yeah. So, eva, we talk about this all the time, and Ryan knows it better for her to pre-run in all season long, that's huge.
Speaker 2:So, evan, we talk about this all the time and Ryan knows it better than anybody else when you can get a sponsor that's not like a tire sponsor, that's called non-endemic, meaning it's outside of the normal racing world, you hold on to them for as long as you can, because those sponsors are very, very valuable and it brings more eyes to our sport because they can show it to people that don't usually watch it. So keep him on your on your radar for as long as you can and help him out.
Speaker 3:That's awesome.
Speaker 5:Yeah, it's cool to see that stuff. Yeah yeah, he used to pit for the one a quad, like years ago, so he has some roots and he's tied into the Ledesma family. You know five to600 legends.
Speaker 2:That's so cool. All right, Eva, thank you very much for joining us on the show. Please tell your mom thank you as well.
Speaker 3:Good job at the 500.
Speaker 5:Hey, thanks a lot, Thank you.
Speaker 3:See you guys later, later, george.
Speaker 2:Bye Later, rhino. All right. So thanks to all our sponsors. We really appreciate everybody. I'm sorry I didn't mention at the beginning of the show because, well, uh, we started off pretty quickly. So thanks to the guys over at evolution power sports, thanks to everybody at uh, kmc wheels, thank you everybody at shock therapy, vision canopy, zolinger, racing products, uh, and I'm probably forgetting somebody else. But thank you to all our sponsors, all our partners, and thank you guys for watching the show. See you guys next time. Peace.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening to the Dirt Life Show. See you next week. We'll be right back.
