The Dirt Life
The Dirt Life
Great Efforts lead to Great Rewards: Ethan Ebert's Journey in Off-Road Racing - Bella's Corner
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What drives a young racer to take on the formidable challenges of off-road racing? Episode 10 of Bella's Corner features the extraordinary Ethan Ebert, an 18-year-old racing prodigy from Tucson, Arizona, who has navigated the off-road circuit for a decade. Ethan takes us on a thrilling ride through his experiences in major events like the Baja 1000 and shares the significance of moving from three-digit to single-digit race numbers. His story of passion and perseverance offers an inspiring glimpse into the mindset and dedication required in this exhilarating sport.
Get a front-row seat to the behind-the-scenes rituals and preparation of off-road racers as we explore the critical role of mental fortitude and the energizing power of music. From Ethan's go-to track "Fortunate Son" to Bella's upbeat rap favorites, discover how racers gear up for high-stakes competitions. We also delve into the evolution of racing technology, where all-wheel drive trucks and advanced safety measures are reshaping the racing landscape. This episode is packed with personal anecdotes that reveal the dynamic challenges faced during races like Vegas to Reno and the strategies employed to conquer the track.
Beyond the racetrack, Ethan's journey highlights the balance between a demanding racing career and personal life, underscoring the invaluable role of family support. From humorous racing mishaps to heartfelt stories of overcoming mental and physical barriers, this episode showcases the camaraderie and passion that fuels off-road racing. Join us for a lively conversation filled with insights, laughter, and the shared love for the sport, promising an engaging experience for racing enthusiasts and newcomers alike.
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Welcome to the Dirt Life Show with your host, George Hamill.
Speaker 2Welcome back to the Dirt Life Show. I am your host, Bella Burchard, and this is my co-host, George Hamill. Hi Today we are filming episode 10 of Bella's Corner. I can't believe we're already at 10, double digits, that's crazy.
Speaker 1Are you pretty hyped on the number 10?
Speaker 2I'm pretty hyped, especially hyped for this one, because we got a really special guest today.
Speaker 1Ethan is a super cool dude. I know you're going to do a proper intro and stuff, but a lot of people have probably already seen Ethan around the races some of the desert races, some of the short course races. He's just a solid kid right, and you know more than anybody else how wild it can get when you're in your teens.
Speaker 2Yes, for sure, especially in an industry like this where you're constantly saying hi and meeting new people and stuff. So props to him. I'm super excited to learn more about him.
Speaker 1So let's get all of the show stuff out of the way, tell everybody how to join us, how to listen to the show and thank some of our sponsors.
Speaker 2So we are live from SoCal, west Coast Electric. Share the show through Instagram, through Spotify, itunes, youtube. You can watch it through all that. Tell your friends and family and everyone that we're talking to cool people.
Speaker 1Like Andy Fursella says, pay the tax. We don't charge for the show, nothing like that. So please share the show as much as you possibly can, because that's the growth for Bella and that's the growth for the Dirt Life UTV Night. What's up, dude?
Speaker 2Hi, if you like it, tell your friends, tell your family. Should we start thanking some sponsors?
Speaker 1Yeah for sure. So we're going to skip the first one, go over to Max's Tires. Thank you for sure. So, um, we're going to skip the first one, go over to max's tires. Thank you very much for all the stuff that chris and uh brad and everybody does over there. Uh, max's has been really, really supporting a lot of racing. I think we talked about it last time a little bit about how much they supported crandon. Yes, uh, and all of the stuff there, and we also share a mutual sponsor with ethan. Uh, maxis is a part of the Honda Off-Road Racing Program. Yes, so that's super cool.
Speaker 2That's super cool.
Speaker 1Thanks to the guys over at Shock Therapy. Really appreciate all of their hard work, the guys over at JL Audio Vision, Canopy and.
Speaker 2Evolution Power Sports Coach.
Speaker 1What? Oh, they have a code shooter app that you can program.
Speaker 2Yeah, but Evolution Power Sports for all the power. Those guys are super cool over there, so thank you.
Speaker 1Yep and then Zolinger Racing Products. So thank you, travis, and all the guys over there too, so all right.
Speaker 2Anything else you want to say?
Speaker 1Yeah, and Starstream too, here, there you go.
Speaker 2There you go.
Speaker 1Branding right there on point. Okay, let's get Ethan on right now, and then you can do your introduction real quick.
Speaker 2He was ready. Look at that.
Speaker 1Ethan's solid dude.
Speaker 2I know.
Speaker 1All right, and thank you guys very much for joining in too. Down at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen you'll see a little icon that looks like a paper airplane. So feel free to use that paper airplane and share it with all your friends so we can get a bunch of people watching the show. Ethan Ebert. What's up, dude? What's going on? Man Hi Dude, check out the sign in the back Bella's Corner. I know that thing is sick.
Speaker 3I was just working at it.
Speaker 1It reminds me something of like what your sister or your mom would do Like to get you all dialed in oh for sure, no, my mom was probably going to start making those next.
Speaker 2Well, it's nice to officially meet you. I'm super excited that you're on the show tonight.
Speaker 3Heck, yeah, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2Yeah, for sure. So I got a pretty good intro, but we could start off with that.
Speaker 1Yeah, I want to hear it.
Speaker 2Okay, ethan Ebert is 18 years old, from Tucson, arizona, with 10 years of racing under his belt, experience in some of the largest off-road events, like the Baja 1000. Ethan is now captain of number seven Honda Ridgeline trophy truck.
Speaker 1Man there you go Wait, are you running number seven? No, number nine, right, number nine? Yeah, number nine, dude. It's pretty crazy to think, like I've known ethan for a little while now and like he's always had his own number and you know, like you start with three digits, or even on dirt bikes, and then you have two digits and now he's a single digit driver, like to me. When you get in those single digits, like that's like graduate into, like the ranks, dude like yeah, that's like, yeah, that's big dog stuff right there.
Speaker 1Well, who else is number nine? Adam Cincerello, he just retired that number. Dude, you are up with the big dogs.
Speaker 3Trying to be. I'm definitely trying to be.
Speaker 2That's super cool. That'd be kind of cool sharing a number with someone like that.
Speaker 3I know I need to start thinking who shares my number with me?
Speaker 1What's your number again?
Speaker 2Four.
Speaker 1Ricky Carmichael. Now it's Chase Sexton. Oh okay, who's number four at NASCAR? I don't know who that is, but there's probably, I don't know.
Speaker 2I'm going to find out. I think there is a number four for sure. Yeah, for sure, Definitely number nine too.
Speaker 1All right, let's hear the intro.
Speaker 2What do you mean? I said the intro.
Speaker 1All right.
Speaker 2All right, are we ready to dive in some questions?
Speaker 1Let's do it, of course. Ask away.
Speaker 2The whole title of this episode was Deep Diving. I know we like to scratch on the surface a little bit and everybody wants to hear all the basic racing questions and stuff like that. But I definitely wanted to ask a little more personal things too, like school and family stuff Do you think we should get the audience involved too, like allow them to ask questions?
Speaker 2Yeah, for sure. If you guys have any questions, please comment them and we will get all of them to you. But I've had a couple people come to me with a bunch of questions.
Speaker 1Yeah, we got a bunch of questions that got submitted. Hey, but don't be a D like when you ask the questions, make sure you're nice and uh, I'm talking about all the, all the comments that will come in, because we don't want to get.
Speaker 2We don't want to give people free reign, dude. Oh, once we give free reign, it's, it's no good from there?
Speaker 3yeah, that's normally where it snowballs down that's exactly what I was gonna say.
Speaker 1say too, yeah.
Speaker 2So I know mornings look different for every racer out there, but kind of give me a rundown of what your guys' morning looks like before you actually get into the car and start your race.
Speaker 3So yeah. So I've actually had to work on my mornings a lot because, like when I would wake up to go to school, I wouldn't eat anything. So it was like I've had to train my brain, like, okay, you've got to eat protein, you got to do this, you got to drink electrolytes, all that, yeah, so it's like it's super important to get all that nutrients in you, cause, I mean, we're going to be driving for 500 or plus miles, you know. So it's nothing like it's something small to do, you know, it's you're pushing it the whole time and all that. So super, super important to kind of just and limber up too, that's for sure, just because you're going to be sitting in the same spot for however long, you know.
Speaker 3So, yeah, so you just got to like limber up and just get loose and stay away from a lot of the stress, like that's what I love with the guys is they handle pretty much everything. So I just got to sit there and go, oh, okay, cool, like when do I jump in? You know, so I can't thank those boys enough for what they do. So, yeah, just throw on some headphones, listen to some music and just kind of relax, cause it's like you're going to have a lot of chaos going on. So, yeah, you just got to get ready for it.
Speaker 1One of the things that I like most about what Ethan was saying is like uh, I'm a big proponent of uh, what is want to? Like sound like a tree hugger, but like feeling your zen right, like centering yourself and like stretching is huge, like people discount, like don't sleep on stretching and then you can like settle down and then like I don't know if you have like a favorite genre of music or if you like get like super amped up or you try to calm down before you get in there, but like what's that look like when you're trying to mellow out, get before the race?
Speaker 3dude, honestly I'm just gonna be honest the music I listen to is like you're going to war. You know what I mean. Like back in the day, like the boys are in the blackhawk helicopter, you're flying into vietnam. You know like that's the stuff that you put on. It's like man, like fortunate son dude, like the Bushes or whatever. I forget what that song is. But, dude, you just got to walk in because you're going to war.
Speaker 3I mean, you got all these other people just sitting out there with millions of dollars in trucks and they don't want to hurt them, but then they also don't care because they can pay for it all. So it's like dude.
Speaker 1CPD said. I can just hear him like welcome to the jungle, like, just like getting nasty.
Speaker 3Oh yeah, no, gatlin tells me to shut up. All the time, all the time.
Speaker 2People have always told me to calm down before races, but now I think I ought to try that tactic.
Speaker 1I'll send you the playlist. Let's do it. Let's do two questions. What would be your go-to song if you're going to be getting ready for the race? Belle, and then we'll have Ethan. Pick just one.
Speaker 2It's definitely got to be a rap song.
Speaker 1Oh really Are you thug life yeah.
Speaker 2Got to thug it out before the race.
Speaker 1Really.
Speaker 2Okay.
Speaker 1Yeah, do you have a favorite thug song right now?
Speaker 2I like Too Short right now.
Speaker 1No way, that is pretty gnarly dude.
Speaker 3I did not expect that. Oh my God, Like the song that just popped into my head.
Speaker 1I hate to get like on PG-13, but it was like Gangsters and Strippers, like that's the song that just popped into my head right now.
Speaker 2That's a good one.
Speaker 1Dude, you're wild.
Speaker 3Oh wait, okay, All right, what are you going with Ethan Dude? I'm going with, probably Fortunate Son. Okay, that is where it's at, because it's just like the beat and everything. It's like dude. We're going to Vietnam.
Speaker 1Yeah, UGB Night Ride said try some Valley of the Wolves. That's my go-to.
Speaker 2Oh, yeah, okay I can get behind that. Night Rides. Night Rides.
Speaker 1Is that what he said?
Speaker 2Yeah, okay that fits the vibe. No, fortunate Son's a good one. I gotta try that out too.
Speaker 3You got it. Gets you locked in. Gets you locked in for sure that's funny, that's super cool.
Speaker 2Well, I have a lot of funny questions, but should we ask some more serious ones, or?
Speaker 1I think we should switch back and forth.
Speaker 2Let's do a serious one right now okay, who was one person you would want to battle side by side?
Speaker 1Oh, this was a fan-submitted question.
Speaker 3Yes, Menzies every single day of the week, because like dude, he's like top dog, like that's like growing up when I was a kid, like all you see rumbling by through the short course, through the infield, just that mean red bull machine just chopping through and like he's the top, like anybody. You ask like, oh, bryce menzies, bryce menzies. So like if I could, if I could just door menzies once, I think I'd be happy.
Speaker 1You know, yeah, like go next to him just door, door menzies, and hang up the towel, drop the mic oh, yeah, that's it.
Speaker 3Yeah. And then ask if I can keep his door, then you, then, that's it.
Speaker 1Then you hang that up in the garage, hey you know somebody else, that's a big Menzies fan, don't you?
Speaker 2Oh, I do my brother, my little brother, absolutely biggest Bryce Menzies fan ever.
Speaker 3See.
Speaker 2And then, when he followed me first, he was really upset about it.
Speaker 1Yeah, he is a people's person.
Speaker 2Oh yeah, he's got the socks, the shirts the speakers all over the car, everything.
Speaker 1Fort Garvin said tell us about your motor.
Speaker 3I wonder which one he's talking about. Tell us about the one in the 250F. Oh, do you have a 250F or a 450? Now I have a 450.
Speaker 1Yeah, I upgraded, dude. I'm a big dog now. Do you got a?
Speaker 3motor built in that thing, or no? No, it's just so. It's the special edition 450R. So it's the RWE the works edition.
Speaker 1Dude, those have special motors, though they got special porting. They got special heads, the whole deal.
Speaker 3Yeah, and it came with the full Yosh, so I was stoked.
Speaker 1Yeah, those things. Is that a little too much for you, or are you getting used to it?
Speaker 3Oh no, we're messing around and I sometimes touch map three, which is the gnarliest, but most of the time it's in map one Is map three super gnarly. Dude, they call it extreme.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 3Extreme from the battery, yeah.
Speaker 1I think your dad and I will probably stay on the lower maps. Dude, we don't need none of that extreme.
Speaker 3Dude, that dude will not swing his leg over a bike.
Speaker 1He's had some incidents on the 110s and he's done. Uh, oh, okay, andy wants andy.
Speaker 2You know andy oh yeah, he wants to know some specs on the tt yeah oh, what are we thinking? Like shocks and stuff, or I think he's making more like just details like how about this?
Speaker 1how about you tell us what your favorite seat in the tt is and what kind of steering wheel you use?
Speaker 3Okay, so we run the Sparco. I forget which ones they are, but I know they're the large seats and so it cups me perfectly. And then the steering wheel is a flatter steering wheel and I think it might be 350 millimeter but it's not like super wide, so it's like you're driving a bus, but it's like just perfect and I love that steering wheel. And you probably use a upr seat pad from our buddy jeff ferrer too yep, yep, I do that.
Speaker 1Three inch seat pad helps a lot, dude.
Speaker 2It helps your back like you wouldn't believe how long did it take for you to kind of get dialed in your seat and know exactly what you liked so it actually it was kind of weird.
Speaker 3So when I was driving the seven truck that truck was, the seat was I think it was an extra large or something and I didn't fit in it. So I was thrashing around all the time and so we actually had to make this custom seat pad. Here I can bring it out. This is a proctor made custom seat pad. Okay, yeah, full duct tape. It's got sponsor, it's sponsored too. So this was had to be made because I would get thrashed around in the car so much.
Speaker 3But it really like. So I like my, I like everything super tight, so I I don't really, because a lot of the guys like to run this uh, top belts like really loose and so they kind of float with the truck, but I like to be one with the truck, so I'm, I'm bouncing with it and I feel everything. So everything's super tight and like yeah, and also also makes fun of me for tightening my belts all the time. Yeah, but um, yeah, no, the sparco, the seat belts that we use, it's like that six point harness, so it has the little circle right here and then all you do is flip it and you can get out and it's, it's awesome.
Speaker 1I have no complaints with it dude, those, those uh, custom seat pads are so crucial. They're like, uh, when, uh, when I was racing short course, I still have it like I have a full seat pad around the whole. I use the smallest seat I could possibly get and then I would use the custom seat pad. It was like, and it would piss so many people off, especially my crew chief, because he would have to sit on top of the seat and be like driving it around, like with his neck all bent against the roof, even those upheated seatbelts too.
Speaker 2Like going from, like those latch seatbelts, to the what you were just talking about, the clips and everything comes apart Like that was an insane jump to me. I remember getting those at first and being like what is this?
Speaker 3Yeah, like it was super sick.
Speaker 1But when you get everything, dialed, though it feels so much better yeah for sure, being comfortable in your car really matters.
Speaker 3Yeah, but I also can move the seat forward and back, so my seat will be all the way back and I tighten it as far as I can and then I move the seat forward and it tightens up even more.
Speaker 2Oh okay, yeah, yeah, that's super nice Convenient too, Bougie, Speaking of that, what differences did you see as you matured in the industry? Like differences between the new stuff that was coming out, but also just like how racers progressively got better stuff like that.
Speaker 3Oh, that's a good question. So honestly, like back when I was racing the short course stuff, it was like everybody was super rowdy. I feel like it was always like party at this pit, party at this pit. The technology was still advancing, but it wasn't advancing as much as it is now. I feel like a lot of it now is more people like Mason with the all-wheel drive trucks and everybody else coming out with all-wheel drives and everything else is like people are focusing more and more and more on racing and more stuff's coming out like fluid logic's doing this or ball design just making an actuator to do that.
Speaker 3You know, so it's definitely matured a lot more, I think, just because a lot of the guys are showing more respect to it. You know, it's not like, oh yeah, we're just racing to have fun. No, we're racing to do something and make technology and make new things. You know.
Speaker 1Well, don't you think it has? Like we all take direction from other racing series, right, like F1 or NASCAR or whatever it is, and when you see those series, it's a lot different than dirt bike racing and then off-road racing, because there's more gaps in off-road and dirt bikes, right, like it's seconds not milliseconds, right and. But now it's getting so close, like what you said before, like menzies and uh, you know, like, actually, let me lay a backstory, but it's the devil's in the details is what I'm saying for you. You've done very well in the adaptation for the new honda truck. Right, you guys are now racing in the trophy truck class.
Speaker 1You had a lot of pressure on yourself this entire year because you got thrown into the mix like you're racing in the trophy truck class. You had a lot of pressure on yourself this entire year because you got thrown into the mix like you're racing with the big dogs and there's no, it's not a secret, you have a lot less horsepower because you're racing a v6, right, you're racing against 1100 horsepower mason, any of these big dogs, right? That doesn't discount anybody else or your driving style. It just means that you're playing with the big dogs. So every single one percent makes that much of a difference for you right, like exactly what does it take for you to go and podium right, like you got podiums this year?
Speaker 3yeah, yeah, so it, um it, like you said, I mean it comes down to the milliseconds, like it's just super. So what I found in this truck is like, sure, we don't have all that bottom end torque, but we have the top end, so it's, it's, the truck is there, you know. I mean we have some good top speed and as long as you're pretty much in the rpm, the truck loves it. I mean it's. You can relate it to a civic in all reality, like when vtech hits, you're on it, so, but instead VTEC is on all the time, so this truck is just lit up all the time.
Speaker 3But I found out that a lot of the guys like to push it at the very, very start for some reason, just because they're so hyped up, like ready to go, ready to go, let's go racing, and then they wad the truck or something breaks, they lose the drive shaft and then they're out 15, 20 minutes. And they're out 15, 20 minutes. Like that's how we got a podium, is just people falling out. Like that's how we got third at the mint, is just people falling out, dropping out. And like the attrition rate is super crucial and with Evan Miller prepping that truck, and how reliable the Honda is. I mean we just pick trucks off left and right, just pick off the injured trucks, you know yeah.
Speaker 1Hey, so we, uh, we know a little bit of a story about Evan Weller. Do you want to?
Speaker 3Uh-oh.
Speaker 1I heard that he may or may not have been working on the driveline and you tried to make sure there was no dust around him.
Speaker 3Vegas Torino the first race in the truck. Okay, I didn't know we were going here, but I guess we're here now. So basically, Evan Weller and I are very close, okay, so super close.
Off-Road Racing Challenges and Strategies
Speaker 3And Evan's a solid dude, by the way, dude, he's so badass, I love him. But yeah, so we come in, this is a brand-new truck off the line from Tisco. And so we were like, okay, there's going to be issues because it's a brand new truck and the CR is going to fight gremlins. So we were going through, we were just dancing through Vegas Trino doing pretty good, and then we had some brake issues and I was like, okay, this kind of sucks. You know you can't slow down a 6,000-pound truck. It's a little sketchy, let's figure this out. And we were I pull into the pits and I have a 64 ounce bottle from fluid logic that I drink all the time, so let's keep that in mind 64 ounce a lot, of, a lot of liquid.
Speaker 3Yeah, a lot of liquid, a lot, and so I'm just sipping on this dude. And then we pull into the pit and I'm like, okay, like we're doing good, like we're, we're maybe like, I think, top 10 or top 5 even I'm like, oh, we're doing pretty good. And so I'm just lax, I'm zen, and 2 plus 2 equals 4. And I just let loose and I was like man, like I got to go to the bathroom right now. Good thing we have this technology that I can go right now. Good thing we have this technology that I can go. But evan weller was fixing the brake line that was underneath my seat. So bad dude. And so I just let it rip. I was like, because I didn't, I zoned everything out and, uh, evan was like this is the funniest part part. Evan was like, oh, it doesn't taste like brake fluid. And I was like I was in too deep.
Speaker 1so I was like don't say nothing, just let it go was he pretty mad at you after no, he was, he was, like that happens, and I'm like took it like a champ.
Speaker 2Yeah, I've heard way worse. He was like that happens and I'm like took it like a champ.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 1I've heard way worse stories, but I can totally see what Ethan's saying here, though, because don't bother a man while he's letting it go. You can't, it's not going to stop the flow.
Speaker 3And Proctor was on the radio the whole time and I zoned him out. I was like dude, I don't hear what he's talking about. He was like are you peeing right now? And I'm like, no, I'm not going to answer that question, that's hilarious.
Speaker 2That was good. I wish we could have.
Speaker 1Evan on the phone right now.
Speaker 3Dude, she's probably written me a new one.
Speaker 2That's so funny.
Speaker 3Oh my god, yeah, yeah, that was vegas trino. That's like I honestly, I think that's I one of my first times meeting evan too really, vegas trino is a hot one.
Speaker 2You, you must have been cooling him down.
Speaker 3Yeah, exactly, hey, it's vegas, it was hot and, yes, you're so right how many times have you raced Vegas Trino? Two times.
Speaker 2Okay.
Speaker 3Yeah, yeah twice.
Speaker 2Did you like it? You fan.
Speaker 1It's pretty fast, dude.
Speaker 3So I love the track. The track is awesome. It's just all ass the whole time. But it's like this year kind of sucked because we had some some issues, so it kind of sucked there. And then it was like I was in dust all day, from the start to the finish. I was in dust like I did 100 miles with my visor cracked up and milwaukee safety glasses on oh that's rough and that blew at night, so that sucks, but it's a fun track.
Speaker 1It's a fun race, but yeah, yeah, yeah, especially when you're battling issues all day it feels like the day's never gonna end actually that's a good point to bring up, like, let's talk about a serious racing. It like because being the underdog, so to speak, with less horsepower, qualifying is so important for races like vegas torino. Because, like, if you don't qualify good, you're fucked, you're sitting in the dust all day right but, how do you manage something like that?
Speaker 1because you know, like, all right, these all-wheel drive masons or whatever it is are going to go, or, like our siero, he's just going to give it the beans, the entire qualifying run. So, like, how do you go up against something like that? Because, well, first of all, our Sierra has got a lot of experience on you, he's got a lot of horsepower on you, he's got, you know, I mean, the experience itself is enough right there, like how do you sit at the starting line and go, all right, fuck, what am I going to do to qualify as good as possible?
Speaker 3So basically I'm just nervous the whole time. And then Gallen's in my ear like dude, we're just not going to lift. I'm like I can do that. So basically we just don't lift. Like you can listen to, youtube was video of us qualifying in Vegas arena and it's on the chip the whole time. That's all you do.
Speaker 3So it's like so Gallen actually really helps me a lot. He gets me out of head. He's like all right, we got this, I got this map. Like he just reassures me and like I couldn't ask for a better co-driver. Dude like yallin is such an all-around, just badass of a co-driver, so he just helps me get through. Like all right, dude, like you got this.
Speaker 3Like we used to qualify all the time in short course, every single time. So I'm used to the okay, you gotta put a heater down, leave it all on the track, or else you're not really ending up in a good spot. So it's get to the finish line or you get to get to that flag before anybody else. Really that kind of mentality. So it's just it's almost like driving a pro four. You know, just on the limit, just just everywhere, and if you're qualifying, like qualifying in craining, so you're just on the limit the whole time, like it's just as much as you can, really. But you also have to keep in the back of your mind like, hey, I'm racing this truck, like the race is in like tomorrow or the next day, like if we like do something catastrophic, we're done.
Speaker 1Yeah and so you can't weed. You can't weed it, but that's the qualifying is like I keep telling people, qualifying is almost more important than the race day.
Speaker 3Now dude yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1Oh, just because clean air is that important absolutely, and then so, like you were just talking about your co-driver, you've had some fantastic co-drivers Gatlin is the latest one and he does a really, really good job but you have like, honestly, you have an amazing team and family around you. Let's talk about the support mechanisms, because I know Bell has some questions about that too.
Speaker 3Yeah, so I started off actually with Joee whining as a co-driver and that dude is a legend in itself like we would try to go through the tech line with joe and oh hey joe, oh hey joe, hey joe, he's a celebrity down there like he's just, he's the coolest stand-up guy you'll ever meet and he's so like let's get to business.
Speaker 3Like I know what to do. He speaks foreign spanish, he knows Mexico like the back of his hand, like he's. And he knows how to fix literally anything with any situation. Like he could fix like a tie rod with a creosote bush or something you know. Like it's just, he's such a handy guy. And he was really the first person to show me like hey, like we get it, you know. Like you're fast, but you're only fast for this amount of time until you break. So you can either be fast until you break or be fast the whole time and not break, and then you can win. So he really showed me the ropes on hey, dude, you're being an idiot. Like you're not in short course. Like we have 800 miles, let's get 800 miles done and then we'll see where we're at. So he was super level-headed and it was awesome. So I I can't thank him enough. And like the crew is just, they, they know what to do. You know, it's like it's not their first rodeo.
Speaker 3They're like oh, we'll do this, this and this, and then, yeah, I can't ask for a better family crew, co-drivers, anybody, yeah was it hard to learn that like to learn it was so difficult, like super difficult, just because it's like you're like, honestly, I want to give props to, to Trey Gibbs, because he goes back to the Midwest and he'll race short course and come straight back and then get back in the 6100 and go race. So what did he say? He said it's not easy. Do know, it absolutely is not. It sounds easy, like, oh yeah, just slow down, but that's not.
Speaker 1Like when you're racing and you're flying through gears, it's that goes out the window and it just goes straight to what you know you have to change your whole mentality, yeah, well, even when I talked to him before I talked to him before the baja 400, when you're seeing all you guys line up at the starting line and you know he was watching everybody and I said, man, like qualifying was pretty good, he goes. Honestly, dude, I forgot how to drive a trophy truck, like like mid-level, like he's like I just went short course and like went ham on it and he's like he's like but I can't do that like, I can't use like you're, you're gonna lose if you have that attitude so he already knew yeah, no, and it's like you have to flip your brain completely like to a different level, like you gotta like I like saying it as you have to slow your brain down.
Speaker 3You don't have to speed it up, you have to slow it down. So you process everything, but you have to process it at a hundred miles an hour, whipping through creosote, bushes and fans on the side and whoops. So it's like to a point you slow down but then do another. It's like you got to. So it's a weird deal and it's just feel. You know all feel is that hard to oh sorry, go ahead.
Speaker 1Is that hard to do, though, like with your, because you're a uh well, a hyper dude? Right, like you got a lot of energy. Is it hard for you to slow your brain down?
Speaker 3because for me it's super hard yeah, no, and it's every time I catch dust. It's like I want to step out and just go rip and gallons like, no, like, we'll have a chance, we'll have a chance, we'll have a chance. Then get them. You know, so it's just like. But every time like so that's actually how I crashed in my first desert race is I caught dust and I was like, oh, let's go get them. And then I blew a corner and smashed into a rock wash, or into a rock in a giant wash, and ripped the whole left side of the car off and it was like, okay, we're done, yeah, so, yeah, no, like I have I've had to learn like, okay, we're in dust, but now we have to drive even smarter.
Speaker 3So we can't drive harder, we have to drive smarter because we already caught this guy doing what we're doing, so we're gonna catch, we're gonna pass him, no matter what. So you just kind of have to think okay, if we caught up to him doing 75 pace, we can easily pass him with an 80% pace. And there you go, yeah, it's science.
Speaker 2Did it take you a while to learn, like, how to read terrain, Like? Oh, I don't know, if it can handle this or it can handle it. I got it.
Speaker 3Yeah, no, it definitely took me a while, just because it's like, oh, this looks like it's going to like kick the truck, and so I make some weird adjustments and then the truck just like eats it up. So, yeah, it's been super weird, and especially now with the live out too. It's like if I see something, gatlin will see it too, and that's the weird thing is like, when gatlin and I plug our radios in, it's not just the radio, it's our brains too, so he can see what I see. And he's like, oh, this is gonna happen, and he changes the shocks and then it'll hit it and I'm like, okay, that's what I wanted to do anyway. So it's super cool. But yeah, it takes a long time to say okay, like it just takes seat time and that's it. I mean as much seat time as you can get. Then there you go, yeah.
Family Roles in Off-Road Racing
Speaker 1We've seen you, like during some practice sessions, like it's not all about just smashing through whoops, or it's not all about, like, just cutting corners. Like you, you have a really good like um, I don't know knack for it. Maybe it comes from the dirt bike stuff that you do, or the quad stuff that you did early on in your in your life, um, or even short course stuff, but you know how to position things. Like, you know, like within I would say, at least three or four inches where to put the front end before you enter a corner. Like you'll, you'll, you'll drop the front end, you'll lift it, you'll, you'll hit the gas and you use your feet a lot more than you do the steering wheel to get the execution that you want through certain sections. Like, was that hard to learn?
Speaker 3Honestly, yeah, and it was. I can't even describe it. So it's honestly just a feel thing. It's like something that I've always been able to do of where, okay, I know what the car is going to do and that's so.
Speaker 3Actually, I need to thank my dad because he was so adamant about learning judgment of any vehicle that you get in. He said this is going to be the best thing that you know, no matter what you do. And it was judgment. And I was like like no way, like it's whatever, like I don't think it. And then I started paying attention, like, okay, if I put my front wheel here and it grabs into this rut a certain way, then it's going to throw the truck this way, and it's like he's totally right. If you know where your front bumper is and your rear bumper is, then you're good to go and obviously, where the sides are. But it's like it was just the. The best thing for me to learn was judgment. I feel like that's how it kind of helps and just kind of the feeling you know yeah, it takes a lot for somebody to like.
Speaker 1let that insert itself into their head, though, cause most of the especially young youngsters like teenagers, right, cause that's the phase in your life and any teenagers like this doesn't matter if you play basketball, football, whatever. You don't want to hear what your parents have to say, right, like. So having an open mindset and open perception, like you did, that's what will take you really far, because you're like okay, well, maybe my dad is right, maybe I should look into this, because maybe it will help me. Like. That's the winning attitude that most kids don't get.
Speaker 3Yeah, no, and I'm just super thankful for my dad because that's how he is. You know, he's just a. He's this kick-ass salesman that says okay, we're not, I'm not here to sell you anything, I'm here to fix your problem. Done, there we go so it's like okay there you like? All right, cool like I'll. I'll listen to you like after that.
Speaker 2I do have questions about that, especially because you're so family orientated. Um what roles does your family take on during race weekends?
Speaker 3um, actually. So they all kind of we've made our own kind of deal. So it's been funny.
Speaker 3My dad has been through so many different roles. So when we first started he was team owner uh, mechanic and everything else. And then we went to the junior two same thing mod cart he stepped down from mechanic and he was just like the team owner slash mud scraper and then we got to the talon and he really didn't do anything, he was just team team owner. And that really annoyed him, like he's a super hands-on guy, like he'll watch, like occasionally, but he's like dude, like I know I can do it better, so he'll get in there. And so when we got to the truck he was like, all right, I'm done sitting on the sidelines watching like nothing happen. So now he changes my driver's side rear, side rear, so he's on the, he's out there in the field with the impact boom, boom gets it done. And it's super cool to see just because he's he's been doing such different things I don't know, dude, that's a risky move putting dad in that position I know if I pissed him off, because now I work for him too.
Speaker 3So if I pissed him off at work, he's like oh, I don't know what happened.
Speaker 1Oh, I wasn't I wasn't saying it about that. Like you'll know what I'm talking about. He crashes a lot. He broke his arm. He would be falling down all over the place, dude.
Speaker 3I don't know, he just gets it done. Someone needs to wrap him in bubble wrap. I know, but yeah, so my dad does that now, so he changes the tires. My mom is like the snack girl. So if you have a snack or anything. Boom. Kelly's on. Kelly is on.
Speaker 1You'd get along with her real good though, oh I would. I'll eat the snacks.
Speaker 3There you go and then my sister does like she's leaning more now towards photography stuff. I'm not going to lie, Okay. So, bring this disposable camera bam.
Speaker 2But she's also in the beverage department too.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 3And then she also will do split times too.
Speaker 1And she's also in the beverage department.
Speaker 3Oh yeah, yes, she does. She hands out free Red Bulls, so she works for them, alright locked in Sugar free too.
Speaker 1She's super awesome. She can get her hands on sugar free. If you need some of those. I will for sure she can get her hands on sugar-free if you need some of those.
Speaker 2I will, for sure she can get any. That's really really cool, ethan, if you could get, if you were sponsored by or well, obviously you are speaking of honda, because I just saw them join, hi guys, um, being sponsored by a big brand company like honda, do you have any other obligations? Like, besides racing? It's like signings and photo shoots, stuff like that yeah, so it's actually really cool.
Speaker 3So I've been invited to the off-road expo and the sand expo or the sand show and just stuff like that, and I mean just like this.
Speaker 3Um, this past week I was actually out in Texas and I was filming with uh, yuki Sonoda, the Formula One driver, okay, and we did like this big whole like cross-brand deal filming with Yuki Tsunoda, the Formula One driver, and we did this big whole cross-brand deal where Yuki drove the truck and I kind of taught him and then I drove the truck and made him woo-hoo and all that stuff. So it was super rad. But yeah, no, there's lots of stuff that go behind it, which I think is awesome, Like where you're a privateer team. You really wouldn't have that.
Balancing Racing, School, and Social Life
Speaker 1But yeah, no. So we do a lot of stuff like that and I think it's, I think it's super cool. Well, one thing that a lot of kids might not, might not, understand, right, is that there's a lot of obligations when you drive, especially for a factory team. Right, like you know, um, you can get called to events, um, on a moment's notice. Right, like your schedule has to be I don't want to say flexible, but you have to be very, very adamant about the decisions that you make, right, cause it's not just going to these cool events.
Speaker 1It's like, oh shit, like, if I have a regular job, I got to take off the regular job. I got to schedule it in. I got to like, know that I'm going to be gone for this amount of time. I know that I need to make sure. Like you got to get your life together. You got to get a haircut, you got to be on point, you got like, all of these little things, dude, it's probably pretty difficult to manage, especially when you have such a busy life yeah, no, that's, that's for sure.
Speaker 3So, but what's also nice is that, uh, my parents aren't on me about all of it, so it all gets like keeped up, like, oh, if I need a haircut for this or if I need to like stay clean like I, I've never. I okay, I'll admit this I've never shaved my face a day in my life. It's been 18 years, that's nice though.
Speaker 3So I actually really appreciate it, because then I don't have to do as much work. Yeah, but yeah, no, it's just staying. And then also the way you present yourself at the events. It's like you can't go goof off with your buddies, like you got to be like, oh, like suit and tie kind of deal. You know you can't really like you can be yourself, but you can't be a distant, like a degenerate idiot, you know.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 3So it's and I honestly kind of like it better that way, because it's just shows like okay, like if because potential sponsors are walking around everywhere, like you don't know who owns Red Bull or who owns this or who owns that, like and you can shake their hand and get to know them really good and oh hey, by the way, I own this company Like we'd like to sponsor you, like it's just super cool. So it's getting those opportunities just from. Oh yeah, go sign up to Max's booth with the truck there.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1Does it make you want to, like do anything? Do you miss? Like being a kid, do you miss out on that or no?
Speaker 3Well, like yes. Well like yes and no, like it's so I've. So with short course stuff I've grown up a little faster than like I'd say any like a normal teenager you can put it like that, but then it's. It's this weird deal where it's like I'll look at what other kids are doing and I'm like those guys are idiots, dude, like what are they doing?
Speaker 3yeah but and then it's like I'll look at other things, like, okay, it looks kind of fun and like I want to do, but I've never been the party guy Like when we got to Glamis. I'm in bed at like eight, 30. Yeah.
Speaker 1Just hype, to get up and go rip. Exactly yeah.
Speaker 3From the, from the moment the sun is up and I can see that bikes on and I'm running away.
Speaker 1So it's just been one of those things where it's I've interested in that kind of the like social norm.
Speaker 3I guess you could say I'd rather go out by myself or with two buddies, go in the middle of nowhere on dirt bikes and go have fun. So do you at least eat breakfast first, yeah, yeah, well, okay, my mom has got this to a science. Like when you go to, when you go to the sand dunes with us, you have so three different people make the meal every day. So you have breakfast, lunch and dinner for sure, and you have three different people that the meal every day. So you have breakfast, lunch and dinner for sure, and you have three different people that are going to do it. And she has this whole system figured out Like, alright, you're doing this dinner, you're doing this dinner, you're doing this dinner, figure it out. No, she knows how to run a camp.
Speaker 2I gotta go live with you guys. I've been eating good there is food everywhere.
Speaker 3It's the best, it's the best, it's the best.
Speaker 1What are you trying to make when your mom makes you make a meal Like, what are you cooking?
Speaker 3Glizzies. Dude, I can take them down. Yeah, I will, just because it's fast easy. Bam back on the bike. Hey, not going to lie.
Speaker 1My Instagram has been hitting with glizzies. I think it's been listening to me talk and chomp on these things because, dude, I had a full New Era hat with embroidered glizzy on it pop up.
Speaker 3Unreal. Did you add the cart? Yes, see, exactly. No hesitation. Yes, no hesitation.
Speaker 1It was $35, too, that's funny Dang, hey I splurge, you splurge.
Speaker 3Hey, we'd love to see it out there, man, online shopping gets the best of us Going back to the school thing.
Speaker 2were you homeschooled or did you go to high school?
Speaker 3No, so I went to public school my whole life.
Speaker 2Oh, dang, okay.
Speaker 3Yeah, no, honestly. I love it because it's like the things you see at public school really teaches you a lot about how the world is going to be. It's like the things you see at public school really teaches you a lot about how the world is going to be. You know, it's like this kid dresses like this, or this kid does this, and it's like, oh, he's like I don't know, no-transcript like last year. Yeah, yeah so yeah, and then now I'm in college, so sick.
Speaker 3That's super yeah, yeah, yeah, it's I. It's just I don't know why it's. It's to me it's like like especially now. So, oh, I'm gonna go on a rant about this. So this teacher I have, we have to do these written assignments, and I don't, so it's in in apa format and I don't even know what apa format is.
Speaker 1What is it?
Speaker 3it's so you have to have a whole title page, okay, the one page is just four words, basically, or whatever it is. And then you go down and it has to be double-spaced, times New Roman font and size 12 font. And then you have to have a page of references too, that helps you write the paper.
Speaker 2It's a lot of work.
Speaker 3Yeah, I'm not trying, for no reason for no reason at all and I, okay listen. I didn't put the title page or the references, but I had all the other stuff in the actual paragraph. He knocked me off 20, yeah, uh, 20, and I'm like dude. That's why I don't like it, because it's like why are you nipping me in the ass?
Speaker 2public school is rough.
Speaker 3People do not give enough credit to some of the kids that actually graduate yeah, and I'm in community college and they're doing it there and I'm like dude, chill out it's crazy.
Speaker 1I'm not trying to do that. Even nowadays, I'll just search on google, give me this template and I'm going to copy that shit exactly, control, exactly, control. V is like your best friend dude.
Speaker 1It has been my friend for years hey, were you always uh, pretty outgoing, or were you kind of sheltered or like uh shy, when you first, like um, I don't know got into the second half of your off-road career? You know because you started as a kid and then you like matured into what you are now. But, um, I remember some days when it was like, I don't know, you were a little scared of talking to the camera, kind of thing.
Speaker 3Oh, yeah, for sure, like it's, at the very beginning I was like, oh, like I don't know what to do, like uh, and then I just kind of would say, like random stuff. And honestly, what would say like random stuff? And honestly, what really helped me was my friend group. That was also other racers like Mason Prater, luke Knuff, like all those guys that were just there at the races, and like Connor Berry, stuff like that, and it's like those people helped me get out of being so like afraid of where I was at, because it's like so much was going on and I wasn't used to it and I was like, well, like, but then all these other kids were, and then they brought me into their friend group and then we just ran off from there. So I was super appreciative of those guys because I mean, they helped me a lot, that's for sure, socially.
Speaker 1I heard that he's got a special chat group.
Speaker 2What's the name.
Speaker 3I can't say it. I told you, I told you, I told you, but it was not. I did not make it. I did not make it.
Speaker 2But you're in it.
Speaker 3Yeah, of course I'm in it, but I didn't make it.
Speaker 1Guilty by association dude.
Speaker 3No, no, no no.
Speaker 1Titus. Sherlock says you can't say the name.
Speaker 3Oh, is it like Titus gets it the first rule?
Speaker 1about Fight Club is you can't talk about Fight Club.
Speaker 3Exactly, and I have no idea what regulation or group shit you're talking about.
Speaker 2Yeah so we won't ask. We'll forget that was a question.
Speaker 1All right, now, every single person is going to ask him at the next race.
Speaker 2Speaking of you kind of progressing in like the social aspect of racing. You said in an interview a while back with george that, um, you always have to prepare for the worst and prepare for the best. So for the viewers who aren't experienced in racing, these like super long, long, tiring races. What does that kind of mean to you?
Off-Road Racing Preparation and Accountability
Speaker 3So, honestly, preparing for the worst is like, okay, we have this track, we have it all memorized and all this. We pre-ran our section and did that. But that pre-run is going to change. So that track is going to be from A to B it's going to be different, because you got guys in luxury pre-runners or in their race trucks that are running through the track so they're tearing it up even more. They're race trucks that are running through the track, so they're tearing it up even more.
Speaker 3So a rock that was on the outside could have fallen into the rut on the inside and you don't know. Until you get up to that point and have, let's say, half a second to react and say, oh, like, where am I going to put the truck now? So you have that aspect of it. And then preparing for the best is like you have no flat tires, nothing wrong with the engine, everybody gets out of your way when you hit the stella, or if they just know, or you can pass them, and it's like just a beautiful day, like no dust, there's wind blowing the dust somewhere.
Speaker 3So you got to prepare for both sides of the story. Most of the time it's going to land further, closer to the worst section, but sometimes it could be up in the middle where it's half and half. You have a good day and then you have some straggling of a bad day, so it's just you gotta like it's a desert, no one's prepping that track, like it's just you go out there and just have fun. So it's one of those things where it's like, okay, I could see the gnarliest thing I've ever seen in my life, or it's just what I'm used to, and just hit the same. Just do your hit your marks.
Speaker 1Bella, we've talked about this before, like it kind of in a different context, but about expectations right, like you don't want to have the very high level of expectations for other people, right, you want to give them the opportunity to showcase themselves and to do it their way Right. But you have very high expectations for yourself right, because you can change all of the stuff that happens on your path to make it so that you're a winner at the end of the day right. Whether you just crossed the finish line and you had a horrible day, or you crossed the finish line and you smoked everybody, like whatever it is, those expectations that you have is what he's talking about. Gauging and all of the stuff is basically the way that he sorts it out in his head, and everybody has a different way of doing it.
Speaker 1You do right like, when you go out to a race, you do something very similar. Right? You say, okay, this is my game plan, this is what we're going to do today, and we're going to hope for the best as well yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2I think definitely expecting from both sides is a good thing. Just to mentally prepare yourself for like, okay, this could possibly happen, but I'm going to be ready for it. And when?
Speaker 1it happens, I'm going to know exactly what to do. Do you guys do that on a normal daily basis, like does racing teach you how to act like that on a daily basis, like whether it's at work or school?
Speaker 3Yeah, no, absolutely Like. What racing has taught me is like there's cameras everywhere, so there's eyes on you at all times. No matter where you are staging tech, this there's cameras on you. So when you make a decision, somebody's going to catch it on camera. So think of that as like to the work, like okay, like the shop's a little messy if I leave it here, the camera's going to catch me leaving the dirt here or whatever it is, and so now they're gonna say, oh, why didn't you clean that up? And it's a lot of forward thinking, I feel like. So what's what I've been taught is like think of head, like if you're gonna place a pallet right here, think about what's behind it and in that area, like okay, is this part gonna need to get moved? Then I'm gonna have to move this. Waste of time, waste of propane on the forklift, waste the everything. You know what I mean.
Speaker 3So just do it right the first time exactly a lot of forward thinking and not just, oh, put it right there, let's go like you're not in a rush all the time, like you may be late for something but you can still stay calm, keep a level head and say, okay, I, okay, I need to take this, I need this and I need this. We can go, we're going to be late, but for the person that you're meeting, like, hey, I'm going to be a little late, this and this and this, so just a lot of like think ahead, that's for sure, that's what I've taken away.
Speaker 2Yeah, that's just good worth ethic too Like you're going to go on the rest of your life and maybe potentially get other jobs and people be like dang, like he doesn't half-ass a job, Like he does the full thing and he does it right.
Speaker 1Well, and that means respect from that that means that also, he's like since he's already thinking ahead, that means that everything that comes out of his mouth is going to be a truer statement too, because he's not going to be like half-assing something or telling somebody that something's going to happen and it doesn't happen. He just knows that it's going to happen and he's going to follow through with it. Those are really, those are really good qualities that go both ways, though, dude, like they go really well in life, because it means that you're even if you see somebody else that's struggling, you're going to help them because you might see the path before they do, but then, adversely, it's going to come right back to you, because you're going to use that in every single aspect of when you're holding on to the steering wheel going through, like, let's just say, baja 1000, which is coming up yeah, yeah, no, exactly like it can hurt you too.
Speaker 3Like if you're thinking ahead but then you think wrong, then it's like oh, I just missed out on this opportunity to pass, or I missed out on this. So it's a a lot of like you just got to think, like you just got to be on your toes the whole time. Like you, there's no chill in off-road racing, especially behind the wheel of a Chevy truck. It's like you have to be on the wheel the whole time. You can't sit back, settle down. It's like you gotta know, because it's things are coming up at a hundred miles an hour. And that's like I got a co-driver with a family at home, so I can make a mistake. That is super vile and something could happen. So god forbid that ever happens. But yeah, no, it's just a lot of like. Okay, there's the action and there's always going to be a reaction, no matter what. So what's going to happen? You either gauge it right, you gauge it wrong and you mess up.
Speaker 1So yeah, but you're accountable for those actions.
Speaker 3One of the things I was going to ask, though, too, bella is.
Speaker 1So you guys have both been in the UTV class, right Like? Ethan used to race the pro stock class for Honda, and you obviously race a UTV too, bella. What is the fastest speeds that you guys ever hit in a UTV? You go first, bella.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 2Do you remember, like on a straightaway at one of the hammers lake bed?
Speaker 1yeah, probably somewhere around like 106 oh, so you've gotten over the three. Okay, cool, that's really fast. And how about you even? Yeah, that's not me.
Speaker 3I didn't do that in utv, I did. I think they govern the talons at 85 and a half miles an hour.
Speaker 1And I was at 97, right Like, and that's the fastest I've ever gone, but that was on a short course in Reno. I never got to do it in the desert. But the question that I was going to ask was, comparatively speaking because I know Bella's going to want to know this answer how much different is it going let's just say, 140 in the trophy truck with 6,000 pounds behind you, than it was going close to 90 in a side-by-side, because most people that are going to watch or listen to this will never understand how much different it feels with just that little increment of speed, because it's so much more weight, it's so much more power, it's so much more velocity. Like all of the changes?
Speaker 1Yeah, I mean there's so many just different it's a science.
Speaker 3More velocity, like all of the changes, yeah, I mean, there's so many, just different.
Speaker 3It's a science you know, we're not just out there doing random stuff, it's a science and there's stuff happening.
Speaker 3So the main difference to me is the seating position in a utd to a truck, because the utv you're like pretty much as far up, almost as you can go, where the CG is still kind of in balance In the truck you're like smack center, so you have this super big hood and just you feel how long you are compared to a UTV, a four-seater UTV or even a two-seater, and it's just you feel like. So when we would float in the seven truck we did 140 and that truck would start to float at 130. So the truck would just so air would get scooped underneath the truck and you would rise up and you'd be driving on the little bit of traction that you had on those 40s and it would just dance. So it would just stance and skid along the track and it was almost like any little movement. It would go and it would want to run because then it would settle down, catch grip and go that way. So and then in the utb it was just planted the whole time, it was just going through.
Speaker 1So yeah, it starts it was also.
Speaker 3It was an na car, so you didn't have the turbo and everything you didn't have 106, like bella no, no, I only had 85 and a half but, half but.
Speaker 1I can vouch for what he's talking about and the reason I wanted to bring this up because, like we talked about before, there's so many little details that happen in this, like when you're doing that. I've been in the seven truck doing that with Jeff Proctor when he was going. I think we only went maybe 127, 130 or something.
Speaker 1But anyways it's very similar to what Ethan's talking about, and when you get to the point where it's dancing like that, there is really little control that you have, and most of it is not with the steering wheel, it's with the way that you're putting the back tires on the ground, because you're timing it.
Speaker 1It's like it is like dancing, right, it's almost like tap dancing, where you're really lightly touching on things, so you're using your, your throttle, as it's loose traction, but it's the only traction you have, so you have to make sure that it drives you forward, and you got to be really careful with the steering wheel so it doesn't pitch sideways, because once it pitches sideways, you can't get it back yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3And then that's when the truck settles again, because your shocks are all there, they don't know what's happening, because it's just so like the wind is taking you. And so when the truck just gets that little bit more of rubber down, it's just it wants to go, it wants to find the traction. So yeah, no, it's, it's super fun, but when you're done doing it, yeah, that's that's when you're done safely doing it. That's what it's fun, when you're done doing it. Yeah, that's that's when you're done, safely doing it. That's when it's fun.
Speaker 1But that's where your your perception really helps you, though, because you you like the things that go through your brain in a millisecond. Most people can't process information that quick, Like it's, it's crazy, and then like to go on an easier path than talking about this Once you put 40 inch tires on it inch tires on it, it helps a lot too.
Speaker 2Oh yeah, for sure. I think being just a little bit uncomfortable while you're racing at such high speeds is a good thing. I mean you don't want to be like super, super uncomfortable, like physically, I just mean like just a little bit, like is this safe? Is what I'm doing?
Speaker 3yeah, no, absolutely, yeah, yeah you have to have that little bit in the back of your mind because you're doing speeds that you should not be doing no you should not be in the desert going over whoops that are taller than some people at 100 miles an hour like you know, it's like that should not happen.
Speaker 3It's physically shouldn't happen, but we're doing it, so like you're taking a huge risk with 6 000 pounds, like you're not light and you're not short or you're not small, so it's like it's. It's just one of those things, but we take the risk and we have fun.
Speaker 1It's kind of crazy to even talk about right now, cause, like five years ago you wouldn't have been talking about 140. You'd have been talking about like 110, 120.
Speaker 3And that was a lot.
Speaker 1Yeah, like. So like all the technology and stuff that you were talking about earlier, like it really has drastically improved, and I don't know how to say like maybe it's what you guys are saying right now, too, about like being on the edge a little bit, or like past your comfort zone, like maybe that's what's progressed it past the 120 mark to the 140 mark, right yeah, just people wanting to always get better, stronger, yeah, faster, yeah, it's, it's scary, but at the same time it's like what?
Speaker 2what else are we capable of? What is the racing? Industry going to look like in 10 years from now. Well, it's, it's scary, but at the same time it's like what. What else are we capable of? What is the racing industry gonna look like in 10 years from now?
Speaker 1well it's pretty clear if you get a faster motor, you're gonna go like 130 in a utv dude smoking all of us unreal I know it was just that lake bed.
Speaker 2There was nothing there. That's why did it.
Speaker 1How did it feel for you going that fast? Very scary because it gets twitchy, yeah, yeah it's, it's.
Speaker 2I mean, I loved my pro xp.
Dirt Bike Enthusiasm and Racing Passion
Speaker 1It had a really good foundation, but at speeds like that it was we should ask some of the people that are online listening to the show right now and then, if you guys do want to comment in like later too, tell us what the fastest speed that you've been in your off-road vehicle, whether it's a side by side, yeah well, I don't want to know about street stuff, because that's illegal yeah, yeah, speed limit only around here, yeah I do.
Speaker 2I am curious about a bike, though I've. I don't really know much about bikes, but about their bikes, like you just interviewed Johnny Campbell.
Speaker 1bro, you're the Bible on dirt bikes. Well, one 26, dude, your dad be flying.
Speaker 2Andy for shorts, got it down.
Speaker 1So, speaking about speaking of bikes, dude, we got to get you down to that rip, to Cabo's insane Dude, I, I need to go, I need to go.
Speaker 3I'm going to text Cameron steel right now. Yeah, you and I, and Bella, you've got to come too. We'll teach you how to ride a dirt bike. I'm down, let's go.
Speaker 1Are you going to take the 110 all the way to Cabo? Oh?
Speaker 2yeah, I'm going to fix that thing up. I got it. It has a chubby rocket exhaust.
Speaker 1I don't know what that is, but it sounds like it rips.
Speaker 3It's a carbon fiber little exhaust. That's like yay big, oh, it's a stud one. The loudest you can get. Especially if you take the baffle out.
Speaker 1You're that girl. Oh yeah, Did you take the baffle out?
Speaker 2I did Watch out Bella's coming. You'll be able to hear me, that's for sure.
Speaker 1Chris Berg said he did a 107.
Speaker 2On corn. What the heck is corn Cornfield E85.
Speaker 1Oh, got it.
Speaker 2Me Cornfield.
Speaker 1On one cornfield 85. Oh, got it me cornfield, my e85. Thank you, chris, for explaining that to me.
Speaker 2Now I'm gonna use that icon way more. Can you tell us the most embarrassing moment in racing?
Speaker 1his most embarrassing moment or something he saw.
Speaker 3Oh man, that's a good one. Well, my sister actually has a video of it and she knows exactly what I'm talking about when she hears me talk about this. Okay, I, I don't even remember what year mod card I was in, but it was like very beginning, like I wasn't, like I had just gotten in the car and so I I didn't really know, like okay, I didn't know how to drive a mod car, basically, and yeah, you can see her commenting. So I, I I will admit I did two donuts at glenn helen, I think it was out of what is that? One? Two out of three turn three super wet.
Speaker 1I didn't see it and right hander is always wet there I know I hate I.
Speaker 3I honestly I cannot do right hand corners in a short course track like I don't know what it is. Right hander I always not for you put it on the bike or something, but yeah, we need to sign you up for nascar dude, I will do it, I will do an rp.
Speaker 3But yeah, I did two donuts in mod cart and my sister has that video favorited and pinned so she can just watch it all the time, like, oh, blackmail, yeah, like remember this, one time you did this in mod car, yeah, I was like 13 I still think, I still think party trick yeah, basically, maybe that's what you should start doing is like, if the off-road career ever goes south, just start doing donuts at parties.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 3Dude, I will be that guy. Oh yeah, I will be that guy.
Speaker 1I remember a funny story because Ethan was shy one time when he was I think it was a California 300. He was on the podium and I was sitting there and I was like yelling at him.
Speaker 3He didn't hear me and I just started like zooming in on his sunglasses because he had the greatest sunglasses on the whole life. You're the reason I do. I, if you've noticed, I have a different pair every rate, like every tech. Now, yeah, like dude, I found my like my dad wore these, um, like little thin gucci uh sunglasses that were like totally 2000s.
Speaker 3They are sick, by the way, but I busted them out for vegas arena and then like I I bought some folk leads down in mexico like that were like this big, like super gnarly. We got two pairs for 15 bucks oh what a steal I'll say but then, yeah, and now I'm like I'm ready to bust out a new pair for the thousand dude.
Speaker 2Yeah, I'm just saying I think instead of visor, you should just open it and put those on and start racing.
Speaker 3Some guys do that, but I just like that dark tinted visor, so I like that a lot, but I don't know.
Speaker 1I don't know Get uncomfortable and rip them off? Do you wear a clear one, or do you wear like a shaded one or a gradient one?
Speaker 2It depends on what race, but most of the time I go with clear, just because I know that I'm always going to have the safest bet with that. Yeah, if I'm racing at night and I don't know how long I'm going to be out there at night. It's not like I can change it real quick, so yeah, no that.
Speaker 3So I actually funny story about that the mint 400. This year. I was like, oh, we keep the tinted visor on, we'll be good, we're trophy trucks, we're going to finish in a day. I had brake failure and didn't have brakes the whole last lap. Guess who was putting through the course with the tinted visor on.
Speaker 1Way to go, dude. We still got third you know that now they sell those tinted stickers, so you can just pop tear-offs.
Speaker 2That's what I need.
Speaker 1They're dialed.
Speaker 3I think it's the cruise armor right and you just rip it off.
Speaker 1Yeah, I don't, I just seen it. Uh, Chris Berg said what about the brake line under the truck? We already talked.
Speaker 3we already talked about that bird, yeah. So my God actually.
Speaker 1Okay.
Speaker 3So Chris is going to have to go. I can't believe he hasn't been watching this whole time.
Speaker 2It's a really good story. We're all laughing.
Speaker 1I'm still laughing. Evan's not laughing.
Speaker 2No, evan's pissed. I did want to ask if you were to try out a more standard sport like football or baseball. How do you think you would do? Dude?
Speaker 3yeah, I used to play. I used to do all the stick and ball sports. I did soccer, football, baseball, wrestling, you tried it all, yeah. So I did all that stuff because I had nothing else to do. So I was like, all right, we'll do that.
Speaker 1I couldn't see you wrestling dude.
Speaker 3Dude, it was sick. Like I honestly like I'm a big UFC guy, so it's like I just love watching that stuff because it it's like it's not just violence, it's like an art, you know, yeah.
Speaker 1So it's like yeah, but if those guys punch you in the face, you're toast.
Speaker 3Yeah, I know, yeah, so, but I'd love to do it, but I just I don't know. I don't think sponsors would like to see a crooked nose and all that Cauliflower ears.
Speaker 1I want that so bad because, like you, don't mess with the dude with cauliflower here no, no, you just walk around like you don't mess with him yeah, if he's got a big, old, crooked nose and like a cauliflower, you just walk away, you're done when you kind of entered into racing, were you like?
Speaker 3this is my calling, this is what I'm here for, oh yeah no, like the first race I did, I think I got third or something. And the first race I did I was like dude, like this is, it's not slow, like baseball was slow and like oh wait for the ball, and like all that. But when I got into the actual like race truck, it was like dude, like it's on, like we have adrenaline the whole time, I'm able to do something different and I can get hit in the face with rocks or this could happen, I could flip, I could do this, like this is sick. So I like stopped focusing on all the other sports and was like dude, I have no aspiration to do it. Yeah.
Overcoming Mental and Physical Barriers
Speaker 1Yeah, it just it doesn't fit for everybody, but like somebody that has a high level of energy and especially like adrenaline, like Ethan, it fits perfect for, especially when you're doing like stuff at such a high speed. But I remember this though, too, so let's take it back a little bit. It hasn't always been easy, right. Like I remember, there was one point where I think you were driving a UTV before you got in the truck you had done I think it might have even been a California 300 again, and there was a point in the race that you were like dude, I don't know if I'm gonna be able to last, like I'm hurting, and that was a career changing moment for you. And you like, after that race you were like hey, you know what, I'm gonna get in shape, I'm gonna listen to what everybody has to tell me. Like it was like an attitude adjustment, so to speak.
Speaker 3right, yeah, no, I mean, and it was like in my head that was super embarrassing, like, oh, you're such a wimp that you like you can't man up and just finish the race. So I was like dude, like I took it to heart. I was like all right, I'm like, I'm done being like being counted out.
Speaker 1And oh, Ethan can't last this long.
Speaker 3He can only do 100 miles or 200 miles, then he's out. It's like no dude like I. It was just such like a to me it was. It was like demoralizing. It was like it was a super big deal where I thought in my head, like am I cut out for this? Like can I actually hang out, like with the big dogs that do this all the time? Like it's nothing? And it was like a super weird. Like do I keep doing this? Like dad's putting in a lot of money? Like it's not, like we're doing this for free. So it it's like are we wasting money just for me to? Nah, I don't like it, and then go back and do something else. You know, but it was. It was to that point where I was like all right, like this is where I got to show everyone like hey, dude, like I'm not here to mess around, like I'm here to get on that podium and leave. Like get up, get to the race, pre-run race and get out of there so what did you do, though?
Speaker 1what are the changes that you made?
Speaker 3a lot of dietary stuff, so a lot of that, and then lifting a bunch of weights and like I've just recently started running about two miles as as many times as I can, so just super like endurance level kind of training, like like training if you're gonna race the lamans or training like if you're gonna to race the Formula One car. Like a lot of neck stuff too. Like I've done a lot of neck exercises where, because we're pulling Gs all the time in the truck without even noticing and your neck is like my neck gets roached after the race. But it's like I had my neck the whole time for the race. I wasn't kind of dipping down and like losing all crazy. So definitely a lot of dietary stuff and a lot of just lifting more weights yeah, you do hand-eye coordination stuff uh like a little.
Speaker 1So I we have the um, the little light things that the 401 guys have yep but yeah so they call that like they call it, the twitch reflex, like the quicker you can, the quicker you can do stuff and the quicker your hand-eye coordination becomes, the easier it becomes. It's like what Ethan said at the beginning when it slows down for you. I'll explain it a little bit too, in a very modest way. When I came from dirt bike racing and I first raced a side-by-side, everything was so much faster in dirt bike racing that when I got into side-by we were doing 85 or so miles an hour at firebird, at wild horse pass, and I felt like I could eat a sandwich going down the straightaway into a quarter because everything was so slow in my head that's crazy
Speaker 1but it was and. But what he's talking about is exactly what he didn't know before is all of a sudden he's making all these little changes. Now he feels like he can Ironman a 1000. Now he has confidence to be able to make sure that he's making the right decisions, he's accountable for those decisions. He listens to people. He did all that stuff in a very short span of time. Like that, to me, is a good path for kids to understand, or even adults understand, to success.
Speaker 2For sure, because there's a lot of kids out there that don't treat their bodies very well and stuff, and then later down the road when they're 30 or 40 years old they're really paying for it? Yeah, for sure. So it's good that you're tackling it now yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3And then like in my head. So my dad used to be a bodybuilder when he was kind of growing up, and so exactly in my head it's like dude, like to see the physical like feet of what the human body can do is crazy. Yeah, it's like we're all superheroes. You just gotta unlock that skill set that you have and then get fit and then there you go. It's like you just it's super cool. It's like you'll go from benching like maybe 135 pounds, now you're up to 225. Like you can push 225 pounds of weight off. You just like that. Like I feel like that's, that's awesome.
Speaker 2It is. It's just the motivation, getting people to go past, like the mind barriers that they have.
Speaker 3Exactly.
Speaker 2What are some mind barriers that you had?
Speaker 3It was a lot of. Am I like? How should I say that it was a lot of? Am I capable to do it, or am I the right person to do it? You?
Speaker 1know the belief in yourself.
Speaker 3Yeah, exactly, it's like do I have what it takes inside in my mind to get my body right? And it was a lot of like like, okay, like anybody can do it. It's like you look at all these professional boxers or this or that or that, it's like those are regular dudes, like those guys all are us, but they have done changes to themselves that anybody can do. Really like I've seen guys make weights with they pour concrete and then they weigh it and they're okay, there you go, that's your weight.
Speaker 1Like you can do stuff with less technology and less uh, opportunities and you can get to the same level as these other guys yeah, it's kind of crazy to think about that like and bella, we've talked about this a lot like normal is only normal for what you think it is yeah, exactly, exactly, yeah. So you can achieve anything, and I tell everybody this all the time. If the eyes of perception were clear, everybody would see everything for what it actually is, which is infinite.
Speaker 2Oh yeah, people think you live in this small little box and you can't, you can't get away from this little box forever. But the world is so huge.
Speaker 1Did you have a hard time breaking out of that box? Did you have to sit there, like before you go to bed, and be like all right, like kicking yourself in the in the ass, in your head, right Like, and being like dude? You got to make some changes, like if you want to achieve these goals and dreams, like you got to man up Like how did you do it for yourself?
Speaker 3Yeah, I mean it was a lot of what you just said. What you just said it was a lot of laying in bed looking at the ceiling like dude, like okay, you've done the same thing over and over and over and you haven't seen a change. Change only happens when you make a change.
Speaker 1So it's like dude, like you gotta, and it's like the stuff that you don't want to do helps you the most.
Speaker 3Yes, evan Weller just joined. Evan just joined.
Speaker 1Oh no, yeah, let's if.
Speaker 3Evan wants to.
Off-Road Racing Passion and Accountability
Speaker 1Evan asked if you can join the show real quick. Hold on, let me see if I can get Evan on here real quick.
Speaker 3Oh Lord, Get him in here. He's probably with Austin working on the truck right now as we speak.
Speaker 1Dude. I hope I can get him in here.
Speaker 3Let's see if he'll accept, because I want to hear his side. I haven't heard his side. I've never asked him about it.
Speaker 1Let's see if he can come on. All right, Evan, hopefully he'll come on. I'm sending you an invite right now.
Speaker 3Come on, dude. Yeah, what's up?
Speaker 2I'm going to find Austin.
Speaker 1Hey, you haven't heard the whole show yet, I'm sure, but we were talking about when you were trying to fix some brake lines. Brake lines, hold on one sec trying to fix some brake lines.
Speaker 3Brake lines Hold on one sec. It's going to switch to Wi-Fi. Alright, one sec, we're going to Wi-Fi right now.
Speaker 1This is going to be so epic.
Speaker 3I'm going to go check out. Ethan's chariot for tomorrow. Oh, okay.
Speaker 1Let's go see that bad boy real quick. We got to see if it's going to change the Wi-Fi real quick.
Speaker 3Yep Plus there we gotta see if it's gonna change the wifi real quick.
Speaker 1Yep, there we go.
Speaker 3I think it clicked over.
Speaker 1Austin in the flesh look at him, go there, he is.
Speaker 3Austin, you're live to 100,000 people right now. Look at that. It went from 17 viewers to 38 in like two seconds. Look at that. I'm telling you. Evan Willard Pratt brings it in.
Speaker 1Yeah, Was it Austin or Evan? Do you think it? Was definitely Austin, my guy hey give us a tour of the Ridgeline real quick so we can see the inside where Ethan's office is.
Speaker 2Yeah, all right, here office is.
Speaker 1Yeah, here she is. Give us a little bit of a breakdown or a little commentating here real quick when we see this Ethan.
Speaker 3Okay, so you're stepping in the office right there. That's the most comfortable steering wheel I think you could ever get, just because it's the perfect size. And you got that beautiful motech dash sitting there screaming at you the whole time and you have all the compression, rebound neutral button that you never hit because you don't need it. And then you have the siren on the left and then radio on the right, and then I never really look at the gps, to be honest, but it's there so it's nice to have. But yeah, and then the only the only thing I have on the switch that's important on that panel is the Parker pumper. That's my only job, that's it. That's the Parker pumper, that's it. Look at that and then to move my seat forward and back and that's all I can do.
Speaker 2Yeah, that's all you need.
Speaker 1Yeah, all right. So Evan we had a discussion earlier about when you guys were in the seven truck and you had to repair some brake lines and Ethan had just drank, I think, 64 ounces of fluid logic.
Speaker 3Yeah, I think it was. It's happened a few times. It happened to me once with the program with who was driving. It was Jamie Campbell was in the truck and he peed on me. Dude, jamie Campbell peed on me once and Ethan Ebert Peed on me.
Speaker 1Jesus, dude, these guys.
Speaker 3Unreal. It's happened a few times now. Honestly, I don't remember which race was that again.
Speaker 2Vegas Torino In the new truck.
Speaker 3Yeah, it wasn't a brake line it was a drive shaft got it, oh no it was a brake line. Yeah, it was a brake line yeah, it was, it was the um, it was the handbrake we blew up. Yeah, you had to cap it off first or second race with that truck and, uh, the brand new tilted master cylinder handbrake blew out. But yeah, that was interesting, it happens. It happens to the best of us.
Speaker 2What was your initial reaction?
Speaker 3I just embraced it. Honestly, when you're down there in the middle of a race and you're trying to get something fixed and you got four people standing around there staring at you, you just do what you gotta do Dude.
Speaker 1what a champion move dude.
Speaker 3It's solid. I told you Glory, every well or prep gets it done.
Speaker 1That is solid, dude, that is so solid.
Speaker 2That is so sick.
Speaker 1Yeah, it happens. So you guys are going driving tomorrow, or?
Speaker 2what Yep?
Speaker 3Yeah, 3.30. Barstow, maine, is what I was told.
Speaker 2I think it's 4.30.
Speaker 33.30 is when we're meeting you there, but 430 might be the test.
Speaker 1Oh, okay.
Speaker 3I'm actually going to drive your truck, yeah. You're going to drive my truck, yeah you're picking my truck up from Alexander Ford tomorrow in. Yuma, Arizona. Shout out to Alexander Ford, the best Ford dealership this side of the Mississippi and the other side of the Mississippi and the other side of the Mississippi.
Speaker 1They're well-rounded dude. That's cool that you get to pick that bad boy up, dude.
Speaker 3They're doing a solid for me, eric. We were just in Texas with them and I was kind of telling Eric my stress that I had this week coming up and I had to drive to Yuma and pick that thing up because they're doing some service work on it. And Eric was like, oh, I'll just pick it up for you. We're driving out from Tucson, it's on the way. I'm like all right, if you don't mind. That would be amazing.
Speaker 1Well, you realize that Ethan owes you right.
Speaker 3Does he owe me? I don't even remember about that. No way that would be embedded in my head.
Speaker 1Dude, evan is solid. Hey, thanks, we'll let you get back to it. Thanks for joining us for a little while.
Speaker 3Thank you, no worries. Yeah, we'll see you guys later. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1Hey, congrats on the new truck, dude. See you tomorrow, dude.
Speaker 3Later. Thank you, see you. Thank you See ya, bye.
Speaker 1Dude, that is hilarious. I love the off-road world so much.
Speaker 2He was so cool. That's the first time I've met him.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2He's the coolest guy ever. He's so cool. Yeah, that is so sick. The fact that he just took in all the glory wasn't even bad.
Speaker 3It was just another day. That's crazy. Another day under a racetrack.
Speaker 1I mean, when you think about it, it's better than hot oil.
Speaker 2That's true. Took it like a champ.
Speaker 1Dude for real.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 3I would have strangled Ethan, but yeah, I was waiting for a fist to come through that window. I was like, oh, I'm screwed dude, Like next pit stop, I'm done.
Speaker 2Nope, oh my God. Well, do you got any more questions?
Speaker 1No, I just want to talk a little bit about the way that he's handled himself. I've said it already again, and I think this has a lot of value to especially the crowd and the fans that you have on the show Everything that he's done is for a goal, right.
Speaker 1He wants to be a championship race car driver, right, and he's positioned himself in those positions and he's faced adversity. And those adversity pieces weren't easy for him to overcome. And the way that he looked at it was he was accountable for his own decisions. He put a lot of pressure on himself and he figured out most of it, I would say, on his own Right. Yeah, but when he couldn't figure it out, he went to the support mechanisms that he had, whether it be his family, whether it be his team or whoever it was, and he looked at those guys and said you know what? I'm not too afraid to ask questions, even if I think they're stupid. I'm going to get an answer that's going to make me better. So as long as I'm accountable, as long as I'm a sponge and I listen, I will be winning by making these decisions, and I think that's very, very valuable. And if you can or can't drive a truck, that's up to whoever is in the truck and how fast you can go.
Speaker 1But, those other things is what's going to make you a winning race car driver. Yeah, that's definitely one of the reasons why I brought you on here.
Speaker 2One because I knew that you were hilarious and you'd make everybody laugh. But also because I knew how motivated you are, and especially with something like I've never seen, someone that has so much passion in the industry being at such a young age too, that you're going to carry that with you for the rest of your career.
Speaker 1So props to you for sure, thank you. Speaking of that motivation in, the career?
Speaker 3is there expectations that you have for the short term and for the long term? Honestly, I look at every race weekend and say, all right, we have the opportunity to win this. It's not like I'm kicked out because of Mason All-Wheel Drives race and no, those trucks break and stuff happens. So, like life happens really. So it's never really counting itself out. But what I do want to do is be a champion in score. That would be awesome, you know, because Bryce Benzies is looking to do it at a two-peat right now. So I want to just dominate so much in every race that SCORE has that I did it so much better than everybody else that I get to have that red plate. Just like, if you're in Supercross or Motocross, like you don't mess with a guy with a red plate, like that's top dog, like you don't mess with him. So I feel like I've been chasing that red plate for years now, for absolutely years and you're getting closer and closer yeah, no, he just just a little bit more fine-tuning.
Speaker 3And that's like my favorite thing is fine-tuning a truck, like when we were doing that whole development, like we're still developing the truck still, but everything of, okay, the truck just got off the table, just got plumbed, just got wired, everything, let's go test it. Like from that point to where it is now, like this is a complete different truck. So it's just a lot of like powering through, like, okay, the truck is, it's garbage right now. Like, let's be honest, it's garbage right now. But there's time and time and time again that we can prove the truck and every time you're going to learn something different. So if you're not taking something away from every race, then you're doing something wrong, yeah. So if you're not taking okay, we did good here and here and here yeah, take the good away, but take the bad away as well. Because if you're not taking the bad away, then you're just hyping yourself up for something that you should be doing, and without negative criticism yeah, exactly you know what?
Speaker 1reagan karmica used to always say. He says you win the championships on your bad days. You'd be accountable. You'd be accountable for all of the things that you know that are bad. All you do is fix them exactly like that's the easiest way to win. You just fix all the bad shit yeah, yeah, like if there's an issue.
Speaker 3You can solve an issue like it's not like. This issue is just oh, it's unsolvableolvable. We don't know how to do it. There's a solution to every single issue in the world. It's how you think about getting around the issue.
Speaker 1Well, but like this day and age, most people are passive and they try to pass the buck. Oh, that's not really me. Like that's somebody else. Like no, it's your problem.
Speaker 2Like if you want to win.
Speaker 1All right, Bella, do you want to do a rapid fire? Q&a. Ethan's already answered some of these questions in a previous episode, but I think it would be cool to do it together.
Speaker 2I think so too.
Off-Road Racing Friends Chit-Chat
Speaker 1All right, you ready, ethan, I'll go first and then Bella can go second. Tacos or hot dogs Tacos Thank you, dialed.
Speaker 2There you go Chicken or carne asada.
Speaker 1He's probably a big chicken guy. Now, I'm such a big chicken guy, chicken and rice.
Speaker 3Oh my gosh, chicken, rice, cheese and sriracha. Live off of it, live off of it. I gotta try that. Real chicken, though, real chicken.
Speaker 1That's the way to go now.
Speaker 3Well.
Speaker 1I already know the answer to this, but dunes or the river Dun. That's the way to go now. Yep.
Speaker 3Well, I already know the answer to this, but dunes or the river Dunes Duh.
Speaker 2Action shots or still shots.
Speaker 3Action for sure.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1Yeah, well, now that you cut your hair, the still shots would be looking better.
Speaker 3I know right, we still got the wings dude, yeah. So now I just need a Red Bull deal and then I can go fly.
Speaker 2Oh yeah.
Speaker 3Calm down, dude. My bad, my bad, I'm a little amped.
Speaker 1Let's see here, oh, three-wheeler or quad Quad.
Speaker 3I'm a quad god.
Speaker 2Really.
Speaker 3No, he is.
Speaker 2I didn't know that. No, he is.
Speaker 3I'm building mine right now. Like we tore it down to the frame and we repowdered it and everything. Like it's going to be badass when it's done.
Speaker 1Okay, he's hyped on it, but we'll make fun of him all day and he's accountable for it. Like he's fine. Oh, I don't care Me and my best, buddy Tyler we're quad gods.
Speaker 3And we're going to say it for the rest of our life, because we're better than everybody else on the quad.
Speaker 1That's crazy, the level of hype. Dude pizza rolls or jalapeno poppers. Jalapeno poppers hey, what's your sister? Is it jalapeno poppers or pizza rolls?
Speaker 3I feel like she's a pizza rolls girl my sister eats whatever she can because she's a broke college kid and she lives like she has two cents to her name have you ever had pizza rolls with that olive garden Italian dressing? Because it's pretty fire no, I didn't even know that was the whole deal switch it out for ranch.
Speaker 1Oh yeah, we kind of already asked this, but you're not allowed to answer the same answer. What's your go-to song at the starting line?
Speaker 3You've got to have your go-to rap song. Tore Up by Don Tolliver.
Speaker 1I don't think.
Speaker 3I've ever heard that one. Is it good? It's a pretty good song. It's a pretty good song. I'll back that one or Thuggish Ruggish Redbone, that one's good too.
Speaker 2Okay, okay, you buy bone thugs. You got to serve me your playlist.
Speaker 3I need to hear this dude I put everything you need, everything.
Speaker 2All right, coffee or tea coffee.
Speaker 3I'm not a tea guy, like tea's kind of gross.
Speaker 1Yeah back up dude a little bit okay, oh my bad, my bad favorite movie aren't you yeah favorite movie cars one yeah, favorite movie Cars One.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1The OG.
Speaker 2Valid oh yeah, instagram or Facebook.
Speaker 3Instagram I'm 18.
Speaker 2Yeah, I don't even think I have Facebook.
Speaker 3Hey, I have it for Marketplace oh true.
Speaker 1Yeah, Facebook Marketplace be doing it.
Speaker 2I did, and then Facebook Marketplace disappeared, so I don't know.
Speaker 3No, you're not banned. That disappeared. That's what you did.
Speaker 1You got banned. Nuh-uh, you got shut down.
Speaker 2I don't know.
Speaker 3So my buddies have gotten banned too, and you can't get to it. Really, what did? I do so you low-balled somebody and they reported you.
Speaker 1Oh, did you really.
Speaker 2Dang. I'm going to have to figure that out later.
Speaker 1It was probably some older lady, karen, and you're like I'm not going to pay that much for this flower vase, and she's like bam you out. Yeah. Let's see here If you could have one superpower.
Speaker 3Yeah, if you could have one superpower. What would it be? Superpower? That's a good one.
Speaker 2Honestly, I think I'd want to be like I'd want to fly for sure, for sure, because like, oh, I'm craving a pina colada, bam, I'm in cabo. Okay, like I always said that.
Speaker 1I always said that like because flying would be sick. But, like I always said, you know how? They have that movie jumper where you can just like pop yourself into different spots oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, that'd be cool.
Speaker 3That'd be pretty dope.
Speaker 2Yeah, netflix or.
Speaker 3YouTube. I'm such an iPad kid I love YouTube.
Speaker 2All right, all right.
Speaker 3Mainly for Cletus McFarlane. That's it Really. That's it, dude. That dude is the best.
Speaker 2I watch him too.
Speaker 1Yeah, videos or photos Video.
Speaker 2Yeah. I feel like it captures more Most memorable race.
Speaker 1Oh, we already know that she did two donuts.
Speaker 2True.
Speaker 3Yeah, that sucks.
Speaker 1Yeah, it's never going to go away.
Speaker 3Never, ever, ever.
Speaker 1Favorite snack Sour Skittles. I'm a sour skittles guy, not Sour Patch Kids.
Speaker 3Those are like eh, Because then it gets in your gums and you're like picking them out.
Speaker 1The nice thing about Skittles, though, is you can bring them in the off-road truck and they still be solid when you're done at the race Exactly.
Speaker 2That's what I do for a little blood sugar.
Speaker 3I have these chips. They're like chili lime chips that I get at the gas station. They're like chili lime chips that I get at the gas station Best ever. Sounds good. They're like pork rinds, though I don't know.
Speaker 1Oh, those chicharrones.
Speaker 2Yes, uh-huh.
Speaker 1Yeah, hey, did we talk about this before, but have you ever?
Speaker 3had the Doritos in Mexico. Dude, so much better. Yeah, so much better. I don't know what we're doing wrong in the States, but the people down there making the Doritos top notch.
Speaker 1Perfect. They actually taste like nacho cheese, yeah, and then they have ones with more cheese than that in Mexico.
Speaker 3Yeah, and like every chip is like coated.
Speaker 2Yeah, they don't chip you out.
Speaker 1No, no, and the corn is better too. So like I, no, no, and the corn is better too, so like I'll bring some back for you next time?
Speaker 2I'd love to try it.
Speaker 3Super Cross or Motocross. Super Cross because you have more competition. True Motocross it's like Deegan checks out and then we're watching nothing.
Speaker 2Yeah, I'm a Deegan fan though.
Speaker 1I'm a fan of Deegan, so you already like you. Obviously last week you did a test with, or you got to meet, yuki Sonoda and like to get some. You probably got to at least talk about F1 and stuff, but what other form of racing would you like to try?
Speaker 3Honestly, like I'd love to do road stuff just because it's like short course, but you throw another aspect of speed, intensity and a lot more different. Like cardio, like short course is really easy because you're just flying through, like you're only doing like 20 laps and you just blow through it and you're like okay, I'm a little tired, a little sore, but it's nothing like that you shrug about, but like some, road racing would be sweet, like a gt car or something you know, yeah, those would be super cool.
Speaker 1The only thing that I would be a little bit leery about is like it's honestly so different that you'd have to have some serious like you'd have to put yourself at your expectation level super low to be, able to be like, because otherwise you're going to disappoint yourself right away exactly yeah yeah, I think so too.
Speaker 2Speedboat or dragster.
Speaker 3Dragster.
Speaker 1Yeah, are you going top fuel? Are you going funny car? No, I'm like a street car guy.
Speaker 3Oh my God, I want to throw up my chair. Oh golly.
Speaker 1You got a test tomorrow. Calm down.
Speaker 3Dude, I know that's just no risk, but I just had a heart attack, but anyway, I want like a street drag car for sure, like Cletus.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1Oh my God, he's such a fan.
Speaker 3Have you watched? This yeah, you've watched it yeah, no, I've seen a bunch of different Cletus ones. I am the biggest nerd for Cletus McFarlane. I know every crew member. I know every car by name Bullitt. I know every car by name bullet, freaking like I know everything about it, dude.
Speaker 1The thing I like best about him is he's just always outside the box thinker, like coming up with all kinds of cool shit. Oh yeah, he's just real too.
Speaker 2When you're watching at three in the morning and at night you're like that's so cool, the hell yeah.
Speaker 1I got to get up at seven, but I'm still going to finish this Exactly. You ask him the last question.
Speaker 2Chips and guacamole or fries and ketchup.
Speaker 1Chips and guac dude.
Speaker 3He's from southern Arizona.
Speaker 1You can't ask a kid like that. Oh dude, come on.
Speaker 3We got the best out here, best in the business.
Speaker 2But if you had to eat fries, would it be with ranch or with ketchup?
Speaker 3Depends if I'm feeling froggy enough for ranch. You know, ranch is like a reach Everybody has ketchup but not everybody has like a good ranch. True.
Speaker 1Yeah, that's true, because there's a lot of ranches that are dog shit yeah.
Speaker 3Yeah, it just sucks. It's like dude I know freaking Melissa in the back spitting it when she was mixing it up.
Speaker 1Absolutely.
Speaker 3It totally sucked.
Speaker 1Ketchup is safe.
Speaker 2I'm going to give you a quarter every time you make me laugh. You'll be rich, I'm talking about it.
Speaker 1I'm not going to ask you about SnakeTatGirl. We're just going to end the show.
Speaker 3There you go.
Speaker 1Alright, dude, it was really good talking with you. Let's do a little sign-off bell and then we'll thank our sponsors. Yeah, hey, actually, ethan, you thank Maxis on the way out. I can do that.
Speaker 2Yeah, it was really good talking to you. I'm super glad that I got to have you on and ask a bunch of super cool questions.
Speaker 3Of course.
Speaker 2I think we definitely had a really good episode. So thank you so much for joining and helping me out with the pictures and everything. I hope everybody enjoyed all of our questions.
Speaker 1I think you did a really good job prepping for this one, Bella.
Speaker 2Yeah, I had a really fun time. It was super cool.
Speaker 1She did a lot of research. Dude, she knows more about you than I do. Yeah, I know.
Speaker 3Big stop. She would send me notes and I'm like dude, like I didn't even know that, like what are you doing?
Speaker 1uh, but for real, thanks for spending 90 minutes with us when you have such a busy schedule and I know you gotta hit the sack and you're gonna have fun tests tomorrow too. So, um, where's the next race or when's the next time people can see you in person?
Speaker 3uh, the baja, 1000, 1000. That's our next race man, so the big dog.
Speaker 2Big dog going up next Go get her done.
Speaker 3Oh yeah, we're going to try.
Speaker 1Yep, sounds good, man, and we'll see you down there. We'll have your mom doing all the snacks. Your dad's going to be changing tires Bella's going to be doing all the content.
Speaker 3It's going, dude. Yeah, well, good luck to you all. Right, let's thank some sponsors. Go ahead, ethan first. Oh, just want to thank max's tires, my girl rosie, out there at max's tires hooking it up, chris as well. They do the best. I want to thank honda hrc. I want to thank the dirt life show, star stream uh. I want to thank baja designs uh, fk rod and sparco mpi steering wheels uh, kmc wheels uh, fluid logic, that's for. I want to thank Baja Designs, fk Rod Ends, sparko MPI Charing Wheels, kmc Wheels, fluid Logic that's for sure. They're a huge, huge part of us, so we can't do it without Fluid Logic. Pro Eagle Jackson. I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot more.
Speaker 1But everybody who's on the truck.
Speaker 3Thank you.
Speaker 1Yeah, everybody, we saw Gatlin join here earlier too, so yeah, man I appreciate you coming on.
Speaker 2We'll catch you down there in mexico. Thank you so much. Thank you dude all right later, guys.
Speaker 1Bye, all right. So let's wind down the show real quick.
Speaker 2Um, you want to thank uh evolution power sports and then we'll finish it off and yes, I'd love to thank evolution power sports for keeping us powered up and helping us out with this podcast.
Speaker 1We greatly appreciate it yeah, and, like ethan said, thank you to everybody at max's tires, thanks to guys over at shock therapy, everybody at vision canopies and uh over excuse me, everybody over at zollinger racing products. We appreciate it, uh, and thank you for everybody for uh putting so much uh faith in starstream too. You guys have really helped us change the world of off-road, and it's just getting started. It's so cool to be able to watch every single person that is has the systems on their cars and be able to ride along with everybody. It's just it's it's making off-road so much more visible, so we really appreciate everybody for supporting yeah, I.
Feedback on Dirt Life Show Episode
Speaker 2I definitely want to say thank you to you guys, because we couldn't do it without you. So, for all the comments and the sharing and the likes and the support, I definitely appreciate it.
Speaker 1Good job Belle.
Speaker 2Yeah, that was a wrap on episode 10. Let me know what I can do better to make it more interesting and more fun for you guys.
Speaker 1See you guys next time.
Speaker 2Deuces.
Speaker 1Thanks for listening to the Dirt.
Speaker 2Life Show. See you next time.
