Conversations with Big Rich

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Conversations with Big Rich

Conversations with Big Rich is a podcast exploring the history of rockcrawling and off road. Big wi
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14/11/2024

Kelly Davis, founder and new owner of Tuff Country on Episode 241

Tuff Country has been through some changes, from the founding 35 years ago to it’s purchase by a private equity firm to being back in the hands of the founder, Kelly Davis. Kelly shares all the details and what’s coming next. We wish him all the best in his reboot! Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

3:07 – I guess we’ve always been off-road entrepreneurs
6:54 – He said, “swim or sink, it’s up to you. You control your own destiny here.”
12:26 – we really engaged with grassroots events all over the country
16:45 – one thing we really tried to do was control our growth
22:06 – we thought, if we can survive 2008 and climb back out of this hole, we’re going to be some tough dudes
33:02 – they buy you because you are a well-earned machine, you’re profitable, you have value, and then they get away from your core values
43:05 – we made an offer, they accepted and the work started, we had to reboot this thing.
51:13 – Quitten’s easy, man, so easy. The harder you work, the luckier you get.

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

07/11/2024

Episode 240 features BRC Director Ben Burr

Blue Ribbon Coalition Executive Director Ben Burr gives the low-down on what BRC needs right now and shows us how we can be successful in our land use fight. It’s a fascinating take on what is going on in the real world. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

4:16 – my ancestors settled the Moab area; the Burr Trail is named for them
8:01 – I was always an advisor on these issues, I had pretty deep life experience working on public lands
17:13 – If you would have said I’m going to go from restaurants to politics, I would have been like, how am I going to get there?
25:16 – that’s the operating system running things now, it positioned lawyers to be the key players in this movement, especially on the environmental side
30:19 – and so, it is time to install an operating system that works to the benefit of outdoor recreation users
37:21 – you say exclusionist, I say elitist, it’s a very elitist movement
47:21 – SUWA wants concentrated recreation in just a few areas
53:20 – Call to Action – join BRC, a change in the public land system is going to happen because a bunch of people rise up and demand it
1:01:15 – if everybody who owned an off-road vehicle joined BRC, I’d be bigger than the Sierra club, it’s a $300 million organization – the math maths out on that

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

31/10/2024

Chris Ridgway hopping on Episode 239

“I just wanna go fast,” Chris Ridgway. Chris joins us from the road as he’s hauling multi-million-dollar cars all over the US. If it’s got wheels, Chris has raced it, from motorcycles to Porches. Some great stories in here. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

6:35 – I wasn’t the most popular guy, I wasn’t the least liked guy, I was just one of the guys.
10:38 – I was still getting lapped in the ADCC beginner class. I wasn’t good. I just wanted it.
19:51 – It was a way of me feeling important and feeling like people like me, and the thing is, as you know about racing, that’s all that matters.
25:31 – I turned pro in ’91, and I got hurt. The big injury came in, I think, ‘95
40:34 – He said, “someone needs to put you in a car.” And I said, “who’s going to put me in a car?” And he said, I will.
48:13 – I had my leg all bandaged up, and I remember smacking it on the dash and someone’s wife duct taped it back up!
52:47 – He had so much more to lose, I felt like I didn’t have much to lose, and so I would take chances like that
1:06:50 – I was like, dude, we can do these doubles, he’s like, well, what happens if we come up short?
1:14:55 – and when you go to SEMA with Jesse Combs on your arm as your co-driver, you get sponsorship

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

24/10/2024

Episode 238 has Bryan Crofts helping all in his path

Helper should be his middle name; always one to give an assist, Bryan Crofts shares life from family Crofts to family Campbell and all the twists in between. Some great stories in here. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

9:39 – when I was a young kid, I always wanted to be a garbage man; they make good money.
15:51 – I had a buddy I went to school with, him and I would go out to Mt Shasta and do fireroads and mud wheeling, it got me interested in doing more
22:53 – I worked for the Sheriffs Department in San Francisco, mostly in the jails. I saw things that I probably wish I hadn’t, it definitely changed my outlook on life
31:17 – “Hey, Jody’s looking to get out of the Stock Mod rig if you’re interested,” and I jumped on it
35:11 – my brother goes, “Hey Bro, why aren’t you racing?”
47:14 – That’s what sparked the interest, it was way cheaper to build two cars at once
53:17 – one of the coolest things that we do, we’re all racing against each other, but we’re all racing with each other, too.
1:01:18 – I was chasing him down and I didn’t see those two rollers, and I hit one and nosed into the second one, and lights out! It knocked me out!
1:12:29 – I’ve got people calling me after the race that that was the one spot they were worried about, as soon as they say me and Bailey there, all their worries went away

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

17/10/2024

Jeff Ismail, Scout Master on Episode 237

If International Harvester made it, Jeff Ismail knows about it. From printed manuals to Scouts and Travelalls, Jeff has his finger on it. A self-made man, Jeff understands that happy is a choice, join us for a conversation on episode 237. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

3:29 – my friends were playing and swimming, but not me and my brothers, we were with Dad – raking leaves and edging lawns, doing what we had to do to earn a living
8:50 –some grew up in Ford, some Chevy, some Dodge – we grew up in IHs
17:17– You don’t forget people who race in Scouts; we won a couple of seasons, and it was always by attrition. It looked like the Turtle and the Hare
28:28 – my dad came to me and said, I want to take you back to the home country to get married; I’m like, I’m not ready to get married!
36:36 – my dad goes, “why don’t you just fix up that pole barn out there and start working on Internationals again?” If I got Dad’s blessing, why not?
43:27 – we’ve always had this thing, “If the job makes sense, we’ll take it!”
49:38 – people don’t know me, but they know my truck.
57:23 – Some people say, Oh, I can’t wait for the future. I know good times, I’m living in good times.

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

10/10/2024

Former NAXJA President, Matt ‘McGyvr” Rowland on Episode 236

Matt Rowland from Indiana is a bit of an anomaly. A communications major in criminal justice, attends XJ conventions without an XJ, and a builder of fabulous bonfires! Join us for some Midwest history on Episode 236. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

4:35 – …that might be part of the reason I’ve always had affection for Jeeps
13:50 –my freshman year, we lost to the big high school in Fort Wayne by over 100 points
18:49 – everything auto mechanic-wise, I learned from working on the junk we were driving
31:59 – Tony bought a ’99 TJ and started taking it to the Badlands, in Attica, Indiana
39:24 – In 2005, I got on the police department in Fort Wayne, and I’ll have 20 years next May
44:31 – I had to borrow $1500 from my parents to pay off the loan on the XJ because they said Modified Cherokees were worthless
51:02 – I had a buddy who said, “Hey, are you ever going to settle down and get married?” and I’m like, I guess, maybe.
1:03:45 – The LJ became the family truckster for wheeling, and we changed the bylaws when I was NAXJA President

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

03/10/2024

Episode 235 features two-for-one, George and Lora Leyner

Two-for-one this week, George and Lora Leyner are bumbling along the rockcrawling trail. With challenges and trials getting them to the support and friendship they didn’t even know they needed. Join us for a fun conversation with a great couple. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

8:48 – Gone in 60 seconds
11:45 –I had two instructors who really cared about their students, they made an impact on me.
16:24 – when we met we both said, I’m not looking for anything serious
21:10 – I had never been rockcrawling before, it’s so much fun, I rarely get out of the passenger seat
24:43 – my buddies pitched in and bought me a chassis to build as a divorce present
29:06 – The buggy did a lot better than I was expecting since I am not a professional buggy builder
33:25 – we decided it was time to live our lives and follow dreams and just enjoy life
39:10 – We take extra care of making sure I can see where she’s at; it was a freak accident

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

26/09/2024

Family man, Michael Brassanini on chasing dreams in Episode 234

Meet Michael Brassanini, the newly crowned WE Rock Unlimited Champion; all-in family man, keeper of dreams, and seeker of goals. Michael fulfills his kid’s dreams, too. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

4:07 – As a kid there didn’t seem like there was a lot to do, looking back, the world was our oyster.
11:11 – It was hard as a kid being taken away from your family, but looking back, it definitely saved me
17:28 – I got hurt a lot, but girls like cowboys, and I like girls!
23:17 – A lot of cold, lonely nights, but I had a drive and a focus and had goals.
28:84 – Motors, big tires, and being outside, wheeling with my friends attracted me to rockcrawling
35:18 – we have a great community of guys and gals that get out, almost on a daily basis there are drivers headed out
41:59 – there are moments in life when you have this epiphany, I had one in Boulder Canyon near Montrose
48:38 – And once you do that stuff in competition, you go out on the trail, and you’re like, oh, hey, maybe this drop isn’t as bad as I thought it was

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

19/09/2024

Just a blue-collar worker doing the humble hustle on Episode 233 with Andy Myers

There are just too many stories to write notes about; Andy Myers is one of the believers, a man who knows what it’s like to try, to build, to succeed, and to try again. Much respect for a man who walks the walk. Join this self-proclaimed introvert for a wild ride around the world. Thanks Andy. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

12:56 – I’ve never had a job and I’ve never worked.
22:16 – I dropped out of college after a beef with a marketing professor who gave me an F for a product I’d already sold and was receiving royalty checks on
27:22 – We got into design and opened a factory in Mexico and started making clothes for some pretty big companies, REI, Columbia…
32:09 – I showed the product to Nora’s family and told them, this is what we’re going to make – they’re like, “you should probably go back to bed” it was pretty cute
34:46 – this is the coolest motorcycle story of my life
37:22 – all my life, it’s all I’ve done – offroad and motorcycles and travel and design
44:33 – Wow, I don’t want to go back to living in a truck, I better pull back the reins a little and make some hard business decisions

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

13/09/2024

Racing and Rockcrawling with our favorite Cowboy on Episode 232 with Mitch Guthrie Sr.

Mitch Guthrie Sr. was raised a cowboy and became a Champion UTV Racer. He shares life in the fast lane with us on this episode of Conversations of Big Rich. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

3:27 – We were always riding horses, I was constantly getting pulled out of school.
8:34 – I heard about Azusa Canyon, back then, it was a wide-open four-wheel drive place
16:23 – It was a passion. It was all I thought about.
28:50 – Back then it was a little tougher without GPS, I remember going the wrong way around the wrong side of the mountain
42:44 – my favorite is the week of KOH when Mitchie is going to race, we drive the sh*t out of those trails
45:40 – Any advice? Yes, pay attention to those who are winning, listen and be humble

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

05/09/2024

ORMHOF Inductee Tracy Valenta on Episode 231

To keep up with Tracy Valenta, you’re going to need to step up. At 84, Tracy is still the ultimate salesman. On Episode 231, Tracy shares highlights covering the racing years with the Party Ice team. Tracy was inducted in the Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2016. Tracy is why we say; legends live at ORMHOF.org. Be sure to tune in on your favorite podcast app.

4:20 – I bought a ’32 Ford for 50 bucks and was able to rebuild it in Auto Shop
12:34 – I went to Scott McKenzie and said, “ If I could get Rick Mears to drive for me, would you put together a car for me?”
17:01 – There are so many fish in the little bay right at the Bay of LA, I’ve never seen so many fish in my life
20:26 – I bought 1000 seats altogether and sold them at cost just to help Mickey get people interested
29:33 – I felt like I had made it at the Coliseum, Phoenix was big!

Special thanks to ORMHOF.org for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

29/08/2024

Handling all the things, Phil Rawlings of SLOREX is on Episode 230

Phil Rawlings has his hands in a lot of things,he has embedded himself in off-road, like many of us. You’ll find him at Salt Lake Off-Road Expo, At Your Leisure, and many other places where voices matter. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

6:38 – I’m generally a very mellow and chill dude, but I definitely have an adrenaline addiction side
11:52– I got busted for a fix-it ticket, but they’d been after me for a while
21:13 – I have a photographic memory that doesn’t have any film now
36:02 – I found a job that was my favorite ever, I got to design and play with the coolest stuff
49:26 – people said, “you’re from Utah – I didn’t know they had off-road companies in Utah” that bothered me, we’re like the mecca for off-roading!
55:53 – our guiding pillars – promote Utah off-road businesses, promote Utah, and unite the off-road community

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

22/08/2024

ORI founder, Mark Jensen, on Episode 229

Mark Jensen, founder and engineer of Off-Road Innovations is on Episode 229. Without a background in off-road, Mark got launched into off-road accidentally. It’s been a heck of a ride. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

4:32 – I lived in the mountains with redwood trees, coming to Toelle was like being dropped in the middle of the desert, left for dead
11:56– I built, an outside the box sandrail that was four-wheel drive – essentially the first side-by-side
20:29 – “you know this would be more suited for the rock crawling world.” I said, “the what? What’s rockcrawling?”
26:45 – every time this rock crawling thing would evolve into something more violent, it meant more failures for me
38:00 – Those two words, perfect perseverance and dedication to what you are doing, you will overcome!
51:33 – We’re learning a lot from the car, it adds credibility to actually finish races and be successful

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

15/08/2024

Legendary Journalist Bill Sanders on Episode 228

Bill Sanders on Episode 228, a legendary journalist who excelled in elevating off-road racing to worldwide recognition. At 92 years old, history was made and retold in this interview. We talk about all the racing, writing and sport that Bill has been a part of. Bill was inducted in the Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2014. Bill is why we say; legends live at ORMHOF.org. Be sure to tune in on your favorite podcast app.

4:26 – my first true love was a 1936 Ford three-window coupe flathead
20:21 – I went to Europe by myself and traveled around for about 11 months on $5 a day.
29:04 – “Where’s the rest of the slides?” And I said, I’m not the photographer, I’m the editor.
37:55 – any questions? “Do the service stations in Baja take credit cards?”
49:15 – these guys from Mexico would bring $50,000 can in a paper bag to California and buy a truck
1:06:42 – about halfway through the race, the suspension broke, but Jean Calvin had her thermos full of coffee that she always took with her

Special thanks to ORMHOF.org for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

08/08/2024

International off-Road Trainer, Chris Walker, on Episode 227

Whitewater to Off-road, the background of our guests is always fascinating. Join Rich and Chris Walker from Overland Training Canada for more adventure on Episode 227. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

4:51 – very quickly, I found my passion was the outdoors – mountaineering, kayaking, flying, diving, caving and what have you
12:34– Gosh, I hurt myself a lot, nearly died a couple of times
17:37 – I’m not doing what I’m doing without their grit and determination to kick me into shape to be a good off-road driving instructor
25:14 – just jump out right here, grab your stuff, someone will come get you – I’m literally in the middle of nowhere, there’s no one in sight, I have no cell service and no idea where I am
37:36 – that’s a really hard question, I’ve never found a concise answer…
55:01 – I’ve been doing a lot with a big expedition called the Transglobal Car Expedition

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

01/08/2024

Episode 226 features Mark Stahl, from slot cars to NASCAR

From Slot cars to NASCAR, Mark Stahl has a storied past in racing, catch up with him on Episode 226. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

2:52 – I guess you could say I was a professional slot car racer
7:29– We went to Tijuana and got a fake birth certificate so I could race at age 16; Cajon Speedway required you to be 18
16:01 – Well, off-road racing, the motto was never give up
26:29 – I pull up at the finish line and Scoop is sitting there in the Blazer, and Parnelli Jones walks up and looks at the number on my hood and just starts cussing
34:08 – If I ever want to race NASCAR, now’s my time – I need to make the move to the south
43:57 – my most memorable event from the NASCAR days was the ’87 Winston 500 at Talladega
1:01:18 – you go through a lot of wives in racing, not because you’re cheating on them, but because you like race cars more than them, race cars don’t talk back

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

25/07/2024

Aqualu Industries Todd Gronsdahl joins us on Episode 225

“If I’m going to weld, it might as well be for myself,” we couldn’t agree more. Join Todd Gronsdahl from Aqualu Industries and Big Rich on Episode 225. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

6:57 – I took any job I could get because I really didn’t have any skillset
11:15– Rich: I asked your wife, “Is that your boyfriend?” She says, God, no, that’s my husband, my boyfriend would be way older and way richer!
13:30 – I bought a dilapidated Land Cruiser, and I was driving home one day when the roll cage fell through the wheel well onto the tire.
19:06 – the hardest part is just getting the aluminum body as close as you can to replicating the original
30:18 – the biggest challenge of being in Canada and exporting is location, we are packed in a little town in the middle of the mountains, so transportation is a real pain
35:59 – my wife has plans for us to buy a diesel pusher, and hook the vehicle up and go have some fun
37:37 – my simple rule of thumb: don’t spend more than you make and be humble

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

18/07/2024

Derek Trent, owner of TrentFab on Episode 224

Derek Trent, master fabricator and owner of Trent Fab joins us on Episode 224. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

9:11 – a couple of times I got in some trouble with the law and was told to push my motorcycle home
16:16– I was 21 years old and I hit a point where I had to make a “What am I going to do?” decision
24:31 – out of the box, a YJ was pretty damn tough
31:49 – Jason Berger was driving my car and eneded up breaking the TH400 case, I was really disappointed because all I was looking at was all the things that went wrong, that I didn’t do right
38:18 – I was working a job after college and woke up one day and realized that if I didn’t get out then, that was all I was going to do with the rest of my life.
49:03 – I got the invitation to go the very first King of the Hammers, but I really wanted to take my new car and it wasn’t ready. So I missed the very first one, it would have been 14 instead of OG13
58:25 – that’s when the Top Shelf chassis was born

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

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Rocksports history

For more than twenty years, I have been a rock sports promoter - from rock crawling to desert racing to rock racing - and in that process, I have met some incredible people. Pioneers in the sport, legends in the making. From their humble beginnings to today, I intend to tell their story. Through interviews and video, we have launched a podcast, Conversations with Big Rich. Next up will be YouTube so you can see the interviews and some of the footage of their time on the rocks. But for now, you have to settle for the audio.

We are listed on all the podcast channels - list and links below. Listen on your favorite, as you drive to work, to the trail, to the competition. Around the campfire, wherever you enjoy a good conversation with friends, listen to the latest episode. New episodes release every Thursday morning.

Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversations-with-big-rich/id1510063326 Sticher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/conversations-with-big-rich?refid=stpr Buzzsprout https://bigrich.buzzsprout.com/ Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1kRaRLekDgu3Pn6jeTtPhy Google Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xMDI3NTAxLnJzcw== Tunein + Alexa https://tunein.com/podcasts/Sports--Recreation-Podcasts/Conversations-with-Big-Rich-p1318820/ Podcast Addict https://podplayer.net/?podId=2897590 Podchaser https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/conversations-with-big-rich-1154889 Deezer https://www.deezer.com/us/show/1141692 Listennotes https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/conversations-with-big-rich-big-rich-klein-Z35UxsifGEm/ Pocketcast https://pca.st/c9kvenvw Castbox https://castbox.fm/channel/id2810848?utm_campaign=ex_share_ch&utm_medium=exlink&country=us Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1510063326/conversations-with-big-rich Castro https://castro.fm/podcast/46bf43cf-19c1-4abc-8e4f-37d38719b86f