Off-Road Racer Podcast

In this episode of the Off-Road Racer Podcast, I sit down with recent Crandon winner Cole Mamer. At only 25 years old, Cole is running a top tier short course race program, running trucks in Pro Lite, Pro 2, and Pro 4. Cole grew up in Imperial County, a region that has spawned many successful racers, including Justin Lofton and Brock Heger. Cole grew up racing, starting in motocross and circle tra...

In this episode of the Off-Road Racer Podcast, I sit down with off-road racing legend and Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee, as well as Chairman of the Board Mark McMillin. Few families have been as successful in off-road racing for as long as the McMillin’s. Off-roading with his father Corky McMillin in buggies since the 60’s, and racing since the 70’s, Mark has seen and done it all. Mar...

This is an old episode pulled out of the Mad Media Archives, recorded back in 2019. Jim Beaver and Josh Martelli sit down with Motocross, X-Games, and Short Course legend Brian Deegan. The three of them discuss Brian’s history, touching on the key moments in his life, talking about his accomplishments in Motocross and X-Games, the start of Metal Mulisha, and more. Moving closer to the present, the...

In this episode of the Off-Road Racer Podcast, I sit down with Polaris Factory Team racer Brock Heger. Brock is part of the next generation of off-road racers, starting at 7 years old in Trophy Kart. Now, only in his early twenties, Brock has over a hundred wins and over a dozen championship wins under his belt, both in short course and desert racing. Now, Brock races for the Polaris Factory Racin...

In this episode of the Off-Road Racer Podcast, I sit down with off-road racing legend Ricky Johnson. With 2 Supercross Championships, 5 Motocross Championships, and 4 Shout course championships Ricky is the definition of an off-road champion. Ricky has dedicated his life to off-road, riding mini-bikes at three years old, and racing them at 7. From very early on, Ricky was a dominant force in any f...

In this episode of the Off-Road Racer Podcast, I sit down with sponsorship guru Alex Striler. Alex literally wrote the book on Motorsports marketing ”Motorsports Marketing and Sponsorships: How to Raise Money to Race and Give Sponsors What They Really Want”. Alex has been in action sports and motorsports sales and marketing for 30 years, working for major brands and leagues alike. Now host of the...

In this episode of the Off-Road Racer Podcast, I sit down with off-road racer Patrick Gailey. Patrick lives and breathes off-road, building, prepping, and racing off-road vehicles. An off-roader his entire life, Patrick started building an Alumicraft 4-seater with his dad at just 13 years old. Since then, Patrick has taken every single chance he has had to go racing and learn about off-road vehicl...

In this episode of the Off-Road Racer Podcast, I sit down with racer Danny Thompson, son of the late motorsports entrepreneur Mickey Thompson. Danny and I talk about the history of the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group (MTEG), and Danny gives a unique perspective on his father, the race series he ran, and the culture he ultimately created. We then talk about Danny’s extensive racing history, rac...

In this episode of the Off-Road Racer Podcast, I sit down with Off-Road Hall of Famer Russ Wernimont. Russ is among the most talented engineers/fabricators motorsports have ever seen. Despite never getting a traditional engineering education and never using CAD programs, Russ has had a hand in building some of the most game-changing vehicles in desert and short-course racing. His career started wi...

In this episode of the Off-Road Racer Podcast, I sit down with racer Tavo Vildosola. Primarily a Baja racer, Tavo and his father became the first Mexican racers to win the Baja 1000 in 2010. Since then, Tavo has been a significant player in the Baja scene, winning many more races and championships. We talk about his career leading up to his most recent placements in his Mason AWD Trophy Truck. We...

In this episode of the Off-Road Racer Podcast, I sit down with vehicle fabricator and Trophykart founder Nestor Beradi. We start the episode talking about Trophykart and its origins, how the first karts were built, and how they opened the door for youth racing. We then talk about Nestor’s introduction to off-road vehicle building, originally starting with aircraft and RC car fabrication. Coming to...

In this episode of the Off-Road Racer Podcast, I sit down with Dave Clark, an incredible fabricator and vehicle builder. Dave Clark has a lengthy history working with the best in our sport. Early on, he worked for the legendary Nye Frank, who together built some of the most dominant cars in our sport, such as Rob Mac’s air suspension Pro 4, a car so dominant it was eventually banned. Dave would th...

In this episode of the Off-Road Racer Podcast, I sit down with legendary fabricator Craig Stewart. Craig Stewart, son of the legendary Ivan “Ironman” Stewart, had a very early introduction into the world of off-road. From a very early age Craig was building cars with his father and worked for the great Johnny Johnson building and maintaining off-road race vehicles. Craig did incredible work there,...

In this episode of the Off-Road Racer Podcast, I sit down with my business partner and cousin Kilian Hamlin. We start the episode talking about Kilian’s accidental start in off-road. Kilian planned on visiting California for a concert, and ended up staying for the next 15 years, pursuing a career in off-road media and event promotion. Moving up to the present, we talk about the current state of th...

In this episode of the Off-Road Racer Podcast, My Brother and partner Josh Martelli returns to the podcast to talk about his recent appointment to the California BLM Desert District Advisory Council (DAC). This council advises and gives recommendations to the BLM office, on issues such as fire management, land use planning, and what we are obviously interested in, off-highway vehicle use. This app...

In this episode of the Off-Road Racer Podcast, I sit down with off-road vehicle fabricator and designer Morgan Clark. Morgan stands out in the fabrication scene because of his dedication to a supercar level of design finish work in his vehicles, stemming from his ‘form follows function’ philosophy. We talk about how he came to embody this philosophy, originally studying design, working through the...

In this episode of the Off-Road Racer Podcast, I sit down with Greg Cotrell, founder and CEO of Rugged Radios. We start the episode talking about Greg’s start in the communications business, and how he carved out a whole new industry in the off-road world. We talk about the significant effects Rugged Radios’ products have had on how people race and recreate off-road. Talking more about Greg himsel...

In this episode of the Off-Road Racer Podcast, I sit down with Pearse Umlauf, CEO and President of Jeep Jamboree USA, a company that hosts 50+ off-road events a year, both domestically and internationally and has been instrumental in keeping the legendary Rubicon trail open for all to enjoy. Pearse and I discuss the company's history and its founder, Mark A. Smith, who was inducted into the Off-Ro...

In this episode of the Off-Road Racer Podcast, I sit down with off-road champion and badass Sara Price. We talk about her off-road career starting in motocross, and how her experiences in motocross set her up to excel in every other racing discipline she has done since. We then talk about her most recent accomplishment, winning a stage and finishing the Dakar rally in 4th place. Making here the fi...

In this episode of the Off-Road Racer Podcast, I sit down with off-road racer Dan Myers. The Myers family has been in off-road racing for decades, now spanning three generations. Dan talks about the significance of off-road racing for his family, and how they have stayed in it for so long. Dan also gives a unique perspective on the evolution of off-road from the perspective of being a second-gener...

In this episode of the Off-Road Racer Podcast, I sit down with game-changing off-road builder Neal Mason. Neal and I talk about his history in off-road vehicle building, starting as a self-taught fabricator, and working his way all the way up to building his Mason All-Wheel Drive truck, the most advanced racing machine platform on the planet. We discuss his drive to be constantly developing and mo...

In this episode of the Off-Road Racer Podcast, I sit down with Class 1 champion and businessman Mario Fuentes. Mario talks about growing up in the off-road scene in the Juarez/El Paso area, and how it has fostered his obsession of off-road racing. Mario and I then talk in depth about class 1, and the significance of a high-level buggy class, compared to the other truck classes. We also discuss Mar...

In this episode of the Off-Road Racer Podcast, I sit down with Jerry Zaiden, co-founder of Camburg Engineering. Camburg Engineering is an industry leader in off-road suspension systems for the consumer market, with a history of testing their products in off-road racing. Jerry and I discuss the edge Camburg has gained from their involvement in off-road, and the history of Camburg's own race program...

In this episode of the Off-Road Racer Podcast, I once again am joined by Jim Beaver, and we sit down with the Polaris Factory Race Team general manager, Ryan Thomas. The three of us sit down to talk about the program, some of the members/racers in the program, and their rise to one of the top premier race teams. We also discuss Ryan’s involvement in off-road before the program, at one point being...

In this episode of the Off-Road Racer Podcast, I sit down with 2020 ORMHOF Inductee Bob Bower. Bob has participated in nearly every facet of off-road culture, from pit volunteering to co-driving and driving, managing pit and race teams, and TV color commentary. In nearly all of the things Bob has done, he has contributed massively to the off-road culture; His most well-known accomplishment is the...