S&YE199 - Travis Pastrana

[00:00:10] Travis Pastrana here and you are listening to episode 199 of Subie & You. Hello everybody. This is the episode that seems like maybe everybody has been waiting for. Yes, it's true. I have Travis Pastrana on the Subie & You podcast and I'm super excited and I hope that everybody else is excited as well

[00:00:34] because this is like a very, very huge and monumentous episode and occasion for this little podcast that this guy started a little over four years ago. I also have to give a huge shout out to a couple of people. So there's a guy named Yuji that I have been in contact with for a very long time

[00:00:58] and between him and Tom with SOA, they were both able to collaborate and talk to Travis and make this thing happen. So thank you guys so, so much. I really, really appreciate it. And this thing has been going on for a while too because I talked to Tom back at back in October of 2024 at Subie Fest, Texas.

[00:01:26] And that was where I met Travis Pastrana for the first time when he was signing autographs. And I was fortunate enough to kind of get in there and get a little bit of a hello and introduction in between signing autographs real quick. And then, of course, I waited in line to get his autograph with my daughter and her husband. We got our autographs and I got to see him again and say hello briefly. So that was really, really cool.

[00:01:52] But what was even better than that is at one point I was walking behind the simulation trailer and I just happened to see Travis standing back there talking to somebody. So I slowly made my way over there and I just kind of hung around for a little bit because Tom had already talked to Travis about being on the podcast.

[00:02:16] And when Tom said that it was going to be episode 199, he said that Travis kind of brightened it up a little bit and seemed pretty excited that it was going to be episode 199. So I got a chance to talk to Travis for a little bit while we were back there behind the simulator. So that was really, really cool because I had some one on one time with him. And as I was standing there getting ready to talk to Travis, my son walked up, which was really cool because he was not around when we were doing the autograph signing.

[00:02:46] And so he was able to meet Travis and say hi and shake his hand and stuff. So it was just it was such an incredible moment there at Subie Fest, Texas to meet him and to know that this was, you know, the wheels were turning and that we were getting there were some talks going on about doing this episode. So this has been in the planning for a really long time and I've had to keep it secret for a really long time. And that wasn't easy to do.

[00:03:15] But now we're here. And as you've seen throughout the last few days, I've been doing some teasers. And I'm just so glad that we're finally at this moment because I had projected way ahead. And I wrote on my calendar March 31st, episode 199, and I knew when it was going to be.

[00:03:37] And it was just like the time was just dragging and dragging and dragging because, of course, this is a great moment for me and a great moment for the podcast because I have Travis Pastrana on. But I know it's a great moment for all of you because there's so many people that really enjoy listening to this podcast and are excited to see what I get to do with the podcast.

[00:04:01] And now you get to see that I have Travis Pastrana on finally after over four years. And, of course, the only episode he could ever be on is 199. So you get to listen to it, you get to hear it, and you get to enjoy my conversation with Travis. And it was great. So we actually recorded right after Christmas. So we recorded a long time ago.

[00:04:27] And that was when he had had his hip replacement and he had some downtime and he was going through recovery. So it worked out great for him to be able to record with me having that time. So I am just super, super grateful and very, very thankful for this opportunity to have Travis Pastrana on the podcast. And, again, thanks to Yuji and to Tom. And, of course, thank you, Travis, for taking the time to be on this podcast.

[00:04:56] It really means a lot to me, and I know it really means a lot to the people that are listening. And this is just like, you know, one of the greatest moments of the podcast ever. So thank you, everybody. But lastly, and of course, I would not even be here with this podcast doing this and having this episode with Travis if it wasn't for everybody listening and showing up and sharing and liking.

[00:05:22] I really, really appreciate it so much because it's because of all of you that this podcast exists. It's for you. It's by you. I'm just the host. And I really, really appreciate everybody so much. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And now after that long and well-deserved intro, here is a word from one of our sponsors. The Subi and Yu podcast is brought to you by Eccentric Designs.

[00:05:51] For those of you who don't know, Eccentric Designs is a small, community-driven business that offers custom-fit vinyl overlays for most Subaru models. This includes various designs for the rear reflectors, taillights, and side taillights. I also offer fun decal designs like the popular fender stripes and stickers. To find designs for your Subi, head on over to eccentricdesigns.com. There's always more projects in the works, so be sure to follow at eccentric.designs on Instagram.

[00:06:19] And, of course, I am forever grateful to Jen for sponsoring the podcast and also being my very first guest. So she and I kicked this whole thing off together. So that's always going to be very, very cool to me. So anyway, thank you, Jen. Go check out Eccentric Designs. Go check out her Instagram page. Check out her website and see what she has to offer for your Subaru.

[00:06:44] And, of course, having Travis Pastrana on the podcast, it goes hand-in-hand with Subaru Gear. So go check out SubaruGear.com. Check out all of the different areas of the website. You've got a lot of different collections. You have different areas for men, women, children, pets, home, everything. You've got everything there. Go check it out, especially the motorsports section.

[00:07:10] So that would be a perfect time after this episode to go check out the motorsports section and pick up your Subaru Gear from SubaruGear.com. You can use the code SUBINU25 at checkout to get 20% off your entire purchase. And if your total is over $50 after the 20% discount, you get free shipping as well. So go fill up your cart. Make it over $50. Get free shipping.

[00:07:40] Thank you so much, Subaru Gear, for sponsoring the SUBINU podcast. And thank you so much for this great offer for all of our listeners. And with all of that, let's go ahead and get into this episode now with Travis Pastrana. Let's not wait any longer. Let's get into this conversation and hear what Travis has to say. It was a great conversation. And, again, I'm just so grateful and thankful for this opportunity. I'm so glad that we were able to get him on the podcast.

[00:08:09] And we just had some fun. So let's get into this episode with Travis Pastrana. Hey, Travis. Welcome to the podcast. Dude, good to be on. Yeah. How's it going with your recovery? Oh, it's going good.

[00:08:36] I'm just a couple, you know, I'm two weeks out today of a hip replacement. So, you know, it's good. Just still sore. Yeah. I can imagine. It's nice to get you on here. I'm glad I finally got to meet you out at SUBIFEST, Texas. That was really cool. And because I've had Rihanna on three times and now I've got you on. So I'm very thankful for this. Dude, all the SUBIFests are just an absolute blast. It's always awesome.

[00:09:04] We usually have a race or something that's going on, you know, kind of same times. It hadn't been as much of a priority kind of for the race team until, you know, with now with the Huckster and the Slayer, you know, we have cars that just love to be drift. And that is so much fun just in front of the crowd, you know. And we can actually put people in the cards. It's amazing. Like, we'll go around and, you know, pick out cars we like, especially Bucky Lassick and that kind of stuff. And just so cool to be able to actually be like, you know, you meet some genuine fans

[00:09:33] that followed from, you know, motocross to rally all the way through and they brought their car and you're like, hey, do you want to jump in the Huckster? Let's go for some donuts. It's been awesome. Yeah, absolutely. So what was that like being able to, I mean, you gave up the Huckster for Bucky to drive at SUBIFEST, Texas. Yeah, no, I mean, Bucky's phenomenal. We battled it out, you know, on the Subaru rallycross team for a while. He actually beat me out at X Games.

[00:10:00] You know, he came straight off the skateboard, won gold medal and jumped in, beat me, took the final spot, transfer spot out of the heat and went on to get podium, you know, at X Games down there in Texas as well. So he can drive. And, you know, Bucky is the master of, he just loves cars. He always has projects. He always has cars being built. Betty is always has. He's always tweaking on it. There's always something wrong with it. Always something wrong with every vehicle.

[00:10:27] He's like never just gets a new vehicle or what he's always working on stuff. So I think, you know, for him, he's been asking kind of jokingly, you know, hey, can I drive the Huckster? And I was like, I talked to the guys. They're like, yeah, of course you can. Well, if you can touch the pedals, you can drive the Huckster. He was actually more excited than I thought he was going to be. He was so pumped. Yeah, I know that was a big moment for him because, you know, obviously he's got Betty to drive, but to be able to get behind the wheel of the Huckster and have some fun in it.

[00:10:56] And, you know, I know that was a great opportunity for him. So it's good for. Yeah, well, it was a good trade. He let me drive Betty. Yeah. So Betty has a lot less power. It's just, you know, it's a it's an older version. Basically, we took a rally cross car, the newest version of the highest tech, everything that Vermont sports car Subaru has. And we just, you know, took all the restrictors off where Betty's still an older version with

[00:11:22] restrictors for what the rally cross that GRC was at the time and that kind of stuff. But it's almost easier in some aspects to like put Betty kind of where you want it because it doesn't just have, you know, 860 horsepower of just blow the Yokohamas off the tire, you know, off the car. It's a it's a lot more manageable, not quite as much of a beast. Yeah, it's one. Yeah, no, I look like it. You look like y'all were having a good time out there.

[00:11:48] So but so one of the questions that I want to ask, and this is a it's a silly question, but it's something this girl started quite a while ago. She goes by her name's Sierra and she goes by SLT Trek on Instagram. But she started this thing and I've been doing it ever since she started it. But I asked my guests, do you prefer waffles or pancakes? You know, I was actually this morning. I was thinking that was probably coming up and I was I ordered.

[00:12:15] So I ordered chicken and waffles and I thought, you know, I've never ordered chicken and pancakes. I always thought I liked waffles more than pancakes because I just really like the chicken. So I ordered today. I did chicken and chicken and pancakes. And I have to say that I think of a pancake. I think I switched this morning because of that question coming out. That's awesome. Yeah, because I'm a pancake person. And statistically, there have been far more waffle people, which I get it.

[00:12:44] Waffles are good. They're crispy. They hold the butter and, you know, the syrup in the little pockets. But for me, I just I like there's this particular place that I've gotten pancakes before and it has like a really crispy edge to it. But then like the middle, the middle of it's soft. And I don't know, it's just it's like the perfect consistency. And I've always liked pancakes. But waffles are almost there, but not quite. Well, there's something.

[00:13:07] I mean, like the Waffle House, I kind of grew up with that as a staple, you know, riding motorcycles down, down chasing the warm weather down in Georgia and Florida over the winters. But, you know, I tell you, Christmas morning is always pancakes. And I just it just maybe it's just this time of year, but I just I'm switching back to pancakes, man. We're official. We're pancakes. All right. There you have it, everybody. Travis Pastrana is a pancake guy. So everybody else has got to follow suit now.

[00:13:35] So so kind of going back to and this is something that, you know, I remember watching back when it happened, just watching on TV. But how have you changed from when you first landed that double backflip in 2006 to, you know, now where you are in 2024? I'm a lot older. No, that's that's an interesting question.

[00:14:01] To be honest, mentally, I haven't changed as much as my wife would have probably hoped. But I still love cars and bikes. And every second that I get there, we're not working. If you can even call what I do a job, I'm doing the same stuff for fun. Yeah. Um, so the difference between me then is I was like, it took a lot of pride in the fitness side.

[00:14:28] And now the fitness has changed where if I was on a road bike ride and, you know, we're right here around the Naval Academy and some, you know, the Navy cycling team came by, I was like, no, I'm not getting dropped. Like I'm going to beat them. And now they can ride by me at, you know, they're, they're 27, 28 miles an hour. And I'm just, I'm just happy watching them. So I think I've lost a little bit of that competitive edge, right? I used to like pushing myself to just see what I was made of.

[00:14:56] And, you know, there's certain times and there's a place for it. I definitely still have that. But I think the biggest difference is, you know, is time. Just, I've been heard enough that, you know, when you're looking at a hundred foot cliff on the outside and trees on the inside, you know, the lights just broke or it's foggy or it's dusty. And I'm like, you know, I'm, I'm all right, right here. When I used to be like, oh, I'm going to make up some time right now. Yeah.

[00:15:26] Yeah, I know. I mean, I watched 199 Lives, the, you know, the documentary about you and just the, I mean, just the way that you would push yourself back in your motocross days. It was, you know, and, and having accidents and breaking bones and, you know, concussions and just everything that you endured. But, you know, obviously for the love of the sport, like what would keep you coming back from injuries?

[00:15:53] You know, like you would have a pretty bad injury and be like, yeah, let's go do that again. With knowing that there's a risk that you could get hurt again. Yeah. To be honest, it, it never crossed my mind. Like I was always confident. I mean, first day back, a lot of people that come back from injury would always say, oh, how did you get over, you know, get over the fear? I was like, I, I'm a really bad person to ask because I didn't have it.

[00:16:18] I, I don't like being hurt, but me being hurt, I was more disappointed that I couldn't ride or drive or compete or whatever we were doing. Like I was just bummed that I was not able to get outside and go have fun and go be competitive. I wasn't really that upset that I was hurt, like bone through the skin. I'm not thinking, oh, this sucks. I'm thinking, oh man, I'm not going to be able to compete next weekend.

[00:16:42] Or a lot of times we, we were, I mean, one snow drift five days after like compound fracture of a collarbone through the skin. And I went to my doctor that night and he's like, all right, I got you on for tomorrow. And, you know, pin and plated and, you know, we're back, back racing the next weekend. So for me, that was always kind of a game with like the orthopedics. Okay. So this is supposed to take, you know, four months. We, can you get me back in four days? And I'm, I'm, I'm paying for that a bit now for sure.

[00:17:12] But, but at the same time, that's, that's what made my career. It's what allowed me to make a living doing what I love to do. And, you know, just always saying, okay, let's, let's figure out a way to make it work. And that was always the most fun. I was like when David Higgins was leaps and bounds better, better than I was as a driver. And so, okay, you know, how are we going to compete with David? And it was good because, you know, Subaru have always had some great teammates with like Scott Speed, David Higgins, even now with, with Brandon Semino.

[00:17:42] You know, they're phenomenal drivers and they're driven and their homework is amazing. And, you know, not to jump ahead here, but with, you know, Rhiannon, just, you know, my co-driver, she's taught me so much on, on how to prepare on how to do homework properly on, you know, I was never afraid to put in the work, but if you don't know what work can be, can be done or you're doing it wrong, it's not necessarily helping. So, you know, just been able to surround myself with, with great people and been so fortunate

[00:18:11] to be a part of, you know, that Vermont sports car team and Lance Smith and just everyone always just doing everything they can, because it's not a bunch of people that are like, oh, we want to go win. They're like, they're like, we just want, we want to rally. We want to do the best we can. We want to have the most fun we can. And we want to, you know, it's not, I shouldn't say it's not about winning. It's always about trying to win, but it's about, you know, like let's surround ourselves

[00:18:38] with passionate people and let's do what we love to do. And I feel like that's been really cool because instead of having, you know, one teammate that's going, oh, well, I don't want to help everybody that's been on that Subaru team has been 100%. I want to beat you, but I want to beat you at your best. Like, this is how I get better. And, and it's been amazing for my driving career for sure. Yeah. And even though you have two people that are on the same team who are competing against

[00:19:04] each other to win, you're, if either one of you wins, the team wins. And so, you know, that's a win-win, you know, for everybody. So, but it's good to have that. But beyond that, I mean, we're all competitors. I mean, you know, the last shoot, 2017, that, that final round, you know, they have Vermont sports car changed up where now they don't allow any teams to stay together for too long because we got Higgins team was attached to David and my team was attached to me.

[00:19:33] And there was, I mean, it was, it was bad. I mean, in a good way, like we were just super, super competitive and it all came down that last, you know, David was a better driver all year, but for, you know, bad luck or me just being able to, to edge him out and just when I, when I counted a couple of times, we came down to the last race and it came down not only to winning the race, but the stages and it came down to the last stage of the last event in the rally.

[00:20:00] And, you know, at that point it's, it's kind of every man for himself, but David didn't want to beat me knowing that I could have been better. He wanted me to be my best and he wanted to know that he could be beat me again. And I think that was really cool. Like there's a lot of people that just hold their secrets and, you know, David, a lot of times would try. He was an interesting cat because he would such a good hearted human being.

[00:20:27] And like I'd ask, I stopped asking him questions towards the end of the championships. I knew he would, he would answer me and he asked me honestly, because, you know, that was, he was just a good natured person, but every now and then he'd say something and then he'd come back. He's like, no, honestly, I was, I was lying just in case you were, you can't break there. You have to break here. Like, or I didn't go down on the clickers. I actually, you know, I, I went slower on the rebound or whatever it was. He, David was so, such an awesome teammate because even when he wanted to do

[00:20:55] whatever he could to, you know, to have the advantage, he just, he couldn't, he was like, I want you to be the best. And I don't want to ever mislead you. And I want to beat you then. And it was just pretty cool. Yeah. It seems like the support from your competitors within the team is just like pretty incredible that you've got, you know, you're, you're there to help each other. You're there to push each other. And, uh, just, you know, cause I, I don't really follow the, the, you know, during the

[00:21:22] season too much, I ended up watching it on Subaru launch control, which is such a great show. And it's a great way to showcase what y'all are doing out there and the stories behind what's going on. But yeah, you guys haven't seen, if anyone out there listening, hasn't watched the launch control because it went away for a little bit or kind of changed form. And, and this year it's back. It's, it's so cool. It's, it's neat to hear every rally. There's, there's at least a handful of, of people that come up there.

[00:21:50] They're either they're spectating there, they're volunteering, or they're actually, they're racing and they do like all of them with, you know, week in and week out. They're like, I didn't even know that us had a rally championship and I saw launch control. And now we're here rallying on the same stages, you know, that couple of years ago when Ken block was rallying or now when Semenuk or, or, you know, whoever's out there, it's, um, Barry McKenna. It's really cool. You know, rally is the only sport that I know of where you can show up and race the same

[00:22:18] course as, you know, the, the, the top of the nation. And it's, it's pretty, pretty neat. Yeah. That gives the, uh, the people that are like on the grassroots level and trying to just break into the sport, just, you know, for, for fun and just to test themselves. It's, it's a great place for them to get out there and race with, you know, with you and Semenuk and just know that like, Hey, we're racing on the same stages that they are. And we get, get to be out here and just have fun and see what we can do. One hundred percent.

[00:22:46] So where did the, cause I, when I was watching the documentary in your earlier motocross career, you had, it looked like you had a few different numbers, but where did one 99 come from? And then how did it stick? Interesting, um, question. So it's not an amazingly great story, uh, but my, my hero at the time was Robbie Raynard

[00:23:11] and Robbie, when he started, cause as an amateur, you go from, as you start winning your, your district or your, your state or your area, your region, you generally pick a three digit number because all the two digit numbers are taken. If you were, say we were going to Florida and try to race Ricky Carmichael or Oklahoma and try to race, you know, a Johnny Marley or whoever the best riders were at the time for me, you'd have to put an X on your bike or someone would always have a two digit number.

[00:23:39] So Robbie Raynard picked five 93 cause his birthday and he turned 16 on the fifth month of 1993. So I was like, well, I'll turn pro on in October of 99, which was 10 99, which we couldn't do a four digit. So ended up running just one nine nine kind of just because of, of Robbie and wanting to kind of emulate that.

[00:24:05] And it stuck and ended up winning that race and just, uh, you know, Loretta lens was the big amateur national and you're only allowed to run two digits. So I'd run 99. Okay. Pretty much, pretty much from the time I was 11 or 10 or 11 on up and I was number one nine nine. Yeah. I mean, and it's a pretty iconic number now, you know, so. So I think so. Yeah. That's a good number.

[00:24:30] So you, you mentioned Ken Block earlier and, uh, we know, you know what he meant to the rally community, to the fans and obviously to his family. But what was your relationship like with him and like, how did he help you in your career? Interestingly enough. So I was sponsored by in 2000. I mean, probably 2003, maybe 2002, 2003, right around there.

[00:24:57] I had just started doing, I just started doing some rallies, um, local stuff. I just gone over and got a test in a Subaru WRC car that was back in, I guess, 2001. I did that. So I was just getting to rally, bought a car for like a practice car, which didn't last very long. I realized you couldn't practice in rally. Like you can practice on their bikes, but, um, you know, we were trying to, trying to get into the sport and Ken Block was the current owner of, of DC shoes.

[00:25:27] I, about a week before X games, you know, I was going in that year with motorcycles being the, obviously the priority for me. And I was told from Puma, who was my biggest money paying sponsor that I had to choose between them and Alpine stars. Alpine stars. He wasn't paying me a dime, um, but gave me the opportunity to go drive a Subaru WRC car and connections to drive in the Porsche cup and all kinds of other fun driving stuff that I absolutely love to do. And Gabrielle is a, a legend of a human being that's helped me so much.

[00:25:56] My driving career is the donor of Alpine stars. So I shocked Puma and said, uh, you can take your money. I'm, I'm going Alpine stars. They have the best boots, the best driving suits, and they're helping me get, my foot in the door and what I hope to be a second career of rally. So a week before X games, I went to Ken Block, who was, you know, I wouldn't say a friend. Uh, he was a couple of years older than I was, but my agent was really good friends with him and all of my, my, my, my, my dad's friends.

[00:26:26] And like, Ken was just had such a great reputation in the industry. And, you know, it was the founder of DC shoes. So what walked up to him and shook his hand and said, Mr. Block, do you want to sponsor me for this week? Oh, wow. And he goes, he, he looked at me and goes, if you get me in contact, he goes, I'll pay for everything. But you, if you get me in contact with a Vermont sports car Subaru and get me all those connections and everything lined up and you set up a test, he goes, I'll cover it, but you got to, you know,

[00:26:56] wind me up with the best. I'll sponsor you for DC will sponsor you for, for X games and in the remainder of the year, at least, and we'll go from there. And everyone thought Ken, they're like, Oh, cool. This is rich guy. Like he ended up selling DC shoes the next year or whatnot. And I'm like, Oh, he's just, you know, a money guy in there. And you know, Ken, like every other redneck American that, that grew up doing motocross and skateboarding and snowboarding and snowmobiling and everything else. He's like, I, I can drive.

[00:27:23] And sure enough, Ken really could wheel a vehicle and he had a great natural talent. And more than anything though, he had a business mind that, that it worked years ahead of, of where he was. And he took so much money where most people are like, okay, I sold this for X. I'm going to put this much away. This is for family. Ken just dumped it all back into the sport. I mean, he went over and, you know, he went and he hired Colin McRae to teach him how to drive.

[00:27:53] And, um, you know, I mean, just stuff that just people that you, all the top WRC drivers at the time, and the guys that are just retired and he would just fly to their house or fly them to his house. And I tell you, I've never seen someone that, that just wanted to learn as much as Ken did and who was just a sponge and just re would take anything that anyone would tell him. And he got up to speed fast. He ended up winning, uh, his first rally, like top class rally before I did.

[00:28:20] And he got up to speed extremely quick and he ended up, it ended up being both of us were battling probably like six of us actually that were battling that year, uh, for a hundred acre wood. And he was fantastic at a hundred acre. That was Ken's place. I think he won, you know, probably a dozen times there was, it was ridiculous, but yeah. So sorry, super long story there, but. Oh no, it's okay. It's great to hear all this information and more of your relationship with him. Cause that's what a lot of people, you know, they want to hear those kinds of stories and

[00:28:49] they want to hear more from you. So no, I don't apologize. It's, it's good. It's, uh, we're enjoying this for sure. Ken Block was first and foremost, a very intelligent businessman. He was someone that, so I go out and do stuff because it's fun. Ken love drifting and he loved doing that stuff. But instead of just going out and doing it and he'd be like, okay, how can this be a viable career? What can I do?

[00:29:18] And if someone didn't believe what he believed, he would finance it himself and he would go and he would figure out a way to make it happen. Jim Conn, everyone kind of laughed. They're like, okay, well, what are you setting up cones in a parking lot? Cool, man. And now it's, I mean, five years later, he shut down or whatever. Jim Conn, I think it was Jim kind of five, Jim kind of seven, maybe five. He shut down San Francisco. He shut down the golden gate bridge to do donuts on it just to see if he could.

[00:29:45] And that, that's the type of, of business skills that just no one else really had. Not only did he get them to shut down the San Francisco Bay bridge, they paid him to do it. Like just a complete genius. Wow. And he proved to a whole generation that didn't prove, but he showed how much fun driving was. He inspired so many tens of thousands of maybe not millions of people to want to get into

[00:30:14] a car, to want to get in an all wheel drive, to want to drive a Subaru. And I just thought that was, it was just genius that it didn't matter how many people told him, no, he's like, no, we're going to do this and it's going to work. And if he thought it was going to work, he had a great sense of what was going to work. And, you know, he went to X games and was like, Hey, you got to pick up rally and we're going to add jumps because we can jump. And Ken was the first one to start doing jumps. And then he started building snow, snowboard jumps that he was jumping in his car and he jumped on the snowboard and then jump in the car and then jumping on the dirt bike and jump in the car.

[00:30:43] And I'm like, this guy was just, it was just insane. It was so cool. Yeah. He was definitely having fun with it. And like you said, you know, he inspired a bunch of other people and it's, you know, it's an, of course, unfortunate what happened with him. But whenever you mentioned Jim Conner, how did it go with him handing it off to you? Cause I know that was a big deal and like your reaction was like just priceless, but I'm sure that was just like an incredible moment for you. Yeah. To be honest, like I had kind of joked, like everyone had.

[00:31:13] Like, Oh yeah. Give me an opportunity. Give me one of those cars. Let me see. Yeah. Oh sure. I could do that. You know, kind of joking, kind of jealous, honestly. Like, dang, how did you manage to make this work? This is every, every guy's dream. Let's build a really awesome car. Let's pick the coolest location on earth and let's see how sideways we can get it. And if we can burn these tires up, like, man, this is, this is a heck of a gig. So I was out in Utah and he's like, Hey, come on out. We're doing a, doing a little bit of filming.

[00:31:42] And when we got there, it was funny because the, the unicorn, the engineer wasn't there or whatnot. So they weren't allowed to start the motor. So it was me and two of the other guys from nitro circuits and we're pushing Ken to a stop. We pushed him as fast as we could. And then we got out of the shot. So it like came to a stop. It looked like it was rolling. I was like, man, you, you actually had us come out of here just because you need to push your car. He's like, all right, now get in. I was like, all right. He's like, this is how we're going to end the film. Uh, because you're, you're doing the next one.

[00:32:12] And I mean, it was kind of that quick. Um, I'm sure the calculations that he put into it were way further. And there was a little bit behind the scenes of, you know, he really wanted to pass this on to, to his daughter, Leah. Um, you know, she just started kind of at the time was just barely getting into driving and he was even thinking Micah, you know, um, he was absolutely phenomenal now even on, on go-karts and Leah doing, doing amazing.

[00:32:37] And Kira is actually a hugely talented, like she doesn't really care about driving, but she's faster than just about everyone that puts in like hours and hours and years and years and a lot. Um, so very, very, very talented family. Um, but he's like, look, I don't know exactly what my kids are going to do or which one's going to take over, but I need to prove that someone can sit in and do a gym Kana. That's not me. And that the brand has legs without me driving.

[00:33:07] And he goes, look, I'm going to let you bring in your own sponsors. I'll let you pick your own location, but it has to be Epic. I'll let you pick your, your own vehicle. Uh, you know, but vehicle has to be amazing. The location has to be Epic. And he goes, look, let's, I know you're gonna do some nitro circus, uh, you know, jumpy, uh, shimmy bimmy, but like, let's at the end of the day, Jim Kana is based on proximity driving with consequence. Yeah.

[00:33:36] Epic car, epic location, proximity driving consequences. Like, all right, I can do that again. And, um, you know, we were able to prove that, that the, the franchise had legs. Obviously he was 100% behind it in supporting and promoting and everything else. Um, but it was, it was cool to have, I think that's the second, you know, uh, second, uh, highest or best performing, uh, Jim Kana to Ken's obviously no one will ever touch, um, you know, the Jim Kana that we were talking about in San Francisco, but it was cool to,

[00:34:05] to have a, to be a part of his legacy in that way. And, you know, we had planned on doing a, a Jim Kana block first strata and unfortunately, you know, we'll never be able to do that. And I think that would have been a really awesome, fun project that would have been super competitive and we would have hated each other at times and loved each other and hugged and cried and all of the above.

[00:34:32] And I really think that would have been a great, not ending project, but kind of a, a wrap up to, to the, the series for, for me. And at the end of that, it was planned. I think that, uh, that Leah at that time was going to sit in and kind of pass it down to his daughter, which I thought was going to be really cool. So, you know, everyone's wondering when the next Jim Kana is coming out, what's it going to be? And, you know, there's been a lot of changes at Hoonigan.

[00:34:59] And for me, the biggest thing is like, look, if we're going to do a Jim Kana, it's going to be with all the original crew. It's going to, you know, Scotto's got to be involved. You know, we got to get the, the filmers, the vibe, the, the, everything's got to kind of be back. Um, and we have to do this the way Ken wanted to do. It's a legacy piece. It's not a, it can't be something we're doing for profit or for, for anything other than a block legacy.

[00:35:27] And, you know, hopefully, uh, if Leah, you know, is up for it, obviously there's still a lot to be talked about, um, that I'm probably talking too much right now, but the goal would be to, uh, you know, to, to pass this off to, to Leah. And I think that could be something that's, that might be happening in the sooner than later future. Yeah. It's a Jim Kana series is definitely super cool. I don't, I don't remember the first time I saw one, but I remember because I, cause he

[00:35:55] did one and cause I know he didn't do them all in the same car, but I know he did a Ford Fiesta at one point. I remember seeing that and I was like, they took this tiny little car, gave it all this power and he's just like blowing it around, you know, this course. And I just remember thinking that that was like super, super cool. So yeah, the Jim Kana series is like, it's fun to watch those. Yes. It's fun to do them. It's, it's a handful. You got like four days. You're like, all right, don't crash. Don't mess up. You have one car. Uh, you'd have to almost die in every corner.

[00:36:25] Yeah. So with, uh, with Leah, so how happy does it make you now like to see her out there racing? Cause I know she was driving with, uh, Rihanna for the season, but you know, how is that seeing her out there and getting behind the wheel and hitting the rally stages? Yeah. Well, I mean, at 16 years old, she won the two wheel drive national championship. Yeah. So that's pretty impressive.

[00:36:50] And then she went on to, she jumped in to the top class and, you know, was running third. I was doing absolutely, you know, amazing. And, you know, unfortunately she, well, we did the stage twice. So Leah, it's a blessing and a curse. If she sees someone else do something, it's not a question in her mind. And if she can do it, it's, if she can do it better. And she watched, it was not a bad thing. She did.

[00:37:16] She watched, she watched the video from, for myself and from, uh, Connor Martell. And she was like, all right, well, these are the breaking points. That's the turning marks. And she just, she went in hot, which is right into the, uh, into the woods. But, um, you know, and the conditions change from, from day to day too. So it's, it's not, you know, she's been doing a lot of the, the F1 Academy, which is an absolutely amazing experience. And just, I just hope that, you know, she succeeds in everything she does. That's, that's going to be a tough one.

[00:37:45] Just starting, you know, everyone thinks, oh, she's a block. She's been driving her whole life. I'm like, no, for the amount of seat time that Leah has, she's the most amazing driver. Like it male, female doesn't matter. Like she is, she is really good. Such, such a talent, you know, and competing at a top level in nitro cross and with thousand horsepower electric cars, you know, and then competitive with the best in the world of off-road.

[00:38:11] Um, you know, and she's competitive with the best females in the world in, uh, in pavement as well. And she's not shoot. She doesn't have hardly any pavement experience, but you know, F1's a, it's, that's a whole different beast for sure than what, you know, the way she's been brought up on. Uh, she likes to be sideways. She likes to be aggressive. Um, you know, it's a little more precision over there. So I hope she does well. I hope she goes on to be the first F1 female F1 champion, but worst case scenario,

[00:38:39] she's getting the greatest experience over there. She's learning so much. And if she decides to get back into off-road and come back to the U S for any of that stuff, she's going to be such a dominant force in racing for so many years to go. Yeah. Cause with you said, you know, with the, uh, F1, it's, it's more precise and I'm sure more like the technical and everything that's, that would, I can only imagine that could greatly improve your driving skills, being able to experience that. It's definitely not going to hurt anything.

[00:39:09] That's for sure. Yeah. So you, you mentioned Colin McRae earlier. What was it like meeting him? So Colin McRae was honestly probably that Subaru 555, uh, car was probably the reason that I even started noticing rally at all. I just, I watched, uh, you know, I ran a movie from, uh, a rally video from blockbuster video back in the day. But yeah, me too. Me too. I remember those days. Yeah.

[00:39:38] And they had a, they just, you know, had a WRC championship and I watched Colin McRae roll, I think four times in one rally and finished the rally and finished high enough to get points. And I thought this, this is not, this isn't a human. This is, this guy's amazing. And he would just full send. And then, you know, we had an opportunity where Colin McRae came over to the X games. And the first time the X games had rally, it was actual stage rally.

[00:40:07] It wasn't long stages. It was only 50 or so miles of, of stages, but he didn't know the Jumba note system that, that we had over here. So, you know, he was jumping in our cars. He was jumping in with notes that he didn't really understand. And at the end of the first day, I was down by a 10th of a second. We were leading all the way up into the last stage over my all-time hero, Colin McRae. Yeah. And going into that final stage, and yeah, he absolutely crushed it.

[00:40:37] Like, there was, there was no chance that I had. And he hits, and when he's pitched it sideways over the last jump, two corners to go, the tire blows. And the rim catches, and it rolls over. And as he's upside down, they have the in-car camera, and he's already going into first gear. Like, it never occurred to him that he wasn't going to continue on. Wow. No tire, whatever it was. Windscreen, no windscreen. And he ended up coming across the finish line in second.

[00:41:03] So kind of a gift for sure, and definitely a spectacle. But it was pretty awesome being on that podium. It was my first really big win in rally. And it was also coming straight off of, so I did a double backflip that year. One freestyle, one rally over my all-time hero. And on the podium also with Ken Block, who's a Subaru 1, 2, 3.

[00:41:28] And just, just a really, probably my greatest, like that X Games experience from the beginning to the end was the scariest and greatest experience of my entire life. Probably just, you know, just one amazing moment after the next. And being able to learn from Colin McRae was funny, because as we're racing, and as I was actually leading the rally, he was helping me with, you know, as he's understanding the notes, he's like, oh, well, I'm picking up time here, here, here. You know, I think on the faster stages, if you commit more to your fours and fives,

[00:41:59] I'm like, holy cow, my hero's like trying to help me, and we're competing. This is the greatest thing ever. Yeah, that's, I mean, that's got to be such an incredible feeling, because it's like, like you were saying earlier, they're not hiding, you know, their secrets or things that they, you know, little tips that they have. Like, they're actually sharing it with you to help you be better. And to have it come from your hero like that, that's just got to be like, like you said, like, wow, I can't believe he's helping me out, you know. And because you want to be able to get better yourself,

[00:42:28] but then when somebody else is helping you to get better, then that just makes it all more worth the while. Yeah, I don't, I've just found so often that the, the true greats, the ones, and especially the, you know, like Colin, who was, you know, he had already been to the top of the WRC at this point. And he was, you know, he's still super competitive and just an amazing all around human driver and everything.

[00:42:52] But, you know, I found so many times that the, the greats are not insecure, that they want, you know, even David Higgins, you know, he was, I wouldn't say past his prime when he came to the U.S. You know, he's still to this day, he's just an absolutely amazing, you know, wheelman to, to every extent. But, you know, they had already been super successful. No matter what I did, I don't think I could have taken anything away from their accomplishments and, and their greatness.

[00:43:22] And that's, that's something that I've found. The people that have really succeeded are always, are almost always the first ones to really help, to really lend a hand, to, to extend an audience. They, they, because usually successful drivers and athletes in general, they just love the sport. They want to see it grow. They want to see the next generation come up and take it even further than they did. That's, it's really inspiring to be around and to have the opportunity to be around so many of the best drivers on,

[00:43:51] you know, that have come around for the Subaru team. It's been really cool. Yeah. And it's definitely, I mean, it's a, it's such a cool sport, especially now that it's here in the U.S. and that, you know, you, along with Ken and other people, have really helped to, you know, bring it over here and show people what it is and how fun it can be. And, you know, of course, racing for Subaru is, is, is great too. But I know that you've driven in, you know, many Vermont sports cars,

[00:44:19] you know, the, the cars that they've built since 2004. But what, which would you say is your favorite and why? Huckster. Hands down. Not, not even. So I, you know, I haven't driven Project Midnight, but, you know, as Lance so delicately put it on the last launch control, he's like that, that car is not made for, for me. You know, the car is, that car is made for Scott. Like, I'm not a downforce person. I don't understand it. I don't like it.

[00:44:48] The, you know, you can definitely go faster with it, but they put so much downforce and everything onto that air slayer. But to get it sideways is like, you have to commit to just, just hucking it in the corner full, like everything. And usually just sticks, grips and turns. It's like, it's, it's so difficult to get sideways, which is tough when you're trying to do a sideways video. Cause the second it goes sideways and you do break it past where the air is,

[00:45:17] is the downforce is working. Then it has no downforce. And all of a sudden you went from a car that's stuck to the ground to a car that's just floating and hovering backwards at, you know, 130 miles an hour. And you're like, Oh God, what's going on? And you can see my face in that first Jim Conner, but I did Jim Conner hometown shred. I was petrified the whole time. It was fantastic, but it was not made to be sideways. Yeah. I mean, your, your facial expressions, sometimes it's like, I'm, I'll be watching you in the videos.

[00:45:45] I'm like, man, you look, you look so focused though. And so intense of like, you know, I'm, and like, I'm going to make this happen. I know what I'm doing. And so it's kind of fun to watch that and see your facial expressions. But yeah, I mean, just trying to get, it seems like any Subaru all wheel drive car sideways is difficult, but I'm sure. Yeah. With the downforce, it's like much, much harder. Yeah. To be honest, like, um, you know, a standard, like an STI, um,

[00:46:16] everyone's like, Oh, what do you do? Or everyone's like, Oh, you got a clutch kick. I'm like, I don't clutch kick at all. Do you need to wet it down? No. I'm like, cause the STI you can, I mean, not that anyone ever should, but you can drift those things wherever you want. Um, and they have plenty of power and it's like, I could drift probably as smooth or smoother in, in just a stock Subaru, like without the extra sticky Yokohama race tires. And, um, you know, the, the power is nice to be able to be able to break the tires loose easily.

[00:46:45] Um, you know, when you're never thinking about bogging down, you can always accelerate. But yeah, when you really put your foot to the floor with that much power, it just, the tires just instantly are ice. Yeah. And you're moving faster than you were before you went in sideways. It's pretty wild. But what, yeah, what's the, the key is definitely power because I have a 2021 Crosstrek, which is a manual. So that helps,

[00:47:13] but it's so low in power that it's hard to like get that thing to go sideways. You know what I mean? Even cause like I've hit some asphalt when it's been raining and I can do it a little bit, but it's just so underpowered. It's hard. But of course, you know, out on the gravel, it's a lot easier, but having a manual, even though it's a slow car is definitely, it makes the driving experience so much more enjoyable. Yeah. I keep trying to tell my daughters that.

[00:47:42] I mean, they're, uh, they're nine and 11, but they're still, they, they got, so, uh, Subaru had some BRZs, um, that they, they allowed us to, to use for some, uh, some YouTube episodes, which is really cool. And they, they made the mistake of, of leaving them at the house for like an extra month. Um, might've, might've had some talks with, some of the people there were like, Oh no, you could just leave it a little longer. But, um, it was cool. My daughters both got in and really started learning how to, how to slide and, and,

[00:48:10] and use the shift and everything. And, you know, it was a proud moment for me. They're, they're still, I think very much prefer the automatics, but, uh, I'm like, it's not the same. You're not, you're not really driving. You're just kind of in it, you know? Yeah. Yeah. I taught my son how to drive my car and he's driven it plenty of times and he's gotten really good at driving a manual, but it's just, you know, it's a skill that I wanted him to learn because there's not, you know, you know, there's not as many manual cars out there. And even though he has a 2010 Outback right now,

[00:48:40] but you know, I wanted him to at least learn how to drive a manual. And, cause it's, you know, it's a fun skill to learn too. It's not so important anymore to learn how to drive a manual. Cause you're, you know, the likelihood of you getting one isn't as high as it used to be, but it's just fun. It's just fun. That's it. Yeah. So what have you, tell us about your relationship with Lance Smith and Vermont sports car,

[00:49:06] because you've been with them for a long time now and driving for Subaru and, you know, in their cars and around that team. So I, and I'm sure it's been like a great experience with that. To be honest, I wouldn't be here without Lance. You know, the, the Smiths are absolutely amazing. Colin, Weegee, you know, it's, it's funny cause at, in 2000, uh, 2002, 2002, 2003, probably. Um, I did my first rally at snow drift and I had,

[00:49:36] uh, you know, Sean Jacobs was on my car and Brandon sweat was on my car. And like a year or two later, Komar, um, came on and that's, that's the crew that, that I still have on my car today from, from my sports car. I mean, they have a much bigger crew, but like, how cool is that? That, you know, it's such a family and they, they've grown so much bigger and, you know, at the time, um, you know, unfortunately Mark level, I just, I just passed away. And, you know,

[00:50:05] the Subaru program was, was kind of took a huge hit and the, the rally community took a huge hit and everything kind of got like all the factory cars kind of went away. And it was a tough time because there was no money in rally, but the passion was still there. And it made it so that there was a lot more people that could be competitive because without, you know, a million dollar car, half my car, whatever, you know, even a 200,000 car,

[00:50:35] whatever it was at the time we were able to run the top class and they say group in, which was a much less expensive vehicle, which really started to, to rebuild rally with so many that, you know, eventual legends. Um, you know, you had Tanner Faust, you know, you had ACP, so many of, of just the, the really, really great drivers that were, were in that, that era. Uh, even Matthew Johnson, Paul Trenier. It was really cool just to, to have everyone that was like a Ramona. Antoine Lissage, uh,

[00:51:05] the list goes on and on, but long story long, so many great drivers were like, Oh, well, the budgets went down, like I'll get in and I'm going to go ahead and drive. So when I started in, there was, you know, seven to 10 drivers every round that had a chance to win. And that was really cool. Cause it really built all of us up and, built the whole sport kind of back up from the ground up. And without Lance driving that whole thing, without Lance providing me with a team that, you know, at one point after a couple of crashes, he's like, look,

[00:51:35] I really don't care if you get 10th. He goes, I truly don't. He goes, but if you crash another car, I, we're done. Like the Vermont sports cars folded. No one has jobs. Like, like we're, we, we can't fix any more cars. Stop crashing cars, man. So after I was like, probably, probably five races in, I didn't crash anything. And we were sitting third and Lance is like, all right, you know, on day two, he's like, all right, open it up. And it didn't take me four miles.

[00:52:04] And I got that big crash at Colorado Cod where it's just like, are you alive? He's like, that's the last time I ever tell you to go for it again. Yeah. Oh, that's funny. That's the one that you rolled several times, right? Yeah. I think we went over like eight and three quarters. Yeah. Jeez. It looks, I mean, it looks really, really bad. I mean, nobody wants to see that, but I know that they've got it, you know, the roll cage and the harnesses and everything. What was that actually like? I mean, how much did that bang you around?

[00:52:34] Yeah. It was like, uh, the twist to whirl roller coaster that they just, you know, flog you every time you come around. Yeah. But no, it's, um, it's, it's great. Honestly, then the safety has even come a long way since then. Yeah. To be perfectly honest. But, um, but yeah, it was, it was, you know, we didn't hit a tree and that's the biggest thing is the sudden stops are what gets you. Yeah. We just, we started rolling at like 110 miles an hour into a field. Um, poor cameraman. I think that was the last one. Um, evidently at the time he was one of the main camera guys there,

[00:53:04] the still photographers. And he was pretty far off the road. And when wheels started flying off and he just started, he got a couple of great shots and then started running and he never came back to a rally. He was like, no, man. Yeah. So no, but at the end of the day, like, you know, it was a big mistake for, for me on just, I thought I could see the road instead of listening to the notes and, um, came over the crest. I was like, Oh, there's that left, right four. He was talking about and, you know, caught the inside of the corner. As it was going over,

[00:53:34] everything was just in slow motion. I just remember the, you know, it went quiet after like four rolls and both my co-driver, Christian and I like looked at each other and I swore, cause we were kind of dizzy and, you know, obviously we're still in the air flying. We didn't realize that cause he just went quiet. And I'm like, Oh, are you okay? He's like, yeah, are you? And then we hit the ground. I was like, Oh, we're not done yet. Oh man. Yeah. I'm sure. Yeah. That's, that's, that's gotta be a pretty incredible experience, you know, not fun, but then, you know, everybody's okay.

[00:54:03] And definitely one to talk about. Yeah. I think I screamed. That was a hell of a ride when I got done. I remember, uh, I think James, the, the Subaru guy that was the main guy, he goes, he looked at me kind of smiled and kind of nodded. He's like, this, this is the first thing you think when you destroy us or one of our cars. I was like, no, absolutely not. I was just thankful to be alive, sir. Yeah. I was like, oh man. Yeah. So what's, uh, what's it like with, uh,

[00:54:33] Brandon Semenuk now on the team? I mean, I know he's been on the team for a while, but you know, having him as a driver and a competitor. Yeah. I mean, Brandon's absolutely phenomenal. Um, he is an amazing competitor. He was, he was world champion at 15 on mountain bikes. And he's still, um, you know, he just went one rampage again. Like you guys just absolutely insane. He's yeah, that looks crazy. Still the best mountain biker in the world. And I'm not sure which one is his hobby. If,

[00:55:02] if cars are his hobby or mountain biking is hobby, but either way, all of us that compete against him feel really bad about it because in his spare time, he's become pretty much the best, I'd say the best all around, uh, driver that's ever come out of North America. I mean, okay. You got John Buffum, uh, back in the day that, you know, would took it to a completely different level. But as far as learning pace notes, having a photographic memory, like really just,

[00:55:28] just going to that next level of what we had to do for, to keep up with them. It's, it's been inspiring. Um, it's been, uh, challenging, but, but very inspiring. Yeah. He's, uh, it's, it's fun to watch him drive to and to see him, you don't mean you've got you, you've got Bucky, you've got him, you know, you've got all these people that have come from some other sort of action sports and then getting into rally racing. I mean, it's, and I know there was some hesitation with that, but I mean,

[00:55:58] y'all have all shown up and just prove that you can go from one sport and get behind the wheel of a car and dominate and win and just be a force for the Subaru team. And it's really cool to see people coming from other sports like that and deciding to do something new and different and then just killing it. Yeah. Well, it's, it's kind of the mentality too. And, um, for Semenuk and I was, it's reading the dirt and understanding the terrain and where you have grip and not, that's what Bucky struggles, um, you know, on the dirt a little bit, but he was,

[00:56:28] he's able to turn, you know, he's turned pole at, you know, like I said, he's got podium at X games over myself and block and shoot Faust and, and, you know, all the, the best of the best of, of the world championship guys. Um, you know, Marcus Gronholm, you know, the McCrays of, of the world. I've come over and, you know, Bucky is, has outqualified all of them. He's been really, really, um, solid for sure on that. But, you know, the, the dirt specialists really come in from the BMX and the moto side.

[00:56:58] And so many people were like, Oh, if I had Semenuk's, uh, you know, if I, if I had that opportunity, I do what Semenuk didn't, you know, maybe, maybe so. And then there's a lot of great, um, undiscovered, undiscovered talent out there, but I haven't seen anyone that's, that's made the leaps and bounds that Semenuk has, that's put in the work that he has, it's figured out. He's got, not just a natural talent, like a, like a block, but his memory and his willing to put in the work, uh,

[00:57:28] to make sure that it doesn't matter if, if it's foggy or dusty or raining or muddy or what, it doesn't matter. He doesn't have to see to drive at 10 tents and it's really impressive. Yeah. And it's just, it's fun watching both y'all out there on the stages. And, uh, you know, again, I said, you know, I mentioned earlier that I usually find out what's going on with the season through launch control, but it's so fun to watch that happen and watch everything unfold.

[00:57:57] And that's the way that y'all drive and going like really, really fast down these stages between trees. I mean, it's just like, it seems crazy, but, uh, you know, you are very good at what you do and it's fun to watch that. I definitely appreciate you all watching and coming out and competing and then spectating and signing up and all the above man rally is, is it's, it is the greatest sport on earth. It's just, uh, you know, it's a hard one to spectate. You gotta be a fan of a fan of the sport. Yeah. And, um, yes,

[00:58:27] it's good. So thank you for definitely to all the, all the listeners out there and everyone that's put up with me rambling on for, uh, for so long here, but it's, um, you know, people that love, love cars, you know, there's that, that bond that's, that's pretty cool. Yeah. So speaking of like stage rally, you've got, you know, stage rally and you've got your fans and SubiFest events. You know, I know sometimes you go out to dealerships and other events, but you know, what is like a Subaru fan mean to you? And like,

[00:58:56] how does that make you feel? You know, I think that the easiest way to tell Subaru fan is because they bring their car with them and not just like the whole car, they'll bring whatever piece of the car, no matter how difficult it is to get to. And they'll bring it to the line. And they'll, they'll take a half hour getting whatever piece they want signed off of their car. That's something that I've never seen from any other fan of any other sport. And I think that's, that's really cool. Cause Subaru fans love their cars.

[00:59:26] And, you know, it's, it's cool to see that, that passion and, you know, just the level of detail on the, the true rally fans, they know so much about what's going on. And, and even the adjustments that, that we make in the vehicles, they're kind of almost one step ahead of where we are. And they see it on the, on the course. And I'm like, Oh man, you look like the front was a little stiff going around here. And if you would have, and I'm like, as much as that frustrates me to hear this, I'm like, you, you were actually spot on.

[00:59:55] And it's cool to see that there's that much knowledge coming out of, you know, so many of, of the fans. And, you know, it's cool to have the super ambassador program, you know, where there's, there's so many just people that, that go out and support rally and they volunteer and, you know, they're really a part of, of our lives, which is, which is really. Yeah. Yeah. I remember when I was at Subie Fest, Texas, I'm pretty sure somebody had their hood, while they were standing in line to have it signed. And,

[01:00:22] I know that my daughter has a melee design firm, like battery mount. It just like, it's like replaces the OEM, you know, a little, I guess, piece that goes over the battery. She took hers off and had y'all sign it. But yeah, I mean, it's, it's, I think people have had like their door off before or just whatever, like you said, any piece that they can get off to get it signed. And also I think people try to just be like, let me get the most ridiculous thing to off my car to, to have signed, you know, unlike anybody else. Cause I,

[01:00:51] I think people with these cars were definitely a certain breed. Very, you know, I think we're kind of different and that's why you have people showing up with some weird parts to, to be signed. No, I get a kick out of it. I think it's absolutely awesome. And I do think that, you know, someone sees something in line and like, Oh, well, cause a lot of people are like, Hey, you know, and if you stay after whatever the autograph ends, I'm like, Hey, I'll, I'll go and I'll sign cars. And we go, we hop around to different cars and, you know,

[01:01:21] as long as there's, there's time where we don't have to get in for a race or whatever, like rally stuff because you do have time to talk to people, but when it's time to go and get in the car, you gotta, you gotta get in the car. Yeah. So that's the job one, win the rally. Um, you know, but after the rally, it's cool to see so many people stick around, but definitely I agree with you. There's some kind of, when someone that drives a Subaru, sees another Subaru part, they're like, ah, I can be better than that. Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, I mean,

[01:01:49] you have this great career that you started off with in motocross and then now, you know, with Subaru and you obviously do it because you really, really enjoy it. Is it, you know, but what is it like for you to have like all these fans want to get your autograph and, you know, lining up to see you? I'm still a fan of the sport. So I still like to have the opportunity to talk to everyone's like, you know, who are you, who are your heroes?

[01:02:19] And for me, it's, it's all of honestly at the time at now it's, it's most of my peers and people that I get to get to hang out with. And it's, it's been a really, that's the coolest part is that now I kind of get to live life with, most of the people that, that I, you know, for lack of a better word, nearly worshiped growing up, you know, and that's idolized for sure, you know, and for me, it's cool to see that, you know, I'm just out there because I love what I do.

[01:02:49] But when you see that kid that's walking through the line, you know, you hope to do what Kyle McCray did with me and kind of, you know, you see that sparkle and you're like, Hey kid, I don't know how you drive, but, or, you know, if you've ever driven before, but I can see in your eye that you're going to, you know what, with, with that passion, you keep it going. You know, don't let anyone ever tell you, you can't do it. Cause you're going to, you're going to be just fine. And even if you like, everyone's like, Oh, you know, racing stuff, you might not make it. I'm like, no, you, you probably won't. Like, honestly, it's very,

[01:03:19] very few people will make it in motorsport as, as a driver. But if you love it, you don't waste a single day of your life because you're doing exactly what you love to do. And, you know, most of the guys that, that, and girls that, that don't become drivers or don't become exactly what they want. Um, they get into being a mechanic and yeah, they work so many hours and it's long, it's long, hard, thankless hours, but you're a part of something with the passionate people and you're around what you love to do. And, you know, you get to be a part of,

[01:03:48] of championships in that way, or you announce, or you, um, you know, you start a, a dealership and you get to, you know, have the, the newest cars and, and I don't know whatever you're passionate about. If you, if you like Lance Smith, sorry, I kind of skipped over that a little earlier. Lance, Lance is a legend. He is the single biggest reason that rally is going in the United States, the way it is. And just announced that, you know, he's taking over, uh,

[01:04:18] the ARA championship. And I think this is going to be just an amazing, amazingly positive thing for the sport, uh, for all the drivers, for all the fans. And I cannot wait to see what he does. Yeah. Yeah. I had him on the podcast quite a while ago and I think it was like episode 72, maybe. And yeah, just hearing him talk about, you know, his influence and what he's done in, you know, the further rally community is, it's pretty incredible. And, uh, you know,

[01:04:46] all that he's accomplished and starting up Vermont sports car and then making it exclusively Subaru is just, it's been a pretty incredible journey for him and for Vermont sports cars. So it's been, it's been fun to learn. Cause I, I, I'm so, even though I've had my car for four years, I've been doing this podcast for almost four years. There's still so much to know and so much to learn. And so it's been fun for me to learn all these things as I've been doing the

[01:05:12] podcast and just meeting people and getting the opportunity to, you know, find out more stuff. It's a, it's, it's a lot of fun. 100%. And, you know, thank you so much for having me on. Let me be part of this 199th episode. Yeah, you're welcome. Yeah. What would you say is the biggest moment in your, or highlight in your career, rally career or motocross? You know, definitely I'm more known for, for motorcycles than, than cars, but the cars are what keep me going. It's what, honestly,

[01:05:42] it's been the longest career that I've had. Um, you know, motocross, I was done pretty early. I had a lot of injuries, but with rally, um, you know, I had someone else in the car and someone else's life that I was responsible for. And, you know, that person, um, you know, whether it was Christian or Robbie or now re, you know, I, they take that responsibility on as well. But, you know, you don't push quite to the stupid level. You, you go, okay. Like, you know, if you start making a couple mistakes, you, I always had that, you know,

[01:06:12] Christian would kind of look over and be like, Hey dude, like I got kids. Yeah. You know, yeah. What the hell are we doing? And, um, I just think that was such a cool aspect that I had to learn how to work as a team. I had to learn how to listen when I was scared. Yeah. You know, one wheel off a cliff, uh, snowing 120 miles an hour. And I kind of used to just blank out all the sound and everything else. And then, you know, then you're going over the next hill and I'm like, wait,

[01:06:42] Christian, call me this note again. I kind of like, like I blacked out while I was trying not to die on that last turn. Like what's coming up over this grass? And, um, you know, just learning how to, how to listen and be a part of a much bigger team. Like with the dirt bike, the rider is the most important part with the car. The, the driver is still important, but how the driver works with the co-driver is more important than any single driver and how the driver communicates that information with the team is so much more

[01:07:12] important than it is on a dirt bike. So, you know, I was once told by, uh, Scott speed said, look, you can't carry a car because you can carry a motorcycle. You can, you are the wedge. You are the, this, you're the, that, you know, you can, you can, you are the suspension. He goes in a car, you're strapped in and you can only do so much with the pedals. And then you have to be able to have a great team around you that, you know, that can communicate with you and that, that you understand, you know, how to make it better. Yeah, that's a good message. Definitely. Definitely.

[01:07:42] So the, you've had some pretty incredible things that you've been able to be a part of while being with Subaru, but what would you say has been your top moment, whether it's been like rally, rally cross, hill climb, good wood, Jim Connor, et cetera. So greatest moments for me, I think we already kind of went over, but the, you know, 2006 X games. Yeah. double, it's just started out with rally. We did all the stage rally sitting a 10th of a second behind column.

[01:08:11] McRae got to meet my hero, spent a couple of days out in like, you know, the kind of desert of California, get flown in a helicopter for best trick that night. No practice, land a double back clip. Like one of those moments that, you know, so many, it's, it's really cool. Like, uh, so many military, uh, people that were overseas were like, Oh, I was at this base or I was here. I watched that here. And that's that, that means the world to me to be able to kind of put a positive, uh, spin for a lot of people that are kind of protecting our freedoms.

[01:08:41] Yeah. And then, you know, for, to win freestyle that year. And that was just, just an amazing all around experience. And then I'd say number two, uh, for me would probably be getting a chance to Jim Conno, Jim Conno, my hometown. Yeah, that was cool. It was pretty amazing. And then number three has to be Mount Washington, just so much history to that mountain and so scared all the way up with, um,

[01:09:12] the, the car I took off 850 plus horsepower. I think we hit 140 miles an hour up Mount Washington. That's crazy. And it took off zero to 60 in 1.2 seconds. And I had the biggest smile on my face followed immediately by just sinking pit of my heart through my stomach or whatever that might've been. And I was like, this is way too fast. Like what, what did I sign up for? And, um, it was the only time I came across the finish line. And didn't,

[01:09:41] didn't even care what my time was. I was just happy to live. I was happy to make it to the top. Yeah. And then you did it again. Yeah. That was dumb. Yeah. Well, all right. So my last question is how has driving for Subaru changed your life? Subaru has changed my life in so many ways. And the biggest way is, you know, they always say share the love. And I tell you what, there's not a brand that I've ever worked for. Um,

[01:10:09] there's not an organization that has been better, that has been more supportive. Even the past year, you know, I shattered my pelvis and broke my back and tailbone and just wasn't in a space emotionally where I'm like, I, that sounds so dumb for me coming from military background. We're like, suck it up, man. And I was like, I, I'm not willing to do what it takes to, to push. Like I need to get a little healthier to where I at least feel like I'm not just trying to get around the tree.

[01:10:36] I'm trying to like go as fast as I can around the tree so I can freaking win this thing. And every single person at Subaru, every single person at Vermont sports car reached out individually, gave me a call. I was like, dude, we're here for you, whatever you need. And I think that's, you know, through the highs, through the lows, through the crashes, through the championships to have a, a team and a sponsor that's behind you more than just a team and a sponsor, but as friends, as family like that, uh, shoot,

[01:11:06] I'm almost tearing up right now. Like it's, it's been the greatest second family of my life. And, uh, you know, we've had a lot of good runs with nitro and all kinds of other stuff, but it's, it's really cool to, to have always have Vermont sports car and Subaru in my corner. And, uh, yeah, definitely awesome to be a part of, you know, all the SubiFest and just all the ambassadors and just all the people I've met through Subaru has been really cool. Yeah. Uh, I mean, I've,

[01:11:34] I feel like very blessed. To be where I'm at right now, you know, doing the podcast and, and being, having the support of Subaru and, uh, you know, having opportunities like this to have you on the podcast. And, uh, you know, so it's the, the brand and the people that I've met from Subaru of America, the people I've had on the podcast, it's been, you know, just like you said, just very supportive there for you and just a great organization to be a part

[01:12:04] of. So, yeah, that's, uh, definitely, definitely a good, good brand, but I want to thank you so much for your time and, really appreciate you coming on the podcast and, uh, putting out episode one 99 with me. Oh, heck yeah. Well, hopefully, uh, one 99 was, was good for you. It was good for me. I appreciate it. I appreciate it. Yeah. Well, enjoy the rest of your day, Travis. Again, I appreciate it and, uh, hope you have a great weekend and happy new year. All right. Thank you, Rafael.

[01:12:34] Appreciate you. You're welcome. All right. Bye. So I recorded the intro and I like just the other day and I, I wasn't listening to the episode itself. Cause I had already edited, edited, edited the episode way before. And so I was listening to it. I'm like, Oh my gosh, I just remembered. I was still sick when I recorded with Travis.

[01:12:59] Like I was still pretty congested and I wasn't like really feeling that bad, but I had gotten really sick over Christmas. And I think we recorded the week after Christmas. And, uh, so yeah, you can tell like my voice was just like really congested. But anyway, thank you so much again, Travis for taking the time to record with me. I really, really appreciate it. And again, thank you,

[01:13:27] Eugene and Tom for making this happen. This was a great episode. This is a great day. And, uh, it's a great moment for this little Subi podcast. And of course, thank you all for listening. Please, please, please share this episode, share it everywhere. Let's see how many people we can get to listen to this episode with Travis Pastrana and, uh, maybe pick up some more listeners for the podcast too. That would be really, really cool. So again, thank you all so much.

[01:13:57] I hope you have a wonderful week. Much Subi love. Raph. The Subi new podcast is hosted by Raphael in a closet in Houston, produced by Raphael in a room next to the closet in Houston and edited by Raphael on a computer in the room next to the closet in Houston with music by Luke Ruiz in another room in Houston. You can find the Subi new podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, including Apple podcast, Spotify, and many more to support the podcast.

[01:14:27] Please head over to patrion.com slash Subi and you podcast. Once you join, you will have access to the discord channel and discord chats with other patrons. If you'd like to get in contact with the show, you can find them on Instagram at Subi and you podcast online at Subi and you podcast.com or by email Subi and you podcast at gmail.com. That's all for this week. You're welcome. Bye. Bye.