S&YE205 - Ethan Reed

[00:00:10] Hi, this is Ethan Curtis and you can find me on Instagram at Ethan underscore Reed or 53 Motorsports. You're listening to episode 205 of the Subie & You podcast and the line to start is 100 and left 4 plus in the right 6, 250 in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, start. Hello everybody, welcome to another episode of the Subie & You podcast and thank you Ethan for that great introduction.

[00:00:37] If you couldn't guess, he is talking about or what he said there has to do with co-driving and he has been co-driving for a while. We'll get into that here in his episode and in our conversation in a bit, but I want to say thank you all for sticking around and checking out the podcast, continuing to listen and share.

[00:00:59] I really, really appreciate it. And if you're listening to this on Monday, I am in Oregon with my family enjoying some vacation time, some much needed vacation time. We are going to be attending Overland Expo PNW this weekend, but we had already been talking about taking a vacation to Oregon.

[00:01:21] So we decided to tie in our vacation with Overland Expo and that worked out perfect for everybody. So I am just going to be enjoying the scenery, enjoying meeting, going to enjoy meeting some new people and seeing some people again that I haven't seen in a while or people that I just saw at Flagstaff Overland Expo.

[00:01:47] And I'm just I'm really excited to be here. I'm glad that I'm able to take this vacation time and just enjoy parts of Oregon that I've never seen because I've been to Portland, Corvallis and Eugene before for work. But I was just around the cities and didn't get a chance to go out and see all the beautiful parts of Oregon.

[00:02:11] So after Overland Expo, I'm going to put out an episode, a bonus episode, but it's going to be the Friday after Fourth of July because Fourth of July week is going to be a short week for me because we don't come back till Monday the 30th.

[00:02:30] Then I have to work. Then, of course, I have Friday off, but I'm recording an episode on Friday the 2nd and there's just going to be too much to pull together in too little time to get that bonus episode out. But I will get it out the following Friday. So be sure to look for that. But for now, let's have a word from our sponsor. The Subian You podcast is brought to you by Eccentric Designs.

[00:02:56] 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.

[00:03:23] Thank you, as always, Eccentric Designs for sponsoring the Subi and You podcast. I mention it here in the episode and I don't know that I have talked about it just yet, but I ended up finally getting my viscous coupling replaced on my Crosstrek. And now there's no clanking noise when I turn slowly. And so that's really good. So thank you, J&D Motorworks, for fixing my car for me.

[00:03:52] And I want to give a shout out to Subaru Ambassador Robert for showing me what it actually was in addition to J&D Motorworks showing me what it was too, just telling me that it was a center diff. But then Robert showed me exactly what it was and then we went from there and now it's fixed and I'm glad. This episode is also brought to you by SubaruGear.com.

[00:04:17] And during the month of June, Subaru is supporting Subaru Loves to Care and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society with two giveback items. When you purchase a Nomadix Puffer Blanket or Luxe Dream Throw, Subaru of America will donate $10 to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, part of Subaru's Love to Care initiative. So head on over to SubaruGear.com for the blanket or throw and help support a great cause.

[00:04:46] I've put the links in the show notes for the blanket and the throw and you can find the show notes in the podcast app you are using to listen to your favorite podcast. As you fill up your cart, be sure to use the code SUBINU25 at checkout for 20% off your purchase. And when your total is over $50 after the 20% discount, you automatically get free shipping. Thank you so much Subaru Gear for sponsoring the SUBINU podcast and bringing this great offer to our listeners.

[00:05:14] This episode is also brought to you by SUBIMods, where they have adopted a creed of supporting and serving their unique community of Subaru drivers with the same passion, energy, and enthusiasm that drives them to live through their vehicles. And I think we all know what that's like. They have also learned to navigate through their corner of the automotive world as an organization who engage and interact with their customers smartly and with genuine interest,

[00:05:40] and have built in a belief system that contains the same passion woven within the fabric of their Subaru enthusiast community. This year you will see SUBIMods at the various SUBIFEST locations as well as BoxerFest and can meet some of their team members at each event. So be sure to stop by and say hello and check out what they have to offer. Also, be sure to check out SUBIMods.com to browse their site for the many products offered for a wide range of Subarus.

[00:06:06] Don't forget to sign up for the RPM Plus Rewards program and then the Diamond Club membership to start earning points towards your purchases. Thank you so much SUBIMods for sponsoring the SUBINU podcast and look for another episode with SUBIMod team members in the near future. Okay, before we get into this conversation with Ethan, Adrian, who goes by Adventure Dog Wagon, has a patron question. And his question is,

[00:06:32] Mr. Raff, knowing you're coming to Oregon this June for Overland Expo, which is I'm going to be there this week, what part of the state do you want to see the most? The coast? The Willamette Valley? The Central Cascade Mountain Range? The Columbia River Gorge? I'm, you know, I've been along the Willamette River a couple of times and, but that was for work and that was in Eugene, also in Corvallis.

[00:06:59] My son has actually been sending me videos of different places in Oregon. So we're going to be in Central Oregon. So probably the Central Cascade Mountain Range, I'm guessing. But we're going to try to see what we can find while we're there. We're going to be staying in Sisters, Oregon, which is pretty far south from Portland, but it's also close to where Overland Expo is going to be. And that's what I wanted to do.

[00:07:27] I wanted to stay somewhere close that we could go and get to the event pretty quickly on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I've been told that Sisters, Oregon is really beautiful by a couple of people that have stayed there. And so I'm definitely looking forward to being in that area. And I know that some of the spots that we might want to see might be, you know, a two and a half hour drive, but I'm willing to drive. We're on vacation.

[00:07:52] And, you know, I just just being in Oregon, period, is going to be enough for me. So I'm really excited to be there. And I'm really excited to be at Overland Expo. And I'm excited to see whomever will be there. People that I will see again or people I'll meet for the first time. But let's get into this episode and this conversation with Ethan. Welcome, Ethan.

[00:08:22] How's it going? Doing great, Raphael. Excited to be here. Good. I'm glad to have you. I have a question, though. So you said your name is Ethan Curtis, but that you go by Ethan Reed on Instagram. So what's the story behind that? Reed's my middle name. Okay. I'm not sure why I always chose that, but a little bit easier to say and spell and kind of pseudo-anonymous, I guess. Online, that's how it started. But it's just how I'm known now. All right. That makes sense.

[00:08:53] So somebody started this quite a while ago, and it's become like a thing with the podcast. So I have to ask the most important question, and that is whether you prefer waffles or pancakes. And I haven't heard anybody who's answered this. So I might be sacrilegious. I might be, you know, the psychopath in the group here. But I've always been a French toast guy.

[00:09:15] You know, going back to childhood, special occasions, everything was French toast and not pancakes or waffles. But hey, man, I can get on board with that. I grew up eating French toast occasionally here and there, and it was always a good thing. And I haven't had French toast in so long, too. So I may have to make it. I have to make it a little bit different because I'm vegan, so I can't just use like eggs.

[00:09:42] But there's just egg, which is like a liquid that you can turn into, you know, like a scrambled egg, and it works. I've used it before, but haven't done it in a really long time. But yeah, French toast is definitely good. It's definitely a winner. Well, hey, I'm a gluten-free, so I can't even use real bread. So I'm with you there on Modified. All right. And hey, there's substitutes, and you can make it as good as you can. Definitely, yeah. You can always make something good. Totally. Exactly. Put enough syrup on it, and I'll eat it. Yeah.

[00:10:13] So you obviously are into Subarus. You rally. You're out there having fun and, you know, racing cars around and just having a good time. So what got you interested in Subaru, and like when did that all start? So I guess the original catalyst, if you could call it that, growing up, my mom had, I think it was a 93 Loyal wagon.

[00:10:38] Just, I mean, one of the original kind of four-wheel drive, just tough as nails, utilitarian. And I have great memories of loading that thing up, either going to the zoo or to the beach. I got scolded kissing my first girlfriend in the backseat of that car. Oh, that's awesome. So, I mean, I guess you could always say I've been to Subaru now. Yeah, there you go. There you go. So how long ago was that? I mean, like how old were you whenever she had that? Oh, that was kindergarten.

[00:11:08] So, yeah. Oh, sweet. That's going back real early. Yeah. So were you like, as a kid, like, oh, this thing is awesome. This is a cool Subaru, or was it, back then, was it just a car that was cool, and then now you look back and you're like, okay, yeah, that thing was really cool. Well, I mean, it was a cool car back then, too. It's the push-button four-wheel drive on the little stick shift. And when we took it down to Long Beach, that's one of the few beaches in the world that you can actually drive on the beach.

[00:11:37] So you'd cut a couple cookies for us, you know, and we'd be screaming and giggling in the backseat. You know, it's all kind of – it starts in weird little, you know, obscure places, but just those little spurts of adrenaline and finding out, oh, yeah, cars just aren't, you know, tool or, you know, appliance tools kind of thing. They can be, you know, things that you can have fun with as well. Yeah. So when did you get your first Subaru?

[00:12:05] I actually got my first Subaru as I was graduating high school. So this was back in late 2008, and I saved up my money and a bunch of graduation money and worked mowing lawns throughout the year and over summers and stuff. And I bought a then 2003 WRX wagon. Oh, man. That's nice. And it already had – it was built by a little engineer in Oregon,

[00:12:33] and he had done some bolt-ons to it. And all the right way, at least. It wasn't just a little packed-together tuner car. And that was – I mean, the initial spark, and it all just kind of snowballed from there. Yeah. So were you – like, were you saving up to buy a car, or were you saving up to buy a Subaru specifically?

[00:12:56] I mean, it's really stupid, but I wanted to buy, like, a second-generation Ford Probe GT for, like, the longest time. Dude, I loved those. They still look good with the pop-up headlights and that kind of weird UFO greenhouse they had. But, I mean, but it was – this was 2008 when I bought this car. So it's actually the exact same year that Ken Block came out with the first Jim Conn of Practice video.

[00:13:24] And that – it kind of came full circle, I guess you could say, because I was always into cars and racing and stuff that went fast, whether it was planes or land speed stuff or Formula 1 or IndyCar, what have you. It was always kind of on my radar. And once I kind of put two and two together, like, oh, Subarus, attainable cars, like, something you can build, like something that I've ridden in as a kid, you can turn this into, you know, a 600-horsepower monster. Yeah.

[00:13:53] And go drifting around an airfield. And that was originally, again, what kind of turned me to finding that first car. Okay. And how long did you have that car, or do you still have it? I do not have it. I have a – I have a basically identical car. I kind of went back and searched for something really similar. I had that car for about three years until I got in an accident with it, and it got towed by insurance.

[00:14:23] Oh, that sucks. Yeah. And then I went to a – immediately to a 2005 Forrester XT with the manual. Oh, very nice. Dropped it on its nuts on STI suspension and cool, you know, flashy, flamboyant gold wheels, and had a lot of fun ripping around in that in college. I ended up trading that car straight across for a 2004 World Rally Blue WRX wagon.

[00:14:52] I wanted to kind of get a little bit more rally – Nice. Rally steez, rally crad, I guess. Had that for a while. Went through a couple other different kinds of cars and then found my way back into a Forrester. And then I ended up getting my first rally cross car that I still have, the 93 Impreza, and I have a 2002 WRX wagon now that is the same color, pretty much identical as that first car that I got back in high school. Very nice.

[00:15:20] When you had the Forrester, were you taking it off-road? Absolutely. Okay, good. That was the college shuttle. I went to school out in Pullman at Washington State University. You know, the town of 1,000 during the summer and the town of 20,000 during the school year. So there's lots of farm roads, lots of little kind of back road stuff you can get crazy on.

[00:15:47] Old Spiral Highway, if anybody's out in eastern Washington, is one of the great roads that you can still drive on. And I think it's a couple thousand feet of vertical elevation change within four miles or something like that. So it's like a mini Pikes Peak. Sounds fun. And we used to hit that all the time. That was a blast. Yeah. I love Pikes Peak. I would like to drive Pikes Peak with something more powerful than my Crosstrek at some point, though.

[00:16:12] Because I drove up Pikes Peak in my Crosstrek, which is just the 2.0 with four people in the car. And it's a manual, so it made it a little bit easier. But, man, I was struggling. She was struggling going up there. Still bucket list stuff to get all the way up that. That's awesome. Yeah. They stopped, I think, like maybe two miles from the top or a mile and a half from the top. And then we had to take a shuttle. But, yeah, being able to drive up Pikes Peak in my own car was really cool. That was a lot of fun.

[00:16:42] And was that when it was still partial dirt? Or was that after it had gotten paved fully? No, it had gotten paved fully. So, yeah. But, yeah, I mean, I'd been up Pikes Peak before. I've taken the Cog Railway up there many years ago. And then we had gone to Colorado and we rented a car. But this time I was able to drive Pearl out there. Because going to Colorado is my first off-road experience. And then I got ruined, you know. So I had to come back to Houston where it's flat.

[00:17:13] But it was a fun trip. But, yeah, it sounds like you had a good time out there. So when did you start getting into doing rally and rallycross? I actually went to my first rally in 2009. So really soon after I'd gotten that first Subaru. It had started coming onto my radar a little bit more frequently. I finally found out that there were some races here locally.

[00:17:44] And begged a couple friends to join me. And so I wasn't just alone road tripping out to Goldendale due for, you know, the Dalles, middle of nowhere. Yeah. We just had a blast. And a lot of people like to say that rally is like a really addictive bug. You know, once you get bit, there's really no going back. And that was kind of the turning point, I guess. From there, I kept saving.

[00:18:13] I finished college first and foremost. But then I saved to buy my first 93 Impreza. Started building that up for rallycross. I started doing rallycross in 2018 with the Oregon Rally Group and Northwest Rallycross Association. Both of which, I mean, the NWRA I still race with, with Milton and Kerry.

[00:18:39] And you've had Jacob and Izzy also on. Yep. And some other people who were also, you know, all co-competitors. So that's a great group. And, and from there, I actually met Brody and Cooper Anderson. So they were their father, son, who started, they bought a rally car and, or Nmpreza and started turning it into a rally car.

[00:19:05] Started doing stage when Cooper was 15 or young enough to have a permit. And it had to be Brody in the co-driver seat. So back in, yeah, a couple of years ago, he was the youngest rally driver in America at one point. Very nice. And it got to the point where Brody was starting to get a little uncomfortable with how fast Cooper was getting. And he felt like he was kind of holding them back. So they knew me from rallycrossing and racing and stuff.

[00:19:34] And Brody reached out and said, hey, you're a decent enough driver. I feel like you could help Cooper get faster, kind of exploit, you know, what he has to grow on and, and jump in the car with him instead of me. So that was 2021. And, uh, I've been with Cooper ever since. Um, so we've done, I think 13 or 14 rallies together. Wow. Uh, total.

[00:20:00] And, uh, last year he ended up finishing second overall in the Western region. Very nice. Which is quite, quite the accomplishment as a 21 year old. Yeah, that's pretty awesome. And I'm sure that's, that's really been nice for you too, to help him along in this journey and get to that point too. Oh, absolutely. Cause you have a big part to play in it too, you know?

[00:20:21] Well, I'm sitting there looking pretty for the most part, but, um, I mean, rally is kind of cool in the fact that, um, we actually have a measurable metric that, you know, you can look at your performance per stage or per rally. And that's called the speed factor. And I could try to explain it, but it's like trying to explain nuclear fusion. It's, I don't have a degree in it. It's, it's impossible for me.

[00:20:47] Um, but, but essentially it's, it's, uh, your speed and factor compared to, um, the previous times, the previous best times on that stage and how it compares to the fastest times that people have run it at that rally. Um, so you can kind of see this, uh, the speed factor go up over time or go down over time, but you want to see it go up. Um, as that helps stuff like your seating, uh, in races.

[00:21:16] So you want to get seated up the order. So you aren't facing more swept, uh, road conditions. You're not buying slower people. Um, you know, kind of you're up near the pointy end of the pack. So it, it's, it's really cool to see that, um, over time increase and see their confidence grow behind the wheel and their skills develop. And yeah, it's, it's, it's really cool and really, really rewarding. So how, how long have you, so you've been doing this for a while now, right? As a, as a co-driver.

[00:21:47] Yeah. Yeah. So 2021 was my first race. Okay. Um, I did one race in 2021. Um, that was Oregon trail. I did, uh, four races in 2022, six races in 2023. Um, and I did 11 last year. Wow. Uh, so it was kind of a, a gradual ramp to see what my, what my, uh, limits are of what I can handle. And, um, 11 wasn't it. So I'm still getting there. Yeah, no, that's, that's really cool. Cool.

[00:22:16] So how is it like for you being a co-driver and have you, have you driven before or have you always just been co-driving? Um, I mean, originally I am a driver strictly. So I, I grew up, uh, close to a go-kart track and indoor go-kart track, um, near my parents' house, uh, when I was a kid, um, playing lots of video games, of course, stuff like Gran Turismo and Colin McRae and all the early stuff that, you know, just kind of gets a young kid

[00:22:43] hooked on, on speed and modifying cars and stuff. Um, of course, as soon as I got my license, uh, it took me six weeks before I got my first ticket, which was for reckless driving, street racing. Um, and I, it wasn't even anything cool. It was, uh, an old Nissan pickup, but it was, it was just whatever I could get my hands on, whether it was, you know, uh, having fun. Um, exactly. Yeah. So just getting seat time and having fun.

[00:23:11] And, um, essentially as soon as I could get my own car, um, which was right after college was that, uh, 93, uh, Impreza. Um, that was my first strictly, this is going to be only for racing. Um, I've only done rally crosses specifically in that and brought it out only for races essentially. Um, and then I've done, I think total just, just shy of 30 events with that car. Wow.

[00:23:41] Um, I finished, um, last year I was, uh, second in the class that, uh, that Milton and Carrie and, uh, Jacob and Izzy and all run in the modified naturally aspirated class, which is, uh, pretty tightly, uh, you know, tightly fought for. Um, basically it's a spec Subaru series. Everybody runs Imprezas that are modified and have basically the same motor.

[00:24:10] So, um, that's fun. It really comes down to the, to the driver's talents and, and, you know, being able to stay cool behind the wheel. Well, second place. That's really good. Congrats. Thank you. Yeah, you're welcome. It's, uh, cause it's kind of one of those just childhood dream things. You, you know, you like racing, you're kind of around, you know, the peripheral and never expect to get into it.

[00:24:35] And, uh, rallies, one of those luckily very attainable sports through rally cross and stage rally. Um, I mean, they have to be road cars first and foremost. It's not like, uh, it's not like anything else where it's, you know, a purpose built hill climb car or, uh, or a tube chassis, um, oval car or, uh, or a dirt track car or, you know, a ladder frame drag car or anything like that. It's, it's stuff that's very attainable and relatable.

[00:25:04] And, uh, I still find that really cool about rally. Cause with rally cross, can't you pretty much just go out there with almost any car? And as long as you have a little bit of money for the event and a helmet, then you're pretty much good to go. Oh yeah. We've seen, uh, I mean, I've seen Priuses and Honda fits and rental cars. I mean, literally you. What did you do to this rental car?

[00:25:31] As long as I'm not, as long as you get the, uh, the extra insurance premium, you're probably good. But, uh, no, as, as long as it has four wheels and you have a helmet, um, rally cross, just like autocross, but on dirt, uh, is one of those really attainable, uh, achievable motor sports, um, that just about anybody can do as long as you have a license and something to drive. Yeah. Jacob has said at some point, if I'm able to make it out there, then they'll, you know,

[00:26:00] get me in the car and the passenger seat and ride along with them while they're doing it. And I'm like, man, that'd be, that'd be a lot of fun. I'd love to do that. So I might get to do a little bit of fun with the Impreza that, you know, Milton's going to leave for me. So. See, and same thing. I put the passenger seat back in my car so I could keep giving ride alongs. Yeah. And, uh, you know, I, that's, I, I love that about rally cross too, is that it's one of the few motor sports that you can actually just give spectators, um, you know, a seat during the race.

[00:26:31] It's during the competition. There's very few other kinds of sports like that. Um, you know, test days and stuff like that. It's, it's a totally different animal, but during competition is, uh, to, to be able to share that passion with people and, and show them what it's like to put a car at the limit or over the limit and, uh, you know, get them excited about stuff. It, it, I love that about the sports. Yeah. And it's fun to see people who decide to go into it and like, give it a try and then

[00:27:00] get hooked on it and start having fun with it. Yeah. I mean, it's a, it's, it's a huge wide range of people. There's no, I mean, everybody's always welcome. There's the biggest, hugest amount of diversity between the people, you know, who show up for rally races. I love that. Um, and we're all just, you know, supportive of everybody. We all just want to see everybody go fast and, and succeed and have a good time. Yeah.

[00:27:27] I mean, it's all about having fun and just getting out there together and, uh, you know, showing up for each other and supporting each other. And, uh, it's just, uh, uh, like I said, I hope I get a chance to come out there and check it out at some point. So as far as like, you know, just speaking of Subarus, do you have a favorite Subaru? I know you talked about, you know, like a few different ones that you really, really wanted to have, but like, do you have, if there was like one that you could absolutely have and, and attain, which one would it be?

[00:27:58] I mentioned it earlier, but the, uh, the Ken Block Gymkhana one, uh, it was, uh, I think it's a 2004 or 2005 Subaru that they facelifted to a Hawkeye. But, um, so Ken Block ran that car in one lap of America and then Gumball 3000. And then they took it to Crawford, stripped it down, did the, uh, the big built motor, big turbo swirl pod, a bunch of cool stuff.

[00:28:25] And, uh, WRC body kit. And, uh, you know, that, that iconic first wrap with the monster logo and everything. Um, that was, I mean, that's really the precipice for me that, that started it off, you know, to show like kind of what was attainable with like a, like a Subaru streetcar, you know, modified for, for purpose. Um, I ended up actually getting to see that car, um, in person at the Peterson.

[00:28:55] Um, that's cool. Pretty recently too. So I, the kind of, again, the full circle, but you know, the appreciation for, I guess what that car did for the rally scene and, uh, you know, Subaru brand and everything for around that time was just massive. Yeah. Yeah. And, uh, I mean, it's, it's, you know, Subaru is a smaller car company compared to, to others,

[00:29:21] but the, like the enthusiasm and the people that fall in love with Subarus and it's just, you know, it seems like Subaru people are a certain, you know, just like a different breed of people. And, uh, they're, they're very loyal. They love so much of what the brand represents. And then all of the people that have helped to build the brand just by things that they're doing with different various Subarus, you know, just from Jim Kana to, you know, rally, uh,

[00:29:50] Subi Fest, you know, all these different events and things that people get involved with and just showing up and showing what Subarus can do. And, and, uh, it's cool having, you know, celebrities involved with Subarus too throughout the years. And, and, uh, I think that's a lot of, a big part of what gets people excited and people that come from action sports, you know, and get into Subaru and, uh, makes it even more exciting for everybody. No, I, I wholeheartedly agree.

[00:30:17] We got really lucky, um, over the years to get some really cool personalities tied to the brand. Um, I mean, early on in the days, um, going back to that first rally I ever went to, that was when, um, SRT was running the three car team with Dave Mira, Travis Pastrana and Ken Block all together in the, the then brand new, uh, GR hatches, which was a big deal.

[00:30:44] And, um, you know, we've, we've had guys like Bucky Lassik and, um, Scott speed and, you know, all kinds of guys who've come in, you know, to the fold and, and, uh, you know, again, people just welcomed them with, with open arms and, um, you know, regardless of, of their, um, their past experiences or like, they just, they love that they're passionate for it and, and just love the brand and, and, uh, enjoy racing them and going fast. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:31:13] It's definitely fun to see the people that have come into it and helped bring, bring some more recognition to Subaru and the motorsports part of it. Um, so it's been a lot of fun, but so like if you met somebody who was interested in purchasing a Subaru and, you know, they were curious, but they weren't really sure what reasons would you give them to try to convince them that they should buy a Subaru? Actually, I've done this before. So it's, Oh, that's a perfect question. It's really easy.

[00:31:43] Um, for, for the new stuff, um, they're safe, they're efficient, they're really stable, um, um, and, and handling wise and, and inclement kind of weather. Um, they have great parts availability for both OEM and aftermarket. So you have lots of customization available to you. Um, and thirdly, they hold their value really well because people know that it's a good product,

[00:32:07] that it's going to last a long time that, you know, if they need to, or, uh, or want to pass that down to their kids or, you know, keep that car in the family, it's, it's going to be there. Um, you know, and that was, you know, even back from when I was a kid that if we still had that Loyal, um, they're still on the road. I see lots of those. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, and you can get some Subarus with high mileage and, you know, they're still reliable.

[00:32:36] I mean, my, my car right now has, I just rolled over 128,000 miles and my son has a 2010 3.6 Outback and a 3.6 R and he's got, I think like 206,000 miles on it. He's having, you know, a few little issues with it, but I mean, it's, it's been through a lot so far and it's been modified and then stuff taken off and then modified again from

[00:33:02] the people, the person that owned it before and, uh, you know, and it's, it's seen some miles here and there, but, uh, for overall it's still doing really well. But cause like, I I've heard of people buying cars with like really high mileage and I'm like, man, that's crazy. Why would you buy a car with like 140,000 miles on it or something? And then until I got to Subaru and I hear all, you know, so many people with really high mileage, I'm like, I feel good about that. You know, I'm okay with that.

[00:33:32] Exactly. It's just getting broken in at 200,000 miles or so. Right. Yeah. Yeah. No, it's, it's a good car though. And at least coming from rally, there's, there's very few, uh, cars and manufacturers that can come with essentially a lot of OEM parts, um, and make it through a rally or at least do really well. And the majority of a rally field is a Subaru's for a reason.

[00:34:01] Yep. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I, so with my car, I've changed out the, both the front axles, I've changed just recently changed out the viscous coupling. And then I've changed the, uh, the end, the sway bar end links. None of those parts, except for the viscous coupling, I had to change out because I had a clicking. And when I was asking around, I said, what does it mean when you're turning slow and you hear a clicking sound? They're like, Oh, your CV axles are going out.

[00:34:31] And I'm like, okay, great. So I bought OEM CV axles, changed them out. And then it was still doing it. And I'm like, what the heck is going on? So then I started asking around some more and I took it to this little shop here. And they told me like, Oh, it's your, it's your center diff. And then talk to another guy, uh, through Facebook that he's done a lot of work with transmissions. And he goes, he immediately, he was like, Oh, it's your viscous coupling. And then

[00:34:59] he sent me a video of his Outback that was doing the same thing. And I'm like, Oh, I finally know exactly what it is. And, uh, so I just recently, I just got that changed out this past week. So it's, uh, but yeah, I mean, you know, after, I mean, at least now I have new axles and new sway bar in links, but, uh, it's, yeah, it was pretty easy to change the axles out too. That was actually a lot of fun. Yeah. Sounds like it's good to go for another 200,000 miles to me.

[00:35:28] Exactly. So, but yeah, it's, uh, it's, you know, I was intimidated by changing them out to changing the axles. Cause I've seen, you know, like Milton and Carrie and other people that are like going off road all the time. And they're like, Oh yeah, we just bring spare parts with us. And then they change it right there on the trail. And I'm like, how do they do that? Like, that's just crazy. And, uh, so now I know a little bit more about my car, which is really good. Well, there you go. You're more prepared. That's it's all about

[00:35:58] learning and getting better, you know, no matter what it is, you know, nobody's ever as good as they can be. It's always about just improving, getting better. Yep. Definitely. So what is your like favorite thing or aspect about rally? Um, rally kind of blends a couple things together for me. Um, it's kind of the team aspect, um, between it. It's, it's relatable machinery, you know, it's,

[00:36:28] it's street legal stuff that a lot of people just build in their garages. Um, and it's also on real roads. It's not, you know, off on a race course that's kind of sequestered away or behind barriers or anything. It's, um, you know, it's just on straight up real roads that people drive to, you know, to work every day or their grandma's house or whatever. Um, and then we just shut them down as good and go as fast as possible on them. Yeah. Cause I started watching

[00:36:58] launch control and that was when I realized like, Oh, these are not like roads designed. for racing. These are just like actual back roads and gravel roads. That's really cool. Just roads. Yeah. Yeah. That, that show really opened me up a little bit more to, to rally and what it is and seeing like how, how cool it is. And, uh, it's just, you know, the, the speeds that, that people go and the skill that the driver has, and then the combination of the

[00:37:27] driver and the co-driver, it's just, it's really cool to see how that all comes together and works together and to get through those courses at those speeds. Yeah, no, it's, it's a really unique motor sport, um, for a lot of things. And then, um, plus the scenery is beautiful. Uh, we get to go to some, some really, really beautiful parts of the country. Um, you know, Oregon and everything

[00:37:50] included. Um, so that's, that's just a little bonus. Yep. How many different, like, what are the different classes? Cause I know I've had them explained to me before, but I still don't, cause I'm not like into rally. I'm not like a big rally fan. I know what it is. And you know, I've, I've talked to some people that have done it, but I don't remember exactly what the classes are. Yeah, no, it's, uh, I'm, I'm one of those rule book junkies who I like going over the gray areas of

[00:38:20] where I can kind of gain competitive advantages over people through, uh, you know, reading the rule book a little bit clear. Um, but it's, it's actually super easy to break down. Um, it's by, um, modification and then by drive train type. So you'll, you'll, uh, at the very, very bottom, um, you'll have limited two wheel drive and then limited four wheel drive. Um, and that's,

[00:38:45] you're allowed things like OEM upgrades. So say your WRX came with, uh, or the STI came with a larger turbocharger than the WRX. You can use that manufacturer turbo or, uh, or maybe, uh, the STI came with a different wing that the WRX had. So you can put that STI wing on, but everything essentially has to be OEM appearing, um, body arrow wise, and then performance wise. Um,

[00:39:13] you're allowed, of course, all the safety gear. Um, you're allowed things like gravel suspension. You can upgrade the brakes slightly. Um, but you can't change things like subframes, um, suspension pickup points. Um, you can't of course change the motor to a totally different motor and stuff like that. It's essentially has to come from that model of a car. Okay. Um,

[00:39:37] and then so limited to limited four wheel drive, then you've got open to open four wheel drive, and that's, you can do pretty much whatever. So they give you a box to stay in and that's, um, they'll give you a box of basically dimensions. Let's say your car can't be wider than this. You can't modify the car to be wider than X millimeters over stock. Um, you can't have a rear spoiler that

[00:40:02] goes X millimeters over the roof line, um, different things like that. But besides that, you can do the crazy stuff that like what Vermont sports car does or what Sam Albert does with his Ferrari Subaru. Um, that's crazy. There's, there's Pat Morrow who's put a, uh, an LS V eight in a, uh, what is an X global rally cross Chevy Sonic. So it's all wheel drive naturally aspirated V eight

[00:40:31] and a little latch back. So you're allowed quite a bit in, in open to open for, you can get quite a bit of crazy stuff. Um, Seamus has a, uh, a Nissan VQ powered Ford Escort. Now it used to be a Mustang V six. Now it's a Ford or a, uh, Nissan V six. So you can, you can get some crazy stuff in there. Um, and then you have naturally naturally aspirated four wheel drive, which is pretty much like open

[00:40:58] class, but you have to be naturally aspirated and the motor has to come from the make of the chassis that you're running. Okay. So, so you can't get any engine swaps from another manufacturer, but you can from the same manufacturer. Exactly. So that, that, that class is slowly becoming the H six Subaru class. That's the, the hot combo to put either a three liter or a 3.6 H six in, uh,

[00:41:26] in some sort of Impreza chassis. So yeah, it's a, it's a real quick way to, you know, 240, 260 wheel horsepower and, uh, good reliability. And then you pair that with light chassis and good throttle response. And, uh, that's why the last podium at OTR was, uh, all three of them were H six. Wow. Uh, Subaru's all NA four wheel drive cars. Um, the last is finally it's, that's the easiest

[00:41:55] is RC two and that's just rally to, or our five cars. Um, so those are FIA built and restricted, uh, pretty much European only cars. Um, so things like the R five Fiesta, the R two Fiestas, um, we've had some Skoda's come out, um, that have also been really fast. Um, but that's, that's the most, uh, regulated. Okay. Yeah. I would love to put some more horsepower in my

[00:42:23] Crosstrek cause I think it's like one 48 or something like that. So, you know, it's definitely a slow brew, but I, I love that it's a manual and, uh, cause that definitely makes it more fun. I wasn't going to get one unless I could get a manual. So I'm very, I feel like I got a little bit of a, a gym there, but, uh, it's, yeah, it's a lot of fun. Um, Hey, no, a lot of people live by slow car fast over fast cars, slow. Um, it's, that's

[00:42:51] definitely the way if, if, uh, if it was by my rule, I'd say all drivers need to learn how to drive, uh, underpowered cars first and, and get past and two and past the limit, um, with something that isn't going to pull you out of bad situations. You want to learn all the right stuff before you start adding power. Um, and a lot of people, and a lot of people, unfortunately will, uh, go out

[00:43:17] thinking they need the fastest, hottest turbocharged fire breathing STI or something like that to, to be the best driver. Um, when in reality, a lot of the best drivers are driving some pretty slow stuff. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's, it all comes down, I think, to the driver and their skills and, you know, being able to, like I said, drive something that's slower, but it's, uh, again,

[00:43:44] it's, it's fun driving my car and, uh, I'm just, I'm glad it's a manual. And I've, I've been fascinated with manuals since I was a kid and I'd always wanted one, like seeing my grandpa drive a manual, seeing my uncle drive a manual and just always having that fascination there. And I've, this is the third manual that I've owned. So it's, uh, and it's tough because there, you know, you can't find a whole lot of them anymore. No, I mean, I, I'm a, I'm one of those

[00:44:12] firm believers that I think part of driver education, when you get your license at 16, uh, I think everybody should learn how to drive manual. It just, uh, it engages you more to, to what you're doing and to be more, uh, understanding and sympathetic mechanically to, uh, the machinery that you're using. And, um, at least, you know, for me, when I was, uh, getting my license and growing up, um, it just, it just made you pay attention. You couldn't

[00:44:40] look on your phone if you were driving manual and stuff. Um, you know, you're all shifting and, and moving gears. So yeah, it kept you focused. And, and I think that's, that's really good for, or at least could be really good for young drivers still. Yeah. I mean, I taught my son how to drive my car. So he's, you know, it took him a while to get there because first gear is usually the hardest when you're, when you're trying to learn, but he got it and he can go months without driving it now and then get in and does just fine. So there you go.

[00:45:09] Yeah. Yeah. I'm glad that you learned how to drive it, but, uh, cause that was important for me, for him to learn how to drive because it was always fun for me when, you know, once I finally learned. And yeah, I mean, as long as you get it moving, that first gear is the biggest hurdle as soon as you get moving. Yeah. That's, it's cake from there. Yep. So with all the events that you have participated in, as far as like rally and being a co-driver and all the different races that you've been to, which one's been your favorite?

[00:45:39] Oh, it's like picking your favorite kid. Yeah. I know. I, I've asked that question. They're like, Oh, come on. That's not fair. I mean, all of them are really, really cool for different reasons. Um, because of the uniqueness of the different areas that we get to go around the country. Um, I mean, new England forest rally, I wish they still had it or it's still around in some capacity, but, um, that was like old group B.

[00:46:06] There were just hundreds of people lining the road, uh, you know, in the, in the day hanging out. Um, bond, I did bonfire alley earlier this year. That was, that was crazy. Um, we did, uh, over mountain in Tennessee this last year. Um, and that we had a special stage at the end of the first day in a little asphalt stadium and they put two jumps across from each other.

[00:46:34] And so all the teams were in the infield, hanging out, uh, leaning over the rails, cheering each other on and, and getting footage of each other, jump in and, um, just having an absolute blast. Um, of course, I mean, Oregon trail is, is, uh, nostalgic and memorable because it was the first one I went to. And then the first one I competed in, um, personally, I think it's the

[00:46:59] most beautiful in the country with, uh, I mean, you get some of the jump photos with the mountains in the background and stuff coming up the gorge. And that's just, I mean, one of the most unique looking rallies, um, in the country. Um, so it's, they're, they're all really cool for just different reasons. Um, if I was going to pick one, yeah, Oregon trail is special, just lots of different stuff. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, being your first one, it seems like that's kind of just has

[00:47:29] that, you know, sentimental value to you. And, uh, but yeah, so I get that now I'm sure that they're all just incredibly amazing. And for, like you said, for various reasons, and I, it would be hard to pick a favorite. I mean, cause I've been to places that have mountains. I mean, being from Houston, it's being, you know, it's flat here. Anytime I go somewhere with mountains, it's, you know, it's, it's easy for me to pick a favorite cause I haven't been to too many places.

[00:47:55] Cause I just, I love Colorado cause the mountains are so big and I've been to a lot of different places in Colorado. But, uh, I get that. Yeah. It is hard to choose like a favorite place or a favorite event. So, I mean, if, if my other events aren't listening, yeah, OTR, but if they're listening, I love all my events. Yeah. So what do you, what do you get like most excited about when it comes to race weekend? Cause I, you know, I know it's like, it's a big event. There's a lot going on.

[00:48:24] You get to meet people you've get, you know, like, isn't it like on Friday or Thursday, where everybody kind of parks their cars and forgot what they call it. And then, and then you get to racing for the weekend. But, uh, like what's, I mean, obviously the race itself is going to be great, but I mean, besides that, like, what do you really enjoy about race weekend? Um, I, again, I love the little places around the country that we get to go explore. Like, I never thought that

[00:48:51] I'd say that I'm great memories in places like Bethel, Maine or Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, or Johnsonville, Tennessee. But I mean, they're, they're such cool little pockets of the country that I get to explore that most people wouldn't otherwise get to see. Um, again, because we're, we're rallying, we're going out to the middle of nowhere. We're not just hanging around,

[00:49:15] you know, the international raceways or the downtowns or, or any of the, any of those things. We're, we're going out to really see people who are passionate about our sport or, or even just really interested to see what we're doing. And, and, uh, so being able to share all that with, with lots of people who don't know the sport otherwise, um, it has always been really cool. Yeah. It's, I mean, so I, my old job, I used to travel for work and we would have to go to a

[00:49:44] bunch of different spots and, and I was thinking the same thing, huh? Vegas. You have to go to Vegas a lot. No, I've been there once, but I didn't do any gambling, but I did walk around the strip a little bit and cause we were only there for one day. But, uh, but like, I've just, I've been to so many different parts of the country that I was thinking the same thing. Like these are parts of the country that I probably would have never seen otherwise. And, you know, I've been to some cool little spots like Des Moines, Iowa, Lincoln, Nebraska, you know,

[00:50:14] Baltimore is a bigger city, but Baltimore was kind of cool and scary at the same time. And then, uh, just Aniston, Alabama, I've been to Bethel, Pennsylvania. Uh, and then, you know, just like all these little cool spots that have, that I had, I ended up going to because I had to travel there for work. And so, you know, I kind of feel the same way that it's, it's, I feel, I felt blessed to be able to see all these different spots.

[00:50:40] Yeah. I mean, a lot of people, they, again, like I say Vegas, but I mean, a lot of people will, they find their good times in, in something like Hawaii or Vegas or Miami beach. And I'm like, no, you really need to go to Marquette, Michigan. Yeah. I've been to, uh, Ann Arbor, Michigan. That was pretty cool. Yeah. I've been to Detroit, but, but yeah, I mean, just, you know, getting around to different spots and seeing, I mean,

[00:51:08] that's how I got to see mountains for the first time was traveling for work. I went to Colorado. We stayed in Golden. We traveled up to Black Hawk and, uh, been to Greeley, Colorado, which was cool little town and just, you know, going out there to Colorado for work is, was what got me out there with my kids because I'm like seeing the mountains and just like falling in love with them. I'm like, I have to bring my kids out here. You know, they have to see this. And we've been out there twice

[00:51:36] and we want to go again. It's just been, we've been to Colorado. We've been to Flagstaff, Arizona, and got to drive around there and go see Sedona and drive out on the rocks and stuff. And my, took my son to Washington and we went through Seattle and saw some other cool stuff, you know, some, some forest roads and mountains out there. And then now we're going to go to Oregon and I'm just, I'm just, I'm excited. It's, it's, I'm so thankful that we get a chance to travel when we do

[00:52:03] and go see some cool spots. Yeah. You'll have to let me know when you're out this way. Yep. I'll be out there the day that this comes out. I'll be out, uh, Monday, the 23rd. So we're flying out the 22nd and we'll be out there through the 30th. So. It's going to be a good trip. But, uh, if you had a chance to drive or even co-drive in somebody else's rally car, whose would it be and why? Um, I, so I've had a, I've been with a couple of

[00:52:32] fast drivers. I've been in a lot of Subarus. I haven't been in any top tier machinery. And so, I mean, thinking back to some of the cool cars that I remember, um, I've always loved bug eyes. I would love to have a go in the, uh, the WRC spec bug eye cars, um, which had the, the band rocket

[00:52:57] anti-lag system, which was basically just a pulse jet motor ahead of a turbocharger to keep it spooled. They were doing some crazy shit back in the day. Um, also the, the full arrow 1.6 liter cars from, I think 2017, um, when the WRC went, it was non-hybrid, but the cars were making about 400 horsepower and they were running all the downforce. So you look at those body kits and they're just,

[00:53:24] they're, they're formula one cars essentially for, for gravel stages. Um, special shout out to their, the Volkswagen Polo. Um, they actually built the car up. They did a bunch of testing. Um, it looked really fast and then they just canceled the program cause it was right after diesel gate. And so they said no more. Um, but that would be a really, really fun car to get a rip into. Yeah. Yeah. So when you,

[00:53:52] when you go out to all these rally events and everything, I'm guessing you get a chance to, to meet all the drivers and the big drivers and everything like Travis Pastrana and, and, uh, Brandon Semenuk and everybody. Uh, yeah, that's honestly one of the cool parts about rally is, uh, there's a saying is her, uh, uh, hurry up and wait because we'll in time at times, uh, there'll be a

[00:54:19] hold or, uh, kind of a lull between stages or, or they'll just hold us for some reason. And so you'll just get moments to go walk around and chat with your co-competitors. Um, even during testing and stuff, uh, we were situated right next to the Vermont sports car guys. So Travis Pastrana was walking around. He was not feeling very well. So we walked behind the trailer to go kind of hack his lungs out for a couple of seconds and then saw us standing there looking and,

[00:54:50] Oh, Hey guys. And came chatted about skid steers getting frozen in the mud and just kind of random stuff. Um, same thing. Like we, we caught Bucky in the middle of a hold, um, and we're able to chat about, um, his race car and, and, uh, some of the stuff that he was dealing with, with Betty and, and getting that car running totally right and getting ready for the next, uh, big Subaru meet and stuff. So, I mean, that's it, that, that's one of the cool parts about rally. It's like, yeah,

[00:55:19] we're, we're always kind of in that headspace of like, we want to compete and, and go fast and, and, uh, and battle against each other. But when the time's down, it's like, yeah, you, you still get really cool time to, to go hang out and chat with people and, and, uh, and kind of say hi to the big teams, I guess. Yeah. I think that's one of the things I would look forward to and going to a rally is, is hopefully getting a chance to, to hang out with some people and see

[00:55:46] some people, but definitely, I, I know that there's, I'm sure that, you know, the, the videos don't do it any justice, but standing there and hearing the cars coming through the stages from far away and then watching it drive past you at an insane speed and then just watching it take off and hear it continue on. That's gotta be just like incredible, you know, because it's, yeah, I've seen quite a few

[00:56:11] videos where they're, they're sitting there waiting for the car and you hear it and then you see it come by and, you know, the videos are really cool, but, uh, I'm just, I can't imagine what that's like in person. It's, uh, I did a lot of spectating back in my day. I crewed for a couple people, um, it's still funded to watch those cars go by no matter, no matter how much you've done,

[00:56:35] no matter the context. Um, it's still exciting, um, for the people who know it, um, at least the max attack teens and all those other guys, but there's a YouTube guy car daddy from Ohio who, uh, he got a little famous for sneaking out on stage, really supposed to do that. Um, but local guy and, super passionate about rally and stuff. And, uh, his, his videos blew up in our local circles

[00:57:04] cause he was out there, you know, giving them our pumps and 120 mile an hour and, and, uh, you know, shouting all kinds of kind of fun stuff as we were riding by and very quotable. Um, but just very, a good representation, um, of all that kind of excitement that goes with spectating and, and watching rally cars. Yeah. Yeah. It looks like the, uh, spectators on bonfire alley just

[00:57:33] have an absolute blast, you know, just with all the bonfires and, and, and the cold and I'm sure they're, you know, freezing their butts off, but also having an amazing time. And then watching the cars come through, you know, late at night like that, that's, that looks like such a cool event and a thing to witness for sure. And they were going out there at like four in the morning with, uh, with snowmobiles and they have sleds that tow all in there cause you can't chop down trees anymore.

[00:58:02] So people, okay. People are sledding in firewood and everything back and forth. And all, I mean, these guys have like legit custom made, uh, you know, setups with like inverters and Jenny's and guys running DJ setups and grills and pizza ovens. And like literally you name it, they do it right. They do it right. It's a, it was an absolute party there. They had, uh,

[00:58:32] I mean, first time I've ever seen flamethrowers and lasers on a rally stage in person. Yeah. Yeah. That's cool. Do you have any like great stories you can share from an event or like a funny story that, you know, like would be just really, really interesting to hear? Um, lots, but probably too many that are not appropriate for public record. Okay. Any ones that you feel would be appropriate.

[00:59:02] So there, there's still a couple of those. Um, I mean, of course, um, there was a good time, um, out at, uh, big white or, uh, this last year, um, we're at a restaurant and we, uh, I was sitting with the table at Mitch and Ryan from melee and some other people. And, uh, we look across the

[00:59:26] restaurant and there's Mark Tabor and Garth and a bunch of other rally people, you know, with us and, but separate having dinner. And so we, you know, lean over to the, to the waitress who's helping us and goes, Hey, we see that table over there. It's their birthday. It wasn't their birthday. So they say, you know, do you have Mitch goes, do you have any fireworks or anything that you can put

[00:59:50] on? He goes, yeah, put on as many as you're legally allowed. And they come out with essentially a four foot flame, uh, as they're shuffling it past everybody, make sure not to catch people's hair on fire. But, uh, Mark sees it and goes, it's not my birthday. It's freaking out and looking around. Turns out it was somebody in the group's birthday. Oh man. Well that, that works out.

[01:00:19] Stuff like that. Um, I ended up cutting my hand on a champagne bottle that I might be one of the only people to, to get injured on podium and not a rally stage, cutting my hand on a champagne bottle. Um, and then it gaslight a couple of years ago. This is a bar in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania at, uh,

[01:00:42] STPR. Um, I've apparently started the tradition of hurricane shots every year. So that's, that's my claim to fame, I guess. There you go. Yeah. Have you had any big mishaps out on the rally stages? A couple of small ops, a couple of few flat tires, uh, people in breaking zone.

[01:01:06] Um, weirdly that broken bottle is my biggest mishap. Yeah. Yeah. Well, that's good. I mean, it's good. You haven't had anything too major happen with the car. So that's good. Uh, knock on wood for that. Yeah. What about rally or I guess all of it gives you the biggest adrenaline rush and like, and is there anything that makes you nervous or scared or, you know, do you get

[01:01:31] nervous or scared? Um, I guess for me, I've kind of faced most of those things in life that do scare people. Um, so for me, it's, I, I just do it for the rewarding factor. I love, like I said earlier, you're seeing people grow and get better as drivers. Um, I love going to park exposés. Um, like you were mentioning the little parades and the lineups of cars, um, the little car show before

[01:01:58] races and stuff. I love getting kids in the cars. I love, you know, shaking hands and doing autographs and getting kids in the car and stuff. And, uh, you know, that's, that, that's kind of the fun part for me is, is just getting to share that passion. Um, just because it's, it's one of those things I always enjoyed growing up and, you know, kind of looked at from afar, you know, like that'll, that'll never be attainable. I could never do that. And yeah, here you are now I'm doing it. Yep.

[01:02:29] If you could race on any rally course in the world, which would it be and why? Um, I think Finland is the obvious answer. And if you, if you know rally, uh, you'll know why, but, um, Finland is, uh, an incredibly technical and vertical rally. Um, there's lots of blind crests and lots of jumps into corners. Um, so, I mean, there's, there's lots and lots of videos out there

[01:02:55] of very famous Finnish stages. Um, some of the best rally car drivers come from Finland and, you know, for good reason, because their roads are arguably some of the hardest to drive fast, um, on the planet. So I would, I would love to see those ones in person. Um, I'm hoping to have a chance here soon, but, um, yeah, Finland is awesome. Yeah. Dream spot, huh? Oh, that's bucket list stuff.

[01:03:25] That's, uh, I think Finland is like the Le Mans of, of, of rally. Okay. Yeah. So I heard that you, uh, you're a melee design firm customer. How'd you get connected with Mitch and melee? Um, I'm not sure directly how I found Mitch, but, um, growing up in a small business supporting family, um, I, I like supporting local and small when possible. Um, so when I started building my car

[01:03:55] back in my 93 Impreza back in, uh, uh, 2018, 19 for rally cross, um, I started looking about how I can find a good lightweight battery and mountain, you know, take some weight off the nose of my car. That's a, it's a great way to, uh, improve the dynamics and handling of your cars to, you know, fix the balance and get weight off of the nose. Um, so I found Mitch who was local to me

[01:04:21] in Portland. Um, and he was super, super, I was busy or doing something and he was willing to meet me over at OMSI, which is the Oregon museum of science and industry just in their parking lot. And I met him and, you know, we started talking rally and, and, uh, and Subarus and, and all kinds of stuff. And, uh, quickly realized this guy's he's the real deal and, uh, is super passionate

[01:04:48] about it too. And, um, he's, he's since developed, uh, an absolute powerhouse of, uh, melee media, um, with, with Ryan and, uh, I've worked with him for the last couple of years for, um, at least most of the events that, um, that they cover. Um, I'll, I'll get media through them and, and do,

[01:05:12] uh, my little reel edits that, uh, that I like that I like doing post event. Um, and of course, when, when you have good, good media and good bones, um, the better the final project is going to be in, um, those reels are always the best. Are you running any other melee products besides the battery mount? Uh, battery mountain battery. Um, okay. But I'm sure there's, there's always

[01:05:38] stuff that I can probably pick up from him. Yeah. I've, uh, I've got a battery mount that he made for me and he put the podcast logo on the front of it for my Crosstrek. And then I did buy a battery from him. I bought a, uh, not an anti-gravity, but the, uh, what's the other one that he sells? A full throttle maybe? Yeah. I bought a full throttle battery from him. And then I have the,

[01:06:01] um, tower brace, the front tower brace from him. And then I have a pitch stop and then I have the, uh, uh, engine bay caps. So, okay. Yeah. Cause he's just, he, he's supported the podcast really early on, you know, had him on as a guest and he's just been really great to work with as well. And, uh, just a great guy. And I hope I get a chance to meet him. Um, I, I asked him if he's

[01:06:29] going to be around in Oregon this next week when I'm out there. And so hopefully I'll get a chance to meet up with him at some point while I'm there. Cause I'd really love to meet him in person. Yeah. He's a good guy. Definitely a good guy. How has, uh, being in the Subaru and rally community changed your life? Um, you know, I'm not so much maybe is it's changed my life, but maybe it's just

[01:06:57] become my life. Um, rally is, is kind of almost a borderline personality disorder. Um, it's there, it's addictive and truly all encompassing and, and, uh, you know, takes a lot of time and dedication and passion. Um, but it's helped lead me to meeting some truly amazing people all across the country.

[01:07:21] Um, I mean, every, almost every single friendship that I've made is, it's pretty much a, a lifelong, you know, type of friendship. And I can count on just about anybody, you know, at the, at the drop of a hat to, to be there for me if I needed them. And likewise, I would be there for, for them if they needed. Yeah. There's a lot of really great people in the community. And you just, you see that all over the place with just from as simple as somebody buying a new

[01:07:51] Subaru and reaching out to somebody to ask questions and people being very helpful to, uh, people get, you know, making best friends through this community and, and doing things that they would have never thought of. So it's just, it's such a great community to, to be a part of and, and to meet so many really good, good people, you know, genuine people too, who are just enjoying

[01:08:15] their Subarus as well, whatever it is that they're doing with it. Absolutely. Yeah. Going back to those old Nassioc days and, and all that stuff. All, I mean, I still have old friends from college and, uh, and a car group that I started on, on campus in college back in the day. And I mean, those are still all close friends. And, and so, yeah, the, the community and everything, um, that's been built

[01:08:40] up is, is, uh, pretty awesome. So would it be safe to say that you would probably always own a Subaru? More or less. Yeah. I was, I was never an Evo guy. Okay. You can say that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, they're, they're good cars. They're a lot of fun. And, and I, there's just, there's the whole community aspect that comes with it too. Exactly. So, well, here's a, well, I guess before we get into this,

[01:09:05] is there anything else that you wanted to share about your journey or your cars or anything that, uh, we haven't talked about? I mean, no, you, you hit a, you hit on just about everything. Your questions were pretty solid. Um, again, I mean, I'm impressed with how you run the, the podcast and everything. Um, if anybody would like to, to see more about me, um, our profiles are on sneak attack

[01:09:32] rally.com, which is run by Nathan Usher or, uh, our profiles are all on EWRC dash results.com. Um, that's a kind of a global rally page that, that just collects, um, rally stats and, and, uh, final results and stuff. Okay. Um, also again, Ethan underscore read.com and 53, the number three

[01:09:57] motorsports.com or, uh, 53 motorsports on Instagram. Okay. Yeah. Uh, what's, what's your number? Uh, my number is 53. So my, so, um, EC, uh, my initials are the fifth and the third letter in the alphabet. So I, I kinda, I kinda ate, I ate that from Ken Block actually, which was DC.

[01:10:23] So four, three. Gotcha. That's good. Good. Good way to get that number there. Uh, so here's the segment where we get to know you a little bit better, but who is Ethan as in describe yourself? All right. We'll give this a shot. Okay. Uh, I mean, I'm Ethan. I'm 35. I'm a Pisces. I love long walks on the beach and holding hands. I love, I've got a cool mustache.

[01:10:51] I love throwing cars vaguely in the, uh, in the direction of trees. Uh, got a great mustache. And the first concert I ever went to was in sync. Oh, very nice. Very nice. What is a favorite memory from your childhood? Um, anything related to the beach. Um, they had go-karts down there. I loved the arcade, the kite festival, uh, chocolate cream pie is great down there. Um, so pretty much

[01:11:18] anywhere that I have sanded my toes, that's usually a real, nice real grounded happy place. Yeah. That's good. What is it that you do for a living? So ironic, I ironically sell, uh, traffic cones and also varied various different parking supplies. So, um, parking traffic, valet construction,

[01:11:41] kind of ancillary, anything to do with, uh, directing cars, parking cars, um, whether you're a business, a municipality, private business, university. Um, we sell all those kinds of supplies that go to an operation or a private business to deal with those things. Do you have a dream job? And if you do, what would it be? I'm living. Oh, that's good. It's no, I, I work for, uh, I it's,

[01:12:09] uh, I work for my family's business. Um, so I, I, I get, uh, working with my family every day, um, in a real cool niche industry that, you know, again, just like rally, a lot of people don't know about, so, um, um, we ended up being very tight knit. Um, I've been lucky in that it's allowed me to travel a little bit also. Um, so it's, uh, and then on top of that, I, I get to rally without,

[01:12:38] uh, with, uh, with basic immunity. So, um, this, I, I'm, I'm in, I'm basically just, uh, I'm at peak and, and live my best life. Okay. That's good, man. That's awesome. What is something that makes you want to get out of bed every day? Um, I think we, I, I think I said it earlier, but, but getting better, just living and

[01:13:01] getting better every single day. Um, you know, like I said, nobody's ever as, as good as they can be. And, and, uh, I love getting up, trying to be better and just being a better person. That's good. Yep. What is something that makes you want to stay in bed? Uh, rally hangovers, which, uh, are, are not to be confused with actual hangovers. I've heard of rally hangover before. Those can be associated with rally.

[01:13:32] So what is a rally hangover exactly? Just like, uh, just being completely exhausted from the rally weekend. Yeah, it's, it's a combination of both. We, uh, rally people are, are known to go a little bit hard. Um, as far as, um, you know, we're putting a lot into the travel logistics into recce and for co-drivers for, um, for checking notes and, and going over videos and just making sure everything is,

[01:14:01] is totally dialed so that you have, um, you know, the best chance for success the next day. Um, so that coupled with, um, I, I typically figure that more than four hours is a good night's sleep at a rally. Oh, wow. You're running off less sleep. Uh, you're hanging out with, with the crew up late, you know, having drinks. Um, it's, it's just, you're, you're giving it your all. And it's, uh,

[01:14:30] it's kind of just the best of all worlds, but that, uh, once you get back to work on Monday or when you, when you wake up in your own bed that next day, the world comes crashing back. Yeah. But it was all worth it. A hundred percent always. Yep. What is something that really scares you? Um, do you follow the Portland trail? Well, Portland trailblazers, a local basketball team here. Uh,

[01:14:58] uh, they got a local or they got a new mascot, Douglas fir. He's terrifying. It's got really weird eyes. Yeah. It's kind of that, that thousand yard Vietnam stare. Uh, that's horrible. Yeah. He's terrifying. All right. What is something that really excites you besides rally? Let's say, um, long drinks at the end of the day after recce, um, roller coasters. Oh man. Roller coasters are awesome.

[01:15:28] I haven't been on a roller coaster in so long. We don't have a theme park here in Houston anymore. We used to have one called Astroworld, which was, uh, a six flags park and they, they tore it down many years ago and now we don't have anything. We we've got Fiesta, Texas and San Antonio. I just haven't been out there, but I need to go, but man, I risk my miss roller coasters are so fun. See, if you're a roller coaster guy, you got to get to Cedar point and that's, uh,

[01:15:53] Sandusky, Northern Ohio. And, uh, I went there the day after, uh, S, uh, SOFR last year when I cut my hand all open. Um, so I bandaged hand and everything I'd already gotten the tickets and I said, you know

[01:16:22] awesome. Oh really? Yeah. I know they did it. Yeah. No, that's, that's a bucket list for me and my daughter because my daughter loves we, I took her on her first roller coaster when she was seven and in, uh, at, um, Oh, what is it called? SeaWorld in San Antonio. They have this one called the steel eel, which is basically just a big oval loop, but it has a really, really high first peak and a

[01:16:48] pretty big drop. And the whole thing is just a bunch of, you know, Hills basically going up and down. And I'm watching her as we're riding it, just trying to like gauge her expression, you know, and she, she kind of looked terrified while, while we're riding it. But then we stopped and I said, did you like it? And she was like, yeah. And then I said, do you want to ride again? She was like, yeah. I said, do you want to ride in the front? She said, yeah. Cause we were like the first time we

[01:17:17] were like eight cars back. So we rode in the front and she absolutely loved it. And then ever since then she's been like, you know, a fan of roller coasters and, and there was the, uh, there was a few years later, I think it was when she was in sixth grade. Cause that was, she was in third grade for this. But when we, when she was in sixth grade, she was like, we need to go back to, to SeaWorld and ride the roller coasters. And I said, no, no, no, we need to go to Fiesta, Texas and ride the big

[01:17:44] roller coasters. And so we did, and we rode every single roller coaster in the front and just absolutely loved it. It was, it was so fun. That was such a fun trip, but, but yeah, we've, we've talked about going to Sandusky, Ohio and going to Cedar point. And, uh, it's, it's one of those things again, where we just need to make the plans and do it, but that would be a lot of fun.

[01:18:09] Here's my one tip. Cause, uh, I actually went there when I was, uh, I, I got to do a trip with my dad when I was 16, could have picked anywhere in the world where I wanted to go. But I was like, I wanted to go to, um, to the Shelby, uh, factory in Las Vegas to see where they made the Cobras series one at that time. And then I wanted to go to Sandusky, Ohio and ride roller coasters. So I went, went there

[01:18:35] when I was 16, had a great trip with my dad, got to ride top, top thrill in the first iteration, at least. Um, but after ST or S S O F R last year, um, after the cut up hand and everything, um, I had gotten us VIP passes, um, for my, my coworker and I, that was, uh, up there for a trade show. So the VIP pass is a little bit more money, but on any, you know, normal day,

[01:19:05] um, cause they have the fast pass, they have the, the quick tickets or whatever the VIP, they give you a, basically a private tour guide. Oh, and then they, and then they take you through the exits every single roller coaster and you skip the entire line. So when you, and then when you get up to the actual ride platform on most of the big ones, so like, uh, you know, roller coasters,

[01:19:33] so Millennium Force, top thrill, um, uh, Val Raven, uh, all, all the big ones, steel vengeance, uh, Maverick, you got to pick where you wanted to sit. So you can go, Oh, I want front row or, Oh, I want back row. I want middle, whatever you wanted. They were like, you get to board before all the other people. That's, that's cool. And I think we rode, I think we rode,

[01:20:03] we rode everything at least once. Um, but I think it was like 20 rides or something like that. And one day it was, it was basically, it was an unachievable number. Like if you went there on a normal ticket or a normal day, we were just, we, you know, we were strolling past, you feel like a celebrity, honestly, cause we were just walking past these lines like, Oh, Oh no, I'm sorry. Oops.

[01:20:27] Uh, so if, if you do go with your daughter, uh, if you make a special trip up, um, it's, it's 110% worth it to do that VIP thing. Just in the fact that, um, no matter how busy it is, you actually get to go and enjoy the park, um, in its entirety and you don't get to, you know, just stand around in lines all day. Yeah. No, awesome. Thank you. I really appreciate that. Cause that's, that would

[01:20:54] be, that would be like, that would make the, our, our, you know, trip that we've been wanting to take for years, even better. So thank you. Good tip. 100% worth it. Yeah. Always. So that was a good bit of advice, but what would be your best bit of advice to give to someone about anything? Um, never hesitate. Just jump at the thing that you're wanting to do. There's never an

[01:21:19] opportunity better than right now to do it, or at least start thinking about doing it. Yeah. Make the steps, uh, to start doing it. Um, always believe in yourself. Everybody can always accomplish so much more than they're ever initially expecting to. Um, and at least always remember that no matter what you're doing in life, um, there's always going to be someone who's looking up to you

[01:21:47] and what you're doing. So you're, you're always going to be a role model to somebody, no matter what. So always carry yourself with that and know that you're helping make someone else's life better. Yeah. I like that. That's really good. It's good. Very good. Well, thank you so much for your time, Ethan. Thanks, Rafael. Happy to do this, man. Glad we could finally get this done. Yeah, you're welcome. But yeah, no, I really appreciate you taking the time. It's,

[01:22:13] it's fun to get some, some more people that are doing rally out there on the podcast and, and, uh, just getting a chance for, to, you know, for somebody to come on and talk about it for the people that maybe may not know a whole lot about it, but might be interested in it. Cause you never know, you might inspire somebody to go try it out. So, uh, thanks for your time. Absolutely. You know, it's, it's something I've always been passionate about. Um, I love doing all I can to,

[01:22:40] to help the sport grow. I love seeing it grow. Um, I mean, even from, from last year to this year, the amount of people who have been able to, uh, to come out new competitors, new faces, um, new spectators. I love hearing people who've never been to a rally, uh, you know, coming out and trying to see what it's all about. So, yeah. Yep. All right, man. We have a good night and, uh, keep in touch, but, uh, thanks again. Yeah. Thanks, Rafael. Let me know when you're out here. You're welcome.

[01:23:09] All right. I will. Hello everybody. Thank you for tuning in to another episode of the Subie and You podcast. And thank you so much, Ethan, for taking the time to record with me. It was really great having him on and hearing his passion for rally and rally cross and being a driver and a co-driver. And, uh, I think it's just really cool to hear from different people in the Subaru community and also in the motorsports community, especially for rally and rally cross. And, uh, I hope to get

[01:23:37] some more people on in the kind of grassroots portion of rally and rally cross. And, uh, so go give Ethan a follow on Instagram, check out his reels and his photos. He's got some really great reels and, uh, videos and just photos, but, and of course I know many of those were taken by melee media. So shout out to Mitch and his team for that. So thanks again. Thank you for listening. I hope you all have a

[01:24:06] great week and I will be enjoying my week in Oregon for a family vacation and then for Overland Expo. So talk to you later. Much Subie love. Raph. The Subie and You 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

[01:24:31] Houston with music by Luke Ruiz in another room in Houston. You can find the Subie and You podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, including Apple podcast, Spotify, and many more to support the podcast. Please head over to patrion.com slash Subie 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,

[01:24:54] you can find them on Instagram at Subie and You podcast online at Subie and You podcast.com or by email Subie and You podcast at gmail.com. That's all for this week.