People - page 3

The sun begins to set as J.J. Gustafson turns off the pavement and into the bush. Gravel crackles beneath rubber as the final stretch of a long journey unwinds. They’ve been driving north for days, putting over 1300 miles between home in Texas and tonight’s camp in Minnesota. The door slams shut as J.J. finally gets out of his truck, stretching his road legs. He walks to the back and pulls open his BedSlide, revealing a careful Tetris grid of tightly packed gear. Nestled within is a large kennel. Calm and alive.

Making the choice to compete in off-road motorsports — to race some of the most powerful vehicles on the planet, far from the comforts of home, through the middle of actual nowhere — requires a very specific kind of crazy.

What does it take to become a world-class racer, before you’re legally old enough to drive? We spoke with two young racing champions — Seth Quintero (age 19) and Jack Olliges (age 14) — to see if we could crack their prodigal codes.

At a point — somewhere between mild interest and red-hot obsession — a weekend hobby becomes a lifelong passion. You know the type: passion people don’t just enjoy a thing. They live it. They breathe it. And sometimes, they start a blog to document all their thoughts and adventures in it. They pour years of dedication, hard work, and storytelling into the project, and sometimes, that passion grows into a resource, a community, and maybe even a movement.

This story is about one of those times.

Like many titans in the off-road racing space, Robbie Pierce grew up in sunny, sandy San Diego. Surrounded by world-class racers, fabrication shops, and plenty of desert terrain, he began a life-long career as a welder and off-road racing enthusiast. In the early years, he took whatever work walked through the door — starting with projects involving garbage trucks and eventually graduating to the occasional trophy truck

In an unmarked, off-white building tucked behind rows of storage units, warehouses, and other industrial park mainstays is a parking lot full of interesting foreign cars — Volvos, Troopys, lifted 4x4s, and other imported trucks, in all different shapes, colors, sizes, and levels of built-for-anything-ness. They’re the kinds of trucks that turn heads on the highway and stoke curious conversations with the passersby. All sitting in a random lot in Bend, OR.

Meet Kalen, and you'll immediately sense that she's lived a life of adventure. Born in Washington, Kalen spent her early years living abroad with her family in Germany.

Rob MacCachren. Rob Mac. Rob. Call him whatever you want, but you’ll never catch him. He’s the most decorated driver in off-road racing history. He’s racked up more than 20 off-road championships. His trophy case is more reminiscent of a storage unit. So we sat down for a deeper look at the man glued to the top of the podium.

Meet Kyle Tucker: a racer, engineer, and the founder of Detroit Speed and Engineering—a company that specializes in manufacturing upgraded aftermarket performance parts for classic American muscle. Their parts allow classic Camaros, Corvettes and Mustangs to handle as well as—or even better than—modern vehicles, while retaining their iconic status.