Conversations with Big Rich

Land use warrior, Amy Granat, Managing Director of CORVA (California Off Road Vehicle Association) joins us for a discussion of what’s on the table for off-road and why it matters to her. Amy is a leader in the fight to keep public lands open to the public. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

3:47 – You have to be more calculated, …I call it being pointed but polite

10:17 – not being able to walk was a difficulty until a friend said, “You have a Ford truck, it has four-wheel drive, what are you waiting for?”

13:07 – it’s very tiring having people look at you and what you can’t do, they were looking at me in my truck and seeing what I could do, and that’s a very big difference

18:50 – when people talk about off-roaders, it really upsets me because they’re mischaracterizing our generosity

28:42 – …there are a lot of states like Nevada and Utah that didn’t go through the process, their areas are more at risk

35:07 – this is policy, not politics

49:21 – why wasn’t there access to the Cleveland National Forest for Riverside County? Everyone forgot.

59:24 – if you’re constantly saying not o everything, you end up getting excluded from the table; being at the table is key

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

Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

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Ivan Stewart on Episode 211. Such a privilege to interview the Ironman. We talk about all the dreams and adventures, and the timing, the all-important timing! Ivan was inducted in the Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2006. Ivan is why we say; legends live at ORMHOF.org. Be sure to tune in on your favorite podcast app.

2:19 – the race is almost secondary, the pre-running and the adventure is the real story

10:42 – an automobile is so cool because you can get in your car and set the radio station exactly like you want, and the heater, and…

19:29 – without GPS, you had to remember the course, and the better you were at the that, the more successful you were going to be

26:09 – I said, “Charlotte, the sun should never be rising on our right-hand side!”

35:55 – it wasn’t going to cost a whole lot more to build a desert truck, although it cost a lot to campaign them

40:09 – Sometimes you hit the timing just perfect!

45:21 – You got to have a dream to have a dream come true.

50:47 – I wanted to race off-road, I didn’t want to talk about it!

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

Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

Support the show

Born to a family of Italian immigrants, Butch Arciero and his brothers understood the value of hard work. A lifetime of commitment to that landed him in the Hall of Fame. Butch was inducted in the Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2019. Butch is why we say; legends live at ORMHOF.org. Be sure to tune in on your favorite podcast app.

3:23 – my mom was on the last ship that came out of Naples to the US before they stopped all the shipping when the war broke out

13:26 – “Listen, Frank, if you get good grades next semester, I’m going to give you a present.”

20:13 – my dad always wanted to own a race car

27:23 – Well shoot, I can compete with these guys, and then start winning

32:07 – I remember everybody telling me, if you’re in an area with lots of people, watch for booby traps

43:14 – One of the things with me, if I’m going to do something, I don’t just want to do it, I want to be able to win.

57:25 – I’ve got one more story I have to tell, it happened in Mexico….

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

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After four full years of podcasting, we bring you the most important episode to date to kick off Season 5. An interview with Sean Pond, the de facto leader of the Halt the Dolores Movement shares why stopping this National Monument designation in its tracks. Please listen on your favorite podcast app and follow-up with the Call to Action. Sean needs our help.

6:12 – what the Navy doesn’t tell you is that you’ll see a whole lot more water than you will see of the world

11:28 – I worked in building 771 at Rocky Flats, the most dangerous building in the world at the time

15:57 – if my close friends were to describe me, they’d tell you I do two things – I hunt and I wheel

23:11 – if you like to hunt and you like off-road and you like the thrill of the chase, it’s a hard habit to break

24:54 – HALT THE DOLORES – let’s talk about what it is and why it matters!

36:29 – it stifles ranching, mining, outdoor recreation, hunting – it affects so many people, it’s a shame

43:53 – google the 30 by 30 agenda and the America the Beautiful Act; over 100 million acres of public land will lose access to for all time

53:36 – if we were standing around at an event talking about this, you’d think it was a conspiracy theory

1:01:49 – CALL TO ACTION: Sign the petition, call your congressman, Share, Share, SHARE, help fund the fight

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

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Wrong seat filler, Chris Rea, shares perspective on what it takes to be lucky. Listen in as one of the Lost Boys shares how going all in (on whatever you’re doing) has an impact on life. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

4:25 – my dad had to pull me out of t-ball because I was too competitive

9:45 – for my sister and I, sports were life.

13:24 – if you want to play football, you’re 100 pounds.

21:41 – my first foray into offroading was a high school club called Unauthorized

28:36 – in 2005, I realized I was going nowhere and I was going to be nothing, so I joined the military

32:52 – if there was a rule, it was black and white as far as I was concerned.

41:14 – one of my favorite things is that Tracy Jordan is still scared of me

54:17 – I’m just here to stay fit so I can beat my dad

1:05:48 – I’m just some random guy who’s been really lucky to work with amazing teams

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

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A warrior in all respects, Ray Moon fought in Vietnam and continued fighting for our rights when he returned. Land warriors were as important in the beginning as they are now. Ray was inducted in the Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1979. Ray is why we say; legends live at ORMHOF.org. Be sure to tune in on your favorite podcast app.

3:12 – I had my first encounter with a Jeep in Vietnam and I didn’t know how to drive the damn thing

7:41 – it worked out very well, the military structure, I got it, I grew up.

16:29 – I live in Simi Valley now and volunteer at the Reagan Library, the Presidential Library

29:11 – PTSD is what they call it today, and we all have problems with that, I was no different

35:43 – I became the conservation chairman for Cal Four Wheel Drive

41:23 – There was a woman who was so happy we were closed down so she could take her Buick out and enjoy the posies, and the BLM guy was like, no, if we restrict them, we restrict you

47:16 – we wanted to take a reasonable attitude toward all that

53:51 – you don’t go into any of this stuff for the glory

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

Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

Mastercraft has had some powerful owners, from founder Jack Miller to daughter, Peri Kalar, to ORMHOF inductee Robbie Pierce. Hear about how it began all those years ago and the forces behind it. Peri shares some life-changing experiences with you. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

4:16 – he was in the army and became a parachute rigger, that’s where he learned to sew

9:53 – I worked at Mastercraft as the janitor; but my brother fired me a lot.

13:50 – we used to have soda cans taped to the rollbars, and they would have stuck stubs and tickets.

17:43 – we made a PSSS kit – a Personal Sanitation System in a little brown bag

21:19 – that was the worst and best year of my life because I found out I could survive anything

29:57 – Robbie was my supplier forever, so when I wanted to sell the company, it was perfect

38:13 – when dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s he said, I’d like to make a list of things that are important that I want to remember…

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

Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

Family legacy racer, Mark McMillin, chairman of the Board of the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame shares life in the McMillin family. It’s all about people, with a few race cars and some river-time thrown in. Mark was inducted in the Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2018. Mark is why we say; legends live at ORMHOF.org. Be sure to tune in on your favorite podcast app.

2:46 – My dad used to say, if you want to get something done, give it to somebody who’s busy

12:11 – when I graduated college, there were no jobs for me, interest rates were 19-20%, we weren’t building houses

20:44 – Racing is a big part of our life. It’s not our whole life.

23:07 – why we’ve been successful is because we try hard at everything we do

26:43 – I was never the fastest guy in a buggy, but I always found the finish line

40:54 – “What is your legacy?” Good people!

44:10 – I think this off-road racing fraternity is 99% people cut from the same cloth

49:01 – You don’t have to have a cheat sheet for things you really care about.

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

Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

Johnny Campbell, 11-time Baja Champion, Johnny has raced, supported, and managed the American Honda team. A fun listen, Johnny shares stories from around the world. Johnny was inducted in the Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2018. Johnny is why we say; legends live at ORMHOF.org. Be sure to tune in on your favorite podcast app.

9:17 – at a local level, I had a couple number one plates. I had a few mentors, I was always following them and watching what they were doing

13:13 – I was 21 when I finally got noticed by American Honda, and a guy who became my absolute hero and mentor

24:26 – Bruce was super humble, super organized, super smart

31:32 – we were professional at pre-running and racing and following ribbons and arrows, but we were novices at trying to navigate off a roadbook

41:57 – I call it 11 time, 17 gives people the illusion I rode it all

53:35 – We’ve built a program around Rancho Santa Maria, the school and orphanage that every year we do an event called the Baja Beach Bash

59:56 – ORMHOF was a really big point in my career; I think as a racer, it’s more than just racing, it’s how have you impacted the sport?

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

Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

TV Personality, Brendon Thompson, enlightens on us on the finer points of being on American Chopper – the builds, the craziness; but that’s not all, we get insight into his early life and his parenting, throw in a little 5150 racing and you’ve got the full meal deal. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

3:24 – my older brother was always the helping hand for me, picking me back up when I was doing wrong; he kept me on track

8:47 – I almost got fired because I didn’t know fractions, couldn’t read a tape measure

18:47 – My boss wanted to semi-retire so he passed off the gas tanks to me, I just started doing my own thing.

22:19 – in 2010, that’s when I got that phone call to see if I wanted to come build a bike with Paul Jr. on television

36:13 – you don’t need to create the drama, the drama was there, it was craziness.

48:41 – We did a lot of cool stuff, I’ve had a lot of cool experiences with the show, with Paul.

51:47 – it was a big deal because we parked in Tracy Jordan’s spot, they’re like, you gotta move, Tracy’s here – we were like, okay, whatever.

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

Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.