Conversations with Big Rich Big Rich Klein
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- Leisure
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Hear conversations with the legacy stars of rockcrawling and off-road. Big Rich interviews the leaders in rock sports.
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Peri Kalar, daughter of Mastercraft founder, Jack Miller talks about life in the safety lane with her family in Episode 206.
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.
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Episode 205 features Mark McMillin, chairman, racer, legacy builder.
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.
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Johnny Campbell, American Honda Champion, on Episode 204
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.
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Episode 203 features Brendon Thompson, little brother, family man, and TV personality with mad skills
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.
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Les Figueroa from FigSpeed dishes on drag racing on Episode 202
FigSpeed honcho, Les Figueroa dishes about drag racing, off-road, and being at “that” level with the big boys. It’s a great listen, plenty of stories to keep you entertained. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
5:17 – I still have the car that my dad raced and bought in 1970
16:59 – knowing I always loved drag racing, I took the position at Mallory Ignition making minimum wage; about $4.25 an hour
20:32 – all the events I was able to work at, I was also able to race at. The people on the West Coast thought I was an East Coast racer…I never told anyone I was new.
23:48 – so leaving the starting line as close to perfect as possible was the name of the game
28:17 – being there for Speed Week was awesome, we stayed at the Speedway Motel by the Brickyard, Mario Andretti’s room was down the hall, and Jeff was next to him, once you were in at that level, it was one big, huge family.
34:28 – Our company Fig Speed had a great relationship with Lucas Oil
42:51 – I got kicked out for one of the Pedagon Brothers, the thing is, nobody told me I was kicked out, I had to read it in National Dragster
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
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Introducing Andy DeVercelly x 4 on Episode 201
All American racing family, we’d like to introduce you to Andy DeVercelly – numbers, 2,3,4, and 5. #2 is 93 years young and raced in the first Baja 1000; #5 just graduated to go-karts from mini-dwarf cars. It’s a fun listen of four generations of racers. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
3:14 – Andy 2 – the bullfighter is my car, I hit a bull on the highway just before LaPaz
12:48 – Andy 2 – I had no idea at all where I was, there were like three street signs down there
19:00 – Andy 3 – my grandpa was an Ironman kind of guy, no one else could drive the car
25:06 – Andy 3 – Now that I’ve retired, I get the pleasure and fun of it all to go work with my son
31:36 – Andy 4 – so as far as 4 wheels, he’s still a few years out – he’s just tall enough now to start learning
39:26 – Andy 2 – the big thing was the energy, the energy that the people have down there for the 1000 is next level
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
Support the show
Customer Reviews
Wow what a show
I have listened for sometime
Subscribe to your magazine
I was blown away by the Evan Evans episode
I also have listened to many other episodes those were also top shelf thank you
Great podcast
Very interesting, Big Rich does a great job interviewing some very interesting people
Great Podcast
So much fun hearing Rich interview people and friends I’ve known for years working in the off-road industry.