The first time I ever crashed a vehicle, I was 13 years old and out on a joy ride in my mother's car. Back then, when she & my dad headed out of town, I'd sneak into the garage, fire up mom's car, and drive up and down the windy, dead-end road we lived on. In hindsight, it really was too twisty to be any real fun, but the sound and feel of screeching tires were more exhilarating than anything I could think of at the time.

If the image of a 13-year-old boy not only driving but also crashing a car is surprising to you, that must be because we didn't know each other back then. Ask anyone who knew me as a kid what I was like, and they'll all tell you the same two things: I had a ton of energy, and an unrelenting desire to push boundaries.

Growing up, I didn't feel like I had any real outlet or application for these traits; running track or playing football just wasn't going to cut it. So, I took my thrill-seeking endeavors to the streets. What began as underage joy rides evolved throughout my teens.

At night, I'd drive outside of town and city limits. Completely consumed by the horsepower at my feet, grip at my hands, and clarity of my mind, it was the freest I ever felt! The only thing that would interrupt my flow state was the inevitable “black and white,” with its flashing red lights on the roof.  Most people, driving the way I was driving, would have dreaded seeing a cop car with its lights on - not me. For me, it was on…a classic game of cat and mouse.

While my car(s) didn’t have the necessary horsepower to compete with the Forest Ranger Spec, I had it in me to take corners faster and smoother than the boys in blue. And, I knew how to carry more speed into the straights than whoever it was chasing behind me.

I learned that all I had to do was create enough of a buffer that would allow me to turn up a driveway or backroad and cut my lights. Then, it would go one of two ways: the authorities coming to a screeching halt when they spotted me (the cat caught the mouse) or I would watch them speed by, lights flashing and sirens blaring (the mouse got away).

On the occasions when this mouse knew he'd won, I would slowly make my way down the driveway or backroad in which I'd taken refuge and happily drive in the opposite direction. 

Those days were the beginning of a lifetime love of racing. It was on those cat and mouse chases that I finally found an outlet: an outlet for all that energy I had; an outlet that allowed me to test the limits; and an outlet that afforded me a quieting of the mind that I never experienced anywhere else.

You see, when you're racing, everything else on your mind fades away. Because it has to. If your mind slips for one instance, you’re off the road. From street cars to dirt bikes, quads to boats, rally cars to trucks, BMX to mountain bikes, hell even my red Ryder wagon - you name it, I’ve crashed it. I’ve pushed it to its limit and I’ve crashed it.

After a few street race crashes, many trips to the hospital, and an ever-increasing motor vehicle insurance premium, I decided to make some changes. I sought out a better environment for my racing where I could still free my mind from everything else and just drive to the limit. And that's where Rally comes in.

Rally had always been an interest of mine, and even before I truly understood what it was, I was hooked. Photographs of cars sliding, jumping, and crashing on real roads like the ones I grew up driving on mesmerized me.  I knew that rally driving was in my future.

So that’s how it all began…stay tuned to see how it continues to play out. This year, I chased the championship title in the ARA National Open 2-Wheel Drive class, finishing 2nd of 17 drivers. We had a blast driving in all kinds of terrain…in snow, on gravel, through forests and mountainous terrain, all testing our extreme driving capabilities.  We had a lot of fun introducing our new car, the Eagle, but sadly finished with two DNFs, due to mechanical failures,

Thanks to all of you who cheered me on! Next year looks very promising.