CREATION for PROGRESS
This restless mind hums, antennae up searching for the spiritual spark of inspiration. In these spaces idle hands don’t stay idle for long. Metal to be formed and joined. A challenge to create something that has never before been. Durable standards put to the test of innovation. The alchemy to ignite the very laws of nature cultivates wonder and we are required to consider “what can these hands now build?” It is inborn.
To transcend our physical limits. To make something beautiful—be it aesthetic or of accomplishment. To bend, break, and shape the natural world one step beyond what came before. We breathe acetylene.
07 FEATURES
DESCANSOS
A stark, lyrical photo essay capturing the roadside shrines that dot Baja’s forgotten routes, where memory and mortality intertwine.
Tracing the evolution of Hella from a German feed store to a lighting legend of the desert night, and its bold return to off-road racing glory.
SHAPE YOUNG MINDS 73
A look inside Rancho Cucamonga’s Fab School, where Gen Z trades influencers for welders and young minds are shaped with sparks and steel.
THE LAST DREAMER 79
He’s the man behind the madness. Jet Boat Billy shapes speed and spectacle where real legends are built: in the shop, not the spotlight.
Celebrating 50 years of handcrafted race cars, Jimco honors its legacy with a new 1600-class build that fuses vintage grit with modern engineering. REPORTED SIGHTING 91
Built for speed and cinematic precision, this reimagined Ford Raptor dubbed “The Paint Brush” is the ultimate off-road film rig. PAINT BY RAPTOR 103
Chris Collard
The King’s Hwy
Page 19
Chris grew up riding dirt bikes in the Mojave and Baja. Today, he documents off-grid adventures from Antarctica to Africa, blending journalism and photography to transport readers into faraway places. His award-winning work appears in National Geographic Adventure, The New York Times, and more. An Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee, Chris splits time between Baja and his sailboat, The Office
Marty Fiolka
Hella
Page 59
Marty Fiolka is a lifelong off-road racing enthusiast who first competed in the Baja 1000 in 1992. A graduate of UC Long Beach, he founded The Rennsport Group in 1995, managing PR for major motorsports brands and later served as editorial and marketing director for Dirtsports Magazine.
A 2014 Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee, has authored two books on offroad racing history.
Brandon Lim
Paint By Raptor
Page 101
Born amidst the eclectic rhythms of Los Angeles, Brandon Lim was inevitably drawn to its rich car culture. Fueled by a passion for everything on wheels, he excels in capturing vehicles in their rawest forms—be it tearing through a bend or leaving trails of dust. To Brandon, a gritty camera lens often signifies a masterpiece in the making.
Drew Martin
Descansos
Page 47
Drew sees the camera as a tool to “hawg all the fun,” capturing raw, joyful moments in the wild. Whether knee-deep in Baja dirt or soaking in Sierra saltwater, his images make you wish you were there. Based in Southern California with his wife, son, and dog, he’s always up for the long way—or the harder, dustier one.
Dave Shively
The Last Dreamer
Page 79
Dave Shively works as a senior editor at Outside Inc., where he manages content for the media company’s auto partners. He’s penned and produced profile and travel features while leading gear and adventure coverage for Men’s Journal, and his book The Pacific Alone, which recounts Ed Gillet’s historic 1987 kayak crossing from Monterey to Maui, won a 2019 National Outdoor Book Award.
Christian Weber
Morgan Clarke Design
Page 09
Christian Weber is an Emmy-winning director, photographer, and DP known for cinematic storytelling. His work has appeared in Time and The New York Times, and exhibited at MoMA Spain and Luxembourg’s Musée d’Art Moderne. Off set, he races Class 1 off-road cars in the U.S. and Mexico, channeling the same bold energy that defines his visual work.
MMORGAN CLARKE IS A VISIONARY METAL FABRICATOR AND DESIGNER WITH A RELENTLESS PASSION FOR CREATION. FROM A YOUNG AGE, HE WAS DRAWN TO SKETCHING AND ENGINEERING, OBSESSING OVER TRANSPORTATION, AVIATION, AND MILITARY VEHICLE DESIGN. HIS UNCONVENTIONAL PATH LED HIM THROUGH STRUCTURAL METALWORK, WHERE HE DISCOVERED NOT JUST A CAREER, BUT A CALLING: TRANSFORMING RAW MATERIALS INTO FUNCTIONAL VEHICLE ART. INSPIRED BY ICONS LIKE THE SR-71 BLACKBIRD
CAND THE PRECISION OF SUPERCARS, HE PUSHES THE BOUNDARIES OF DESIGN, BALANCING AESTHETICS WITH PERFORMANCE. A SELF-TAUGHT INNOVATOR WHO CREATES TO SATISFY HIS OWN VISION FIRST, HE IS AS DEDICATED TO PUSHING HIS CRAFT TO ITS LIMITS AS HE IS TO MENTORING OTHERS, BELIEVING THAT AMBITION AND CURIOSITY CAN TURN ANYONE INTO AN EXPERT. WHETHER BUILDING OR DREAMING, HE THRIVES AT THE INTERSECTION OF CREATIVITY, ENGINEERING, AND RELENTLESS DRIVE.
THAT’S WHAT I GO FOR WITH EVERYTHING ... I FIND THE CONSTRAINTS OF FUNCTIONALITY AND TWIST IT AND PULL IT UNTIL IT’S RIGHT ON THE BRINK OF NOT DOING WHAT IT’S SUPPOSED TO.
