Winter ADV Camping & Dakar Chat + ADV Cannonball Rally News

Host Taylor Lawson joins co-host Aaron Pufal for rally updates, field notes from a Swedish motorcycle show, and a special interview with Mercedes from Crankshaft Culture on her trip to the Dakar Rally.

🍺 Drinks: Ölön Double IPA & Seattle morning coffee

Topics Covered:

• Motorcycle Mässen Field Notes: Taylor camped in sub-zero temps at the Jönköping motorcycle exhibition (35,000 attendees). He caught up with Robert Bollinger, who shared details on his upcoming Pakistan Himalaya ride on CF Moto 450s and confirmed plans for the 2027 Europe ADV Cannonball. Robert's 2025 Cannonball video has hit 170K+ views and is driving serious interest in the rally.
• Mercedes at Dakar: Crankshaft Culture's Mercedes shares her bucket-list trip covering Defender's maiden voyage in the revamped W2RC stock class. Three Defender D7XR teams competed — a Lithuanian driver took 1st, Americans Sarah Price & Sean Berriman grabbed 2nd, and 14-time champ Stéphane Peterhansel placed 4th. She breaks down the differences between amateur TSD rallying and professional rally raid, the massive Bivouac support operation, and Defender's three-year W2RC commitment with plans to bring race-proven tech back to production vehicles.
• New Rally Classes for 2026/2027: Two classes introduced — Pro Class ("Wing Nuts") for first-to-arrive competitors, and Mile Crusher Class for adventure-focused riders. This expands capacity and streamlines morning starts for larger fields.
• Kove 450 Partnership: Kove is partnering for 2026 Americas.
• 2027 Europe Route Preview: Backbone route published — Tarifa, Spain to Skagen, Denmark. 5,000km base with 1,000+ optional miles via checkpoints. Features beach riding, French farmland stages, and an awards banquet at a Danish hotel and casino. Sign-ups opening imminently.
• Book Update: Chasing Legends on the Podcast Trail headed to the typesetter — expected mid-February.
• Logistics: HaulBikes offering trailer service from the finish line. Discounted Hilton hotel rooms filling fast — book now.
• New Signups (Americas 2026): Drew (Gillette, WY – 1300 GSA), Kurt Frazi (Antonito, CO – 1200 GSA, Team Cincinnati

Transcript

SPEAKER_07 0:02

Welcome to the ABV Cannonball Podcast. Where we discuss all things on two wheels: the adventure bike cannonball and other motorcycle-related nonsense.

SPEAKER_06 0:24

Season four, episode eight. Welcome to Adventure Cannonball Podcast. I am your host, Taylor Lawson, and today I am joined by the man who can get a batch of lemons and turn it into the most amazing batch of lemonade. Better known to you as Aaron Puffal. Aaron, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_05 0:43

Dude, I hate lemonade. What are you talking about? Have you been drinking beer already?

SPEAKER_06 0:47

Not yet, but I'm about to start.

SPEAKER_05 0:49

Nice. Okay. Wow, what is that?

SPEAKER_06 0:54

Yeah, that is a um oh this is what this is That looks different. This is um it's the island of beer or beer island. And no, this isn't so different. It's uh deep uh double IPA. It is the mighty uh double IPA. You're gonna have to help me with this one from the Beer City explosively aromatic, fresh, and a little bit fruity. A little fruity.

SPEAKER_05 1:17

Yeah, well done, sir. Well enjoy your Friday night. It is my Friday morning. It is 9 20 in the morning in Seattle. It is coming down with rain. And uh yeah, I'm gonna have this cup of coffee, so cheers.

SPEAKER_06 1:30

All right, nice. I uh, you know, nothing like drinking alone.

SPEAKER_05 1:33

Yeah, so no, the listeners, dear listeners, crack open your your beer.

SPEAKER_06 1:37

Dear listeners, crack it, crack it, baby. Here we go.

SPEAKER_05 1:40

I uh I was up all night. The dog uh must have ate something, I don't know, but he's not feeling so well, so we're keeping a close eye on him uh this morning. So we are not having beer because I was up all night.

SPEAKER_06 1:50

All right, fair enough. What's what's what's that dog's name again? Depends who you ask. Depends who you ask. Your wife's not in the room, so it's uh it's Taylor. All right, well done.

SPEAKER_05 2:03

So uh yeah, this morning I was uh I I was watching the news and the Grammys are on on Sunday, and we are not nominated for podcasting, so uh yet another oversight. We weren't. Oh my god. But there are eight artists performing, and I I swear to god, I haven't heard of one of them. So I'm officially old. That is the benchmark of of being old.

SPEAKER_06 2:24

You know, it's like um it's like being number two, right? It's like uh like the podcast, right? Like n the good thing is like Buzz Aldrin, he doesn't have this major weight of having to answer the question of what was it like to be the first man to step foot on the moon, right? He's just he doesn't have to get burdened with that. That's true.

SPEAKER_05 2:41

You know what?

SPEAKER_06 2:42

It's a relief.

SPEAKER_05 2:43

This is uh it's like um this is what I think about all day that I don't have to answer who's the number one podcast.

SPEAKER_06 2:47

That's exactly right. It's like uh it's a being number two podcast, it's like almost winning the lottery. Like you can go into a cafe and you can buy a cup of coffee, but if you were number one, you could buy the whole cafe.

SPEAKER_05 2:58

That's funny. I actually bought a lottery ticket around Christmas. They had that$1.5 billion prize, and I you know, I don't gamble, it's it's silly. And uh so I bought a ticket and uh yeah, I didn't have one freaking number on that billion dollar draw. Not even one number.

SPEAKER_06 3:15

You know, just just think if you had won that, would you still be doing this? Oh, yeah, but I'd be doing it from my G five. If you didn't get from like just keep the plane circling, just let us burn some fuel.

SPEAKER_05 3:27

You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_06 3:28

We gotta spend this money. Can we get some in-flight refueling here?

SPEAKER_05 3:31

That's right. Hell I'd own the tanker, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 3:34

Hey, remember David that we that we went to the um, he was the only person that we showed up with and didn't know in advance when we went to the Himalayas. And David, we were talking to David who we're hanging out. David's relatively young. He's you know, I said, What do you do? I was like, What do you do with your time? He goes, I help friends with projects and I travel with my wife and I ride motorcycles, and I was like, that's great, dude. I said, What did you do when you weren't doing all that? He said, But you know that that cone thing that um planes fly up into and it helps them receive the uh the in-flight refueling. I said, Yeah, and he goes, Yeah, we we designed that and I was like, got it. Understand.

SPEAKER_05 4:12

Right. I understand. What listeners can't see is his very phallic gesturing in the camera showing the inserting of the cone. It's quite quite entertaining.

SPEAKER_06 4:23

At least it was for me, but thanks for get thanks for getting that out on the on the on the airwaves. On the airwaves, yeah. Hey, you know, as as as I was reading your notes about the Grammys, I was like, you know, Sweden has this thing called Melody Festivalen, which is Melody Festival, the Melody Festival. And it begins this weekend, it goes for like five, six weeks. And I thought to myself, you know, I don't know, like I don't know any artists in there, I don't know anybody who's ever come out of there. And then I I was like, wait a minute, let me just check. And then there's this little little group uh that probably most people on this podcast have heard of, and it's called um in 1974. There was a group that showed up there and sang a call, sang a song called Waterloo by ABBA. So everybody's heard of them. So anyway, that's the start of some of the the most world renowned bands, melody festival in in Sweden.

SPEAKER_05 5:15

Yeah, it's kind of like ABBA is Iceland's Bjork. It's the only artist that anyone knows, so they've really just held on as as tightly as possible.

SPEAKER_06 5:25

Ros Roxett. Was it Roxett? Roxette came out of here as well.

SPEAKER_05 5:29

You're really you're really illustrating my point perfectly.

SPEAKER_06 5:35

I thought I was I thought I was disproving it, but I apparently I didn't.

SPEAKER_05 5:41

Deep cuts are not uh are not appropriate.

Winter ADV Camping in Sweden

SPEAKER_06 5:43

Yeah, not not happening here. Okay. Um so I went down to the uh motorcycle Mason and I met with Robert. That was fun.

SPEAKER_05 5:52

Yeah, we have some feel notes to that, but before we get to that, I saw on the group chat for the 2025 cannonball group chat, and I thought you were full of crap. I thought that you took a picture of someone else's tent, like one of those nut jobs that go on motorcycles in the winter. But you camped in the parking lot of the motorcycle show, and it was like below freezing. I'm like, I I gotta admit, I'm impressed. I'm not gonna lie.

SPEAKER_06 6:18

Well, I went down there and um actually there's a campground right next to the motorcycle uh hall that with the uh the big um masa and what what is it? Uh uh can't even think of the English word now. What is it when where do you where do you host a show? A con um exhibition center. There we go. Exhibition center. Thank you. My English has gotten so bad since moving to Sweden. Then again, my Swedish hasn't gotten much better, but you know, it's a trade-off. Um anyway, so we we camped there, but I got there. So we bought our tickets months ago for this motorcycle um massen, which actually massen is interesting. It means the mass, but it's really literally it makes sense because it's it's where a mass of people get together. So we bought our tickets months ago and we were like, yeah, we're gonna go down for the day and come back. And then we really got, you know, not until last week did we start recognizing that it's a four-hour drive. And then we're like, because we're gonna drive down there for a show during the day, and and then there was a music thing afterwards, so we were like, you know, we'll just stay the night. So then we started looking around. And normally this show was hosted in Stockholm, or at least maybe it moves around. Now they took it to the south to try to get more people from uh Denmark or from Norway and some some different people, different countries appealing to this particular show because of the region. And as a result, uh they put it in this little town, and uh 35,000 people attended. So every single uh hotel room, uh donkey stable, you name it, it was full. And I was like, I went to my buddy Chris, and Chris is like, I got a van, we can um we can we can sleep in that. He said, you know, it's got diesel heater, and I asked him if you want to be a big spoon or little spoon, and then they decided that I would uh I would sleep in the tent.

SPEAKER_05 7:58

Listen, you gotta do what you gotta do. What happens in the van stays in the van.

SPEAKER_06 8:03

Stays in the van.

SPEAKER_05 8:04

You manned up, you went camping outside, and I was really impressed because you are you are a big Sally when it comes to being cold, you know, because you're skinny, right? Us fat guys don't don't have these problems. But uh but yeah, I was really, really impressed uh with your winter camping. And you're absolutely right, because those shows, if people go to them, especially if you're working them or your media or something like that, it is during the day it's all business. And then at night is when the fun happens. And I was quite jealous. I was receiving the text messages with you guys partying and such. So uh the party and the after party was uh was obviously the highlight. But sleeping in a tent when it was cold and you were drinking all night, I'm sure you had a few challenges uh in the middle of the night, didn't you?

SPEAKER_06 8:45

Yeah, you know, someone said they said, How'd you sleep? And I was like, if it had been if it if I had sli if I had done what I did to my body that night and I had slept in my you know, my normal bed, I probably still would have had a terrible night of sleep because of what I had done to myself. You know, like three bottles of water before I went to bed because I was trying to compensate for what I had put in there earlier. It wasn't a good combination. But I think that I mean I was warm enough, and um and I had my bag was good for negative fifteen. So what's that? I I don't know, probably close to Saban Fahrenheit at that, at that uh negative fifteen. Um but either way, it was it was I wasn't that cold. It was the bad part is that I had to get up like three times and put my shoes on that had snow in them, and uh it was snowing, and then and then walk across the parking lot, make yellow snow, get back into the tent and start the whole procedure of warming up again. So if I hadn't had to do that three times, it probably would have been an amazing night of sleep.

SPEAKER_05 9:37

Listen, you gotta learn, you gotta go to the Walmart and you gotta get the one gallon water jug with the extra wide cap. And it's like, you gotta have that when it's cold or raining, I'm telling you. So lesson learned spin by the Walmart, pick up the one-gallon thing, and you gotta shamefully empty it out when no one's looking in the morning.

SPEAKER_06 10:01

Yeah, well, the truth is that it would have been a block of ice anyway, so you know, no harm done.

Field Notes - Sweden Motorcycle Show

SPEAKER_05 10:05

That's true, that's a good point. Listen, with that, let's roll your field notes from the motorcycle show.

SPEAKER_07 10:12

It's time for field notes. A collection of voice notes recorded on location while we're on wildly exciting motorcycle adventures hacked together for your amusement and our public shaming.

SPEAKER_06 10:26

And I am here at the motorcycle massen and jön schöping in uh southern Sweden. Is this actually Småland? It is Smalland. And I'm here with Robert Baldinger. So, Robert, welcome to the podcast. Thank you. So nice to see you again. Reunion time. Yeah, the last time I saw you was in when I dropped you at the airport in California. Or you were off to take an Uber anyway. Oh yeah, was that real?

SPEAKER_01 10:49

I thought I came back to reality and uh yeah, it was all a big dream. It uh I haven't really processed it all yet.

SPEAKER_06 10:58

So yeah, but what you did process, which Aaron Aaron thinks you're a champion for, is you come back and you get into the terabytes of data that you capture when you're underway in your multiple camera camera setup. So you you're into that, man.

SPEAKER_01 11:11

Yeah, absolutely. I uh I have my routine coming home from a trip. I uh put down the bags and then I start transferring files, and then I sort of uh take the rest of my traveling clothes off. So yeah, so so transferring the files is my number one priority when I get back home because I'm so curious.

SPEAKER_06 11:32

Yeah, yeah, that makes good sense. And uh the video, the uh the movie, the full feature movie that you put out is amazing. How many views have you had so far now?

SPEAKER_01 11:42

It keeps increasing. I think it's around 170,000 now. Wow. That's super impressive.

SPEAKER_06 11:49

Super impressive, very cool. So um tell me what you're doing here at the motorcycle mass center. Tell me why is it you you've put on your did you put on the bedroom voice just for me, or is that did you show that I show up and you already had that?

SPEAKER_01 12:00

Uh yeah, but actually I'm here talking to people. Actually, no, we're at the show and it's uh multi-purpose thing. We're here to help out with our friends from uh Moscomoto. Uh because we we're a team that we ride together, and yeah, and when they uh want some help at the show, we come and all join. And it's also an opportunity to meet uh my YouTuber, Scandinavian friends like uh Thomas Hansen, Runa, Matthias, uh, and uh talk uh to the audience. So there's a lot of uh viewers, of course, that's here that I get to meet in person, and that's the reason my voice is completely destroyed. I've been talking non-stop since uh yesterday morning.

SPEAKER_06 12:51

Yeah, so we just got in here. By the time we actually got my tent pitched after sweeping away the snow, yeah, we uh we got in here like two o'clock ish, but it's been uh is the the the line of traffic to get into the show was an hour and a half long.

SPEAKER_01 13:05

Yeah, and and you're tent you're camping, it's uh below zero outside, and I thought you were joking. But yeah, I'm really, really impressed. You're more the Swede than I am.

SPEAKER_06 13:16

If you don't hear from me tomorrow, maybe it was a bad idea.

SPEAKER_01 13:20

Yeah, I guess so. Popsical time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 13:23

But you guys managed to find a place about five kilometers away, right?

SPEAKER_01 13:27

Yeah, we have this uh Airbnb house where we all live together, and yeah, we thought we would party, but coming home from the show each day, it's just food, beer, sleep.

SPEAKER_06 13:40

It's a bit like doing the cannonball, isn't it? You come home, you're like, okay, I have enough to uh to get my get the kid off the bike, check into the hotel, have dinner, have a beer, yeah, and then go to sleep and get up and do it again.

SPEAKER_01 13:51

Yeah, pretty much. And I've been talking about a lot about the cannonball thing because meeting my viewers here at the show, everybody talks about the cannonball uh video. Yeah, it was so cool the thing you did, and da da da. So, yeah, that's fun.

SPEAKER_06 14:07

Very cool. So um I did talk to Aaron, and he said that after he has spoken with you, is that you are planning on doing the 2027 Europe?

SPEAKER_01 14:15

Yeah, that's the uh working plan at the moment. Uh absolutely, I'd love to do that, especially a new uh route with uh let's see what he serves up, Aaron.

SPEAKER_06 14:26

Yeah, it'll um I think we're gonna have Ingvar from TwinPegs. He's going to actually do a bit of the riding. He's gonna do the off-road sections on his T7. Yeah, and then Aaron's gonna do the on-road sections, and it's gonna be from I don't know if we can give this up. I probably shouldn't say just what that is yet, what the route is yet. Yeah, it's gonna be from Southern Europe to Northern Europe. All right.

SPEAKER_02 14:44

Yeah, so that's the that's the plan there.

SPEAKER_01 14:45

Yeah, looking forward to that. It's uh yeah, and uh people actually mentioned that uh here on the show that I hear it's coming to Europe and they're interested.

SPEAKER_06 14:56

Yeah, very cool. I'll leave you with some stickers before we go. Oh, yeah, very good. So, Robert, what is next for you these days?

SPEAKER_01 15:04

Uh big contrast uh from my last trips. I'm going to Pakistan, uh northeastern the Himalayan part of uh Pakistan to ride uh with a bunch of guys. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 15:16

So you were gonna be riding on the other side of the hill from where Aaron and I were in India, and quite often when we rode the border, we were like, on the other side of that hill is China, and on the other side of that hill is Pakistan, and you're riding there. Tell me how this trip came about.

SPEAKER_01 15:31

Um, as usual, I got an email. And it's quite interesting story, I'll keep it short, but it's Muing Khan, it's a guy that studied in San Francisco, and he uh uh experienced that the perception of Pakistan is not what it doesn't rhyme with his own view of because of the uh more troubling neighbors like Afghanistan and stuff like that. Anyhow, he wanted to change that. He gone uh got on his bike in San Francisco, rode all the way back home to Pakistan, uh, which made quite a lot of uh attention from social media and media. He was on the TED talk. Um he started uh adventure touring company back in in Pakistan, and uh he he takes customers of course and takes them up to the Himalayas on bikes, uh mainly US uh guests so far because uh yeah, he he studied there. And yeah, he sent me an email. Well, uh, I want you to come here not to promote my business but to promote Pakistan. I want to show you the beauty of our country. And I said yes, uh, very interesting. I'd love to go there and uh I'm I'm joining one of his tours, uh bringing my uh photographer, journalist friend that was with me in Texas uh last spring. And we're yeah, gonna do our thing there and also take uh fill up the rest of the tour with my guys from the newsletters and stuff like that. So I'm inviting them to join. So, how many people do you have joining you on this ride? Uh the total group will be 10. So me and Yuan uh leave space for eight uh guests to to join and be a customer of their uh company called A Different Agenda, which was the name of his sort of trip project back to Pakistan.

SPEAKER_06 17:33

What are your dates for that trip?

SPEAKER_01 17:34

Uh we leave on the uh the actual trip starts on the 13th uh of June and it's 13 days, so to the 26th. What kind of bikes are you riding? CF Moto 450s. Uh uh do you call it Epex or MT? I'm not sure they have two names, so but yeah. Um the little brother to the T7, I call them.

SPEAKER_06 17:58

Yeah, that's um one time I I I pulled up to a friend's house on the T7, and the husband came out and he said, I want one of those, but I'd like a junior version. Do you or do they make one? I said, Yeah, look at the CF Moto.

SPEAKER_01 18:10

Yeah, yeah. It's uh sounds the same and feels uh pretty much the same, also. So yeah. So you spent time riding those? Uh I didn't spend much time, but I I did a little test run. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 18:23

Yeah, fantastic. I want to get my hands on one of those as well. It seems like the 450 second segment is super popular, and it'd be nice to ride a 450 that doesn't weigh over 200 kilos, like the like the Royal Enfield Himalayan that we took around the Himalayas.

SPEAKER_01 18:37

Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah, but it's uh it's good also for shorter riders. You can flat foot it easily, even if you're on the shorter uh end of the scale, I guess. Yeah, yeah, perfect.

SPEAKER_06 18:47

Well, I wish you the best of luck with that trip. It sounds exciting, and we look forward to seeing, of course, what will be a full feature video on the back end. So looking forward to that. Exactly, as usual. Thank you. Yeah, thank you. And we are back.

SPEAKER_05 19:01

Yeah, sounds like you and Robert had uh had a good time there. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_06 19:04

Yeah, I just basically spent most of the time talking to Robert. I knew that if I had spent time walking around looking at stuff, then I'd actually want to buy stuff. And um, you know, that's just I got all the stuff I need right now. I'd like I just kitted up last year with a lot of good stuff, so I felt okay. And I had it was time really well spent. It was a lot of fun hanging out with those guys.

SPEAKER_05 19:22

And speaking of buying stuff, I just came to the realization that I had sent all my freaking riding gear with my bike to Europe. So now that I have a new bike on the way, which we'll get to in a second, I need to buy a jacket, I need to buy pants, and I need to buy boots. I have a helmet already, but I'm like, what a pain in the ass. Like, my plan is to leave all the gear, so you just, you know, hop on the plane and all your stuff is there. Cause Kathy's keeping it at Moto Freight next to London Heather, which is awesome. But now I'm like, oh man. So, anyways, it it's it's all good, but something I need to work out this spring. But at the show, did you see any motorcycles from Cove or Covey, however it's pronounced?

SPEAKER_06 20:04

I did not walk the show very much, to be honest with you. By the time we got there, I think we were inside for about three hours and I didn't walk the show. I did see uh the bike that Robert is riding. Actually, right behind him was the bike that he's riding, was the um AJP. Yeah, that's his bike was actually at the show. And then there's the one that he's riding when he goes to Pakistan was there as well. But I didn't I didn't walk the show to be honest with you. I saw you know lots of helmets and lots of uh clothes, but I didn't actually see that bike.

SPEAKER_05 20:33

Yeah, so we have a kind of a loose arrangement with Cove. So they're giving us uh a Cove 450 rally off-road. Um, so right now, today and tomorrow, I'm designing the graphics for the uh custom livery. I'll be getting that for this riding season, and folks will be able to see that because we'll have it in the back of the van for the 2026 Americas rally. So we'll just pop it out once in a while and go for a rip with that. So yeah, so Cove is uh is a partner for 2026 America, so we're excited about that.

SPEAKER_06 21:05

Yeah, that'll be fun. So just to be clear, when I was actually when I was here, I was like, hey Robert, how do you pronounce this in Swedish? And he's like uh Cove. The E is actually you can pronounce every letter like in Spanish. Um and I am super excited about that and doing the um the rally with you in the van and then uh kind of splitting the splitting the driving, either driving, riding, riding, driving, and then being able to meet the guys at these really challenging off-road spots like you did last year, and watch them try to get those checkpoints, and we can just take the dirt bike up there and wait with a camera.

SPEAKER_05 21:38

Yeah, and here's a here's a pro tip for competitors for 2026. I promised harder, but so there's one day that there is a crazy extreme checkpoint. It's not difficult to get to, it's actually on a really easy trail, but it's an epic trail. But boy oh boy, you better be on it for that day. Cause only I want to be clear again, only people that are on. It should attempt this one extreme checkpoint because it is difficult. You gotta be fast on the road and you gotta be wicked fast off-road to get to the hotel at a reasonable hour because no one wants to be on a Moab desert rim road in the middle of the night trying to go for an extreme checkpoint that really has no purpose to your points, except for bragging rights, which I guess is important.

SPEAKER_06 22:22

Very yeah.

SPEAKER_05 22:23

So I'm really excited about that um Moab checkpoint, which I'm absolutely gonna go get just because I really enjoy that one trail in Moab, which I'm not telling which one it is yet. But yeah, I'm really excited about adding some difficulty to uh 2026.

SPEAKER_06 22:37

Are we gonna have to flip for that one, Aaron? Yeah, it depends how people feel. I you know, I don't care.

SPEAKER_05 22:42

It's always busy anyways. I always have these aspirations of doing fun things, but you know, I just work until I pass out in the back of the van and start the next day as uh is is the truth of the matter.

SPEAKER_06 22:52

Hey, have you um have you uh have you identified which IKEA couch uh that we're actually gonna get yet?

SPEAKER_05 22:58

No, but it's gonna be an inflatable couch is the uh best tact, I think, is uh is I'll ship it from Amazon. I'll be waiting at the hotel in Plymouth, and then once we dump the bikes out of the back that we're delivering, uh we'll inflate the uh the inflatable couch for the back of the van. It should be should be wildly exciting. Very, very professional operation, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 23:21

Super, super exciting. What does I mean, is there no IKEA in uh Massachusetts?

SPEAKER_05 23:26

It's not that because when I get there, then what am I gonna when we're done with the rally, what am I gonna do with it, right? I'm like, if I have an inflatable one, I can throw it in storage and use it all, you know, regularly. If it's an IKEA one, what the heck am I gonna do with the damn thing, right?

SPEAKER_06 23:38

Uh hey man, there's a 365-day return policy at IKEA. You just take it back and go, I'm sorry, this didn't work for me.

SPEAKER_05 23:45

Oh my god, you're such you turn into such a cheap Swede. You know what? That's why you camped. It says all a ruse because you've turned into a penny pension Swede. I'm not sure that's really the case. Absolutely. So uh moving on. So the book has gone to the typesetter, and uh it should be done, should be published by the middle of February. Because I know you're all super excited of supporting me and giving me a five-star review on Amazon. I know you're all just chomping at the bit. So everyone slow down, but it'll be here February around the middle of February.

SPEAKER_06 24:21

And in our next segment, we have Mercedes talking about her time in Saudi at the Deccar.

SPEAKER_05 24:28

Yeah, she had a great flight over. They treated her like the royal family. They flew over there, she was there for only two days. She really only covered the event for one day, uh, which is an amazing, you know, tribute to uh to her reach that they would spend tens of thousands of dollars to get her over there just for one day of coverage. But uh her and her husband do great work with the media, and uh she gets it out there. So we're very happy to have her on for a quick chat about that.

SPEAKER_06 24:54

Yeah, she does quality work, so it makes sense that they would spend that money on her.

SPEAKER_05 24:58

Yeah, and her chat is about uh the new stock class, and she was covering Defender, and Defender was there running their wicked awesome uh stock Defender.

SPEAKER_08 25:09

And with that, let's roll the interview. Adventure, endurance, glory. This isn't just a ride, it's the ultimate test of rider and machine. The ADV Cannonball Rally challenges you to ride from coast to coast, navigating checkpoint to checkpoint by GPS and pushing past your limits. Take on every off-road stage, and you'll earn bragging rides and a coveted Rough Rider trophy. Own the Twisty Tarmac and you'll claim the checkpoint crusher award. Every mile counts, every choice matters. Rack up the points, and your name could be etched forever on the winner's cup. This year the routes are harder, the mileage is longer, the glory is greater. The ADV Cannonball Rally is open for registration. Fortune favors the bolt.

SPEAKER_05 26:07

Mercedes, welcome back to the podcast.

SPEAKER_00 26:09

Thanks so much for having me.

SPEAKER_05 26:11

I was excited to uh receive your message because just this morning I was on YouTube and I watched a great video about Defender and Dakar. And I understand you just got back. Is that correct?

SPEAKER_00 26:22

I did. I literally just got back uh earlier this month. Uh it was a fast and furious trip, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

SPEAKER_05 26:29

Wow, that's great. I saw on your social media that you had an amazing flight. Can you tell us about actually getting there? Because people always like to know this minutia behind the scenes.

SPEAKER_00 26:37

Right. Yeah. Actually getting there, um, we were visiting family and doing some work in the Midwest for a couple of weeks prior. And uh Dakar always starts right around Christmas time, so the end of December, and then it finishes usually mid-January. Uh so I left directly from Minneapolis, and then I had three planes, two different airlines. I went from Minneapolis to Dulles, had a several hour layover in Dulles, and uh then I went from Dulles to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, then Riyadh to Alula, and eventually uh finished there. Well, I don't know, a day, day and a half later, whatever the hours are. I don't know. Um, but uh yeah, I think I had, I don't know, five another five-hour layover in Riyadh, and then ended up in Alula, uh, which is where stages two and three were, which is where I was, um, with uh covering defender and their teams and then Dakar as a whole. And uh gosh, I think I got back to my little villa that I was staying at maybe around midnight or one, something like that. Their time.

SPEAKER_05 27:34

So people only see the glitz and the glamour of your travels and don't know how much work it actually is, right?

SPEAKER_00 27:40

It is, yeah. It was it was a fair bit of work. But again, if I was even there, you know, at Dakar for 10 minutes, I'd do it all over again. It was a very long, uh, long time bucket list item for me. And uh when I got the invite, I was super excited not only to see Defender, you know, doing their made-in voyage for the revamped stock uh class that they were running, but also just Dakar as a whole and just immerse myself in it. Because as you know, Andy and me, you know, my husband Andy and me, I mean, we're big time at off-roading, um, you know, uh, you know, report on all the gear, test a lot of stuff. We're always in the dust, dirt, mud, you know, sand elements, rain, all that type of stuff. So uh it was it was a natural fit. And so for me, I was grateful for the invite. And uh yeah, to see them and the other competitors uh compete in the rally raid for stages two and three was incredible.

SPEAKER_05 28:29

And I understand you were able to have a little bit of personal time in that short window, and you were able to see that cool mirrored building. Is that correct?

SPEAKER_00 28:37

Yes, yes, Mariah. Yeah. When I arrived, because I was coming from a longer distance away, well, kind of halfway around the world, um, then I uh flew in. And then the next morning I connected with Defender and I said, Hey, do you have anything for the day before we were going to go to Dakar? And they didn't have any plans for me. They didn't have anything set as far as Dakar duties. Um, so they said, enjoy the place that you're at, um, have a great free day. And I wasn't expecting that. So I thought, well, you gotta make hay well the sunshines. And I met two wonderful women on my last flight, actually, they ended up staying at the same place as me. But uh Alyssa and Nancy, her mother Nancy, uh, were their names, and they're Americans and mother-daughter, and they're from the LA area. And uh, long story short, met them just very briefly the night before. The next morning, they saw me having breakfast and said, Hey, why don't you come on over here, sit with us? And and uh then they said, Hey, let's see if we have more room. Uh we've, you know, we are having a whole planned full of events of days, you know, they were there for a couple of days that just had come from Egypt. And um, then yeah, you know, things snowballed and it was great. I just tagged along with them and it was fantastic. So Mariah was one of the stops.

SPEAKER_05 29:50

They always say that interruptions are the journey, and that's a that's a great example of a of a fantastic thing that just popped up for the kindness of others. It is, it is talking about the car. I'm insanely jealous that you went. We've talked to Charlie Borman about his Dakar, we've talked to Joey Evans about Para to Dakar, that book. We've talked to Lennon and Robin Poskett about their several uh Dakar uh rallies. Awesome. I've actually never been there, and I've actually been to those deserts in Saudi Arabia. I've spent two years living in the Middle East, but I've never done a Dakar, so I'm just so jealous. But maybe you could tell us what the Defender class, the Defender, which class they were in, because it's a revamped class, and I found it interesting because that just looked like an everyday Defender to me.

SPEAKER_00 30:36

Yeah, um, that's those are all really great points and questions. So um Defender had a trio of different teams, um, and they were all from out through throughout the world, all seasoned and very accomplished uh uh competitors, racers. Um, and they ran in the newly revamped stock class. So there's a lot of limitations of what you can do and what you can't do in stock class. During that duration, um, Defender was basically saying, okay, we want to sign on for a three-year deal where we're gonna do everything in the W2RC. Uh, of course, Dakar is the kickoff with everything. This is their first year they're gonna do it. And they were learning as they went, but they were working with the regulatory body, with FIA, with FIA, to make sure that they uh were hopefully able to kind of update and revamp the regulations because we're not running, you know, stock vehicles like from 1978 when the Paris to Dakar uh actually started and was, you know, finishing starting in Paris and ending in Senegal and Dakar Senegal. So those vehicles were mostly production uh units, but they're made very differently than, let's say, a brand new uh Defender Okta, for instance. So they were working with um the governing body to update those regulations so Defender can go ahead and rally and also then invite other manufacturers like Toyota had some factory-backed teams also in that same class. And then there were a couple of privateers that ran Nissan Patrols. So that's kind of the long story of that. Um, there were three separate teams. There was a 26-year-old Lithuanian driver, uh Rakas Batsushka, and I'm hoping I'm saying his last name right, along with a Spaniard co-driver, Oriel Vidal, um, they ended up taking first place in the entire class. So they had stage wins, they took first place, and then there were two Americans, um, Sarah Price and Sean Berriman. Uh, they got their um second place podium finish, which was awesome. And then um there was a French duo. So Stefan um, or Stefane, uh, Peter Hansel, which a lot of people call Mr. Dakar because he should be. He won 14 titles with Dakar, which is amazing, uh, along with his uh co-driver Micah Metke, and they placed fourth. So to almost do a full podium sweep in their first year out with a revamped stock class, that was um very, very accomplished and very notable.

SPEAKER_05 32:51

Yeah, the young driver that won. He's quite the gregarious young man. Yes. And I'm sure he's got uh an amazing career ahead of him to be that young and doing so well in such a uh prestigious car. And I I think those all those trucks did really well. I think they only had one problem, and I think they fixed the issue, but that put them off the podium. Maybe you can tell the uh tell us about the mechanical success and the little trouble that they had, which was amazing because some people don't even finish. And we understand how difficult it is just to make it to the start line, never mind the finish line. So maybe you can tell us the the troubles the one team had and the success mechanically uh the team had as a whole.

SPEAKER_00 33:29

Yeah, the, you know, those are great points. And uh you took the words right out of my mouth to get to the start line is even a huge accomplishment and a win in itself. So to finish, that's another huge win. I mean, you're talking about the Dakar rally that's that's been going on since 1978, essentially, in different parts of the world. That is, if not the most, one of the most grueling desert races, you know, even more so than Baja 1000 or some of the other ones that we might be more familiar with. Um, so so um number 500, which is what um Micah Metke and uh Stefan Peter Hansel were in. When I was there, um, they were having some steering issues early on. So again, I was there for uh stages two and three. Um there were some steering issues. I know I think Americans, um Sarah and and Sean, they ended up having um a huge uh impact at the bottom of their underbody, and they ended up having some suspension stuff that they were working through. So um there were some early-on issues, but I do know um that number uh 500, um Stefan and Micah did side it. Um, they put it on its side. And I don't know how long and exactly what stage that was and how long it took for um uh support vehicle to be able to come in. I don't know if it honestly, I don't know if it was their support T5 truck, uh, one of those big, huge, massive trucks. I know that they had parts on board and they had a truck that was helping them if they needed it. Um, but that I think might have been part of it. He still says he had a really good car. Um wasn't the hope, the finish that he was hoping for, but he still was pleased and having a good uh uh opportunity with the other teams and also being being more of a mentor and just kind of helping everybody get settled in with the vehicle because he's had such a breadth of experience with dot car in itself and then also learning along and and helping the other teams with it with the cars.

SPEAKER_05 35:13

It was amazing to see these three trucks going. They had some great aerial shots. Yes, and just see them going over those dunes. It's it's an amazing combination of driver skill and and the prowess of those of those vehicles, just like just like we said, to even survive the uh the uh desert, never mind under race conditions, and they're pushing. When I'm in the desert, I just don't want to get stuck. That's my motivation. Right, exactly. These guys are just on it.

SPEAKER_00 35:40

Yeah, yeah, no, they they definitely are, you know, and and for stage three, we just missed them at the tail end of stage two as they were they had just come through the finish line um right before we got to near the stage two finish line. So they had run through already, but we saw you know some of the starts of some of the other vehicles coming through as they were nearing the finish. But stage three, we timed it perfectly. So the defender crew, we were driving uh stock uh stock defenders going out there and we timed it perfectly. I think we had maybe five, 10 minutes before all three of them rolled in as a pack, super confident.

SPEAKER_05 36:12

I know that you and your husband do a lot of amateur rallying, and I understand tomorrow you're leaving to Canada to British Columbia to do the Thunderbird rally. Um, I did that rally, I think, two years ago in my FJ. Uh what impact or what did you notice was a major difference between our amateur level of rallying and that top level professional rallying?

SPEAKER_00 36:35

Yeah, it anytime I have a chance to see full-on rally raid vehicles, um, whether it's Baja 1000 or hopefully Sonora soon or the Dakar, or you know, there's different classes, there's different ways of rallying, so to speak, or racing. Although in in our big world, as you and I know it, racing is not the right word because we do what are called regulatory rallies or TSD or time speed distance rallies. So for instance, um the Alcan 5000 that my husband Andy and I have competed in several times, um, you know, the uh all the other local rallies that we do, Thunderbird that we've done, Norwester Rally, all of those are time speed distance rallies that we've done in North America. So Dogcar Rally is unique because it has the main rally part of it itself, the competitive side, which for instance has the stock class and they're going where speed is the most important thing. So they all have to follow a digital root book, so to speak, as well as what we do. But what we do with regulatory sides of the rally, so to speak, is it's precision-based, yes, on route, but also on time. So you have to be certain speeds, then you have to drop down speeds for a certain amount of odometer reading, then increase speeds, that type of thing. That's where the main part of the dachkar rally doesn't do it. There is speed. So they need to go as as quick and as efficiently as they can do while following a root book. There's a subsection that's called dock car classic. If you've heard of that, they're all like the old Pajeros, like what we have sitting back right behind this wall here, uh, and other vehicles and old defenders, for instance, and and you know, also old Porsches, they're all older vehicles, which is also regulatory based. So it's kind of the umbrella of Dachkar Rally itself, but they run it separately. So there's not the same course, they're older vehicles, they're different, and it's done in a in a uh different way than where dachar rally, like with the defenders, where the fastest gets you in and the least amount of mechanical issues and things gets you on the podium.

SPEAKER_05 38:33

It's funny because people always compare road motorcycling and road racing. People think of uh the TT as the pinnacle. And then whenever you think of off-roading, uh people think of Descartes. But I think people actually forget that they have the TSD portion uh of Dakar. And I love seeing the old Porsche's out there. It's it's really amazing. You know, maybe there's a crankshaft culture entry in the future, maybe.

SPEAKER_00 38:59

You're not the first one to ask that. Gosh, if I had a pipe dream and a money tree, uh Andy and I would love to run it someday to actually complete or to compete in the Dakar classic series of it. I mean, but you're talking a lot of money. You need to have a vehicle properly outfitted, you need to have the experience of it. I mean, you know, Amy Lerner, uh, a friend of mine, um, who's also in the industry, she ran a couple years ago with a Porsche, you know, and she had an international uh uh co-driver and she did well. I think she won uh at least one of our stages or so. Um, but that's Dakar Classic. That's not Dakar, the main, you know, uh part of it, where it's the pinnacle where you go as fast as you can, you know. So it's completely different thing. You never know. Pigs can fly here and there. So yeah, I'd love to be able to do a crankshaft culture one for sure. I mean, heck, we got our Projero sitting right right outside. We can build that up and already, you know, competed up to the Alcan, you know, up to the Arctic Ocean and Uvik and done ice roads and stuff in the winter. So heck, you know.

SPEAKER_05 39:56

So what's uh in the future for Defender? Are they coming back to the car? Do they have other things in this class that they want to accomplish?

SPEAKER_00 40:02

Yeah, great question. So they've signed on for three years to be able to do this. So rally for 2026 was their maiden voyage. Um, they want to do it, uh, so they're planning on doing all the rest of the W2RC with the uh rest of this year and then two more years. Um, I'm not sure if they're planning on keeping just the trio of rigs. They were also hinting at customer uh racing, things like that. So as they're learning, as they're adjusting, as they're growing, they want to kind of spread their wings and see what happens and see what goes on. And then based on what they're learning, they even said that they are uh planning on bringing some of those elements back into the production vehicles that you and I can buy.

SPEAKER_05 40:42

That's always the way. I always say, you know, I may ride a GS, you know, old man motorcycle, but that uh technology that is down in that computer, those modes, that ABS, the tractor control, stability control, same with Defender. All that trickles down into uh uh production vehicles, whether you're just you know going to the mall and you hit some ice, all that technology research, all those lessons learned uh often will filter down into production vehicles. Um so maybe you can tell us uh about the rally that's coming up for for you guys. You guys are leaving tomorrow. What are you driving? Uh what class are you entering as?

SPEAKER_00 41:24

So we are driving our personal 2022 uh cross-track with a manual, so Subaru. Uh, we've rallied that before multiple different times. Um, it loves dirt, it loves gravel, it's setup. So we've got um B of Goodrich uh KO3s on it. We just uh upgraded from the KO2s we've had on it for a while. And we've got RICA wheels, we've got full skid plates down below from Primitive Racing. We've got a rally innovations light bar up front. Um, we've got auxiliary lights as well, uh, a new tooley um box that Andy's literally actively right now, right behind me, um, putting Max Trax recovery boards in and you know, vehicle recovery gear because it is supposed to be a snow rally, but they said more it's like ice and dirt and maybe some snow with a dusting and getting warmer up there. So it'll be in Canada and in uh the rally, let's see, I think tech inspection starts Friday night and it's a Saturday Sunday rally, I believe.

SPEAKER_05 42:12

Well, you guys have fun and good luck in that rally. And, you know, lest anyone think that regulatory TSD rallying is, you know, without any kind of uh uh pitfalls, especially in the winter. Um, but heading back to Dakar, comparing our amateur rallying to professional Dakar rallying, what was your impression when you walked around the Bivouac?

SPEAKER_00 42:34

Yeah, for sure. You know, I mean, when I had a chance to be at the Bivouac, uh, they gave us a tour and they gave us a walk around of the D7XRs. And the D7XRs, those are the actual rally rigs that are competing for those of you that might not know that that name. So based on the stock octa, again, um, we had a chance to do a walk around. And if you're looking for more great action, um, there's a video, long form video that I took that's dropping via Pickup Truck Plus SUV Talk today, and that will show that walk around and talking about all the different elements that they upgraded, things that they changed, all that type of stuff. And I think that there were like 100 or 120 people that were staffed that were support there. So many semis. If you go to Crankschef Culture on social media, I've got all the highlights, uh, videos and stories and stuff that I have um saved. You can see all the different semis. You know, some had consumables, some had, you know, drivetrain parts and engines, spare engines and tools. I mean, oh my gosh. It just was quite the outfit and they seemed very organized. And everybody had a job, everybody had a role, and it's just their first year first competition.

SPEAKER_05 43:37

Well, that definitely sounds like a far cry from our amateur rallying, but it must have been really awesome for you to be there and immerse yourself in the experience, even for a short period of time in such a far-flung part of the world. So thanks very much for coming on the podcast and thanks very much for uh sharing the story. And we're looking forward to your next adventure.

SPEAKER_00 43:56

Yeah, no, I appreciate it. And and I can't wait to go back. I I Dream would be to cover the entire Dakar, to be there the whole entire time. Um, it just was very amazing and challenging to try to get around and you know, the timing and all this stuff. I mean, you know, a lot of dust, but I'm used to you know being in dust with my camera gear and all that type of stuff. But for me, uh, to help tell the story, especially to Westerners, you know, people in North America that uh that aren't necessarily familiar with it, there's not a ton of coverage over here yet because it you know it happens in odd hours because it's over there versus over here, and there's there's different limitations. I mean, you literally have to travel. I think on the way over there was what, 32 hours I clocked it. On the way back was like over 20, but I also had an overnight in Dubai for like, you know, a short part of the night. So um it takes a bit to get over there, but I do it again in a heartbeat because the passion, the drive, the dedication, the talent. And I think in one of my reels I said hopeful talent, you know, because sometimes you run out of it. Um, but uh all of that and the money, you know, to put in these rigs and these, you know, back these people, even if you're privateers, is just insane. And it is such a neat thing to be able to see. Defenders, everybody else, all that. It just was great.

SPEAKER_04 45:09

Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention? I've just been handed an urgent and horrifying news story. And I need all of you to stop what you're doing and listen. Cannonball!

SPEAKER_08 45:25

Hey Cannonballers, thanks for subscribing to our podcast. We appreciate it. If you're not a cheap Canadian and want to buy us a coffee, head on over to buymeacoffee.com. Or better yet, buy us a case of sweet ass craft IPA. We'll list it on patreon.com. Links are in the show notes. Now, back to the riveting podcast in progress. And we are back.

SPEAKER_05 45:51

Nice one, yeah. Good little chat there to catch up with the Lillian Thals is always good.

SPEAKER_06 45:56

You know what's interesting is like in in the uh in the interview, she talked about the the sort of the the chance meeting uh at breakfast where these uh this mother and daughter took her out and they went and not to see um Miranda, the the building, the glass building. Um it was funny because I thought about when we did a rally with her, I was like, Yeah, I went over and sat and had breakfast with them at one of those rallies as well, and they were so forthcoming with information, she and Andy. So um just super nice people, just quality people through and through.

SPEAKER_05 46:26

And it was interesting, we were talking off mic, and she was kind of taken aback and really impressed with the hospitality of all the Arabic people there, whether they're tourists or locals. And I was trying to say, like, you know, I had to spend so much time there, like that's how it is wherever you go, especially as a single woman traveling. Everywhere you go, you will you will not be permitted to travel and eat and drink alone. Someone will always bring you into their group. It's just the culture there. Yeah, I had assumed that she had done more traveling internationally for these things, but it was kind of her first trip over, so she was really taken aback. But that's really par for the course. So whether you're watching Itchy Boots or one of these famous people, you will see wherever they go, they're always welcomed in in that part of the world. And uh, I was really happy that she had such a positive experience.

SPEAKER_06 47:14

Yeah. I was at the beginning there, I was gonna launch in and say, Do you know this from when you dress as a woman in trouble?

SPEAKER_05 47:20

The world Yeah, yeah. A big ugly hairy woman. People are like, oh my god, this is clearly someone with some sort of debilitating hair disease.

SPEAKER_06 47:29

We should take her in. She needs help. No, but you're right. The um the experiences, it's it's always that way. People are just nice. You just gotta like, you know, that's why motorcycles give us that exposure, is because you're in it. You're not tucked away behind a windshield in a in a in a steel box. It's like you put yourself out there, you're vulnerable, and that that um and people recognize that and they want to protect people, they want to take care of people, and especially show them a good time in their in their country and show them that it's safe.

Rally News

SPEAKER_05 47:59

Yeah, absolutely. Um let's do some canon ball nudes. All right, let's roll it. And because you are coming and uh helping out with the 2026 America's rally, we can invite a few more people that are on the waiting list into the rally. So it's gonna be a kind of a preview of what's gonna happen in 2027 moving forward. So in 2027 moving forward, we're gonna have two classes of entries. Andy from last year has designated everyone who is in the pro class of the wing nuts. So we're gonna call them the wing nuts. So we're gonna have pro class. Pro class is everyone who wants to, who's interested in getting the first to arrive bonuses daily. So in the future, you'll pay a small little premium and you will be on the starting grid, and you will leave at your assigned time, and you will be eligible to get the first to arrive. And then we'll have the mile crusher cra class. Sorry, mile crusher class. And uh, someone should have came up with a better name, but uh and then they will just leave after the wing nuts have left, and they will be eligible to get any award. There's no change in their status as far as getting awards going or the prestige of it all. It's just we're able to get more people on the starting grid. That's really the motivation here. Is when you have 60, 65, 70 people starting, it's impossible to have you know the morning flow smoothly. So starting in 2027, and we'll partially implement that just to test it in 2026 because you're gonna be there will be those two separate classes. Yeah, I don't know if that makes sense, but tell me if uh if I was able to communicate that correctly.

SPEAKER_06 49:48

Yeah, no, I think it makes great sense. So we essentially got the people who want to potentially win the whole thing, and you got people who are there with their teams or with their groups who want to ride with their friends, and um, they can go come off in the in the mile crusher class. So that makes sense. Two tranches, because it goes to the point where if everyone comes off at their time, meaning you know, number one goes on the start times at eight, number one will go off at eight oh one, and then so on. But if you have 70 people on the line, now we're talking at 70 minutes past the hour. So we're talking about an hour and ten minutes. So at 910, the 70th rider goes off. So that's a long time for a start. So if you if you send them off the first group on their time and the second tranche goes off as one group, then people can ride ride their own ride and ride with their friends. That makes it easier.

SPEAKER_05 50:36

Yeah, and to be clear, the second group can get any award. So there is a circumstance that, you know, if it won't happen, but uh if one of the wing nuts uh doesn't, you know, there's there is a mathematical chance that someone who leaves in the second group in the mile crusher class can win overall. But anyways, the the fact of the matter is it would be near impossible. But the feedback I'm getting from people is that you know, they're not interested in that, anyways. They're really interested in checkpoint crusher award, they're really interested in the Rough Rider Award, and everyone's interested in finishing, because that's really the big goal here. It's just finishing the damn thing because it's just it's just so challenging. So anyway, so we're gonna do proof of concept in uh uh this year, and because you're coming, I'm gonna allow some more entries from the wait list.

SPEAKER_06 51:22

Yeah, great. You know, I just want to say about the the mathematical probability of someone actually from the uh second tranche, the mile crusher class actually winning it's like there's always somebody in that bottom right hand square of the Mendel box, right? There's you know Hallbikes. How are people getting their bikes to or from? Is it just from, Aaron? Is it just from?

SPEAKER_05 51:45

It's just from. So at the finish line, Hall Bikes is sending a tractor trailer that they'll pick up the next day. I'll be there handling it. I just want to remind everyone, please sign up for Hallbikes, because if we don't have at least uh, you know, the appropriate amount, you know, they're not gonna show up. So it's a great deal. It's super cheap, it's insured. I'm gonna be there and I'm gonna handle your bikes. So please call Hallbikes if you're thinking about it and do it sooner rather than later so we all don't get nervous. So it's just a friendly reminder.

SPEAKER_06 52:11

All right, well done. I'm nervous.

SPEAKER_05 52:14

It's all good. And then I wanted to mention because we are getting closer to the discounted hotel rooms selling out. Uh, they are first come, first served. Uh some of the rooms did sell out on that discounted rate, and I called the hotels and they graciously added some more rooms. So I am I am able to do that where available, depending on the size of the hotel and what their bookings are. So please, if you haven't booked your hotel rooms, please take advantage of those discounted rates.

SPEAKER_06 52:43

That makes sense. I can see at some point down the road when it's like, yeah, we booked up these three hotels, and um the whole city is moved. It's like moving 35,000 people into a motorcycle show for uh in into a city that only, you know, doubles the actual population over the weekend by hosting a motorcycle show there. It'd be the same thing, like this moving motorcycle show across the country.

SPEAKER_05 53:06

And it's kind of my vision that uh eventually as we allow more people in to the rally that and have more help, more permanent help, we can do like a gumball 3000 start every day. So we can have the local government involved, we can have local law enforcement involved, and we can start taking over several hotels in the area, and then we can have a start line somewhere, you know, we can close down a road or something. So we're not there yet. You know, I'm very conservative about you know expectations and delivering a good product, but it is my vision to take over several hotels in these towns and have a proper Gumball 3000 type of start.

SPEAKER_06 53:44

That's cool. Um I see our notes here um about 2027. And it was interesting when I was at the the um one of the vendor booths at the actual motorcycle show. This guy came up, he started talking to Robert, and Robert's like, and the guy's like, Hey, I saw this is all in Swedish, and he's like, Hey, you know, your video was fantastic. I saw this, I saw your movie, he said I thought that was really great. And uh he was referring to the the cannibal uh movie that Robert had done. And then Robert looks at me and he says, He uh he is he's part of that whole craziness that goes on there, and he has the podcast with Aaron, and the guy's like, dude, I had a whole handful of stickers, so I give him a sticker and he goes, I want I I I want to do that. And I was like, Well, dude, sign up. And he's like, Well, what's tell me more about the 2027? And um, and he's like, I want to do 20, I want to do the one this year. And I was like, Yeah, well, you could get yourself on the wait list, but it's interesting because people see Robert, and then as he said in the uh in the in the the sh in the uh field notes, is that people are super excited about the cannibal as a result of that coming out, and because it is what it is.

SPEAKER_05 54:48

Absolutely, and so I've been working diligently. Now I'm done with that stupid book. Uh that's a great book. I know, but I'm like, I'm just I'm over, I'm over. It was so much it was so much work. You have no idea. Anyways, so uh hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.

SPEAKER_06 55:03

Hold on one minute. Everybody that we interviewed over the course of the past three seasons that talked about writing a book. What is the one thing that they said? And I'm thinking about uh Jordan, I'm thinking about Lyndon. What did they say about it?

SPEAKER_05 55:21

Never again.

SPEAKER_06 55:22

Okay, so you had fair warning, sir.

SPEAKER_05 55:25

Absolutely, but now I'm gonna get a tattoo that says never again.

SPEAKER_06 55:33

Look, I thought your book was fantastic.

SPEAKER_05 55:35

Yeah, anyways, we'll see if it's a big flop or not, or uh people enjoy it. We'll see. We'll see. So, anyways, back to uh reality. So 2027, I just finished essentially the backbone. I'm gonna because it's so much work, I'm gonna publish the backbone route. But do not be fooled, because the backbone route is only just over 5,000 kilometers from uh Tarifa to the tip of Denmark. But I'm gonna be a little bit creative with the checkpoints. So um don't be fooled by that low mileage. But I will publish that and we will start taking sign-ups as soon as the weekend or the next day, and I'll be adding more information as that goes on. I've been having really positive feedback from like the Wards Banquet facility that we found. We're even gonna have an after party like with camping and things like that at a motorcycle club. Uh I've had great feedback from this awesome hotel and casino in uh in Denmark. So uh yeah, it's gonna be great. I just wanted to mention that when you're looking at the mileage, the last day is gonna look a little short, but the off-road portion has some beach riding, which is slow for people to do. And I want to make sure that everyone can be at the uh awards banquet cleaned up and ready to go by 6 p.m. So you know, I know people always have questions about that when they first see the route. So when you see the route, it's just a backbone, and the last day is short because of that reason. And there are a few days that look kind of short, kind of through France. It's because it's just farmland. But when you see the checkpoints, you'll understand that it really is just a backbone for those people that have just had enough and they just want to go to the hotel and not get the checkpoints. So it's more of a it's more of a central backbone and not and not the actual route. But I hope to have that published and up accepting signups uh by Monday or Tuesday.

SPEAKER_06 57:38

Very nice, very nice. And uh for those of you who don't lead your lives in kilometers, that is 5,000 kilometers is uh 3,100 miles.

SPEAKER_05 57:50

Yeah, and it's gonna be a lot more. If you take the optional off-road routes, which admittedly are gonna be a little easier this first year in Europe, just I don't I don't scare people away. But if you do that and you get the checkpoints, and if you get the extreme checkpoints, you could tack on another thousand miles easily. So uh so yeah, prepare your tires, gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, because it's gonna be a big one.

SPEAKER_06 58:11

Nice, very cool.

SPEAKER_05 58:12

Uh Taylor, do you mind doing reading some of the uh new signups and wait lists?

SPEAKER_06 58:17

Happily. All right, new signups, and that is for the Americas. That is for the North America that starts in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and ends in Monterey, California. Correct. Yeah, yes, sir. You know, got so so much going on here, I gotta keep track, you know, gotta make sure we're talking about the right one now.

SPEAKER_02 58:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 58:34

Look, just think, like in in a couple of years, we're having this conversation to be like, okay, new signups for this rally, new signups for this rally. We have to like lay it all out.

SPEAKER_05 58:43

Yeah, you know, I started doing this because the original reason for doing this was to tell listeners that it's really happening, guys. Like I'm not just making this up, but now it's more just to say thank you and to uh to show recognition to the people that have entrusted me with their money and most importantly their time. So this is more of a way of saying thank you for signing up.

SPEAKER_06 59:02

And for new signups, we have Drew from Gillette, Wyoming on his 1300 GSA, Kurt Frazi from Antonito in Spanish, Antonito, Colorado on his 1200 GSA, and he will join Team Cincinnati. Hilo Mania. I gotta think there must be some reference to helicopter piloting in there. Hilomania, maybe not, from Atlanta, Georgia on his Himalayan 450. All right, we know that bike, Aaron.

SPEAKER_05 59:30

Yeah, we sure do. I'm happy to see a 450 uh sign up. So that's a great example of he's gonna love the off-road portions. He's gonna tear it up, but he's gonna hate that bike when he's doing a slab day. But you know, this is the beauty of the ADV cannonball. There is no right bike, and I love the argument at the pub at night and which one is the right bike. So I just so happy to see a Himalayan 450 in the rally.

SPEAKER_06 59:57

And for our fourth new sign-up, we have Timothy Maynard from Huntley, Illinois on his KTM 1290 SAS. What's SAS stand for, Aaron?

SPEAKER_05 1:00:07

I think it's super adventure something sport, maybe I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:10

Super Adventure Sport. It's not like he's not like an SAS British killer. He's not a he's not like a trained mercenary with a golden heart.

MUSIC - She Said Stay

SPEAKER_05 1:00:16

No, no, no. And then I'm not sure you can see the last one there. And Axel from Frankfurt, Germany. He is on the wait list on his 1250 GSA. And I might give him a call and see if he wants to join the rally in the Mile Crusher class because he has indicated that he is there for the adventure.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:32

All hell the algorithm gods. A special thanks to our Patreon supporters. You're keeping this dig and chip afloat. Thanks for listening to the ATV Cannonball Podcast. Keep your right hand cranked and your feet on the peg.