Approach Angle – 156
By Budd Stanley
You may have noticed that there is a new name at the head of this page. Don’t worry, our fearless leader, Perry Mack, is still holding fast at the helm, however, I’ve joined the 4WDrive family as the new Managing Editor to help handle the extra load and grow this magazine into the finest in off-road print entertainment and information this side of the 49th. And it’s a good thing too, as Big Mack had his hands full down in SEMA as you will soon see. Yes the dogs were barking as he covered nearly a million square-feet of convention grounds to judge the New Products Showcase, chatting up all the big players to ensure we feed you the latest and greatest in off-road gear and filled his memory card with some of the gnarliest projects to grace Vegas. SEMA was bigger than ever, and that will show in our coverage as a fair chunk of this issue is dedicated to the craziness that is SEMA.
However, let me start by introducing myself to you. A B.C. boy born and bred, I’ve been a gearhead and adventure junky since the first day I took possession of my driver’s license. I love just about every facet of the automotive industry, racing, sports cars, classic restoration and of course wheeling. I’ve restored many old Toyota’s, VW’s and even a Volvo or two. I’ve screamed through the forests and rolled off cliffs in the Canadian Rally Championship and Western Canadian Rally Championship, raced on ice, gravel, mud and tarmac and even conquered the Nurburgring.
Now I will admit, my wheeling experience is not as strong as other automotive hobbies I’ve had, but make no mistake that I am a passionate and dedicated lover of taking a 4WD vehicle deep into the unknown, or at least as unfamiliar as I can get. I have had the privilege of experiencing Moab during the Easter Jeep Safari, the Texas rocky country and I’m scratching the surface of what BC and the rest of Canada has to offer. I was lucky enough to be apart of a Guinness World Record Expedition in 2012, where I piloted a Nissan Patrol from the North-East of Australia, through the Outback, across the Nullarbor desert to the West Coast as the ground crew for a team of Paramotorists who achieved the longest flight record at over 8,000-kilometres cross country. Likely the most epic adventure yet for me with many excursions into the bush to retrieve the pilots that would sometimes fall out of the air unannounced.
For those who would question my allegiances, brand wise, I will say that I am a fan of most make and models of all terrain vehicles, although I may be partial to old Suzuki Samurais and Toyota’s of the Land Cruiser persuasion. Especially rugged 70-series turbo diesels, one of which got me out of a very sticky situation during record floods down in Oz.
However, enough of me, this issue is about looking forward, turning over a new leaf for the New Year. As I mentioned, Perry will have us up to date with the latest offerings from the aftermarket, while I had the pleasure of getting some of Land Rovers most glamorous utes dirty. Ram are sporting a new diesel engine in the 1500 and as usual our team of wheelers are getting their hands dirty under their rigs, some more successful than others.
Looking ahead, we have big plans here at 4WD. We are now upping the issues from six to eight, which means more drives, more trails, more builds and who knows, I seem to be getting a Guinness itch once again. While my duties have me confined to a computer for far too often, I do hope to get out to as many drives, shows, events and expeditions as possible and look forward to meeting as many of our loyal readers as I can. I hope you all enjoy this bigger version of 4WDrive Magazine, and keep the emails and Facebook posts coming in. Until next issue, keep wheeling and enjoy the snow.