MONSTER ENERGY INTERVIEW: BJ BALDWIN

Online, he’s even giving the Head Hoonigan in Charge a run for his money; with his jaw-dropping RECOIL series of edits hauling in over 24 million views. In between events, the 36-year old Las Vegas resident, hangs out in his workshop nicknamed ‘The Lab’ – prepping his infamous 1979 Chevy Blazer pre-runner, and thinking up new ways to crank-up the horsepower on his competition trucks. We caught up with BJ, just after completing a fresh round of testing in the Nevada desert to get his thoughts on the season ahead, his motivations to keep racing, and Doonies 2.

Monster Energy: Thanks for taking the time to talk. How are things going?  BJ: You’re welcome; things have been great. We’ve been testing and working hard on some video projects over the last few months, so it’s been a pretty good winter season.

You took a lead role in the Doonies 2 edit that dropped on new years day, how was shredding at Glamis?  Glamis was a lot of fun – I go to out to the dunes at Glamis three times a year, and I usually take the trophy truck one of those times. It’s good to go out there and hang out with all my fellow Monster athletes, you know? We had a good time for sure!

The edits have pulled in a whole new audience outside of the USA, from Europe and beyond. For new fans possibly unfamiliar with you and truck racing – what inspired you to go racing, and why did you pick off-road as a discipline?  I’ve always liked fast cars and motorsport since I was a kid, off-road racing is an entirely different type of motorsport, and it adds another dimension entirely than [on-road] racing – and I think it’s a lot more difficult in many ways. I’ve always been fascinated by how the trucks on the Baja can carry such huge speed over really rough terrain. I started racing in 1997, and I haven’t looked back since.

What’s in store for you this season (in terms of your race program)?  This season I’m aiming to win another championship. I’m racing in series from two different sanctioned bodies [race-series], and I’ve also got another few projects in the works – so watch out for those. It’s going to be a really exciting year.

Can you tell us what tweaks/changes your truck has for 2016?  We’ve made some changes to the chassis of this year’s truck, to lower where the engine sits. We’ve also increased the horsepower, and modified some aspects of the suspension, so it will get better traction. Monster Athletes compete in the SCORE 250 race in Imperial Valley. a hot truck close-up  Away from competition, what else have you been working on in the lab?  In the lab we prep all the pre-runners and race trucks, so it’s been a busy time. Right now we are building a new street truck. It’s going to be like a pre-runner only it’ll be a seven seater! When it’s finished it’ll be a real big diesel truck.

What are your thoughts on taking on the Dakar Rally again?  I’d absolutely love to take on the Dakar again, but if I did, it would have to be with a real high-budget professional team. I’ve done the Dakar three times, and I’d really want to step it up if I went back. BJ Baldwin films the third installment of Recoil. What do you think sets you apart from other drivers in your category?  I’m different from other drivers, because I think I’m a little bit physically and mentally stronger. I last a lot longer than the other drivers. Take the Baja 1000 for example; most of the teams have two or three drivers taking it in turns; whereas I will do the whole race single handedly.

What motivates you to keep winning and pushing yourself in competition?  Just winning and pushing to be the best. Always pushing myself to be at the top of my sport is a feeling that’s indescribable. I enjoy the sport, and I enjoy off-road racing, and I just want to keep on competing and winning championships. It’s very important to me personally. BJ Baldwin films the third installment of Recoil. Thanks for your time – we look forward to seeing you in action again this season!  I’ll hopefully be over in Europe this summer – we will see how it goes. It’s always a blast to take on new challenges, so I hope I can get out there.