Dezert People 1 & 2Not everyone is interested in creeping along at 2 mph on the rocks, or spinning big tires in the mud until you're stuck to your frame in goo. In fact, once you get out to the deserts of the southwest you start seeing trucks that are meant to haul ass across the sand with suspensions that laugh at deep whoops and big rocks. If you want to get a taste of what all these flat-billers (that's SoCal slang for the trucker-hat-wearing desert race fans) are into, just get your hands on the Dezert People or Dezert People Second Lap DVDs or videotapes. You will quickly want to sell the farm and kids to finance your own Trophy Truck and head out to the dry, desolate places to hammer down.
With rocking music and insane trucks these vids are a pure delight to watch. The camera angles are everywhere from under the frame, outside the trucks, in the cabs, and mounted to a helicopter over the races. Plus, there is some great footage of amateurs just having a blast jumping their 4x4s and motorbikes. The Second Lap video is a bit more dialed in than the first, but we recommend getting both. Also check their Web site for two new videos coming out soon. Purchases can be done online, or call them and they'll hook you up with a distributor.
Haulin' Or Crawlin'We get to a ton of rockcrawling competitions, and the guys from RP Films are at nearly every one of them as well. Fat Pat Gallagher and his crew of punk-rock cameramen have been releasing new DVDs and tapes every six months or so, and their latest, Haulin' or Crawlin', has some good times captured. If you want to see many of the tube buggys and crazy competitors you have read about in this magazine in action, then the RP films are a must-have. In addition, they captured tons of good ol' weekend wheeling action from major trails like Moab, Fordyce, and the Rubicon.
Now we will mention to all you parents that some of the exploits can get on the racy edge (can you say mud wrestling?), but nothing that a PG-13 rating wouldn't show. Plus, if you are not into heavy rock music, then you might want to watch this with the volume down. We can say we dug the action and the punk kid antics that pop up throughout the video, but there were a few times when watching guys bouncing in place while attempting to climb a hill, or the slow technical maneuvering of rigs, got old. Of course, if you haven't had a chance to check out the amazing feats some of these trick tube machines can do firsthand, then this would be a great video for you.