Episode 869 – Tom 4FestEvents.com Interview

Tom’s career began after college in auto sales and continued on to leadership roles and ownership of two powersports dealerships. That led to action-packed pure industry experience planning countless successful large-scale motorsports events for both two and four wheels.

As the founder and President of Z Performance, Tom executes automotive and powersports media events handling creation, marketing, and on-site execution. Tom is also the creator of the Detroit, Minnesota, and Texas 4Fest events and the Director of Business Development for RevDigital providing unique digital marketing tools and insight to powersports OEMs and dealers across the United States and Canada. Tom is fueled by 40+ years of motocross, off-road racing and outdoor fun.

Tom was born and bred in the Detroit area and continues to spend most of his time in the Motor City with his wife and two wonderful kids that all share the passion for motorsports and the outdoor lifestyle.

Tom currently splits his time between many locations around the country working with fantastic clients like Jeep, Ford, Fox, RedBull and many others to bring the adventure lifestyle to life.

Interview only

Off-Roading and Community at Detroit Four Fest

Tom Zelensky is a lifetime offroader and former racer

Tony: Uh, boys and girls, it’s time for another Jeep Talk Show interview. And tonight, we’re going to be talking with Tom Zelensky. He is a lifetime offroader, off road event creator and operator, tread ah lightly, board member, former racer of many things. I’m assuming this was legal racing, Tom. And you don’t have to incriminate yourself if you don’t want to. And supporter ah, of all things off road. Tom, thanks a lot for being on here. Do you know it has been been almost a year since you were on for the first time?

Tom Z.: Has it really? Honestly, I didn’t think that it had been that long. Uh, if we can circle back just for a minute to your question.

Tony: Sure.

Tom Z.: In the United States, uh, there is a thing where you don’t have to incriminate yourself. So, uh, perhaps in my youth, there were things that would not have been viewed well by the authorities.

Tony: Well, there’s a statute of limitations, right? As long as there wasn’t a murder or death involved, none of that.

Tom Z.: But perhaps, um, there may have been some speed laws that were violated at some point or something like that.

Tony: Well, if they didn’t want you to break them, they wouldn’t set limits, right? I mean, it’s all part of the game.

Tom Z.: There you go.

Tony: I was telling somebody the other day I had a, uh, 72 Nova that I dropped a 327 in. Uh, and I learned the reason why Chevy came out with four bolt mains. Uh, after, uh, a few runs in that 327, I was so sad. I was so poor, and it was all I could do to afford to make a 327 in there. But anyway, uh, I told them, I said, well, you don’t go fast for a long period of time, you accelerate. That’s. The most fun anyway for me was that acceleration, that feeling of the torque and moving you along. And I would do, uh, a burst of speed and then slow down. My, uh, thought process was, well, the cop may see you, but by the time he realizes what’s going on, unless he’s real close to you, you’re already back to the speed limit. So it’s just like, what are they going to do?

Tom Z.: I may not have always been that fortunate, uh, to be back at the speed limit, but that’s another story. By the way, my first car, 74 Nova SS. So fond memories there.

Tony: See, mine was not an SS. Uh, this isn’t an interview for me, but I’ll tell you real quick, give you a better idea who I am. So, uh, I actually dropped that 327 Nova into a 73 Pontiac Ventura, my first vehicle. And, uh, one of the pistons had cratered, so I replaced the piston in it and I took it out for a test drive. Dumb ass 18 year old took it out for a test drive. I got it up to 130, maybe more, because that’s as far as the uh, speedometer went on the Ventura. Uh, and the Ventura, if nobody knows it’s just a Nova, it’s the same thing as the 73 Nova. A little bit different grille. And, uh, this dumb ass pulled over in front of me. I mean, what was he thinking doing the speed limit on that three lane, uh, road drum brakes, too, I bet. Absolutely. And I stood on it, and I literally bent the steering wheel when I ran into the back of them. I think I got it down to 80 before I ran into the back of that, um, Monte Carlo. Uh, yeah. Was not injured. My, uh, passenger was not injured. I was sore and, uh, totaled the Ventura. So I took that 327 out, put it in a 72 Nova that I bought from a neighbor down the street for five, uh, think is what it was. And it was a beautiful Nova. I did not crash that one. So I learned my lesson.

Tom Z.: There you go. Mature decision making.

Tony: Well, uh, I actually got into trucks than Jeeps because somebody was going to die. I love going fast, and I actually still go fast, but it’s easier not to go fast in a truck or a Jeep. Um, I think I would be in a really bad situation if I was, uh, in was it America’s Most Wanted, uh, Jeep? There, uh, in your neck of the woods.

Tom Z.: Funny, I was in one yesterday.

Tony: I bet you that’s a bad thing for you. You sound like you’re a speed demon, too.

Tom Z.: Once. Um, again, we leave a lot of this stuff on set. All I can tell you is that, uh, I have had the great opportunity jared and I were together yesterday, so I’ve had the great opportunity to be in, uh, many America’s Most Wanted, uh, Jeeps.

Tony: And there’s lots I didn’t realize that you guys were that close. I had a great interview with him, uh, a few months back. He was very interesting. I suggested and I don’t think they’ve done it yet, but I suggested they get Tim Allen in one of those things just so they could license the grunt for, uh, their social media stuff.

Tom Z.: Yeah. Um, well, interesting story with Jared, his original shop. They’re in a new shop now, but, uh, going back, our shops are separated by about 200 yards. So literally, neighbors and so they still operate some stuff out of the original shop. And so I see the guys all the time and had lunch with, uh, Jared yesterday while doing some fun offroading activities.

Tony: So that would be a really hard thing for me if I was 200 yards away and they crank something up and I go, oh, that’s a different sound. I got to go check that out.

Tom Z.: Shiny thing right down the street.

Tony: Yes, exactly. Get no work done at all.

Aria put on an awesome corporate event where people offroaded

Tony: Were you guys out at Holly Oaks doing this testing that you’re talking about?

Tom Z.: Yeah. And it wasn’t so much testing. Uh, I was putting on um, an awesome corporate event uh, for the team at Aria, the parent company, to um, so we were out there and Armor Light supplies stuff uh, to uh, America’s Most Wanted, of course. And uh, Jared and a couple of the team members decided to uh, uh, come partake in our corporate day. Uh, our version of corporate days are very different than most other companies. Uh, but uh, it was great, uh, to have everybody from Arbor Light out there and got a lot of people out offroading that had never been offroading, which is super important. A little off road 101 stuff. It was really good mhm.

Tony: So uh, uh, that’s got to be a lot of fun. You guys are in the wrong part of the country for me. You need to be down here in Southeast Texas. I absolutely would get nothing done because I’d be going, come on, can I go? Can I go? I’ll be quiet. There’s a lot of interesting things up there.

Tom Z.: Yeah, there’s always a little extra space here around the office. We could carve out a little uh, spot for you and you can come on up here, but uh, that uh, might interfere with the rest of your life.

Tony: Oh, of course. I know it would, but uh, yeah, I could do a Les Nessman thing, put some tape on the floor and have an office type thing. That’s great. Thank you for that.

Chris: Jeep has hired Jim Morrison as its new off road guru

Tony: So uh, speaking of Holly Oaks, uh, I’m m going to tell you something you already know, I’m sure. Did you know that there now is a Jeep honor badge for the Holly Oaks RV Park?

Tom Z.: Well, that’s actually a couple of years old. I may, uh, have had something to do with that. Tried to push that agenda forward, as you know. Well, the last time I was on it was, uh, Jim Morrison and I were on and uh, so very grateful that we get to speak uh, frequently and even more grateful that we get to go off roading together fairly frequently. And of course, coming up here shortly, we’ll have several uh, days of off roading together at Detroit forfest so uh.

Tony: I’ve never met Jim. Uh, Chris, our, uh, event, our guest coordinator, uh, has met him a few times. Uh, and uh, speaking with Jim last year when you were on, uh, I think I’ve got a good feel, uh, for Jim and man, what a great guy and what an offroader, which doesn’t, you don’t necessarily have to be a great guy and a good offroader, but he really gets it, as do you. As far as the off road, uh.

Tom Z.: Community goes, well, um, boy this is a good one, but there’s a lot of people that could head up a brand. Right, right. Uh, throughout the history of automotive, there’s been a lot of people that have headed up brands that you kind of huh, I wonder if that guy really gets it. I wonder if he actually does the things. There’s been people that have headed up performance brands and not really ever had any driving skills or performance driving or anything. And Jim is a bona fide genuine off roader, uh, and really um um, is true to the Jeep brand. And jeez, I don’t know what would happen if he ever left. So uh, I’ve already told Jim he’s not allowed to retire ever.

Tony: It just makes me feel so good. And I think I mentioned this, I’ve mentioned it several times. It just makes me feel so good. Uh, nothing’s going to dissuade me from liking Jeep, but it makes me feel great that knowing somebody that’s in the upper parts of the Jeep management is a jeeper is an off roader, uh, and uh, it just feels like the way it should be. And it’s exactly what you said. I mean, I had no idea who Jim was or how he felt about things, but after talking to him, I was like, well, this guy’s just like me. Uh, he’s just a lot more.

Tom Z.: So to that end, uh, I think particularly with a brand that’s very enthusiast oriented, it’s absolutely vital that you have an enthusiast as part of you know, look, if you’re selling, uh, and I certainly don’t mean this as anything negative against Hyundai or Kia, but if you’re selling appliances, transportation, uh, appliances, I don’t know that you have to have a huge level of enthusiasm. But if you’re associated with a brand that’s all about enthusiasm and lifestyle and has its very own culture, uh, boy, you better be part of that culture and it better be authentic because they’ll sniff out fake attempts at culture every time.

Tony: Yeah, absolutely.

You attended Toleda Jeep Fest this past weekend, weren’t you

Tony: Speaking uh, of uh, sniffing out, you were uh, Toleda Jeep Fest this past weekend, weren’t you?

Tom Z.: Yeah, of course uh, always go down to support that love uh, all the folks associated with that. Um, uh, although um, it’s not a forefest style of event where there’s off roading, uh, they definitely do a great job of bringing the community together and lots of aspects of the community. Uh, and it’s really know, obviously Toledo being the home of Jeep and the, it’s the right location for that activity. And uh, golly went down, saw lots of our sponsors and vendors and stuff and just had a great time with everybody and ran into the JTS. Crew as well.

Tony: Yeah, I know you did and I appreciate that. It was nice because it’s kind of like they get a little bit of um uh, a bonus for being out there helping support the show, getting uh, to meet people like yourself.

There was a snafu on the picture taking at the Toledo plant

Tony: So did you hear about the snafu on the picture taking in front of the Jeep sign uh, down there at the Toledo plant?

Tom Z.: Wait, no, I didn’t hear anything about that. What happened?

Tony: So they sent out the address for everybody that had, I uh, guess, uh, had donated to the charity so they could get their picture taken and they left off a zero. So I think it was supposed to be 4000, uh, whatever the street address was. And it was 400, uh, Chris told me that the, uh, 400 apparently was in front of some crack houses. My question was, did they still do the take the picture?

Tom Z.: Why wouldn’t you?

Tony: Yeah, several other people were there late, about 30 minutes late, because they went to the crack house first. But, uh, they weren’t complaining.

Tom Z.: Yeah, that could have gone off the rails very quickly, couldn’t it?

Tony: Yeah, it really could, but I thought it was hilarious, especially with Chris telling me, uh, it’s a crack house, which I’m sure he was just joking.

Tom Z.: Um, Chris didn’t tell me about that part.

Tony: Now you got some ammo?

Tom Z.: Oh, yeah, that’ll be good.

Tony: It would be like, oh, no, where did you hear about that? That’ll be that.

Toledo Jeep Fest needs an honor badge for its parade

Tony: And, uh, speaking of Toledo Jeep Fest, I don’t know, I’m sure I’ve mentioned this to you before. Uh, if not, I need to, because I really want to see this happening. I think it’s a great idea. It probably goes against some sort of rules and stuff, but anyway, so I believe I recommended this last year, uh, on an interview I did with Whitney of Toleda Jeep Fest, uh, that the parade needs an honor badge. It needs a Jeep honor badge. That’s a great tie in between Jeep and the whole honor badge trail, uh, thing. And I also suggested you mentioned you don’t do off road type things at Toledo Jeep Fest. I mentioned to, uh, Jerry, uh, that maybe they shouldn’t fill in the potholes there on the parade route. It could be a combination of an honor badge and an off road think.

Tom Z.: Although I certainly don’t speak for the Jeep brand, uh, regarding badge of honor stuff, but I think that it actually has to be a legitimate, uh, trail and not just one of the northern Ohio or Southern Michigan bad roads, although there’s an abundance of those.

Tony: That’s what I’m saying. There’s probably rules. There’s probably rules, but I thought it was a really cool know and you could actually get a badge, an honor badge for being in the parade, the Toledo Jeep Fest parade. But anyway, uh, I figured if anybody could do something about that, you could. So, uh, we’ll see how that evolves in the future. But I know what you mean. It probably does need to be an off road type event.

Tom Z.: I told Jerry, uh, we could make the main road, uh, in downtown Toledo into an off road course, but there seems to be, uh, a bit of a budgeting problem and perhaps some of the city folks weren’t as enamored with that as we might have been.

Tony: Well, see, they should be Jeepers. They should be on board with that from the very start because Jeep is a big thing for Toledo. Uh, I’m m sorry, that’s just the way I see it.

Tom Z.: We could give off road 101 lessons to everyone.

Tony: There you go.

Jim Morrison: Very few places in the United States have legitimate off road parks

Tony: All right, so uh you have a Toledo, not uh, Toledo you have a Detroit forefest uh, event coming up here very soon at the uh, aforementioned Holly Oaks ORV park. And that’s in Holly, Michigan, is that correct?

Tom Z.: Yeah. Um, and a lot of people that are familiar with that area um, it’s not in downtown Holly, uh, it’s next to the Mount Holly Ski Resort and so a lot of people say, uh, well I’ve been in Holly, we were at the hotel and we ate at this restaurant or something. I never saw an off road park. Uh, Holly is a big place but uh, it is direct access off of I 75 and it’s one of very few locations around the United States that are in an urban suburban center that have a legitimate off road park. It is not a couple of bumps and so on. It’s very big climbing features and we just had a big tire event out there and um, guys uh, had to have a minimum of so on so yeah uh there’s a lot of stuff that is extreme level of challenge and then lots of stuff for beginners and learners as well.

Tony: M well that’s the big I’m sure it’s a great park and everything but like you say, very few places can say we’re close to can. That’s kind of the downside. I uh, mean I thought Texas uh, would be just wide open and then I came to find out whenever I got my first Jeep. It’s all fenced, it’s all owned and fenced. There is not open areas to go off road. I have to drive at least an hour to go off road and that’s crappy offroading and then I have to drive 3 hours if I want to have some decent offroading and then it’s 20 hours to moab. Uh, so things a drive so when you can buy a Jeep and outfit it and that’s the important thing when you’re adding stuff to your Jeep you want to get out there and try it out and if you got something that’s an hour, 30 minutes, 20 minutes from your house that’s just wonderful.

Tom Z.: Well A, you’re likely to do so more frequently. Uh, for those that are already Jeep enthusiasts and second for those that are new to it and maybe they’ve bought a Wrangler and haven’t even discovered how to put it into four wheel drive yet. Mhm, but it gives them an outlet to go have this experience and maybe they love it or some people go out and say that was the silliest thing I’ve ever done, I got all muddy, what was I thinking? Uh, but I can tell you yesterday we had 60 plus people that had never been offroading and 45 of them walked away. Big enthusiasts.

Tony: Uh, I think so. Yeah, I think so. And it’s just that uh, getting them over the hump, it’s a bit scary. And I think it’s easy to say, no, I don’t want to do that because it’s an unknown. Uh, so kudos to those people that actually will go out and try those things. Uh, and uh, I’ll mention really quick, uh, it’s not just the people that have never put it in four wheel drive. It’s a bit scary because if you’ve got a new JL or JT and you try to put it in four wheel drive, you don’t want to go. It’s really hard when you first get it. You got to jerk all that thing.

Tom Z.: Yeah. I ah, think the thing that I hear most frequently, uh, whether it’s at Detroit Fourfest or any of our four fest events or just out at Holly Oaks, um, the thing I hear most frequently is well, I need to drive this on Monday. I got to go to work. This is my daily driver and there’s a lot you can do and not have to turn your vehicle into a rock buggy. Um, and have an extremely capable daily driver.

Tony: Absolutely.

Tom Z.: Uh, so uh, we try to teach that and uh, make that a focal point. Um, and really get people uh, to come out and enjoy it and give it a shot. And like with Detroit forfest, it’s the perfect opportunity for those that maybe are not this core of offroaders. We know all of them are coming to Detroit forefest already. But the people that maybe aren’t can come out, see it, experience some things, take an off road 101 lesson. Um, we were talking about Jim Morrison here’s, the head of the Jeep brand at the event, out talking with consumers and um, it can make a lot of people into enthusiasts that maybe never had that intention.

Tony: And m correct me if I’m wrong, jim’s not out there selling vehicles, he’s out there having fun talking to customers and potential customers because he enjoys the off road and the Jeep brand.

Tom Z.: Well, I’ll take that a step further and I hope Jim listens to this too many times. We’re trying to wrestle Jim into doing some media stuff or whatever and he’s ah, I gotta hop in. This Jeep headed out, some guys are out on the hill, I’m going to go check it out. And you’re like, but hang on, Jim, uh, he’s gone.

Tony: Well uh, Jim’s got it straight. He’s got his priorities in order.

Tom Z.: Priorities?

Tony: Yeah. Oh, and speaking of priorities, uh, uh, I don’t think I’m telling anything bad here. Uh, have you stopped uh, letting broncos out there at that off road park? Because Jim doesn’t like that.

Tom Z.: No, jim doesn’t like it. Uh, but I will say this. Jim has definitely come to accept that um, the marketplace has expanded. There are more people interested in off road. There are more people interested in being out there doing things and I think that’s wonderful, no matter what the brand is. And it certainly, I uh, think is going to prove to be a wonderful thing for the Jeep brand over the.

Tony: Long haul, I think for the Jeep consumers. Uh, it already has been. I mean, I have got no way of knowing this, but I feel that’s the reason why we finally got a V Eight and a Wrangler. And I suspect that’s why we’ve gotten several things. 35 inch uh, tires directly from the other factory. Uh, just uh, all kinds of fun stuff that uh, Jeep is uh don’t get me wrong, I think that internal Jeep has been talking about doing this for years, but it’s much safer to be conservative. But when you have somebody else coming along now, it’s a little easier to talk to people that are uh, keeping you conservative to maybe do a little bit more on the edge. And again, it’s just my thought on the process.

Tom Z.: Yeah, well, it’s undeniable that it’s a motivator. And now, uh, there’s another brand that’s jumping into the fray with a bit more vigor and that’s Toyota. And um, it’s going to be interesting to see how that goes because they seem to be fairly serious about this stuff. Uh, so far, it seems like Jeep is prepared to respond um, at every turn.

Tony: I think Jeep has some very deep, technical and fun stuff that they have uh, and I think they’ve probably been sitting on it for a while, just guessing, like I was saying. So I don’t think Jeep is going to be limited on what they can pull out of their pocket. Yeah.

Tom Z.: Um, and I also think the other part of it is that Jeep is so uh, vital and representative of um uh, volume to stalantis the corporate side of it. That um, Jeep will have resources made available to them, uh, without question. And obviously I’m not here to talk about anything that may or may not be coming out in the future. But uh, I can assure you, based on the stuff that I get to hear about, based on the stuff I get to see, uh, future is pretty bright. I’m excited. It’s awesome to see uh, further expansion of um, offroading. And uh, whether that’s with an EV or whether that’s with uh, a beautiful sounding 392, um, all of it is good for offroading.

Jim: Maybe there’s no need for a V Eight at some point

Tony: Well uh, I asked Jim about this about a year ago and uh, he declined to answer. Uh, maybe you can answer now, since it’s been about a year. Uh, when’s the 392 going to come out in the uh, gladiator.

Tom Z.: Uh, that’s a question that I can’t answer, but um, certainly uh, there’s probably an appetite for that kind of thing.

Tony: Definitely.

Tom Z.: Um, I think given the existing um, political climate, uh, there may be less appetite for big corporations to do things like that, but those things change also uh, who knows what the future holds, uh, uh, uh, my opportunities to drive V Eight, um, in those vehicles, uh, are AMWS. But uh, with that said, um, there is a new motor coming out. I think it’s been pretty well publicized that there’s a new motor, uh, that’s going to be available in Jeep products coming up and it sounds like that’s going to be a very powerful piece. And uh, I don’t know, maybe there’s no need for a V Eight at some point. I’m not sure.

Tony: Pursue. I can’t believe the speed demon would say there’s no need for a V Eight, if nothing else, for the sound, just the sound of it. Uh, I know the EVs are going to be much more powerful and have a lot more torque, uh, especially once they get the battery technology or the power generation where it needs to be. Uh, but it’s not going to be the same. The kids in those days will not know what the vibration and all the fun, uh, just pulling up in your driveway and giving it a, before you turn it off, that type thing. Yeah.

Tom Z.: Well, if I have my way, I hope that I can be um, a preserver of uh, all such sounds and something that gets dismissed. The smells.

Tony: Oh, absolutely. M, I didn’t think about that. Yeah, maybe a little nitrous in that smell, uh, range as well.

Tom Z.: Race gas is a beautiful thing.

Tony: I do remember when gas used to smell good, uh, you weren’t supposed to smell it, but I remember when gas used to smell really good. Now it just smells bad.

Tom Z.: Um, in my family, my daughter has two stroke candles. So that’s how messed up my kids are.

Tony: That’s nice.

Ty: All of our forefest events are offroading events

Tony: So uh, you have an event coming up on September Eigth through 10th, uh, at the Droid Forefest, Detroit, uh, and this is going to be at Holly Oaks ORV park. Uh, and that’s going to be not necessarily a Jeep event. I’m sure Jeepers are welcome, but what type of event is that going to be?

Tom Z.: Well, let’s give credit where credit is due. Jeep is certainly the title partner in that. Um, all of the brands will be there, uh, everybody that has all of the OEMs are going to be there and are committed uh, to the event. Uh, so there’ll be lots of stuff represented. Uh, but Jeep has been the title partner to that from the start and uh, we hope they’ll continue forever. Uh, but kind, uh, of what we touched on earlier, all of our forefest events are offroading events. People are there to go offroading. The fact that we have a vendor village that’s a half mile by a half mile and has essentially the who’s who, um, of off, uh, road companies, uh, attending and participating is one thing, but um, we have a thing called the Forfest Passport. Uh, every consumer that comes to the event, whether, uh, they go off roading or just come to see racing activities and that kind of thing. Uh, they get to go visit all the vendors. And we’ve got an absolutely astonishing list of prizes uh, that will be given away uh, which is fantastic. Many thanks to dozens and dozens and dozens of our uh, awesome vendors. And we’ve kind of thrown in a new thing this year called Camp Four Fest. And we’ve got a beautiful campground on a lake directly across the way from the uh, off road park. So people can come, go camp, uh, and have an all inclusive package and uh, be with like minded off roaders, uh, in the next campsite. And uh, really fun times with all of that.

Tony: So what you’re saying is that there’s some camp spaces available, but if you want one, you better get on and get it checked out now.

Tom Z.: Yeah, it’s going to be important that uh, you get signed up pretty quickly. And same thing for registrations for your off road vehicle at Detroit forfest we do limit it, uh, the limit is fairly high because the park is big and holds lots and lots and lots of vehicles. Uh, but even that um, last year, uh, we bumped right up on being sold out. As in like three vehicles away.

Tony: Oh, that’s great. That’s got to feel good. I know you’re very busy and on the phone and talking to people about doing this stuff. It’s got to feel good when you get that kind of response.

Tom Z.: Yeah, it really does. And also being very respectful to our vendors and our marketing partners in all of this. They love to see people out doing offroading activities, using the equipment that they sell. Uh, and it makes it very worthwhile for them. And also it gives them the opportunity to come out and do demonstrations of a whole range of uh, products live in person. Right there. Yeah come on, hop in this vehicle and go out and try this kind of thing.

Tony: Mhm, so uh, fourfestevents.com, and that starts with the number four. Fourfestevents.com is where you need to go. And uh, once you get there, uh, you’ll want to click on the Detroit Michigan Four Fest, uh, September Eigth through 10th, 2023. Go m ahead.

Tom Z.: Little thing to bring up. Um, funny that you mentioned the September, uh, Eigth part of that. We um, have typically not been open on that Friday. Last year we did a little bit of an experiment, a uh, single Facebook post to see if anybody would show up for a night fest. You can’t go off roading at night at Holly Oaks under normal circumstances, but on Friday night we’re going to open things up starting at seven. Sunset is at 710, if one is to believe what the Googler says. Um, so we’re going to open things up on that Friday night. Our great friends at Tyree Lights, who I know you know well as well, uh, will be there. They’re sponsoring that and supporting. That. And uh, obviously we’re going to go show off those awesome Tyree lights, um, and show what they can do. In fact, Ken even said, I think we may have some kind of new light or something that may be coming out for that. But I don’t want to spill the beans. That’s for them, uh, to talk about. But uh yeah, glad to have Tyree at our side and they always are and participate in all of our events. But we’re going to light up the night and get everybody out for some night wheeling and uh, maybe a little off road 101 night wheeling as well because it is a different experience.

Tony: Yeah, that’s an excellent idea and I did mean to focus in on that. You guys do off road training, uh, out there as well. So it would be nice not only knowing how to offroad in the bright light, but also to the bright glow of uh, Tyree offroad lights.

Tom Z.: Yeah, well for those that have done it, we all know it’s a different experience. Uh, I think everybody should start off night wheeling because it’ll make you patient. And too many times people new to offroading get impatient and being patient is one of the ways you can avoid damaging your vehicle. And uh, the nighttime will make you that way because you for sure have different sight lines, uh, and a little bit different approach, uh, to some obstacles.

Night wheeling makes certain trails less intimidating because you can’t see what’s over

Tony: Have you ever done any uh, private pilot flying? Oh yeah. So a quick little story here. I thought it was funny. Uh, I had such a hard time learning how to land. I was afraid of the trees and uh, all the stuff that you can hit as you’re trying to land. My best landings when I was learning how to fly was at night because I couldn’t see all that stuff.

Tom Z.: You’re not distracted.

Tony: That’s right. And I came in nice and low. I mean, I could still tell where the trees were. So I suspect, uh, or I wonder if that’s the way night wheeling is. You’re not seeing everything around you, you’re just seeing the important stuff. You’re not being like, you know, old people driving in a new area where they have to turn the radio down so they can see better.

Tom Z.: Well, I can tell you this, um, having spent a good bit of time in Moab, uh, at night and some other locations, um, if you don’t know the trail, it makes certain trails less intimidating because you can’t see what’s over that edge.

Tony: Yeah, hell’s Revenge, I think that would have been a plus.

Tom Z.: If you know the trail and you know what’s over that edge and it’s dark, then it’s just as intimidating as ever.

Tony: Right. Hell’s Revenge wasn’t scary, but just the idea of being up on a fin and then both sides down, you know, you’re not going to make a hard right or left, no matter what Siri says. But still the idea of it is like, uh, I’m just moments from rolling this thing. I mean, I could just jerk this thing to the left or right, and it’s not going to be a good result. So, yeah, not seeing that I think would, uh, be great for a lot of people. Yeah.

Tyree Light: Four Fest and Utah are both really good companies

Tony: So I was going to mention Tyree Light, certainly friend of the show, as is, uh, four Fest and Utah. Uh, and, uh, both really good companies and, uh, appreciate, uh, all the support you guys have been given the show and, uh, just the personal things that, uh, we’ve been involved in, uh, out there at Easter jeep Safari. Oh, obviously you’re going to Easter Jeep Safari for 2024, right?

Tom Z.: Oh, yeah. There’s a pretty big plan, uh, for that, and, um, we’ll just keep some surprises in our pocket for that. But, uh, there’ll be some really neat stuff. And, uh, some of our great partner companies are going to be on board to do some things, and we’re pretty excited about what that looks like. And by the way, speaking of cool off road events, uh, I mentioned our Four Fest passport, the grand prize for one lucky winner or one lucky winner and his friend or spouse or partner or whatever, um, is going to be an all expenses paid trip to King of Hammers wow. With me and, uh, some pretty cool VIP experience, we’ll throw them in the mix with some racers and we’ll get them, uh, out on some trails that maybe they wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to experience and who knows what other things we’re going to subject them to.

Tony: That is huge. I mean, King, uh, of the Hammers is an experience, I’ve heard. And, uh, to get to go out there and be shown, uh, around and, uh, pointed in the right direction, so to speak, is going to be really sounds like a really big deal. Congrats on that.

Tom Z.: Yeah, thanks. Uh, it’ll be great. And always, uh, uh, a big thanks to Dave Cole and Courtney Prost and the whole team, uh, uh, they have been very hospitable on many, many levels with lots of different guests, uh, over the years. We’re super grateful for that. And it’s funny, um, because both of them, uh, Dave, Courtney, all the Team JT, just everybody that’s been associated with that over the years have always taken a time out in the middle of all the madness, all the craziness, to say hello to whatever guests we’ve brought, uh, and make sure that they feel welcome. So lots of credit to them for being, uh, cordial, uh, and doing that in the middle of, uh, what is perhaps one of the craziest weeks of offroading anywhere.

Tony: Yeah, that stuff like that means a lot. Uh, it really does, because, you know, people are so busy, and for them to take time out to, uh, just pay attention to you and what you have to say is really cool. And uh, uh, if you don’t notice it, uh, well maybe the time was wasted because ah, it’s a big deal.

Tread Lightly works to protect and preserve land that off roaders enjoy

Tony: Um, speaking of big deal, um, you uh, are associated with treadlightly.org. In fact, uh, I was actually uh, in a Tread Lightly event as was several of the Jeep Talk show, uh, team members that first Monday uh, at Moab, I believe it was a Monday. And uh, we were out there uh, putting up uh, some fences to protect uh, fossils and things which I had no idea tread Lightly did that thing. I really expected that we were going to be out there picking up trash like some sort of prison, uh, gang. No, we were doing something to protect fossils, fossilized uh, footprints in the rocks and things. I like the rocks, I like fossils. So it really spoke to me. So Tread Lightly is often a lot more than just picking up garbage.

Tom Z.: Well look, there’s a, ah, very common. Your misconception of that idea is absolutely common, absolutely uh, a normal thing. And uh, it goes far, far beyond picking up some trash and involves um, a lot of things beyond even fencing to protect dinosaur tracks which maybe is one of the coolest things that you can do. But uh, lots of advocacy for land use and lots of assistance to folks at the BLM and the Forestry Service and filling in gaps where maybe the Forestry Service or BLM doesn’t have enough team members to go out and keep some of these trails open. And it’s absolutely vital that we do this. We um, are dependent us off road people are dependent upon having land open for off roading. And it’s Tread Lightly’s mission to make sure that uh, that’s a great we. I say we because man, there’s such an awesome team of people of which all of you guys were part of that. Um, but just an awesome team of people uh, that are out there doing these things to protect and preserve land that we can continue to recreate on and have fun recreating. And uh, as we have talked about amongst the Tread Lightly team so often protect the fun, protect the adventure. That’s really what this is about. And uh, make sure that everybody has the opportunity to go out and do it. And lots of education process. Um, we’re on a Jeep Talk show but there’s side by side folks out there uh, that maybe aren’t as experienced or don’t understand a lot of these concepts. So there’s a lot of education that goes on and that kind of thing as well.

Tony: Mhm, yeah and uh, that’s really important. I mean uh, I’ve been out to Moab now and boy, I’m hooked. Uh, I don’t care, 19, 20 hours, I’m doing it again. Uh, and actually we’re trying to get a good size, a good population of Jeep Talk Show listeners to go out there and it’s not for the edification of Jeep Talk show not for the headcount. So we can say, oh, we had 50 people, or whatever. I simply want the people that listen to the show to be a part of that experience because being out there with uh, the Jeep talk show listeners and team members that were there was just so great. Uh, it’s the difference in going to a movie by yourself or going there with some friends you can make some smart ass comments to while the movie’s going on. It’s just a lot more fun.

Tom Z.: Well, you um, were up on Metal Masher with us, mhm, with um, the quadratech guys and everybody in, um, spite of how many people we took out there. And we know when you have a.

Tony: Group, I think, oh, there was a bunch.

Tom Z.: Yeah, it was a lot. But when you go out with a big group like that, you know there’s going to be some slow moving from time to time, like happens, somebody breaks and so on and so forth. But I think it speaks to that community so well that everybody jumps in, lends a hand, helps out, uh, makes sure that recoveries are done correctly. Nobody minds spotting, for those of us maybe with a little bit more experience, um, helping spot those with less experience, uh, and get them through various difficult technical sections, uh, safely and without breaking their rig.

Tony: I don’t know if you’re aware of this or not, but the lady that was in the TJ that lost her front, uh, drive shaft going up, uh, there on Metal Masher. So I had a front row seat of not only her trying to uh, get up that ledge with the front drive shaft flopping around, but also to the literal, uh, elbows and assholes show that I saw. And I mean that in a good way of quadratech and Tread Lightly folks. Just swarming that Jeep to get it fixed well enough to get her up and off, uh, metal masher. It was just an amazing thing to see and it goes directly back to what you’re saying. The team. It was just huge. A huge uh, organization. Try to take care of that one Jeeper. As far as I know, that was the only breakage that we had on that trail.

Tom Z.: That was the only one of any significance, that’s for sure. There was certainly perhaps a couple of other minor crunches and different things, but it’s called Metal Masher for a reason.

Tony: Well, I backed into a tree and had to get a taillight, so there’s that.

Tom Z.: Oops, it happens. Um, so it’s funny, I don’t think you were on our internal radio, uh, channel, uh, but we had an internal radio channel between the Tread Lightly guys and Quadratech and a handful of others. And when that happened, it was pretty funny. I’ll give a little plug to Scott Ammerman and Eric Ammerman on the radio. I heard we need an Ammerman stat, scott or Eric Stat.

Tony: That’s great.

Tom Z.: They were both up to their elbows, uh, in greasy, dirty stuff in no time at all.

Tony: Uh, that was such a weird failure, too. Uh, I think the pinion, uh, thing came out or something. It’s been a while now since, uh, that I, uh, heard about it. So it’s funny, uh, I don’t know if you know this story or not. Uh, i, uh, actually got stuck up on metal masher, uh, as night was falling, without any kind of i, uh, had no map. I had no way of knowing where I was going other than just, uh, looking at where the trail was. There were some sandy spots and I saw some tread, so I was following it. My downward trend, I mean, my trend was downward. So I figured I was getting off the mountain. I figured, worst case, I’d just pull over and sleep there for the night and then try it again in the morning. Anyway, uh, I finally did, uh, catch up with some quadratech guys who helped me get off the mountain. And as I was driving out, uh, I was, uh, talking to one of the, uh, Jeep talk show people on GMRS, and, uh, I saw this big trailer in front of me. Somebody pulled in a trailer, the guy jumps on there. Uh, he was with quadratech. And, uh, uh, he goes, uh, is this Tony? And I said yes. And he goes, I thought I recognized that voice. So there was a listener on channel. Yeah. I wasn’t really concerned about getting off a metal masher, but everybody was waiting for me in town to eat. I wanted to eat. Damn it, I was hungry.

Tom Z.: I was starved by the time we came down, uh, off of that trail ride. And, uh, uh, yeah, I did not bring enough Scooby Snacks, uh, for the day. And I didn’t bring enough, not so much because I would have survived just fine, m, but because I loaned out Scooby Snacks to a dozen people that didn’t bring anything. And I’m like, you guys are going to be really hungry if you thought this was a two or three hour drive. Uh, no, that’s not how this is.

Tony: Going to, um, the I guess it’s the Monday night thing where all the vendors and stuff were in. That was, uh, Zach’s or something. That was, uh, upstairs, uh, where you meet up there. So I was talking to somebody and they were saying I said, yeah, I’m going on metal masher. And they said, really? Uh, I said, yeah, Greg, uh, Henderson told me that it was great, I should be fine. And it was like, really? Greg Henderson? Unofficial. He goes, Does Greg like you? I said, well, he could be trouble, but yeah, I think he’s all right.

If Greg ever leads you astray again, don’t trust him

Tony: So the people were making me nervous about going on metal masher.

Tom Z.: Uh, let me offer you a suggestion. If Greg ever leads you astray again, don’t trust him. On saying, oh, it’s easy or it will be fine. He’s lying. Uh, he leads people astray like that. I can’t believe you bought into that.

Tony: Well, he was driving a stock vehicle so he reminded me of that. When I questioned him, I said, hey, this guy’s asking me if you don’t like.

Tom Z.: Greg. Greg is awesome, man. That guy is brilliant.

Tony: Yeah, he really is.

Tom Easter: We’re four weeks out from Detroit Four Fest

Tony: So Treadlitly, uh.org, and I didn’t mention, uh, you’re actually a board member, uh, at, uh, mean, you’re just, you have your hands in so many things. We only spoke about a few of them tonight. Uh, Tom, we have to have you back now. You know how the kids love the social media. We’ve already mentioned Fourfestevents.com Treadlightly.org. Uh, where else can people find out more about you or, uh, your and.

Tom Z.: Ah, nobody wants to find out about me. But the events are really cool. Um, forfest events on Instagram is always a good one. Um, I’m on LinkedIn. I guess I look in there occasionally. I don’t know if anybody on the team has updated my profile. It probably looks like I’m much younger than I really am.

Tony: There’s nothing wrong with that.

Tom Z.: But uh, yeah, that’s probably good. If I ever need a job, might as well look younger. Um, but uh, uh, we try to do the socials, um, uh, pretty frequently but we’re big, big believers in the hands on. Come out, go wheeling with us. Come on out and enjoy an event with us. Um, lots of cool stuff coming in 24 as well. Uh, but here we are, four weeks out from Detroit Four Fest. So we’re going to make that uh, a uh, hugely exciting, uh, proposition this year. And we are the weekend before the Detroit Auto show. So we kind of kick off that whole week of automotive everything in Detroit and uh, that makes it even more exciting because we got a lot of media coming, uh, a lot of media out, uh, for all of those activities.

Tony: Mhm, yeah, it’s always a big thing. Uh, Chris has been there a few times and uh, you met Chris, uh, out at Tilly Jeep Fest last year and this year uh, and uh, Chris is going to be there and uh, looking forward to uh, hearing all about it from Chris. Chris, uh, does a great job going to these events and it’s just right there in his backyard, which makes it great.

Tom Z.: Yeah well uh, we love welcoming him and uh, in fact he was at our winter event and um, I’m pretty sure we got Jim Morrison in a, uh, Jeep talk show hat and everything that day and uh, got Chris to spend some time with Jim.

Tony: Yeah that was really funny. Uh, uh, and this is the big thing where you were talking about how Jim does stuff after Jim got his hat and kept it on his head and walked off, because I heard all about it. And, uh uh, then he came back shortly thereafter and said, hey, Chris, let’s get a picture in front of this Grand Cherokee. One of the Cherokees I mean, one of the Jeeps that they had brought out, and he got the official Jeep photographers to take the shot. It was him and Chris both wearing the Jeep Talk shoe hat in front of the Jeep. And that’s just I mean, I’ve never seen the picture, but that’s all right. It’s just the idea that he would come back and get Chris and get him in the picture. This says a lot about the individual.

Tom Z.: Yeah, it does. And we’re so lucky. I could go on and on and on, naming Jeep team members that are a big part of what we do and all that kind of thing. And, uh, um, there’s just some really authentic guys in that mix. And gals, too, by the way. Um, and we thoroughly enjoy all the fun we have with them, uh, and it’s awesome and glad, uh, that we could get Chris hooked, um, up. The funny part about that photo, I think I believe you may not have seen that photo, because I think that was actually an unreleased vehicle that maybe they didn’t want to have photographed. And Jim’s like, yeah, take a picture in front of this one.

Tony: Yeah. Photographers look at each other.

Tom Z.: It’s good times.

Tony: Well, you know how it is, Tom. We could go on and on and on and on. It’s always fun. Uh, and I’m so glad that I’m involved, either directly or indirectly, with all these things, because it’s nice being part of the family, so to speak. And, uh, you and, uh, four fest events are certainly part of our family. And, uh, looking forward to seeing you again at Easter, jeep Safari 2024, if not sooner.

Tom Z.: Who knows where we may end up? So, uh, anything could happen.

Tony: Absolutely. Tom, thanks a lot for being here. And let’s not make it a year, uh, before we do the interview again.

Tom Z.: You’re right, Tony. That’s a good point. Uh, I promise you have my commitment that I will not, uh, be as remiss, uh, in getting back on. And we’re so grateful to you guys for all you do for the Jeep brand and for the off road community and everything. So congrats on all your growth here recently. And, uh, keep up the hard work, keep up the good work. And, uh, we’ll see you soon, somewhere on a trail.

Tony: Thank you.

Off-Roading, Racing, Modifying Cars, Crashing Cars, Tread Lightly, Protecting Public Lands, Volunteering, 4Fest Events, Detroit 4Fest, Holly Oaks Orv Park, King Of Hammers, Technical Trails, Jeep Modifications, Night Wheeling, Tyri Offroad, Jeep Models, Jeep Brand, Competition, Off-Road Events, Off-Road Organizations