There’s a difference between being reckless and being relentlessly determined, and our friend Tyler Bolland is the perfect example of the latter. He’s one of the smartest guys we know—an ex-military aviation mechanic who applies that same “failure is not an option” precision to a garage build. But he’s also got enough grit to take on the biggest off-road race in the world on a blue-collar budget.
In this week’s episode of the DPV Podcast, we sat down with Tyler from Total Mayhem Racing. If you’ve been following us for a while, you know the drill: Tyler is a maintenance tech at a paper mill who decided, against all financial logic, to build a Trophy Truck in his garage and race the Baja 1000.
And he’s dragging us along for the ride. Again.
The Pain: Paracord, Ratchet Straps, and Rollovers
We spent a good chunk of the episode reminiscing about the absolute beatdown Baja has given us in the past. It’s the definition of the “Pain” part of our cycle.
In 2020, we worked 16-hour days leading up to the race, fired the engine for the first time hours before leaving, and had zero brakes or seatbelts during “testing” (which was basically doing donuts in a parking lot). The result? The transmission grenaded at Mile 20. We didn’t even get to the good stuff.
2021 was better… until it wasn’t. We made it 340 miles. But the highlight (or lowlight, depending on who you ask) was when the truck ended up on its roof in a silt bed. As we were hanging in our 5 points, the first words out of Alex’s mouth were apparently, “Tyler’s gonna kill me.”
We eventually fixed the steering with paracord and a bolt from a ratchet strap. Let that sink in. We were fixing a race truck in the middle of the Mexican desert with the same stuff I use to tie down a tarp on a woodpile. That is the essence of this team. We aren’t a million-dollar outfit with a helicopter chase team. We are dudes with a welder, some zip ties, and a refusal to quit.
The Victory: Why We Do It
So why go back? Why spend every spare dime and sleepless night on a truck that might break in the first hour?
Because of the moments you can’t buy. Alex talked about driving on the beach under the moonlight, with the waves crashing in, realizing he was actually doing it—driving the Baja 1000 in a trophy truck.
That’s the Victory. It’s not about the trophy. It’s about knowing you built something that could survive (mostly) the toughest terrain on earth. It’s proving that a blue-collar guy with a dream and a grinder can run with the big dogs.
Fantasy Build: The $10k Baja Suburban
We couldn’t let an episode go by without a Fantasy Build. This time, the challenge was simple: Build an Open Class Baja rig for under $10,000.
The canvas? A 1995 Chevy Suburban 1500 we found for $500.
Tyler, being the actual racer, went practical: 9-inch rear end, custom cage, and spending the money on decent used shocks.
Alex went… well, Alex. He wants to build a 2WD speed demon, turbocharge it (which I’m pretty sure isn’t legal in the class, but whatever), and strip it down to a skeleton. Typical Alex—all gas, no brakes, and probably questionable legality.
My Build? The “Junkyard Juggernaut”:
- Gut everything: Glass, interior, seats—it all goes. Weight is free to remove.
- Engine: Junkyard LS swap ($1,500).
- Trans: Turbo 400. I’ll rebuild it myself (currently learning the hard way on my wife’s car, so I should be an expert by then, right?).
- Rear Axle: 14-bolt from a junkyard. It’s heavy, but you can’t break it. Paired with a Barnes 4-link kit.
- Front End: Dune Hippie Machine swing arm kit ($2,500).
I think I took the win on this one. It’s ugly, it’s heavy, but it would finish.
Get In The Garage
Look, the point of this episode wasn’t just to swap war stories. It was to show you that you don’t need a corporate sponsor or a trust fund to do cool stuff. Tyler works a normal job. I’m a pharmacist. Alex… well, Alex is Alex.
If we can drag a home-built truck through Mexico, you can fix that oil leak on your daily driver. You can buy that project car you’ve been eyeing on Marketplace.
Embrace the pain. The victory is worth it.
Wheel it wreck it wrench it repeat!
-Josh
Days of Pain and Victory 
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