The Honda Civic is a small, everyday car made by Honda. People talk about it a lot because it’s common and there are many parts available to customize it. It’s a popular choice for people who want to modify the look or performance.
The Mazda RX-7 FD is a specific RX-7 generation. It’s known for a rotary engine (a different engine design than most cars) and it’s a big deal in the JDM world.
“Four-rotor” means the engine has four rotary chambers instead of the usual piston cylinders. It’s a big part of why certain Japanese sports cars like the RX-7 feel and sound different.
These are special bolts (“studs”) made from titanium, plus reinforcement pieces (“inserts”) to strengthen the threads. They help keep critical engine parts clamped and reliable under stress.
A dry sump system uses a separate oil tank instead of just the oil pan. That helps keep the engine supplied with oil when the car is being driven hard.
The intake manifold is the plumbing that directs air into the engine. If you change from turbo to naturally aspirated, you often need different manifold parts to make the airflow work correctly.
A “turbo application” means the engine is configured to use a turbocharger to push extra air in. That usually requires extra parts and tuning to handle the boost.
“Naturally aspirated” means there’s no turbo or supercharger pushing extra air in. The engine just breathes on its own, which can make the setup simpler and the response different.
“High strung” means the engine is set up to spin very fast (high RPM). That usually requires the build to be designed to handle the stress of those revs.
A stunt driver is a professional driver who does dangerous-looking driving moves safely for movies or shows. They practice the maneuvers so they can repeat them reliably.
Drifting is when a driver makes the car slide sideways on purpose while still controlling it. Competitive drifting is drifting done in competitions where judges score how well you do it.
A “dump of the clutch” is when you let the clutch out really fast. That can make the car lurch forward because the engine power hits the wheels suddenly.
Car
Toyota Forerunner
The Toyota Forerunner is a Toyota SUV. Here, they’re talking about using a not-yet-finished prototype version of it for a commercial, so the production schedule has to match the car’s availability.
The Toyota 4Runner is a midsize SUV made for people who want something tougher than a typical car. It’s designed to handle rough roads and off-road driving. In the podcast, it’s brought up in the context of talking about a prototype vehicle and what might be coming next.
The Ford Mustang is a sports car from Ford. It’s designed to be fun to drive and it has a big fan base. When people mention a “prototype,” they mean an early test version that’s being developed before the final car is released.
A prototype is an early, not-final version of a vehicle used to test design, packaging, or marketing needs before production. In automotive media, prototypes are often time-sensitive because they may only exist in limited numbers and must be returned for other testing or demos.
Formula Drift is a professional drifting racing series where drivers compete by maintaining controlled slides while aiming for speed, angle, and style. The host connects it to “car controls like drifting,” implying that pro-level competition is a credibility signal for handling high-value cars safely.
A pro license in motorsport is a credential that indicates a driver has met the requirements to compete at a professional level. In the segment, the speaker argues that having that license is tangible proof of readiness compared with vague claims of experience.
To “drift” means the driver intentionally lets the rear of the car slide sideways while still steering through the corner. It’s not just spinning out—it’s controlled sliding.
A “pro drifter” is someone who does drifting competitively, not just casually. They’re expected to be consistent and safe, and they’re judged on how well they control the car while sliding.
Term
car controls
“Car controls” means how well you can steer and use the gas/brakes to keep the car under control. In drifting, that’s what helps you slide without losing it.
“Track etiquette” is how you’re supposed to act at a racing event. It’s about being respectful and following the event staff’s process so everything runs smoothly.
“Precision driving” means driving very carefully and consistently, with smooth, accurate steering and pedal inputs. It’s the kind of driving used for stunts and filming because it has to look right and stay safe.
The Plymouth Barracuda is an older American muscle car. People often bring it up because it’s a famous model name. In the podcast, it’s mentioned in connection with a movie, which is one reason it stands out.
A differential is a part inside the car that helps the wheels spin at different speeds when you turn. For stunt driving, the right differential can make the car controllable enough to do the planned moves.
Drift cars are built or set up for drifting, where the driver intentionally oversteers so the car’s front and rear slip at different angles while maintaining control. The tires, suspension, and drivetrain tuning are usually aimed at predictable slide behavior.
They talk about film/TV set roles—specifically stunt work—and how the speaker didn’t realize who the person was. Later it turns out the guy was doing stunts and loves cars.
Cowboy Sarone is an MMA fighter. In this story, he’s also involved with stunts on a set and he’s a car fan.
Concept
car like sliding out of that
They mean the car starts to lose grip and the tires slide instead of holding the road. For stunts, drivers try to make that slide controllable so it doesn’t spin out.
The Nissan 350Z is a popular sports car. Here they’re talking about swapping in a V8 engine instead of the original engine, usually to make it faster and more fun to drive.
“High low” appears to be the show format the guest is filming, involving building or modifying cars (here, 350Zs with V8 swaps) and then putting them through driving challenges like drifting. The term is used as a program segment/category rather than a technical automotive definition.
A “V8 swap” means putting a V8 engine into a car that didn’t originally have one. It usually takes a lot of custom work so the engine, electronics, and drivetrain all work together.
A turbo motor uses a turbocharger to cram more air into the engine for more power. In this story, they’re saying they weren’t using turbocharged engines for that setup anymore.
The Cadillac Escalade is a big luxury SUV. “LS” is a trim level, and here it’s mentioned as the kind of car they used as a rough, junkyard starting point for a project.
“LS” is a GM V8 engine family. People like it for swaps because it’s common and has lots of parts available, and here it’s what they were using in the cars.
Time attack is a racing style where you’re trying to beat the clock. Instead of racing other cars side-by-side, you make timed runs and try to set the fastest time.
Pikes Peak records refer to timed performance achievements on Pikes Peak, the famous Colorado hill climb. Because it’s a steep ascent with changing traction and elevation, records are typically tied to specific vehicle classes and conditions.
Greg Tracy is a racing driver who’s known for setting records, including at Pikes Peak. In this conversation, the host realizes they’ve crossed paths because of the host’s show and Greg’s racing background.
A sidecar is an extra seat/wheel attached to the side of a motorcycle. It turns the bike into a three-wheeled vehicle and affects how it steers and feels.
Jet skis are small personal boats you ride on the water. They use an engine to push water through a pump, which helps them turn and accelerate quickly.
A two-stroke engine makes power every two piston movements, so it can feel punchy and quick. It’s common on some older or performance jet skis, but it usually isn’t as clean as newer four-stroke designs.
The Ford Falcon is a car model made by Ford. In the podcast, it’s mentioned as part of a specific situation or group activity. Without more detail, it’s best understood as a recognizable Ford model people were talking about.
Company
wolf motor sports
This sounds like a motorsports company that does wiring for cars. The guest is saying he met someone through that motorsports wiring network.
Here, “Hyperdrive” sounds like a TV show or stunt production. The guest is saying the on-screen setup looked messy, but there was real engineering happening off camera.
OSHA is a U.S. safety agency. Saying something is “OSHA certified” means it meets official workplace safety rules—here, the guest doubts the stunt setup was built to that level.
Hydrolock is when water gets into the engine where it normally would be air. Since water can’t be compressed, it can stop the engine and potentially cause damage.
The transmission is the part that sends power from the engine to the wheels using gears. If water gets into it, it can cause corrosion and later problems.
Oxidized means the metal reacted with oxygen and moisture, creating a surface change. After a water exposure, that can be a warning sign that corrosion may start.
The BMW 3 Series is a smaller luxury car made by BMW. The “E30” is an older version of that model that many people still talk about. It’s known for being a driver-focused car and it’s popular with car fans.
“Drift culture” is a style of driving where people slide the car on purpose to look cool. In this clip, they’re saying it’s more about wild, entertaining moves than about super-precise racing driving.
Concept
hanging out the door
This phrase is slang for an extremely sideways, dramatic drift position. They’re describing it as the kind of move that looks wild and risky, more for show than for careful precision.
The Mazda RX-8 is a sports car from Mazda that’s famous for having a rotary engine, which is different from the normal piston engines most cars use. Here, they’re describing an RX-8 being driven in a dramatic, showy way in South Africa.
Term
three rotor
In a rotary engine, the power comes from spinning parts instead of pistons. The “rotor” is one of those spinning chambers, and the RX-8 is typically a two-rotor design—so “three rotor” sounds like either a mistake or a special reference.
Cape Town is a city in South Africa. They’re saying the driving/stunt they’re talking about happened around Cape Town.
LIVE
Welcome back to Talk Talk Nation. I'm your host Joe Weber and I'm sitting in the garage of
Donut alumni Aaron Parker Aaron. Thank you so much for having me. We're in Palmdale right now. That's right in your digs
You said like a half mile away from you where you grew up. Yeah, I'm half mile right down the road here
Good old Quartz Hill dudes were the
legend of my
My soul, you know kind of garnished
Everything came to existence. Yeah open desert dirt jumps
Tons of space lots of roads a little bit unregulated kind of just drive off into the desert and do whatever and yeah
Figure things out, you know fun for anyone not in the know
We are probably about 20 minutes away from Big Willow Raceway a historic raceway
Did you go there as a kid as a kid? I probably actually didn't even visit a racetrack till I was maybe
16 or 17 okay, and at that time, you know, it wasn't really accessible for for kids
necessarily and it was only till I was maybe
2526 where I think red line time attack started and I was like dude, these are the cars that I like, you know
Yeah, you know going around the track. So that was really my first introduction was probably aged 25 26
Was that more JDM stuff all JDM?
It was it was what I grew up with, you know, I remember it in a computer graphics class
one of the seniors was in the
Class with me and he was my partner and the whole time we would just look up body kits for for like civics and you know
Eclipses and Rx7s and stuff. So yeah, that was a kind of kind of my intro hell. Yeah, we have a very famous Rx7
The wolf if anyone has seen Aaron on hyperdrive. Yep
It's also made in appearance as a Hot Wheels car
It's been in a couple different other things too, but it's an Rx7 FD. Yep third gen
FDR X7
Mazda's pride and joy the glory days, you know, and you have an insane four-rotor in it, right?
Oh, no, I've got two rotor in it right now, but I was building an insane four rotor for it. Yeah
Billet 100% billet
semi-proof report it's got
Titanium studs and inserts all the ports the semi-PPs are of my design
Too much money and work into the machining of it just because it was like a statement piece for me
it's like everything that I learned and
Grew to understand with it, you know, plus how I wanted the bill to come together all into this this block this four-rotor block
It's got like an internal dry sump setup. So there's like no belt
So you never have to worry about a belt falling off and losing oil pressure type. I think it's all gear driven and
Yeah, I never got to to finish it although I have everything to complete it
It's beautiful. Thank you
It is a nice piece for sure
And it'll it'll it'll run one day, you know, I just have been slowly collecting more parts for it
I still need the upper intake manifold and I'm gonna change it from a turbo application to
naturally aspirated just because I feel like
Turbo would just be too much and I just would never take the car out, you know, yeah
So this is gonna go into the wolf. I think it's gonna go into a spare FD shell that actually have in the backyard
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, the wolf's gonna remain as is two rotor high strung
Maybe, you know, 600 wheel max 10k rpm and sequential and that car will just live the rest of its existence as it was because I feel like I
I just need to give it that, you know, it gave me so much. Yeah
Yeah, and then like eventually you're gonna move on and it's gonna stay the same and that's right. That's it. That's it
So for anyone who doesn't know Aaron
He was on the first and maybe another season of high-low at Dona. Yeah
I was on the first season was our was our 350 Z's right? Yeah, the second season was don't don't remind me
It was season 1.5 was also three seas, but then we put the LS is in them. That's right. Yeah, but two
Two might have been
The trucks Tacomas. Yeah, maybe that was fun. Yeah, but reckless
Well, you take a bunch of like
You know like grip racing dudes and like put them out in the mountains and shit happens, right, right, right
It was fun. There's a lot of fun and then I think I started
Maybe another one and then I got a call to go do twisted metal. Yeah, which was
Kind of like one of those opportunities of a lifetime, you know, and yeah, I forgot to mention Aaron is also a stunt driver
Which is probably one of the sickest thing
Oh, it was my dream to to get there right like my whole goal after you know the competitive drifting thing and
Was I was I was already getting to a point in my life where I was like, man, I can't hustle this hard
For an extended period of time. Sure, you know, it's like everything else in my life was kind of taking a back seat
And then I started to see
That come to you know, like I wanted a family. I wanted to
Live like a sustainable life where I'm like not always constantly just pressed to be hustling 24-7 and only worry about a piece of
Machinery that's a grind. Yeah, it totally is. So
You ever have like nightmares about your car, dude, I would I kid you not
I would wake up like, you know, like a like a jolt like I wake up like because I was dreaming about
How I was gonna be doing on qualifying and if the car reacted this way
I need to make this reaction and I I would jolt up like it come to
Making this move and on my wife would like what's wrong? I'm like, oh
Nothing, I was just a dump of the clutch
You know, she's like what and now she's like go back to sleep
I'm like, all right, and I go back to sleep, but it really was it's all encompassing, but it
Needed to be that way to get to a point like I wouldn't change anything because that made me
Not only understand like the machine behind the motive that's like getting me there, right?
But also how to drive it and then once you learn how to drive it
Then you just become this thing that like understands all aspects and I feel like that's helped me do
Such a good job in this industry because my overall goal was to drive for a living, you know
and this was the most sustainable way I thought that I could get there while still having a family and
still keeping
Automotive fun because you can get to a point where it's like dude. This is so much work
It's like not fun anymore. And yeah, I see a lot of my old friends like kind of there now and
You know, I'm not trying to you know
Put them down or anything. I think it's everyone has their own path
But for me, I just wanted to see
The guys who were successful. What did they move on to and it was driving for a living in some fashion
so I was like you saw your exit as like
Kind of this glamorous way of yeah getting out of drifting by going into stunt work
Yeah, like making a paycheck, you know for being behind the wheel, you know
And I didn't know what that would encompass until I saw some like the older heads do it, you know, they
They'd win a championship and they'd compete a few more years and then where'd they go and I was like, where'd they go?
You know, and they'd be around still but you know, I talked to a few of them
They were like, oh, you know, I'm driving in car commercials now or stunt stunt car driving and stuff like that
And I was like, oh, maybe that'll be what I get work towards and I think
What was that process like? I mean starting from basically nothing dude
It was it was rigorous. It was almost as hard as like getting my pro license and drifting
to be honest because
You can't just like say hey put me on a gig because there's just too much at stake to
Trust someone. Yeah, there's like, you know, 2000000 dollar shoots. Oh, yeah one shot at right, right
I mean you think about it
Let's say you got 200 people on set and then you've got like a $500,000 camera car with four people operating it
Their wages are being paid, you know by the hour all that camera equipment is being rented by the hour
And then they say hey, we've got this prototype Toyota
Forerunner or this new
Mustang, you know
500 whatever and it's a prototype because they haven't finished this and supposed to this commercial needs to come out before
Itself is like priceless. Yeah, they you can't put like a number on it, right?
Yeah, and they need it back on Monday because it's gonna go do this demo over here for you know Ford's whatever
Flagship what I don't know. And so hey, can you slide this thing around the camera car doing 85 on this road?
That we just closed down like you can't trust someone to go do that. You got to make sure that
The person driving is the last thing you need to worry about. Yeah, so
So how do you get your foot in the door because you need you need credibility you do in that position where you can do it
But how do you get the credibility in the first place? Well for me?
That was the biggest question that I kept asking myself, right?
And I knew that I was on the right path before I got my license because I was like, you know
I'm gonna I'm gonna be driving Formula Drift and if anything means like car controls like drifting but uh the
The whole thing behind
Behind that was if I get my pro license to me that meant that I was
Professional ready right to drive these cars and in that industry pro driver meant one thing
But being like having something tangible. Hey, I have this license that I competed and I got this
You know that shows something else because anyone can go say oh, you know, I've done this and I've done that or you know
Maybe they enter in and they say, you know, I like I hate to become like this old
Like what do you call egotistical person now and I'm not
But I'll just say it because I always think about these things
It's like anyone can say like they're a drifter, right?
Or anyone can say they're a comedian or anyone can say they're an MMA fighter
But just because Aaron Parker who has no fight experience other than boxing with my friends back in high school in the garage
Goes to a gym and I train one day does not make me an MMA fighter
You know like it same thing with a guy who goes and buys a car and goes to the track one time
Yes, you have drifted, but you're not a
Like like pro drifter. You're not a pro driver, you know, so for me
I was just a
Drifter until I got this pro license and then once I got this pro license
I was now a pro driver and so I was like once I get this tangible thing
They'll consider me like a pro, you know, but even then then you have to continue to prove yourself. Yeah, you have to
Show that you're not reckless, you know, because there's more than just one aspect
Yes, car controls one thing knowing what's wrong with the car in order to
Like complete something that maybe it can or can't do with the right or wrong setup, you know
And then there's etiquette like set etiquette
You're not going to go up to like a director and just like start barking off
I need this. You know, they have what they have in their mind and they're gonna talk to the car coordinator
The car coordinator is gonna talk to me and say hey, this is the gig. This is what we're gonna do, you know
So you report to this coordinator and then he talks
There's just like a whole thing about it that needs to be that way to keep things
compartmentalized and neat and like
Accomplishable, I think we talked to what's his name officer Dan? Oh, yeah, as officer Dan your old
Co-star. Yep. Yeah motor trend
But he also did some stunt work like a precision driving more, right?
He's done stunt work to actually work with him last week down to Mexico. Wow. Yeah on a film called Barracuda
Yeah, we spent a few weeks with each other and how was that?
Dude, it's I mean, we talked to each other quite a bit. Yeah. Yeah, he's a he's actually stayed at the house a few weeks before that for
Yeah, he's great. He actually was one of the reasons I got in to the business is I
Was working at Dodger Stadium slinging hats. It was like yeah extra innings. I think it was
1245 it was so late, dude, and it was just the game was going nowhere. Yeah, and
Dan texts me, you know, I read the text. It just said answer your phone, you know, and so, you know, I got a phone call and
It was a coordinator. Hey, I'm out here in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and we got to get this car to slide this intersection
You know this guy Dan says you could slide it and but you don't have a sad car
And I was like, no, I don't have a sad car and he's like, well, can you do it and I was like, yeah
I could do it and he's like, all right. Well, I'll see you tomorrow. And I was like, whoa, how am I gonna get to the airport?
Yeah, you know, I'm like at work right now. And he's like, oh, don't worry about any of that, you know, what?
I was like, I'm worried about it. Yeah, it's like late, you know
So basically they send a car and then they took care of all the travel, you know, just car showed up like 3am at my house
Took me to LAX
An hour maybe dude, I slept like nothing but dude
I was I was traveling with Formula Drift doing my own events at the time and then every time I was home
I'd work at Dodger Stadium to make like a commission pay
Plus working at donut plus wiring, you know, so it's like that was just the life
You know, you just any opportunity to open you take it right then and there and then I do think it's I just side note
I do think you wear hats well
So I would imagine that you made a lot of commission money off of selling hats
It was a good gig in like six months. You'd make
Anywhere from 25 to 35 grand. So it wasn't a ton
but
It didn't matter how many days I had to leave for, you know, because you could hold your position as long as you
You know, uh, did a good job and they liked you. You're like, say, hey, I need this next week off and they're like, okay
Yeah, well, you don't get to get paid, but you know, it is what it is. It's good to like have a book market. Oh, yeah
Oh, yeah, yeah
But I brought up Dan because when we interviewed him
He was like like you're at the whim of the director when you're doing stunt work
And they don't know the limits of the car or they don't know that maybe it's automatic and
Some of this shit would be like impossible to do an automatic or like, you know in the physical world
They don't think that way
they have a storyboard and they want to follow their storyboard and they need to get their shot and
It's up to you
By any means possible to get that shot. Is that is that a good way?
That was the perfect way to describe it because they you could think of them as like they're actually thinking
like
In uh, what do you even call visuals? Yeah, like you could say like a storyboard or the sides, you know
Like the sides where there's just a picture of each shot. They actually think that that's what the shot's gonna be
So it doesn't matter if the car is missing a wheel, you know, because they were told that the
You know, the car has four wheels. So it's like honestly, they only think about this shot
So they're like, hey, you know, it's got to do this
You're like, okay
And then you try your hardest to make it happen and then there's other restrictions that
A lot of the times bite you in the ass as like a stunt performer and you know driver
Or as a stunt team in general and a lot of it comes down to I think understanding
Of the cars how they're set up the car choice the budget
Sometimes is a constriction all by itself, you know, like maybe they don't have enough money to put this thing together
They don't understand that they didn't need to put like 10 grand into the motor
All we needed was a $500 differential and they would have got the shot type of thing, you know
So it's a lot of different
multifaceted things that could help you or really
Screw you. Yeah, it's like a rubik's cube. Yeah. Yeah, I have lots of different things that
Can really affect the outcome of the shot, but um, so back to your story
Yeah, picked up three in the morning. This is your first gig and um, dude, funny enough
It was so crazy because I was so pumped to be there
Um, I when does the shoot start? Is it like a six a.m. Morning the next morning?
Uh, I land in albuquerque in the the driver who picked me up at the airport
I was like, hey, they said you're not gonna sleep and you might be hungry
So you want to stop and get some food and I was like, no, I'm okay
I'll just go to the hotel took me to the hotel. They're like, all right. We'll take you to set in a couple hours, but um
Go check in and you know rest or whatever and we'll pick you up or whatever
So I go to check in and there's this girl sitting at the counter and she turns around and zoe's al dana
You know, yeah, and I was like had all my like just like a backpack with me
And I was like, oh dang and I was like
I thought I was gonna be working with her
You know, and then she looked at me and she's like, hey, how's it going?
And I was like, hey, how's it going? And then that was it. Yeah, and then I checked in
Uh, but I remember walking
Up the stairs because I didn't want to get in the same elevator with her because I was just like dude
This is like
They always say like don't talk to the actors or whatever and which now
Oh, so you were looking at it like I don't want to jeopardize my job
Yeah, yeah, I was you know, because dude it'd been you know, 67 years
I've been trying to get in with no headway at all
You weren't even gonna let zoe sell down a not a chance man. Not a chance
Dude, it was it was such a hustle and like you could say it was like active desperation
Or the whole time was just like everything was an active desperation desperation
Um, but uh, so you're like no way. I'm not falling on your trap. No, not a chance yet
so, um
I get to set and then I put my
Wardrobe on and I was you know, doubling this one actor and how it actually came about is they hired Dan
to do this gig
And then they found out that the actor was black
They didn't know he was black. Well, dude, you'd be surprised because things are moving a million miles now, right?
There's 200 300 people on set. There's storyboards. This is that's coming up
You don't know how the last week went sometimes things go so smooth and other times
It is just non-stop putting fires out, you know, so I could see the miscommunication
They're like, oh, what about the maybe they're trying to figure out if they could have enough budget to even buy a car
That can do this thing. Yeah, right
Uh, plus they have to close down Albuquerque like uh downtown, uh, you know a full block
So there's police lockups
There's the 80s that have to be at every single street entrance making sure people don't cross the street or those are cops
Yeah, or 80s or it would be like, uh
Production assistance. Oh, I'm sorry not 80s or uh, like p. A's p. Yeah production assistance and uh
The 80 department would control all that and then camera and all the things that go into making a
Production or getting a shot, you know in downtown when it's all mobile and uh, I get
my wardrobe on
I walk out and this dude's like, hey, dude. What's up, bro? And I was like, hey, what's going on?
He's like, hey, man. Uh, I heard you you drive race cars. I was like, oh, yeah
Dude, mostly like just like drift cars. He's like, dude, you want to check out my truck? And I was like, sure
so I walk out to this
just like a dirt lot with all these other cars in it and uh
I have no clue who this guy is. Yeah, I was gonna say what like you let zoe saldano
Take the elevator by yourself, but you let this guy with a drug
Distract you. I mean, he was really like into it. You know, I was like, yeah
This guy's a car guy, you know, I was like pretty cool. And uh, you know, and no one was calling for I mean now
I would never do this. I now I would just like, you know, I'd look at the call sheet
Like, all right, I got to be at set this time
I had no clue about any of the etiquette part of it. He's not this guy might be like the stunt coordinator
I had no clue. I was like, maybe I'm working with this guy. He you know, he really wants me to check out
Yeah, I better go. So I went out to the parking lot and he's got this brand new Ford Harley Davidson mom
I don't know what it was. It's a bad ass truck, right? Yeah, and he's like, dude, you want to go for ride?
I was like, sure
So we get in his truck and all of a sudden he starts doing donuts with all these other cars there
And he's just flinging rocks left and right and done and he's going up and over the all and I was like, dude
This is so crazy
and then uh
On the radio something happens and he's a bro. You want me to take you up to set and I was like, sure
And so I was like, dude, the guy ends up being cowboy sarone. Who's that? He's an MMA fighter
He's just an MMA fighter. Super cool, dude. But he's he's like a PA on set. No, no, no
he was with stunts that night and um, uh
Loves cars and then he found out that, you know, the car guy was coming and yeah, he ran into me right
I guess when he was changing he was like, hey, let's hang out. That's so yeah
So I hung out with him and then he drove you drove me all the way to set and then that's when I started realizing
Oh, dude, this is probably not the way that I should have came on to set
But he he pulls up boom drops me off everyone's waiting in the safety meeting
So there's like two 300 people in the middle of this intersection downtown albuquerque 2 a.m
At night. They're all just waiting for me and I was like, oh man, this is bad like real bad
But I walked up there and I was just like super quiet, you know, I walked up and you know, the coordinator said, hey
Aaron parker and I was like, yep. Yep. So hey, how much uh, how much room do you need to
To get this car like sliding out of that, you know, uh
Out of the alley, you know enjoying this thing
So they kind of tell me the rundown of this gig and then I was like, I don't know
Maybe 50 yards or so and then I look over in this this other guy that I knew as a pro driver who actually
I followed him when I was a kid. Yeah sam cubanette
Uh, yeah, he looked at me and he's he's like, you know, like good answer, you know, I was just like, oh sweet, you know
That was cool. And then uh, you want to go look at it? And I was like, uh, I'd rather to look at the car
I'm like, all right. Go take the car down there. So uh and do whatever you need
You know, go test the car. So it was like downtown albuquerque. They just let me roam the streets and just like
Figure this car out the car ended up being dan's. So it was a three for the z set up by dan
So I knew it worked and then um, yeah, I just slid this corner and it was all good. That's sick
It was yeah, it was awesome. I thought I thought it was going a different way. I thought you're gonna get fired
Oh, so did I when got there, but you know, um, and it totally could have because I've been on like more than a
Few sets now where if you show up like that, they're just gonna ax you
You know, it's like, yeah, because they're it's just how are you gonna trust a dude?
Yeah
Knowing what just happened and when I think back to that first one
They probably didn't know that I was in the car or the truck that was doing the donuts out there
They're probably like, oh shit. We're in new mexico and it's 2 a.m. We're not gonna find another black guy for
500 miles not a chance, dude. So
Yeah, uh
Officer dan, uh, yeah
He was like dude up, you know, because he was supposed to do the slide and then he he said hey call my buddy
He can do it, you know, and he's black. He'll you know, he'll slide this corner and so that's how I got my first gig
That's how I got yeah my sag card
Went home after that and then I didn't work for like two or three years after that. Oh, man. Yeah
up until
after covet I think I did like a
music video for avamax or something like that and then um
I
Was so how did you I mean skipping ahead a little bit. How did you get into twisted metal?
Right there. This is good. This is so awesome. So
after I got uh
Did that music video I did like a couple more music videos and they're they were always crazy like
No, I was do this industry is nuts. You know, it's like so unorganized
um
But later on I found out it's mostly just music videos because the nature of them, right? It's a super low budget
Yes, it's actor links up with a song singer songwriter and they went this crazy thing and then
You know, they have no time no money to prep and they want always like these luxurious cars, right?
So it's like kind of a recipe for disaster because there's always a ton of extras running around the streets and doing this and all this crazy
Stuff plus the singer wants to be in the car or whatever, you know, yeah
so basically uh seasons one and two at uh for for high low were like basically just like
What I call like the the glory days, right?
So it's the company was so small and so tight knit that you could give us anything and we were gonna
Accomplish it and then we're gonna put out something really cool because
Just the overall size like it's like small. I signed up to do this new season of high low where the 350 z's get
V8 swaps then we take them drifting
Well, usually a season of high low is between 22 and like 34 days of shooting
They used to just give me the days. Hey, we need you for this. Boom. You're booked. Good to go
well, it was like
Four or five days up until we started shooting and I still had no clue like how many days I was going to be working
You know, uh, I was working with him a lot trying to figure out x y and z but
It was like kind of the miscommunication was like I was like, dude
I don't know how many days I'm gonna be working and I kind of work for myself
You know, I'm the only host. It's not on payroll. So I have to book these now
Otherwise I have to take other paying work because I'm gonna sure end up not making money
Yeah, you have to and you know at this point I had
My daughter was already born and I was like
Becoming an adult. You know, this is it. You gotta be more responsible. Yeah. Yeah, so that's what a lot of people don't understand
In production. Oh, not at all. Is you try to explain like how needy a child is or how you have to just be there
To see them and shit. Yeah, and they're like, oh, you can't stay till like night at night and you can't
Well, you could if you want to be a bad dad
Yeah
If you don't want to have a connection with your kids and you want them to hate you and resent you and start doing things
The wrong way to get your attention. Sure. You know, do it all the time. See how it works out
Yeah, but there is a balance to like showing them that like you got to work to make a living
But I mean, I'm sure it's your goal as well as it's mine
And all the other parents that we want to raise kids to do better than us, right?
So yeah, kids are more important than anything. Yeah, any gig. Yeah, so, um
Yeah, back to the story. So what happened was I only had these like
I think it was six days that they ended up booking me on
And it was halfway through those days and then one of the days they cut and I was sitting there and um
I had just taken a job with motor trend as well to do this new series called runs good and
Which was developed by bart bar and Meyer also down at alumni. Yep. He called me up and said hey, dude
I'm doing this new series at motor trend. Would you want to be the host and I said
Who are the other hosts and then he told me the other host and I was like, I'm in
And then I was like, well wait who's shooting it and they're like, uh, we're not sure but you know, I was thinking maybe, uh,
You know eddie sparsa and and I was like if eddie does it, I'm in a hundred percent and then
You know eddie claugers like hey, I'm in and I'm like, well, I'm in yeah, so I started off doing that show and I think I was
Uh, the next or our first episode was gonna be up like in a couple weeks
They called me and told me that they were putting it on hold
We're gonna do one episode and then they're gonna hold for a certain amount of time or something like that
And I was like, well, what cars?
uh
For the motor trend show. No, what what, um
What season of hilo was this three? This was with the three fifths ease and the v8s. Yes. Okay. Yep
The drift drift car set up with the v8s. So yeah, three fifths ease just no more turbo motors. Just you know ls
And then I think high
Yeah, it was yeah
One of them was an escalade ls. That was our junkyard one
as low car for sure. Yeah, and um
I went out to albuquerque that next week
Um, the days for doughnut weren't until the following week
And I met this dude on the airplane and I started talking to him because I was holding actually this helmet and that helmet bag right there
He's like, hey, dude, you're holding the helmet and I was like, you're holding the helmet
And he's like, where are you going? And I was like same place as you
You know, uh, and he's like, what are you working on? I was like, oh, dude, I just started this motor trend show
We basically just finished these project cars and then we take them out and do this thing that the original owners wanted to do
and then
we
Called an episode and uh, he's like, oh, well, that's pretty sweet. Um
Well, you know, do you drive him at the end? I was like, yeah, dude, we go to the track
It depends on what the end goal was but for this this one is going to be pretty sweet, dude
We're going to take it to the track and do a time attack things. Oh, you're a driver. I was like, yeah, I'm a driver
And then we started sharing the which helmet and where we got him and all that stuff and and then um as I'm talking to him
I'm like, dude, this guy, you know, he sounds familiar, but I don't know who he is
And I do two and a half hours later. I found out that
Uh, he actually knows me because of doughnut. No, right? Yeah, his son watched, uh, the first season of high low
Oh, I actually already followed him because he had all these pikes peak records for uh motorcycles and cars
Yeah, and his name is Greg Tracy
And um, he was like, dude, let me get your contact info. I could totally use you
Uh, you know, he asked me if I had my side car. I was like, yeah, have my side card and he's like, oh, that's good to know
and then um
That night in the hotel, I was like, man, I should have like bugged that guy, you know
But I was like, nah, dude, you know, he was just a cool dude like just hit it off with him right away. Everything was
You know, same type of person and well, you never know on a plane
With if it's like a 22 and a half hour flight or longer, right?
You don't want to get it stuck in a conversation like it's awkward or weird
No, and if you press you have to like it's literally like a
Poker game where you're like, all right, when do I like drop this card? Like, oh, we're gonna land in 20 minutes
I'll ask for their name now. Like you have to kind of plan it out or else it's gonna like
You know, yeah, it'll be awkward stuff. Yeah. And so at the end though, that's when he was like, hey, let me get your contact info
That's cool. So he got mine. But then I was in the hotel room and I was thinking about that
And then boom, he texted me and he was like, hey, dude, it was really good to meet you
I'm gonna keep you in mind for things in the future. And I was like, sweet, you know, maybe this is how you make those connections to get
Into this world, right? Three months later. I got a phone call from a guy who said that
This guy, Greg Tracy gave him my phone number
Oh, so wasn't Greg Tracy who contacted you? Is someone else? It was someone else
But Greg Tracy gave my number to this guy. Yeah, but we were shooting
High low and I'd only had those three days left on that I was contracted with
To finish up until they said, hey, we'll give you two more days or whatever, you know
But I was like used to the 30 something days or 22 days of shooting and I only got like six
So there's three days left on this and um, I got this phone call. Hey, man
We're shooting this new tv show called twisted metal. The lead actor is anthony mackey
Uh, and we'd like you to come drive for him like be a stunt double as a driver
And I was like, yeah, let's let's do it because yeah, I was like, I'm in, you know, because I was again
I was looking for that longevity
I was looking for the way in and this dude who I just met on the airplane gave my number to another guy
Who's looking for someone like me and then boom, you know, yeah, and so, um
Uh, I told the production at the time or the people that don't I was a hey
I got to go do this like, you know, I've only got three days left on the on my contracted thing and
One of them just got cut so like really I I got to take the long work
And then I didn't hear anything back and that was it nothing nothing, dude
So, I mean, I told no one I talked to no one and it was he was a dude. You got to go, you know
So he was like, I'll be bum, but you know, we'll work on other things. All right, cool. So I went to went to go do that and then, um
Restless history. I made friends with anthony on the shoot. Dude. He's such a
Like a blue collar guy just like super down to earth couldn't speak any more highly for him as a person
Uh
Whole season went great. I learned a ton as well as from the stunt team that was there the camera car driver
Uh, clay colon was the coordinator who is a good buddy of mine now
He's a pro uh or x pro jet skier really good on a dirt bike and uh good driver all around jet skier
Yeah, yeah, clay colon. Yeah, like like uh racing or yeah stand up like uh, yeah
Yeah, well not the flipping but just like boo. He's like, you know going for time and
Um, it's pretty gnarly man
And you would be surprised like you think you're proficient on one of those things and then you get behind him and you're like, man
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Yeah, if you fall behind those stand-up ones and like blasts you
Or if you fall in front of one and one runs you over, you know, it's it's a lot of weight
That's gonna to mow your ass over and that's such a crazy. I mean even crazier than a stunt driver is being a professional
Yeah, yeah, yeah, but while I was there
I actually stayed with him on hit like at his residence
Like he got like you get like a location allowance. So he had this place on the on the river
Or lake whatever lake pacha train or I think it was and I could be murdering that so don't count my words for it
But uh, whatever lake is the gulf of louisiana. Oh, it is I think it's punch train
I think that's close at least. There's there's there's alligators and everything but we basically every day
We weren't shooting we just rode jet skis
So I ended up buying a jet ski while I was there and just stand up one. Yeah, that's actually in the back
I'll show it to you. It's a 650. It's a 2012 super jet. Yeah, two stroke. Love the two strokes. Same as rotor
Oh, man, that sounds fun. Oh, so much fun. And I confide in you. I've never driven a jet ski before
What about a sit down one? Never nothing. Oh, dude, you got to get out there. I do like water
I do like water. I just never grew up in a situation where it was like available to me
Oh, I hear that man. Yeah, I got kind of spoiled. My mom had a boat and then
My cousins they all had them
Where do you go around here? This is like desert. Well, we used to go to
There's a lake called Buena Vista, which is kind of towards bakersfield
You know, you go to like button willow and you see it off to the left. Yeah
It's just a bunch of trees pure pyramid like pyramid is out here as well as cast ache
But we would go to parker arizona
to the river or like have a zoo or
Anywhere that along I guess the the colorado river right there and you can you can ride them
But um, that's fun. Yeah, that was pretty great another donut alumni worked on twisted metal ify
Wait a second. Do you remember ify? I do remember him. Yeah, he was a writer on it
No, you probably wouldn't have wouldn't have like cross paths on the shoot. Right. He was a writer
A few of my buddies are actually writers. Yeah, he didn't do season two though. No, I don't think so
Okay. Yeah, because uh, there's a guy named grant draconian
Uh, and shon
I forgot what shon's last name was
Uh, but those two guys actually remained in contact with them. Uh, both writers for season two
Um, but yeah season two happened and yeah as hollywood goes they basically fired everyone moved it up to
Toronto to get this 30 tax incentive and then you know, I was bummed because I wasn't gonna be on season two
And then they found a different like a canadian erin parker. No, uh
Anthony mackie he texts me like this the day after was a hey, dude. I heard they fired everyone
Uh, but I'd like you to still come
Drive for me on season two. So I'd like to bring you up fought for you
Dude, he fought for me and he brought me up to to go do season two and then I did season two
Yeah, and then on june 3rd. I leave to do season three. Oh man. Yeah, I've done
A lot of productions with him now anything that he drives on basically he'll give me a call and give me some dates and then
You just get on a plane and you end up being there and yeah, you shoot for him
So is there anything you wouldn't do for Anthony mackie like if he was like I'm in this new uh
Mission impossible spin-off and I'm doing this wingsuit jump. Oh, yeah only driving stuff. Yeah
Yeah, I only only do the driving stuff
So like if it flips if it catches on fire if it rolls if it goes in the air if it slides
Or hits something I'll do it, you know, like, you know, no problem there
Once it comes to like other stunts
He actually has a fighting double who does like all of his captain american stuff
His name is david warren who's used to impacts and stuff like that. Yeah, he does everything else
So he's he's really good at a lot of stuff. His background is obviously different than mine. He's more
The flippy jumpy. Yeah, uh all the acrobatic stuff who needs uh knees when he's 45, right, right?
Yeah, I'm just uh, I mean, I'm still like an athlete, but I just I didn't grow up doing
Spins and kicks I could do backflips. Oh sick. You can still do a backflip. No, I'd probably bust my
Break something dude. I tried to do a kickflip in the in doughnuts kitchen the other day and that was like I
I've been skateboarding for more than 30 years and
Uh, I could do better kickflips than I could do ollie's forever and I could not even like
Flip I it was like embarrassing and I I haven't skated in like two years
I thought it I would have a couple more years before
All my skills, but anyways, so you mentioned that you're an athlete
And we talked about skating a little bit before. Yes, you didn't skate you did BMX, right? I actually
I used to be able to do kickflips and I'd ollie. Yeah, I used to work at a pharmacy ride shop
But I was all into BMX, uh, you know dirt jumps and street riding. I was like really into
My senior project was actually building a a BMX bike from the ground up. Oh sick. Yeah, which
Dude, I put so much passion into it
You know it's like the same as like my race car, right?
Like building this thing and then I'll never forget like this girl
She redid her dad's office and obviously she just like printed out this thing that looked like all nice, you know
But I had like every picture of how I put it together and I went to the bike shop and they taught me how to lace the wheels
So then I documented that and then I wrote down like, you know, what it took to learn and how I messed this up
So I had to buy more of these, you know, and there was a good learning process and the bike shop owner
You know helped me finish him like real nice. This is a high school project. Yeah, I was called a senior project
You know, you had to like do this one big thing. Yeah at the end of the year and mine was building a BMX bike from the ground up
Yeah, and I got a three out of five
What and I was like I'd never had something hurt so bad
Because I really there's probably nothing up until that point that I was most passionate about than this
And I really tried, you know, the girl got like a four and a half
And I was like, dude, it's a piece of paper
That's like a computer rendering, you know of like this shop space that she probably didn't even redo
It was just her dad's like office, you know, why did the teacher's not like I just think it was disconnect, you know
Probably
Teachers probably at the time were like, oh, that's not a future, you know, like he should have
Oh, it had to do with like what you wanted to do. Yeah. Yeah. Like what I know
I mean, I wouldn't change a damn thing now. Yeah
God forbid
Well, she probably works at one of those like furniture rental places
Well, you know, I hope she's actually doing well because I don't wish bad on
I don't wish bad on anyone
Like I can read between the lines, but I'll take a two any day
Or three or whatever the hell I got
Yeah, it was low if it meant that I get to live this life again and be in the same position
So could you have failed if you?
Yeah, I don't think I didn't know anyone who failed
I knew people didn't show up, but like I shouldn't really see them again
I think they got makeups or something like that, you know, yeah, that sucks. I'm sorry. Yeah, it's okay, man
Again, I landed here and I feel pretty good about it now
Well, that kind of transitions well into my next question, which is you put so much
effort into
Being meticulous about this bike. Yeah, and I know you
Kind of as like this wiring guru and you'll have your own wiring company wolf
Wiring wolf motorsports. Wolf motorsports. Yes, okay from you know, I was not really a part of hylo that much
I would stop by the set once a while, but
Um, the overall sentiment was like that you were very meticulous about everything you do. Yeah. Yeah, it's a double-edged sword
Yeah, I mean when you're on a on a like production timeline
It can hinder you a little bit. Yeah
But when you're actually doing something that you care about and you want to run well
I wouldn't want anyone else to work on my car other than your type of you know, like yeah
This person. Yeah, that carries over into everything right like even like this home, you know
There's you want work done on it. Well, no one's gonna do a better job than you
But if you don't have any skills to do it, how are you gonna get it done the way that you wanted to get done?
Yeah, you know, so it's like I started the wolf motorsports wire because I needed more money to drift
And provide like money just to f***ing live straight up
So I started wiring cars earlier on and doing my own work
Because I couldn't afford to pay someone to do it on my own car and that led to down the line
You know, I became good buddies with like matt field
Because he shared a tent
With uh with od or no at the time
It was mad mike and
od under nitto and then
That turned into me working for od because mike stopped competing in fd usa
So od offered me a job. I went to his team and then od and matt were on falcon
And that's when lauren and jesse shot frenemies
Oh, shit, and then they needed someone to speak behind the camera
And it was always me right there. They say hey, erin, what just happened?
I'm like, oh dude, we got this five minute call and no one's supposed to touch the car before this and da
And you know, if anyone touches it, they were disqualified the five minutes is up and then we're out
And then that turned into like a series frenemies
Yeah, right and then down the line that ended up leading to jesse give me a call and saying hey, we need another host for hylo
Uh, do you want to do it? And I said, yeah, sure and that's kind of like my entry into into donut
So the jesse he's referring to is uh, jesse wood who used to be right our creative director
I don't know if that was his actual title. He was like chief creative officer when he left, but I think yeah
Yeah, uh, one of the most instrumental dudes at doughnut and now works with james at speed
But yeah, it's crazy how small the world is when you start like
Recalling all this stuff. Yeah. Yeah the wiring part that uh was always going in the background
So, you know wolf motor sports wire, uh, ended up meeting
Matt field through odi and then he was a dude
He should come up to drift cave in northern california and wire cars for us
We got like two or three projects at a time
You come up stay at my house wire the cars for however long work out of the shop and then go home when you're done
So I did that for 67 months and I cranked out three or four projects or something like that
Uh, maybe a few more. I don't know and then um,
Became real good friends with him
And then he's like dude, you should just make your company like legit and I was like I should and that's when I you know
It became like an llc. So now I've got uh an employee. We do baha like
1000 trucks we've done like build like really expensive builds before
Um, anything that goes basically we'll do it all motor sports grade tef cell wire mil-spec autosport connectors
You name it. I don't know any of those. So I'm not gonna name any
It's okay. I can show them to you one
I want to talk about hyperdrive
Dude hyperdrive was a shit show. Yeah
I mean
It it didn't look that put together on screen
But I knew behind the scenes. They're you know, you're at an old
abandoned factory with all this janky kind of engineering
Out the the seesaw thing. I was like, there's no way that's like osha certified. No, that that was real. That was real
I actually knew the the coordinator. I still talk to him. He's a good buddy of mine now
Uh, and he's introduced me to other stunt coordinators. So when I first got on that show, he was like, what's your goal?
So my goal is to be like a stunt driver
Like that's overall the driver living and he was like, okay. So after we did the whole show and then I got
What was it called when you just flunk out or?
exterminated
What happens when you get off at a tv show?
You lose or something or
Oh
Yeah, like all right knocked out. Yeah, I got after I got knocked out. He's like, hey, dude
Do you want to stay and help me test this stuff? You know and I was like sweet. Yeah, sure
And so, uh, I tested all the stuff like the big I did that once in my car
Yeah, but then after they changed the ratio so it'd go much faster
Oh god, you know, but the thing was is like everyone's cars were different
So I don't know if you saw but when the Japanese
Jzx got stuck and it almost got pinched or whatever. Yeah, you know, the the saw came down basically like smashed it and
Uh, or no, it was the opposite way it came up and he jumped off, you know, and you barely got it
You know, it would have been really bad. It had been like a second later
But yeah, I got to do that and you know test the cars and
Where'd you guys shoot? Uh upstate new york, uh, Rochester
I would have never thought Rochester
It does kind of have like it wasn't an old abandoned. It was the old Kodak
Factory, which there's like rumors of uh, there being a nuclear reactor down there, which I actually believe
I don't care if people think I have the tinfoil hat on but
I'm not talking crap or anything
But there was a very high number of people with like physical deformities
In that city that we're staying at and I was like, man, you know
Like if there was and the water was tainted or something that kind of explained like, you know, what it could be
to back my theory
there's this one
Like, uh, I don't know what you'd call obstacle where you had to drive your car through water and everyone's scared because they thought
There's gonna hydrolock your motor. I wasn't because my car's like two-stroke didn't happen to that south african girl
Yeah
But I was like, man, you know how hard it is to actually hydro hydrolock like something, you know
But again, my motor's two-stroke so it could actually ingest water and keep running like it's not going to damage anything
Yeah, yeah, you could like actually one of the methods to clean it as you hook up two gallons of
Water one on each port and then you put it into the intake and then you just step on the gas and it steam cleans the motor
Holy shit. Yeah, and it doesn't hurt at all
But uh, I drove through this water that they filled up from the groundwater
And then I was like under my car later
And uh, the next morning I woke up and I had like irritations on my skin from the water
Yeah, well at the point I didn't know it was what the water that did it
But then I was like, wait a second because I got under my car again
I noticed that my transmission like it was it's like billet aluminum, right?
But it was all oxidized from like the water hitting it. So it wasn't like a mirror finish anymore
I was like, dude, this water like jacked up my
Sweet-ass transmission, you know, that's weird and then I put it together where it was
Irritating my skin and I was like, dude, I wonder if I just got like some crazy
I don't know. Yeah. Yeah, but what is the I don't know the theory that there's like a nuclear reactor
Is it just why would they have that? Well, is the old kodak film plant and then uh,
There was just if you like google it or look it up there
There's all these like hearsay about there being a nuclear reactor down there that they ended up covering up
Like it like went bad or something. I don't know weird the kodak plant. I've never heard about this. Yeah
I mean the place is massive. It's huge and it's like this giant industrial
factory that
Is old as shit and you could kind of put it together and like I could see that being there. Yeah, it's not that
I 100% believe it but
All right, I believe it
So what was um, you said that it was like a shit show filming that
I mean, it's so bad because look you got
You got expensive cars. You've got I don't know was it 30 contestants or something like that
There's a lot ton of contestants all coming to rochester, new york
Uh, all of them had their builds like funded in a way to be competitive
Right, so they're giving you money to
Outfit your car with xyz. My car was already done. Basically imagine me saying hey, dude
Or you saying
Or you being like a pa on on set and be like, hey, I need to fill your car up with fuel
But you don't know anything about cars
Right, so like one day I like showed up and there's this pa holding this
Gallon of like this fuel bucket and he's trying to fill up my car with the wrong fuel
Oh, god, you know, basically it was uh, you know having
A bunch of people who didn't know about cars
Uh try to manage
You know 30 contestants who are all into cars. Yeah trying to accomplish this
You know american ninja warrior with vehicles was just a recipe for disaster. It needed
Way more like rehearsal and all that stuff to get what they got out of it. Uh, I think that was pretty
ambitious and
Luckily it worked out. But uh for the contestants
I I'm pretty sure that there's not many who would say they would do a second season
Did you stop that uh pa from filling your gas? Yeah, it became this huge argument because the
They see they don't know anything about it. So they were like, you know, they were under the
Impression that these cars were theirs. Yeah, and they're taking care of them
You know when they're not and so uh, I yell I was hey, don't put that in my car
You're gonna ruin it. Da-da-da and then it became a thing where the purse like one of the
Producers gave me my own fuel drum so that I could feel it because I was like no one's touching this car except for me
Yeah, you know like if it something happens, I have to pay for it type of thing
I've been on like a lot of productions now and
They're when something goes really smooth you start to
Really value it, you know versus some of them. They're just, you know, uh,
Everyone's on a different page. No one knows what's going on the communications bad the timelines are
Uh, not realistic and yeah ambitions are too high. You know, so did you meet some cool people through it?
Oh, yeah, dude. My current dentist is actually yep who I met uh on that show. His name is uh bret
Was he a driver?
He drove was it the muscle car guy. Yeah, okay. Yeah old cowboy guy. Yeah, uh in kentucky
Uh, yeah, I actually ran into him again on another car related thing in Saudi Arabia. No way really enough is the first
they call it like
Fires, I don't know what it was. It's a Saudi Arabian
automotive
I don't know it was right before cobit and then cobit happened. They didn't do it the second year
But it was so awesome. Damn. It was sick
I had followed that the like she was probably 14 or something at the time the south african girl
Stacey. Yeah. Yeah, she's her online presence is awesome. Yeah, she drives the old e-30
Yeah, it does all the tricks like hanging out the door and stuff right right right that south african drift culture spinners sane
Yeah, yeah spinning whatever. Yeah, and they're just like it's more like circus
Stuff than the actual like precision. There is precision
Involved in it. Mm-hmm, but it's like hanging out the door
Yeah, you know like doing crazy shit while it's just pinning. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, just
Lay it in 100% and then you know do like that's like it's spinning, right? Yeah. Yeah, we got to go out there
I went with mad mic
When we did a conquer the cape when he drove his
The three rotor
Rx8 up and around the I forgot what they call but it's basically in Cape Town. Yeah
Frank shook past
Yeah, it's a really cool video
But we got to see and spend time with them out there doing that
They actually offered us to get in the cars too, but we were like, man, we don't want to mess up this shoot
And we're you know on this production timeline we had to go but really cool to meet him
And we actually saw her drive before I even was on hyperdrive. No way. Yep. Yep. I saw her
Out there doing it
Before I realized it was her like years later and then when I realized it was her I was like, hey, dude
I saw you and she was like, what? Yeah
Yeah, we got video of you. That's like pretty cool. Hell. Yeah. Well, we're running out of time Aaron
Thank you so much for giving us your afternoon to do this
But I wanted to just mention how cool it was that you started
You know, we started kind of in the same place like you you had a different background obviously, but like
Donut was kind of our end and then we went in different directions
But now you're just doing like the coolest biggest shit
And I'm so happy for you because you're such a nice dude and I always just like you're one of those people that I always come back to is like
Someone that was super professional, you know, even when we were like rag tag kind of like right startup energy
You always brought all of your energy into everything you did
And I think that's why like you've succeeded as you've done
Is because a lot of people see what I do is it's just like a professional nice dude great to work with
And you get results and I think man. I appreciate that
You continue to succeed in you know, the big film world and I'm so happy you're doing uh twisted metal season three
That's right. So if you uh
Want to plug anything, please
Dude, I don't even know what to plug. I just you know, I what you said kind of like
Really rounds it off for me. Uh, because I think that
From I'm glad I got into cars. Um, like as a career later on because I really can value it
You know, I worked some really bad jobs, you know, yeah made some really shitty wages
Uh trying to get there and because of that it made me
More wholesome and and value what I have now, you know being able to to do what I love for living
Be around cars drive for living be on these sets, you know flip cars and get blown up and you know
See it later on the big screen or whatever and um to me it still feels the same though
You know, it's like no different than me sitting on the grid for competition for like a drift car, you know
I still get like that
Like exciting high off of it, you know, it is different completely and you know, if I did have one regret
It was never competing in like pro one. That was like something that I still truly feel like today
I could have done and like done well, but you know this oh, there's always time
But now I'm like I had these two little kids and my wife and I value so much
what
They're going to become that every free moment now goes into that that's awesome, you know
So it's like I'm okay with the life that I got to live was so exciting, dude
It is I mean I pinched myself a million times over the places
I've been all around the planet people
I've got to hang out with
And then icing on the cake getting to do what you love for a living and get paid for it
So it's like how much more could I really want other than to help?
build them into
a person or people that can value
what
They get to do and hopefully make a living doing it. That's very well said
Really that resonates with me just having kids like yeah, I want to provide the best life for my kids
And I want to foster whatever they're into whether it's cars or whatever if they want to go in a different direction. Yep
So, thank you Aaron. Dude. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. We'll have to do it again, man
I've got so much left on the table. I know I we didn't even I want to talk about like your rotary background too like
Man
So let us know in the comments if you guys want Aaron back on the show
We have at least a couple more hours of conversation left
Just wanted to give a couple shout outs. One is this actual hat. This is releasing tomorrow
It's my signature hat from melon brand. You can now purchase this on their website
It's got all the livery from my pride and joy the work of my life, which was the wolf. It's basically designed
Um
Because of it. Yeah, it's just says a high effort times persistence equals
infinity red line you can figure that out by yourself
And uh roaks helmets, uh, they've been a pretty big, uh
safety sponsor, you know, uh just from uh
Keeping my head safe keep your melon keeping my melon safe
And then lastly if you guys were ever into skateboarding, I don't know if you guys know, uh pharmacy ride shop
They opened up another brand called slow ride garage and basically I've been wearing this stuff for about two years now
And it's just
Lifestyle garage wear for people who like cars. So sick. That's about it. Good plugs. Be sure to like and subscribe follow
Aaron at what's your handle? Uh a parka dot 300
I will say I'm not as active
Well, I'm pretty active on my stories if you like coffee
And uh, you know, uh watching traveling things. I you know, I'm always on that
Hell yeah, so follow Aaron for his coffee insights
Follow me at jojiweber and follow donut podcasts and we'll see you next time. Thank you
About this episode
Aaron Parker traces his path from JDM and rotary obsession into drifting, then into stunt driving and behind-the-wheel work. He breaks down why pro credentials matter, how stunt teams get constrained by directors and budgets, and how small setup changes can unlock a shot. The conversation also dives into real production chaos—fuel mistakes, tight logistics in downtown Albuquerque, and even hydrolock fears—while Parker shares his RX-7 FD and four-rotor build plans, plus TV work like V8-swapped 350Zs and Twisted Metal.
This week we sit down with Aaron Parker, Donut Hi Low Alumni who transitioned from Formula Drift to doing car stunts in Hollywood. Aaron talks about his days at Donut wrenching on 350Zs to his time at MotorTrend hosting Runs Good to his experience working as Anthony Mackie's personal stunt driver and friend.
