The Avants Podcast
Avants
Updated 6 days agoJoin hosts Dan Putnam and Nick Bergeron as they get to know industry leading guests beyond just what they drive. The Avants Podcast is never scripted and never predictable, but it’s always a good time and full of surprises. You won’t find any boring reviews that sound like reading off a pre-planned info sheet, ”history of” shows that are reworded Wikipedia articles, or advertisements for the next new foam mattress here! The Avants Podcast focuses on making sure guests are always authentic, just like your hosts.
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Episodes (447)
Shop Talk 3 - Kei Trucks, Tool Boxes, and Megan’s Make Believe Husband Needs a Trailer
On this fun shop talk episode we talk about upcoming cars on Dan's list, the shop and studio update, tool boxes, and choosing the right trailer for Megan's make believe husband.
Official Indy Photographer Chris Owens
This week we speak to the official photographer at Indy, Chris Owens! Chris started his career in photography early and took over as the head track photographer at Indy at 23 and is now the Manager of Photo Operations at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Chris has worked his entire life as a photographer, and at the still young age of 34 is one of the most respected and talented photographers in the motorsports world.
Catching Up With Editor-in-Chief Karl Noakes!
Karl makes his 4th appearance on the podcast, which still doesn’t feel like enough times for all his stories. Ever since retiring from the tech industry Karl has been busier than ever as the Editor-in-Chief of the Avants Magazine, photographing for IMSA, photographing at Le Mans, and so much more. We talk with Karl about all the inside scoops of life at the races and about his new M2!
Accessing Barry’s World
We have had our fair share of accidents and close calls, but the reality of being permanently disabled by one of them is something we have never had to face. After a severe motorcycle accident, Barry Long found himself permanently paralyzed and facing the reality of life ahead in a wheel chair. Barry talks to us about how he didn’t let if stop him from truly living, loving, and enjoying life. Not just inspirational, Barry was a hilarious and fun guest and we see a long friendship between us ahead.
A Short Update While We Prepped for Classics On the Green!
It's a shorter episode this week as we prepped for the Avants Classics on the Green event! This week we talk about the best way to visit parks, NASCAR goes to Le Mans, the new CARB emissions for small engines, and Dan's dog tries to eat Nick's face. Again.
Shop Talk 2 - Sacrilegious Swaps, Hauling Long Loads, and Safety 2nd
On this shop talk episode Dan, Nick, and Megan discuss sacrilegious engine swaps we would do (like a K24 in Ferrari 308), hauling a long load in your short truck bed, and some safety tips after Nick almost loses his legs while doing some off-road recovery!
The Special Tools Avants Members Say You Need!
We did a poll on the Avants Facebook page on what special tools we might not have but should and several Avants members helped us out! Do you have any of these? We also touch on what we think are the best cars you should buy right now and save for a lifetime and some exciting upcoming events!
Avants and Andrew Norman are a Perfect Pairing
This week we talk to Andrew Norman, Financial Advisor & Managing Director of Colibri Capital, and a great supporter of Avants and keeping the car community moving forward. From his days as a thug at Exotics at Redmond Town Center to racing Ferrari Challenge cars and now sponsoring Indy driver Benjamin Pedersen, Andrew is a guy who truly supports the sport and the community.
Back To Le Mans and Beyond with Dominic Dobson
We welcome Dominic Dobson back to the show to catch up and talk about his upcoming journey back to race Le Mans again, hopefully with less fire this time. Dominic joined us way back on episode 66, but he's back again and now as the owner of one of best Avants Partners, Dobson Stuttgart. Dominic shares exciting racing stories, upcoming plans with Dobson Stuttgart, and talks a little about electric motorcycles too! Check out Dominic at Dobson Stuttgart! https://dobsonstuttgart.com/
The Shop Talk Series
We're starting a new series! In addition to our regularly weekly shows, every other week we're going to do Shop Talk! This series will cover news, events, project updates, tool reviews, and more! We're looking for your ideas and what roads you want us to go down, pun intended. Listen in for a taste of the new series.
Everything IMSA and Far Beyond with Mark Raffauf
This week on the podcast we interviewed Mark Raffauf, Senior Director of Race Operations for IMSA, about all things racing from IMSA, to Isle of Man TT, to Formula 1, and everything else. Mark is truly an expert on basically everything racing related and as it turns out even more. With over 50 years of experience in the racing world, you’ll find it difficult to find anyone with his level of experience and knowledge which made for a really interesting episode we really enjoyed recording.
We Don’t Know Jack About Lifts So We Called in the Experts
As Dan went down the rabbit hole of trying to determine what lift to buy, we quickly found out we don’t know jack about lifts. We reached out to the experts at Hydraulic Solutions, Jarett and Sara Bailey, and asked them to come in and give us all the information on vehicle lifts we would ever need to know before purchasing one. When you decide you need a lift for you shop, reach out to Hydraulic Solutions at https://www.hydraulicsolutions.net/ and follow them on Instagram to see some great design ideas!
Shant Meshefedjian and the Most Excessive of Mercedes
You can’t talk about wild car builds of the 80s without talking about the tuner cars of Koenig. Shant Meshefedjian is an expert on Koenig, especially their polarizing Mercedes builds. Shant gives us the incredible stories of how he acquired one the rarest of them all and his love for the over the top builds that Koenig is famous for.
More Wagons Please!
Here at Avants we have one major complaint with car manufacturers and what they choose to sell in the US…they never give us enough wagons! Give us all the wagons! Megan Zalud joins in the studio again as we discuss all the cars we wish we could import to the US, but those stubborn manufacturers just refuse to give them to us. Did we miss one? Do you agree? Let us know!
Cutting to the Chase with Brionna Lynch
You’ve seen her 280Z on the cover the recent Avants Magazine and seen her work in Black Panther and more, but now you can hear the incredible stories of profession stunt driver and drifter, Brionna Lynch. She gives us all the epic stunt driver stories, stories of last minute engine swaps, race prep, and so much more. Brionna is every bit as great of a story teller as she is a driver. Be sure to check out her article from the Avants magazine posted here and be sure to follow herInstagram to see all her latest updates!
The Molly Project
This week we have the pleasure of talking to Molly Saleen, CEO of Saleen Performance Parts and of course of the legendary Saleen family. Molly talks with us all about The Molly Project, Molly Pop Pink, the history of Saleen, the excitement around the upcoming Saleen 1, and a lot more.
From the Kart Track to the Virtual Track with Megan Zalud
The fact that we met Megan through Avants is kind of surprising since she’s been friends with basically everyone we know for years. Megan started life at the Kart track, but has worked with Bondurant, Yukon Gear and Axle, DirtFish, Forza, and more pursuing her automotive passions. We caught up with Megan at the DirtFish Women in Motorsports Summit which seemed like the perfect place for this recording.
Jennifer Klein Shows Us There’s More To Being Successful In Motorsports Than Being in the Car
This week we sit down with Jennifer Klein and she gives us a reminder that being a success in the motorsports world doesn’t always mean being in the car. If you’re looking for yet another inspirational person who’s making a name for themself in the industry without being a driver or co-driver, then look no further. She shares some great stories of working her way up and there is definitely some great lessons to take home for all of us wanting to or currently working in the industry. You can work with Jennifer by reaching out to her on her LinkedIn.
Karisa Haydon and Trista Smith Give us a Rebelle Rally Recap!
We start off Women’s Month strong with Karisa Haydon and Trista Smith, aka Team Baby Bronco, who share their journey of doing the Rebelle Rally! They give us the details of how their adventure started before the rally even began and how they completed the rally to make rookies of the year! Follow along with Karisa and Trista at TeamBabyBronco.com!
Shop Talk!
We discuss challenges of building a shop and still trying to maintain your sanity all while trying to stay within a budget. We also talk about Dan’s attack dog to defend his shop, some pretty cool tools we don’t need, and the quickly rising costs of buying a new Jeep or Bronco.
Emme Hall and Her Epic Adventures
Emme Hall describes herself as “Driver, reviewer, rabble rouser”, but we think she left out that she might be the most epic of adventurers. Rebelle Rally? Check. Baja racer? Check. Crossed Mongolia on a knock-off 49cc Monkey motorcycle? Also check. Needless to say, if you know anything about us, we are fans. Between all that fun she is also a great writer, and one we have followed for a long time on Jalopnik, Cnet, and more. Check out this week’s episode for some adventure inspiration! Follow Emme on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/yeahemme Read all about Emme’s trip across Mongolia on a Monkey on Jalopnik: https://jalopnik.com/riding-a-monkey-bike-across-mongolia-is-amazing-and-pai-1849686223
Talking About Wings That Actually Work with Amir Bentatou of RS Future
This week we talk with Amir Bentatou, owner of RS Future, and probably the nicest NSX on the road and on the track. Amir obsessively worked his way up through the motorsports ranks to create his company RS Future, which makes functional aerodynamic race components and more! Amir talks with us all about aerodynamics, Time Attack, drifting, NSXs, and his upcoming Discovery channel show, Monster Garage with Taylor Swift.
Paul Charsley Wins the 24 Hours of Daytona Then Calls Us
Paul Charsley is the Motorsports Manager for Heart of Racing and just won 24 Hours of Daytona, but before going home he gave us a call. We literally had to reschedule Paul because he told us “I need to go win Daytona, but we can do the show afterwards.” True to his word, he gives us the recap of Daytona, tells us about Aston Martin’s comeback, The Heart of Racing all women’s team, and Aston Martin… drifting?
Felix Holst: A Master of All His Trades
We first met Felix at the 2022 Avants Classics on the Green last summer and we’ve been excited to have him on the show ever since. Felix was instrumental in shaping our love of Hot Wheels and then went on to creating incredible art with people like Magnus Walker, all while still being a successful bass player. Felix is another one of those special guests with endless interesting stories from living a life well lived that you're sure to enjoy. Read more about Felix in the Avants Magazine article here! https://www.avants.com/magazine/push-and-pull-with-artist-felix-holst
A STEKtakular Episode with John Kleven
We catch up with long time friend John Kleven, who is now the President of STEK USA. Long time listeners may remember John from all the way back on Episode 32, but a lot has changed since our first chat! John talks about how STEK started, lessons from owning Metropolitan Detail, and his constantly changing and fun car collection.