Yahoo Autos Ridealong: Travis Pastrana Is a True Maniac Behind the Wheel of a Can-Am
“I haven’t run this course yet. Should be fun,” Travis Pastrana says, giving me that signature smirk. Before I even think of protesting—not that I would—Pastrana has his helmet on, his belts hooked up, and a Can-Am X3 xRS Turbo RR is already idling, waiting for me to strap in. It's one of those moments in life where you question how exactly you ended up here.
[Editor's note: Jonathon recently spent a day hanging out with Pastrana as the action sports legend sat for an extended, in-depth interview covering everything from Ken Block to parenthood to how he controls his own fears. This wasn't part of the original plan, but when someone like Pastrana wants to take you for a ride, you go.]
We’re at MidAmerica Outdoors, an off-road racing and trail-riding park Pastrana is building out with the land’s owner, Jason Robinett, to become the destination for all things action sports. It’s a sprawling facility out in the lowlands of Oklahoma an hour outside of Tusla. There’s a massive complex being built for Nitrocross, a pit bike course, a downhill Barbie Jeep run, a lazy river, a freestyle motocross area that has the biggest kicker jump I’ve ever seen in my life, and countless tree-lined off-road trails built for pro-spec race rigs and off-the-showroom-floor UTVs like the Can-Am we’re in.
It’s heaven on Earth.
And though Pastrana has taken a step back from his racing activities this year outside Nitrocross, the rallycross series he created, the man hasn’t lost any confidence in his driving capabilities. Not a single ounce.
We tear off; Travis’ inputs are stupidly quick, getting onto the gas faster than I can think. The open field that connects the first forest section of the course flashes past so rapidly, I can barely catch my breath before we reach the trees. Immediately, what I thought I knew about the Can-Am’s capabilities after spending the last two years with my own... well, it evaporated as Travis drove it harder than I knew to be possible.
Terry Madden, a professional UTV racer who’s raced King of the Hammers and is also in our convoy with his race-spec Can-Am UTV, would later tell me we were clocking just under three-quarters race pace. My heart sank hearing that.
Through the trees, the man once known as “Wonder Boy” shatters my power to say anything but “Whoa!” and smile from ear to ear, giggling in my helmet. I don't blink for 20 minutes, as my eyes try to read the trail ahead and understand how Pastrana and Madden could process everything so fast. I came up with the certainty that I just suck.
But as we exit the forest section of the stage and Pastrana floors the 200-horsepower UTV, we feel a sudden vibration followed by an explosion over our heads that causes us to instinctively duck. The roof just ripped off at around 70 mph. Pastrana slows for a fraction of a second, looks up, looks at me, shrugs, and then gets back on the gas. I can sense that same smirk pulling his face back from behind his helmet.
And we aren’t done with close calls. As we enter the first few feet of the next forest section with Madden leading the convoy, two deer jump out right in front of us. Madden barely misses them by what feels like inches. Suddenly, I'm not just watching Travis’ steering and the trail ahead, but also the forest to the side, waiting for another deer to pop out and join the two of us in the cabin. But the jolt of fresh venison never comes, and we exit the forest to what I think is the finish line our impromptu rally.
Only it's not.
