The Avants Podcast

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