Article By Kyle Doyle - April 10th, 2008

Perhaps one of the more unique success stories in the monster truck industry over the last few years is Brandon Lagarde and his Sudden Impact Racing team. From rather humble beginnings to the multi-truck, championship winning operation that it has become today, the popularity and success of the SIR team rests squarely on the shoulders of Brandon and his group of employees, including long-time monster truck mastermind Tim Bush.
 

While Brandon and Tim may keep a rather low profile at the track in comparison to other team owners and crew chiefs, they have steadily become a powerhouse duo, with a powerhouse team full of…well, you guessed it, powerhouse trucks. Like many successful teams, the SIR team has a lot of irons in the fire and a pretty neat story to back it all up. I managed to corner Brandon this past week and he was gracious enough to lend his time to all of us here at The Monster Blog to give us a bit of background into the latest happenings at SIR, and a brief history of his involvement in the sport.
 

Kyle Doyle: First off, I want to say thank you for sitting down and sharing your time with all of our MonsterBlog readers. I think it’s safe to say that the big news this week is Sean Duhon and the Amsoil T-Maxx winning the 2008 CFP winter title. Congratulations from all of us here at The Monster Blog on your team’s big win. How does it feel to have Sean bringing home the hardware from Idaho this week? What does this all mean to you as a team owner?

Brandon Largarde: Sean really deserved the win; he has been consistent all year with his truck. He really got cheated at the event here in New Orleans earlier in the year so now this win will help bring his spirits back up. Congratulations Sean! It also makes me think back before the hurricane on how we traveled together and raced together all the time; the fun and the struggles. Ed Beckley contacted me very early Sunday morning with all sorts of “rave reviews” on Sean and Kevin. Both are really great and they complement each other well, and that’s part of what makes it [SIR] work so well.

As an owner, I am ecstatic; we all really needed the win. The win in short settles a lot of issues in my mind, caused by past and recent “smack” talk going around. The performance of both trucks at this event really makes me happy and definitely proves to me that we are going in the right direction. Sometimes it seems tough and overbearing to keep up with at times, but with wins like this one and so many others that we have been earning, it definitely makes me step back and stand proud. All thanks goes to Sean, Kevin, Jon, Tim, Nesiah, Renee, Doc, and all of our friends and family.
 

KD: That’s great stuff. You guys definitely have a lot to be proud of, and it is always nice to have something to show for a long trip out to a race. Moving right along, could you share with our readers a little bit about your background, for those that may not know? Where you are from, where you live, what you do for a living outside of monsters, that sort of stuff.

BL: I’m originally from New Orleans, La. I was born and raised there, and I now reside in River Ridge, La. I currently own and operate Chiller Specialties, a commercial and industrial heating/air conditioning and refrigeration company here in Louisiana.

KD: What prompted you to get into the monster truck industry? Tell us a bit about how you got your start in the sport.

BL: Since a child I have always been interested in motor sports; everything from building go carts to dirt bike racing, water sports to drag boat racing, to rebuilding a demolished 4x4 when I was only 14 years old. I did this so I could drive it to school and back when I turned 15. I continued to build on it until that little Toyota became big. It eventually was big block Chevy powered and was on 2.5 ton top loaders with 48” Terra tires. I spent many years down here mud bogging in the spillways and such else. I never lost my enjoyment of the sport, so after starting Chiller Specialties I met up with Sean Duhon and we decided to purchase the Wild Child Truck, which we refer to as SIR #001. So much more happened but I am trying to keep it simple!
 

KD: How has your organization grown and changed since the purchase of your first truck?

BL: It has increased [in size] drastically. I never dreamed or planned to become as big as we have become. All respectful thanks to Tim Bush, the entire team, Nesiah and Renee. These are the ones who made it happen, and continue to make it happen, not me.

KD: If I’m not mistaken, after getting started with the first truck you went on to purchase the Sudden Impact monster truck operation from its owner, and since then the team’s growth has really taken off. At last count, you are up to five trucks now, correct?

BL: That’s right. We’ve got a great fleet of trucks running right now, and we are always working on something new.
 

KD: It has been well documented that Tim Bush is an integral part of your operation. What parts of the day-to-day aspects of Sudden Impact Racing does Tim handle, versus those which you handle? Do you have other staff working behind the scenes helping out as well?

BL: Tim Bush handles all of it. Since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, he has been a true valued asset. All I do is the development part of it now and work for Chiller. Nesiah is our “team manager”, and backs up Tim and the rest of the team.
 

KD: I think it’s safe to say that the Sudden Impact Racing tires are one of the best “success stories” that the industry has seen in awhile, although I’m sure you’d agree that the definition of success can vary. Share with us how the whole deal reached the point that it is at now, from conception to development to implementation.

BL: It was when I was racing still. I really cared about my light tires and I liked them a lot. The thought of cutting one and [potentially] ruining it made me sick, so I got the idea of making our own. In the short of it, myself, Tim Bush and many Live Nation employees have had all the input on the tires. Many do not realize the extensive input that went into creating the mold to produce the tires. I offered Mike Wales the ownership of the mold thru Live Nation even, but being the kind of true sport Mike, is he informed me the best way to go was for us to run the deal. I still to this day owe him many thanks for all the support and help he gives us all the time.

KD: Like anything else in this industry, I’m sure your tire program is evolving. What sort of changes, if any, can the industry be expecting as the years progress?

BL: We do change compounds as well as bead thickness due to rim requirements. We are also doing colors, including camouflage of all sorts. We will be doing different cuts on the tread design along with making some weight changes in the near future.
 

KD: What has the feedback been like from the teams and companies using the SIR tires? What have been the major “pros”, and have there been any “cons” that you’ve had to address?

BL: All is good. The original ones that passed testing and earned the certification numbers were a little too tall, somewhere around 65” tall. This was the case with only the first two containers that were shipped. All tires shipped in since have been totally correct, not exceeding 63” tall. I hear great results on all the certified tires we have done; so far only Live Nation has lost one of approximately 44 tires they have taken delivery of. It was a van stack that cut it, and it could not be avoided. I contacted Mike Wales about this and he stated that any tire in that circumstance would have failed, and that he is very happy with the tires and their performance.

KD: Can you give us the low-down on what really happened with Jeff Bainter and the tires that he was running that were shipped over from China?

BL: From what the attorneys are stating, the ones he got were the failed ones from the mold proofing plant that were supposed to be discarded. The mold proofing plant is not, and never will, qualify to produce such a high standard type of tire that is required to meet certification standards and testing procedures on each and every one that is produced. SIR does hold the Design and Copyright patent pending on these tires in full, no matter what.

KD: Prior to the final development and production of the SIR tires, had you tried contacting any North American tire manufacturers to see if they were interested at all in producing a monster truck specific tire?

BL: Yes, we did, but none were interested, mainly due to the demands not being high enough, and never would be high enough. In simple terms, the monster truck industry was “not a large enough market for them”.

KD: Tying into that, how do you address some of the comments people have made about the fact that these tires are produced in China, and not in the U.S.?

BL: Things are all about quality and price today, and as long as we have the certification processes and testing demands on them, I cannot see quality being a factor. Actually, as most manufacturers do today, we could legally state the tires as being “Made in the USA” since we handle some aspects of the tires’ production here at the shop. But we don’t; I don’t like playing games like that.

KD: Are you planning any variations of these tires for production in the future? Perhaps a tire with a more aggressive lug pattern for bigger outdoor shows on loose soil or muddy/sandy conditions?

BL: Yes we are. But we are still trying to make it an “all in one” product due to cost reasons and the like. Within the next year the lug pattern and style may change up some.
 

KD: You’ve addressed some of your personnel changes on a small level on a monster truck discussion forum recently. Can you elaborate for us some on the changes the SIR team has undergone lately regarding the manpower side of things, and how those changes are shaping up the rest of the year for you?

BL: Carl Van Horn has left again and we wish him well. We have some large shoes to fill but, with the existing team and one new member, we will be in great shape. But you know, the equipment belongs to us and that in it's self is a large part in what the driver is capable of accomplishing.

KD: Your team is undoubtedly one of the most popular in the sport now, and not just with the fans. Your trucks can be seen running for nearly every major promoter. This has to make you happy that your trucks are bridging gaps and crossing over to so many different audiences.

BL: Yes it does; I feel this came with the addition of Tim Bush and all of his hard work. Also, we get along with many promoters; we try to establish a great friendship with each and every one.

KD: As someone who started off in this sport fresh out of high school, I know first hand how tough it can be to get a career in this sport off the ground. What advice do you have for any of the aspiring would-be monster truckers out there reading this?

BL: Concentrate on your goals, dwell on only positives, and try to get over the negatives quickly. Most important of all: surround yourself with good company and friends. Don’t under estimate the value of a proper education either.
 

KD: How do you feel about the developing (and possibly deteriorating) MLMT situation? Should the MLMT not take off, what do you think that will mean for the sport? Do you think that the Monster Truck Challenge series can take off on its own, and have you looked into running any of those events?

BL: I, along with everyone else, would like to see it happen. Will it? Only time will tell. I believe strongly in the document you published on the Blog [See: An Open Letter to Joe Froome] regarding the MLMT, and I am awaiting patiently for the answers. I hope that they will be answered in a timely fashion.

One thing people who know me well will tell you is that I give everyone a chance; reputation aside, I always try to give people a chance. But if somebody lies, cheats, steals, bad mouths, etc, then they have to go. I try to be fair and what not, but its just not good business sense to keep a person around that’s doing stuff like that.
 

KD: It certainly is shaping up to be an interesting year so far, if nothing else. Brandon, I want to thank you again for taking a few moments to answer some frequently asked questions. I’m sure we’ll be talking to you more in the near future about some of the interesting things you guys have in the works.

BL: Definitely. We’ve got some really great stuff that I want to share with the industry. We have to stick together in all of this, or we aren’t going anywhere. We’ll be sharing more with everyone on some of our new projects in the near future. We’ve got some group insurance plans for drivers and crew members we are working on. I’m putting together some vinyl wraps at discounted pricing, classes on how to utilize vinyl wraps, detailed puff truck toys with sponsorship logo placement, some in-house graphic design assistance for group members, sponsorship sharing, etc. We’ve got much, much more coming down the pipeline soon. I’m excited to share all of this with everyone.

KD: Sounds great. We look forward to providing fans and industry members alike the ability to check up on your activities here on TheMonsterBlog in the coming weeks and months.

One again, I’d like to send out a big thanks to Brandon for his time, and another congratulation to Sean Duhon and the entire SIR team for their job well done in Pocatello, ID this past weekend. I can tell you that Brandon is a much more complex person than many people realize, and a true entrepreneur in every sense of the word. I look forward to bringing you all updates on Brandon and SIR’s activities in the near future; When its all said and done, I think there will a be a lot of people in the monster truck industry talking about SIR and their big plans.
 

-KD

Photos by Kyle Doyle, Ross Z. Bonar, Lauren Z. Bonar, Elliott Miller, and SuddenImpact.com.

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