Reid Nordin Was Born With The Genes To Succeed
How Following In His Father’s Footsteps Lead To Getting Paid To Play
Story By: Reid Nordin
Photos: Provided by Reid Nordin
I was born and raised in So Cal to a family of off-roaders. Jeeps, dirt bikes and camping was our family weekend fun. My dad took that hobby to an entirely different level when he started to race. He raced the 1st Baja 1000 in 1967. From there he continued to race everything from Jeeps to a Suzuki Samurai. He even raced a Samurai for American Suzuki for part of his career. I remember I grew up chasing him across the desert in Baja, so I can credit my off-road disease to him.
Due to my upbringing, I had no choice but to love off-road. That love turned into a career as I landed a position with Kawasaki Motors Corp as a Factory mechanic for Jimmy White. This was back when they raced 3 wheelers in the early 80’s. When 3 wheelers went away I was asked to start an off-road program which was the beginning of Kawasaki’s off-road dynasty in not only Baja, but everything else off road.
Things were going great and I felt it was time I should settle down. Wanting to start a family, I moved to the Kawasaki Research and Development Department. There I worked on everything from KX development to Watercraft endurance testing. I spent my spare time as a volunteer crew for the Ultra-Wheels Trophy truck and Nastruck teams where my love for off-road racing continued to grow. This lead to 12 years helping several top teams which included the Terrible Herbst team during their desert domination.
Later on, I moved back to Team Green to run its off-road program and eventually managed the whole TG program. Thereafter, I took on the SR. Manager role which oversaw all of Kawasaki’s US based racing. Over the years this program saw success in disciplines like ATV Racing, GNCC, H&H, Enduro, Enduro Cross BITD, Baja, SXS, Drag, Dirt Track, Amateur MX, Arena Cross, Professional MX and SX efforts. I gained a ton of satisfaction out of building many successful programs. I also give kudos to a great staff that made all that possible in the two-wheeled world.
By 2008, UTV’s started to become a big thing. I took it upon myself to start promoting the Kawasaki Teryx as a race and play adventure machine. Making the transition, I didn’t get much help since no one at a dirt bike company knew much about the four-wheeled world. I had to do all of the SXS stuff on my own. This was a natural fit for me, but we struggled to compete after a few years with a stale platform and a growing list of competitor models that were improving with each new release.
My two-wheel career ended 30 years after I stumbled across the Kawasaki opportunity but my love for everything four-wheeled dirt continues with Walker Evans Racing. I had known Randy Anderson, the WER President, since the Mickey Thompson Stadium days. It quickly became apparent that his growing company needed another hand. After a few conversations, I made the full time transition to another toy company where I am currently still working.
Steering away from the “work life,” here’s a little more information on the man behind the toys. My wife Jill and I have been married for 31 years. We have two boys, Trevor and Peyton, and as a family we have spent years camping every chance we could. We rode ATV’s, dirt bikes, Jeeps, Sand buggies and UTV’s. Being as hands-on as I am, I have a bad habit of always wanting to build my own toys. I would add to old ones or take new ones and modify them the way I wanted or thought they should be built. This started with ATVs. The list of vehicles I have built include a Trevor’s KX/PW50, a KDX200 motor in a KX125 chassis, 3 sand rails, at least a half dozen Jeeps (including one like my dad drove in the 1967 Baja 1000), and a growing list of UTV’s.
Nowadays, our boys are married and gone but both possess dirt bike skills that far exceed those of their dad. They both continue to play in the dirt but usually with a cage around them. For me, my dirt bike riding days are gone. Mostly because I just like four-wheels better. Moreover, having the ability to have Jill by my side with a cage wrapped around us is a bonus. I’ve had my fair share of races throughout my life. I have won the Baja 500 and 1000 as a driver. I have been a part of more Baja victories than I can count. I have been on the podium at KOH. I have been a navigator in a Trophy Truck. I have been on countless championship teams. I have traveled to some of the best locations on the planet via dirt bike, pre runner, Jeep or SXS and I will continue to adventure until I physically can’t any longer. Because of the off-road world, I have met some of the nicest people I now call friends: some who you may never hear of and some you’d want to get an autograph from. I am a blessed man that continues to get paid to play in the dirt. My hobby is my life! It sometimes feels like a dream and can be overwhelming at the same time, but I wouldn’t change a thing. The exceptions would be to travel less, rescue more German Shepherds and have more Jeeps and SXS’s. Jill would mostly agree, but not the last two since she thinks I have too many already.
