Taking the HiRôAD with Terry Madden
Words & Photos: Savannah Rose
Madden owns a shop, HiRôAD, located in the Southern California off-road mecca of Johnson Valley, where he regularly builds custom UTVs for his racing schedule. At the time of our chat, Madden was preparing for the King of the Hammers race, installing and testing new parts on his RZR, and teaching daily off-road lessons to new drivers excited to learn the ropes of wheeling out around the Johnson Valley OHV area.
When I asked Terry exactly what it is that he does for a living, he responded, “I’m not really sure what I do anymore. This all started as a hobby, and somewhere along the lines I accidentally ended up being good at it. Now it’s turned into a real job. I do a lot of driver training, coaching and I build a lot of stuff in the shop.” Terry really does live an exciting life, every time I have seen him, it’s at an event, or in a different location than home, as he’s consistently traveling to races and events in off-road and motorcycles.
USM: Terry, what’s your favorite event to race?
TM: “I have to say King of the Hammers, of course. It’s where I cut my teeth, Hammers is where I really grew up. But Baja is a REALLY close second, I love Mexico, I love the [Baja] 1000. I just love that style of racing, and I am getting a lot more accustomed to the go fast lifestyle lately as opposed to just the rocks.”
USM: What is your most interesting story from off-roading?
TM: “Honestly, I don’t know where to start. I have so many to choose from. I’ve grown up doing this my whole life. Most of my travels all over the world and most of the friends and family I’ve made are because of off-roading.”
USM: Fair enough. What’s your favorite part of the off-road world?
TM: “The one thing I love the most is the people. One hundred percent they are the absolute best part. I have always said that if anything ever happened, or went bad, that my off-road friends and family would be the ones that were there for me. That was proven when it actually happened, they were all right there. They all stepped up to help. It was truly amazing and helped me get me through some tough times.”
USM: What do you enjoy more? The racing or the building?
TM: “That’s tough. I don’t know if I enjoy the building itself, but I do truly enjoy creating the build. Getting something out of my mind and into the real world is indescribable. I don’t quite know what to compare it to. There is an instant gratification. Being able to see your finished product that came from nothing is incredible.”
USM: What about driver training?
TM: “One part of what I am lucky enough to do is a lot of vehicle testing for OEMs, as well as driver training. I teach everything from vehicle familiarity for the daily driver, like how and when to use 4×4, to advanced Rock and Desert Race training. Occasionally I even get to do some military schooling.
USM: Any plans to venture into making your own line of parts?
TM: “I don’t have any desire to mass produce parts. At one point I thought I might, and I know that’s probably the route to making money, but it just doesn’t excite me to mass produce anything. I love the one-off parts, the artistic side of it. The creation is the fun part for me. I even make things like art and furniture on the side, just to keep creating.”
USM: So is this your latest RZR build? Are you racing this car, or is it for driver training, or prerunning?
TM: “Yes this is my 2020 Polaris PRO XP, but I like to call it the PRO XP S. I really like the full-width RZRs more than the 64”, so I got with the guys at HCR and we produced an arm kit to fit the chassis of the XP, while keeping all the stock outer elements of the Turbo S, but making it a 72” wide car. It’s running Turbo S hubs and axles, meaning I can still use stock replacement parts, too.
This car is more for fun, prerunning and driver training than racing. It’s got all the good parts on it though, from KC HiLiTES to a full Rockford Fosgate sound system, Fox Shocks, PRP Seats and harnesses, Warn Winch, everything is upgraded.”
As you can see, Terry will settle for nothing less than the best! He is always hard at work creating something, whether it’s a tough new build, some artistic projects, or creating a new, talented off-road driver and enthusiast. Terry’s passion for off-roading, racing, and teaching emanates in everything he does.
Be sure to follow along with Terry, and his dog Cassius on Instagram at @terry_madden and follow along with his shop, HiRôAD at @_hiroad_.
