George La Monte is one of those quiet characters in the movies… The kind that you’re not so sure about until the closing credits, where you realize he was the good guy (maybe the best) all along, and your predisposed notions were totally unfounded. He comes off a little cutthroat, willing to put it all on the line just about anything he’s passionate about. That’s not to say he doesn’t have a strategy. George is a smart businessman, but he also just has a big set of balls. Lacking any inhibitions but bountiful with ideas, and stringent on the details when it comes time to execute.
And he’s also willing to take some chances along the way (if you couldn’t tell). Many of which more conservative brands might feel are unnecessary, if not too risky. Like testing a theory by competing in the infamous Sonora Rally, solo, in a damn-near bone-stock Yamaha YXZ1000R. Five days navigating his way through the Sonoran sand dunes on his own to merely prove a point: with just a minor amount of tweaking, the YXZ platform was just as competitive as the big boys.
Or, what about crafting the first hydrogen-powered UTV intended to take on such notorious races as the Baja 1000 or the fabled Dakar Rally. A project which could break La Monte, but he’s willing to try. Because if he succeeds, this project would instead break his brand through the atmosphere in a trajectory towards Alternative Energy and Powersports greatness. And…because at the end of the day, nothing good came from complacency. So, when we sat down with George after spending some time behind the wheel of his Avid UTV equipped Yamaha, we realized that he wasn’t here to make friends. (Though it’s something he can’t seem to help.) He was here to collect trophies and prove a few points along the way.
He’s a racer at heart. And if you know, well, then you know. That’s what sets La Monte’s brainchild, Avid UTV, apart from other aftermarket parts manufacturers, resellers and installers. He’s doing this for the W, if you will. He wants to see his equipment on the top step of the podium. And while that doesn’t mean he refuses to whip up a mean machine – fixed with one of Avid’s high-flying suspension kits – for the leisure market, competition gives him a testing ground. And it’s these challenges which pushes him to innovate. He’ll do it all. Because he can.
UTV Sports: You’re the man responsible for the “Baby Raptor” – more on that later – but what led you to race UTVs in the first place?
George La Monte: Well, yes… On a [Yamaha] YXZ1000R chassis, but there were a few other companies who have done this before me. I just took it to another level. It’s a long story, but after racing the NORRA Mexican 1000 solo on a motorcycle in 2018. There was a distinct moment which ultimately changed my life.
At the event, another motorcycle racer named Jake (he’s known well in the community) passed away. And he was young and a pro rider, seemingly the last person you’d think would end up how he did. So, after learning about the incident, a close friend who was with me on that trip asked me to never race on a bike again. I sold all my stuff the next week.
USM: Is this how you ended up starting your aftermarket parts & accessories brand, Avid UTV?
GLM: Yes, in a roundabout way.
USM: Before we dive too deep into life on four wheels. We want to know a bit about where you started… Where you initially caught the competitive bug. So, tell us a bit about your past life as a Professional Motorcycle Racer. What started your career?
GLM: I grew up in a small town. I rode horses but always watched Motorsports on TV. I went to a Mickey Thompson race at the Rose Bowl when I was around 10 years-old. And I’d wanted to race off-road trucks ever since. I couldn’t afford a race truck at 13, so I cleaned horse stalls and weeded until I could afford a CR80. It went “downhill” from there… Eventually, I was a support rider for a Pro team, but that changed pretty suddenly.
USM: And then what ended it so swiftly? If you’re willing, give readers the gritty details.
GLM: During practice one day, I had a pretty major crash testing a friend’s bike. He wanted a photo of it doing a “step-up” jump, but another rider moved in on the landing and we collided. It knocked me unconscious, and when I woke up, I was in the hospital and had apparently destroyed my knee, and that was it. It was a really hard pill to swallow.
USM: But you’re not one to dwell. We can imagine you didn’t sit around for long, waiting for opportunities to jump at you. What did you do after your first profession ended?
GLM: I worked two jobs after racing motorcycles. My girlfriend’s dad hired me to work for him at JG Tile Company from 1998 to 2006. I went from the bottom to the General Manager. Around then, my girlfriend and I were married, but when we divorced about a year later, I knew our working relationships would never be the same.
So, I left the company and worked for a friend whom I rode and raced motorcycles with. I had that job at the Tama Trading Company from 2006 to 2015. There, I started as the Warehouse Manager, but eventually became a high-grossing salesman. I sold Italian Food products to restaurants, colleges and hotels. I mean there is so much more to those stories. But, I don’t know how deep down the rabbit hole you want to go.
USM: It seems your go-getting personality might have set the standard for your future endeavors. Even down the road, when you eventually decided to venture into the powersports sector.
How do you think your various vocations helped you start Avid UTV and bring it to where it is today?
GLM: I worked for owners of companies who pushed me way beyond my comfort zone – putting me in positions I wasn’t ready for. But, this drove me to push day and night to be better than our competitors. Ushering the companies I worked for into a place where they were leading our fields in design and selling great products with top customer service.
USM: Was it intimidating to launch a business from the ground up in a highly competitive, albeit relatively new, industry?
GLM: I think because I started Avid UTV for fun, with great friends and knowing we had amazing products. So, it wasn’t that intimidating.
USM: What about on the course, in the sand or down a trail, have you ever had an “oh shit!” moment driving UTVs?
GLM: I have had many “oh shit” moments. Most of them just made your heart race, some made you laugh. But there were also a few of those “oops…” moments (Haha)
USM: Was your rig Avid UTV equipped? Should it have been?
GLM: Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. But they always should be equipped with at least our suspension kit. Then you can really push the car to its max.
USM: So, what makes your products stand out from the rest? And why should we be upgrading with Avid?
GLM: Hours and hours of testing and design. I have an amazing engineering team. Fabricators, racers, and many friends who give me real honest feedback. Of course, we have failures in testing and during races. But, if you don’t have failures, you’re not learning! There’s no progress. Your products just become stagnant because you’re not really pushing the limits to find the breaking point, and in the end, they are no better than anything else that’s out there.
USM: Let’s get back to that Baby Raptor. What gave you that genius idea to build a F*rd Raptor skin for your Yamaha YXZ1000R?
GLM: The body came to be when we [the team] were working late at ES Motorsports. It was funny to see a little YXZ1000R Turbo holding its own next to all the Trophy Trucks and Class One Buggies. It actually had a buggy body on it first, but the mini truck body just looked so cool. We couldn’t help it.
USM: Do you make a skin for any other UTV models?
GLM: No, not at the moment, but there are some great companies out there fabbing them for Polaris and Can-Am. Maybe if more people put in requests, we could see where that takes us.
USM: Could make a Ferrari skin? (Haha)
GLM: Anything is possible…
USM: Coming from you, I believe it. Speaking of which, you premiered the beauty at the 2020 Sonora Rally. But before that, you raced the event a year before in the same, bone-stock YXZ… Solo. (Only your second time racing rally raid.)
How was competing in a rally raid with no co-river to help you read the roadbook, racing a base model Yamaha (amongst the likes of Polaris and Can-Am) and still remain a contender?
GLM: I did my first Rally Raid in 2018 on a bike. Navigating came easy to me. I finished Third to Skyler [Howes] that year and Second to Scott [Bright]. I entered the Event for fun; I had never seen a roadbook until the night before the first day. I’d also not raced a motorcycle since 2005.
Fun fact, I was throwing up during the special stages because I was so out of shape. I lost 21 pounds in five days. But I pushed myself. (There are some amazing helicopter shots of me from that race.)
But, honestly, it’s a lot harder to navigate in a car [or side-by-side] by yourself than on a bike (I’m a better rider than a driver). So, let’s just say I enjoy having a navigator in a car. But since, I don’t think a stock YXZ would be competitive at a rally anymore due to how fast the courses have become.
USM: Man, no one could accuse you of being a “one trick pony.” And UTV Sports heard a rumor Avid Racing – the company’s on-course field-testing division – is dabbling in alternative energy. Is there anything you can tell us about that?
GLM: Yes, we have been testing a fuel cell (hydrogen powered) side-by-side using a Yamaha YXZ platform. Still working out the kinks, so I can’t disclose too much… Yet.
USM: Before we go, do you have anything cool planned for Avid UTV or Avid Race this next year?
GLM: What isn’t cool about Avid UTV? (Haha) All joking aside… We have a new suspension kit almost ready for the Polaris Pro R. Usually, this is not a copy and paste kit. It’s unique to the car and produced in smaller batches by the best craftsmen in the business. And of course, we offer a lot of other great products for the Can-Am X3, RS1, RZR XP1000 and XP1000 Turbo. And our YXZ1000 line of products just keeps growing. (So, check out the website!)
USM: Huge thanks, George! We look forward to following all of your cool ventures this year.
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