“You Miss Every Shot You Don’t Take”—Wayne Gretsky
Richard Guiboa’s Leap Into Racing Comes Full Circle
Story By: Cody Carney
Photos Provided by: Full Throttle Photography
This month’s Campfire Chat grew up a stone’s throw away from endless desert terrain. The very same that would eventually lead to his careers in both work and play. Sit back and enjoy a little Q&A with our friend, Richard Guiboa.
Let’s start basic. Tell us what do you do?
I own and operate Guiboa Motorsports in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where we do service, installs, and customer builds on off-road vehicles. I am also the founder and driver for Guiboa Racing, a UTV racing team competing in open desert endurance-style racing. My racing is a small family run program where my cousin and brother co-drive for me while my small pit consisting of my family and friends gets us through.
Nice! So, where do you come from?
I was practically born in Lake Havasu, a place where no one should live because it is too damn hot, but at the same time, nothing can compare to what it has to offer. I come from a family that would give the shirt off their back to make someone else’s day better. My family has always been huge into off-roading and riding motorcycles. We are all gear heads that love to turn wrenches and try new things to advance in the sport. My brother, Hunter Guiboa, has always been the better one at motocross while I took on the strong talent in driving… and the better looks, but that’s aside from the point. My brother has his own MX racing program which he is rocking it in and advancing through the classes to his most recent advancement into Pro2.
What about you? Where did your off-road journey begin?
My off-road journey began at a very young age. My father, Sal Guiboa, taught me how to drive and ride which became my strongest passion. I’ve ridden quads and motorcycles since I was in elementary school and began racing MX in the early years of high school. My first truck was a 1990 GMC Sierra 4×4 and then my second vehicle was a Ford Ranger I built into a Prerunner. Between the two of those, I would say that is where my off-road passion stemmed from and my journey really took off from there.
With the desert in your backyard, that’s not a bad way to start. So how did you transition into UTVs?
Since I had a few fairly built Prerunners that could tackle the desert at high speeds, I always called the UTVs “go-carts” and “lame.” I then got the opportunity to drive one for my birthday in 2014 and it kind of took off from there. I think it was a year later I bought my first UTV which was a 2014 Polaris RZR XP 1000. I built it into a nice trail machine then not long after decided I wanted to take on off-road racing as the sport was growing rapidly.
It looks like the sport has changed a few things for you. How has it affected you as an individual outside of the track?
The sport has drastically affected me in a very positive way. I have met some awesome people and life long friends along the way, even before racing. The off-roading community in general is a very passionate and helpful type of group that will help in any situation. Then after I began racing, I met more individuals who even though were my competitors still became friends before a race and continue to keep in contact on a regular basis after the race is done. My sponsors for my race program have really come together to help me build and have done so much for me. Several of them are no longer just sponsors but good friends as well. I have spent a lot of time with Ken Larson with KWT Particle Separators and Matt Burke from DYNOJET Research whom I later helped with co-driving in his own race program. Both of these individuals have become great friends and people I can look to for information.
Well, you definitely have the encouragement. What else motivates you to get out there?
The passion for driving is what I would say gets me out but then the thrill of the competition and the motivation to build and grow in the sport is what keeps me getting out there. I have always been a very competitive person and want to be the best no matter what the sport. Getting beat is never a bad thing, more of an event to build off of and grow from, and teaches you what you could have done differently to take with you to the next race. Competition is a healthy thing and keeps the sport advancing and growing.
You mention having a competitive spirit. What type of challenges do you encounter as a competitor?
As a competitor, you are not only competing against the other drivers but countless other variables as well. You are battling against the terrain, weather, keeping the car together and most of all you’re competing against yourself. You need to keep a level head and think about the entirety of the race. If you get carried away, you can either run out of talent and wad the car up or run the car into the ground until something breaks which will either take you out of the race or set you way back on repair time. My fabricator and long time friend once told me a very wise quote, “You can’t win a race on the first lap but you can certainly lose it there. Take it one mile at a time and stay focused.” This could not be any more true. The attrition rate of these races is very high, a lot of competitors fall out of the race before the last lap so the goal is to keep a steady pace until the last lap and then give it your all. Stay consistently fast but feel for the car and take care of it. Know its limits and ride that fine line of fast but conservative.
Keep up with Richard’s races and see what sort of build he’ll come up with next by following him @guiboa_racing_613
