Full name: Matthew Harold Covert
Age: 21
I first became interested in vehicles when my older brother bought a sweet redneck pickup,
a jacked Toyota with a smallblock 350. It was extremely easy to crawl under, and seeing all the components and mechanisms caused
me to be very intrigued. So Dad gave me a big yellow book from the '80s about engine theory, principles, and carburetors.
It wasn't long after that my parents bought me a
fox body Mustang to drive back and forth during my junior year of high school. It was in rough shape, but I never admited
it. I learned to successfully drive stick, as well as accomplishing my first intentional drift in the wintertime.
Eventually, the tiny four cylinder motor had to come out, and sadly, another four cylinder went in. We tossed
the old motor out back behind the barn, where I proceded to disassemble and reassemble the 2.3 with only a few pieces left
over. I later purchased a
1978 Pontiac Grand Prix, and recently, another
'88 Mustang named Traveler.
My interest in actually driving a car sideways started when I saw the Dukes of Hazzard when I was eight.
After seeing the show, I immediately got out several matchbox cars to reenact. Every movie scene with a car chase reenforced
my interest. After taking my parents '97 Honda to an empty parking lot on an inch of snow during the night, I was hooked.
I wanted to be a driver because it looked fun. Then it changed. It used to be just fun, but now it's life. Stunt cars,
performance cars, firetrucks, forklifts, delivery trucks, motorcycles, tankers, street cars, dump trucks.... it doesn't really
matter what it is. Vehicle dynamics and engine theory consume my mind. I love EVERY venue of driving.
There are two things I've learned from attending a couple
precision driving schools and practicing the stunts in my own time.
1. Stunts are done off the road in a lot you have permission to use. Leave the road for driving.
2. Never stop respecting the power that your car has or the dynamics and boundries that each car is limited to.
