The bling connoisseurs down at Assault Industries build some of the baddest accessories for your bike that you didn’t know you needed. With endless colors available in nearly every accessory they offer, these guys will provide your bike with the finishing touches it needs, to bring the entire build together. From mirrors to grilles, to harnesses and much more, a trip over to their web page is dangerous if you’ve got your credit card within arm’s reach. We recently set some time aside to chat with Marcelo, the brainchild behind the accessories mega power known as Assault Industries. Just how involved is Marcelo in the sport of ATV/UTV? Find out below.
Last ATV/UTV ride you took: Calico Ghost town Area/Barstow Slash X.
Last thing you questioned putting in your mouth: Pickled egg at Slash X.
Last band you listened to on your iPod/radio: Doses & Mimosas (Cherub).
Last thing you raced: One of my employees to the bathroom stall…really had to go!
Last time you pulled an “all-nighter”: Aug 31st. No alcohol involved, but lots of Redbulls! One of my employees and I drove from So Cal to Idaho overnight, to make the UTV Invasion Event; non-stop!
Last time you drove over 100mph: Other than my brain going 100mph everyday… last night, coming home from my hockey game in my SQ5…still pumped from our overtime win… late night, no traffic.
Last near-death experience: Knock on wood… We were out at North Glamis KOA with Frank Keane and the RZR Forum Ride. We went out with our Project X build (A-Bomb RZR)! We were hauling ass at night, with this group of guys we met earlier in the day. We were on our way back and my steering wheel was starting to not be centered… I wasn’t thinking too much about it as we were in it to win it! We pushed harder and faster and finally made it back to camp. When I got out of the RZR, I went straight to my front end to see what was up. After kicking the tires and looking for something bent, I noticed my tie rod was literally hanging on by one thread! Another few feet and I would have been in a waterbed, or wrapped up in a fence we were driving right next to! Note to self: always check your nuts and bolts on your ride!
Last time you were injured: Pulled groin from hockey, back in December.
Last thing your mother always told you to do: Be happy and live! My Mom is always so positive!
Last time you crashed: Dubai, last year…. Hauling ass at night with the Boomer Team. We were a group of at least 10 UTV. We were a few feet from each other, running the dunes, until one guy decided to stop and I didn’t have time to react fast enough. I jammed the front bumper into the back of a RZR XP1000.
Last time you were embarrassed: Out at Glamis, I was playing with fire (mom always told me not to). I had a gas can and I was getting ready to light the sand on fire. I was drawing designs in the sand and the gas got to close to the fire, and then the fire ran into the gas can. My first reaction was to try and swing the can around to put out the flame, but this just made it worse! I started to pour gas all over our camp and onto UTVs and quad in camp. KING shocks was camped next to us and saw me running around with a gas can on fire and setting the entire camp on fire!
Lasting off-road memory: Last Destination Polaris episode I was involved with. Jared the host, invited me with a group of other Industry guys; Rugged, Fuel, Fullerton Sand Sport Tire, SSV, and Assault. We got to go to places I never have seen or even heard about. Greg and Steve from Rugged got us all hooked up with communication, which made the riding experience amazing. Intercoms and radios really make a difference. Trevor from SSV works cooked amazing meals for us at night; his Carne Asada was to die for! Dave from Fullerton and Ryan from Fuel had all the trails mapped out. We had 3 days of great riding. Seeing things like Tonka Town, to own cabins that are in the middle of nowhere. Lots of laughs, racing and story telling!
Last idea, concept, or new product you’ve experienced that had you saying, “Hell Yea”: We have come up with some very innovative products for the UTVs in the past few years, but the most recent was our Spare Tire rack that’s for the Polaris XP 1000. This rack allows the spare tire to lay flat, slightly above the bed of the XP. This allows visibility to the driver, and also the use of the bed for a cooler, tools, and storage bags. But this is not the only feature; the rack also has automobile style gas shocks that allows the rack to open and lift, so you can get into the bed of the UTV and access your cooler and stuff.
Last New Year’s resolution you didn’t keep: To lose weight. It always starts off good, until Super Bowl Sunday approaches, and then Valentine’s Day – forget it! I can’t be ripped, I’ve just learned to eat healthy, continue to exercise, and live healthier.
Last time you were lost: Glamis Halloween weekend – Camp RZR. My eyes have gotten so bad with age. Every time I go out at night on a busy weekend, it never fails. I end up driving around for hours, looking for our camp! Everyone’s motorhomes look the same when they’re blurry! I ended up hooking up with Greg at Rugged radios, and purchased a Magellan TRX7 GPS! Never lost again.
Last project you worked on that you were truly excited about: This one is tough; it’s between Project X build, (A-Bomb Polaris XP 1000) and Textron, Wildcat XX, Speed project.
Our A-Bomb project was designed for Destination Polaris. It was one of our hardest builds, due to time constraint. We had GlazzCraft’s first sample of his new fiberglass body, and we had to make it fit, along with engineering new doors for it. This Polaris RZR had all the bells and whistles. It turned out amazing, and was featured in at least six magazines, and was recognized all over the world. The Textron Project was exciting as well. Here was this new UTV that was badass, and they wanted us to help engineer and make parts for it. We got to work with some awesome people, and got to see the outcome just a few days ago at the Textron launch! This new Wildcat XX is going to be a huge success!
Last time you laughed so hard you nearly wet your pants: This one is hard because I love to laugh and love watching all these funny videos on Social Media! The last video that comes to mind is this guy on an older, Harley-like street bike that decides to make a jump with a landing ramp. You see him adding an ice chest under the launch ramp for a little more support. He then does the old Evel Knievel practice run, halfway up the ramp. Next thing you know, this guy is launching off the ramp, nearly hits the telephone wires above, and overshoots the ramp by 50 feet! He looked awesome in the air, until he lands, and he looks just like Evel Knievel in his earlier years! He did get up at the end, with some bumps and bruises I’m sure.
Last words of advice: Live your dreams – you only live once, so go out and make it happen!
