Brett's a good friend of mine and I decided that I simply needed to officially interview this maniac!  Few have the guts to follow behind Mr. Culpepper.  Those that do are lucky to get out unscathed!  Brett's a really great guy...hope you enjoy the interview and pictures...

Jeepaholics Anonymous:  Let's set the tone here.  Your Jeep is named "Orange Crash".  I think most of us can imagine why the name stuck…but where'd it come from? Brett Culpepper:  I believe that Matt Osburn is the person who coined that name.  It seemed pretty fitting and has stuck. JA:  Obviously the name implies something.  <laugh>  Have you ever cared about the appearance of your Jeep? BC:  Yeah, back in the beginning I did.  I used to have it detailed regularly and it was very pretty.  Then I got a 4" lift and 33" tires and went to TDS… I didn't adjust my bumpstops and crunched my front fenders pretty good.  After that it seemed like the body damage didn't hurt so much. JA:  I have to personally thank you for my first real round of body damage.  Thank you. BC:  You're welcome…. I guess.  I felt bad about that, but you didn't seem to care so I guess it was okay.  If it's any consolation, it does get easier! JA:  Yes, I'm aware!  I've already written it off as an "oh well…it was just a matter of time."  Oh, and don't feel bad…it's not like I didn't know what I was getting myself into! BC:  Welcome to the dark side. JA:  What DRIVES you?  I mean, what gets you really riled up? BC:  I guess what really gets me going is when I think I should be able to make an obstacle, but can't.  Then, as long as we have time, I want to get to the top… no matter (almost!) what.  JA:  Almost?  I'm trying to think of a time where you came up with an excuse NOT to go up something… <still thinking> BC:  Well, I do have a nemesis… El Hill up at Los Coyotes Indian Reservation.  I've gone up it a bunch of times and I always take the right side… but… last time out (July 4th, 2000) we tried to go up the right side and stood it straight up.  So, we backed down and then I proceeded to do it again.  That time when I backed down, all my passengers bailed like rats from a sinking ship!  Gotta give 'em credit though, they went up the first time and didn't say a word.  So, when I was down at the bottom airing down for some better traction, I justified it to myself that it was just the beginning of the holiday and I didn't want to crash, and I'd been up it a bunch of times… so I skipped it. JA:  I knew it!  Deep down you're really just a wuss.  Actually, that hill scared the hell outta me.  We were out there recently and I saw Matt stand it on end twice going up the right side.  Thought for sure both times he was going over...  His problem was axle wrap and he started bouncing pretty bad, which nearly up-ended him.  Knowing that I'm a little taller, with the same wrap problem, and without a full cage yet, I decided that I was going to learn from what I saw and take the wuss route!  That hill still amazes me when I drive up to it.  First time I saw it took me a while to realize exactly what I was looking at! BC:  Yep, you found me out.  I am scared of heights so I do sometimes pass up the high stuff.  With you not having a full cage I'd say you made the right choice.  You don't realize how absolutely steep that hill is until you see pics taken from on the hill. JA:  What, specifically, goes through your mind when you see an obstacle that most would consider out-of-the-question? BC:  Is it remotely possible that I can make it?  Can I attempt it without breakage?  And, if I do roll or lay on the side, is it safe.  I'm not concerned with body damage but I don't want to break stuff and I don't want to get myself or anyone else hurt.  JA:  Speaking of body damage (again), you sure have gained a lot of it in the last few years!  Give me YOUR personal dictionary definition of a "roll-over"… BC:  On your top with no tires touching the ground… or mostly on your top and you have to get winched back upright. JA:  Fair answer, since I've seen you DRIVE out of what many people would consider a roll-over.  Any idea what your total is? BC:  I've been on my lid twice.  First time at LCIR on Left Turn hill and that was a total surprise… thought I was gonna make it and all of a sudden I was over.  Second time was at JackHammer.  I was screwing around next to the trail on a ledge and took the wrong angle, I felt it leaning to the left but I thought I'd be able to make it to a wall on the left hand side and lean up against it.  But, I miscalculated I guess! JA:  I think I know exactly where you're talking about.  Mark Alligood showed me the spot recently.  I got wedged into the corner of that wall and the big rock to the left last month.  So, how did you get involved in the rock-crawling world? Where'd this all start? BC:  I've had a bunch of 4x vehicles since I started driving and I did take them offroad but it really started when I got my Jeep.  My lease ran out on a 4x Ford Ranger and I bought the Jeep used.  A good friend of mine, Chuck Winkle, invited me to go to TDS.  I went with him and had a great time.  He drove his dad's old Willy's and we had a blast!  Then, I think it was the next year, I took my Jeep.  The challenge of the obstacles appealed to me and I just started making more and more mods to my Jeep so I could do the tougher stuff. JA:  You just recently went through a "gutting period" of your YJ.  Last time I saw it there was an awful lot of space where the dash area used to be!  Only thing left was a couple of wires and lots of holes. What's the scoop there, and what was the motivation for doing this? BC:  I used to have a huge stereo and radar alarm and since I'd pulled everything out, the wiring just wasn't right.  The headlights would blink on and off and sometimes not work at all.  I even had to do the last half of Jackhammer with no lights (and it was dark!).  After that, I figured it was time for something drastic.  I figured that since I don't have doors, a top or a windshield, I wouldn't need the heater or the rest of the dash. I like it and probably won't change it much except to maybe add a little storage on the passenger side. JA:  Definitely no leg-room problems anymore! So what kind of plans do you have for Orange Crash?  BC:  Well, I want to get RC D60's, 39.5 Boggers, put in my NP435 and maybe a long travel front driveshaft.  A bunch of other little stuff but that's the main drivetrain stuff. JA:  Knowing you, you're a bit of a rush junkie… Describe a time when you've thought to yourself, "Oh man…this was a REALLY bad idea!"  Doesn't have to be Jeep related… BC:  Now that's a tough one… I'm usually in trouble cuz I don't think it's a bad idea!  But I guess the one time that comes to mind is when I had a little extra time before I had to be at work for something and I decided to go up Black Mountain (a hill they hang glide off of near Penasquitos). I didn't air down and I was alone.  Anyway, I made it right up to almost the top and the front end was coming up a little bit.  I got a little nervous and decided to back down, but I got stuck in some ruts and couldn't get it to go down the way I'd come up.  There were a bunch of bushes in the way and I kept working at it.  In the meantime my stock seatbelt had tightened up so much that I couldn't move and so I couldn't see very well.  There were vultures gathering at the bottom of the hill, just watching.  I was getting pretty scared and even tried to turn around, which was working pretty well until the tires would come up out of the ruts. Pretty scary.  I wanted to just leave it there but I finally ended up going through the brush.  That shook me up pretty good and I found out later that there have been some pretty bad rollovers on that hill.  Since then I've been careful to not go out by myself 4x'ing.  JA:  What's your favorite trail? BC:  I think it's probably TruckHaven out by Salton Sea.  You can improvise, get as wild as you want to and not do any serious damage.  It's not extreme but I always have fun there and I really like the night runs. JA:  What's the best time you've ever had in your Jeep? BC:  That's pretty tough… it always seems like my last time out was the best!  I think our NYE trip was absolutely awesome but so was July 4th at LCIR.  And, I did a Rubicon run about 3 years ago that was a blast.  Will you accept a 3-way tie for first? JA:  Oh, alright.  Brett - It's been fun! Thanks for doing this…