Pimp My Pickup: The Sick 50 Mega Truck
By Samantha Grillo @_samanthagrillo
Scroll down for the full story
Videographer / Director: Hector Ortiz
Producer: Samantha Grillo, Nick Johnson
Editor: Kyle Waters
Ryan decided to build his own mud truck, which cost up to £66,000, after attending events and watching other drivers compete.
His truck, Sick 50 Mega Truck, can jump over hills and race through four-feet deep mud.
Ryan said: “The truck can be dangerous, but it was built with safety as number one priority.”
“I’ve watched some of these other mud truck drivers and just couldn’t stand on the sidelines any longer - I wanted to have my own truck.
“I found the original truck, which is a two wheel drive, low rider street truck, and brought it to BMF Fabrications and they began the process of starting the chassis."
It took Ryan, 35, from Georgia, USA, a year to complete his dream mud truck.
The 429 stone truck started life as an old 1950 Chevrolet full body truck.
Ryan said: “It’s all steel, the fenders are fiberglass and It runs on alcohol.
“It’s got two and a half ton axels in the front and rear, dual ramp PSE steering, and full nitrogen shocks.
“The events I compete in are not a matter of speed, but rather a matter of pulling through mud.
“Sometimes the mud can be as deep as four feet deep - the truck will probably hit 55 to 60 miles per hour.”
Ryan has competed in eight events so far, but plans to attend 20 events a year across the U.S.
He said: “Usually there’s hill hole events, that’s where we jump the trucks across three hills while being timed.
“There’s also mud drags where we do side by side drag racing.
“The truck will be covered top to bottom in mud at events like this - as soon as I get home I try to wash it as quickly as possible - the pressure washer process can take anywhere from three to four hours.”
Ryan’s wife, Brittany Camp, 32, enjoys attending mud races with Ryan, but also worries about his safety.
She said: “As his wife, I’m always his number one fan - I do get a little nervous though seeing Ryan driving something this powerful and fast.
“A couple of weeks ago Ryan was out practicing and he jumped the car and it landed on two wheels.
“That’s the most nerve-racking thing, knowing there’s a possibility he can flip the truck.
“I fully support him though and love that he likes it because we’re able as a family to do this together.”
Despite his wife’s concern, Ryan is passionate about racing and he takes pride in his mud truck.
“The adrenaline rush is like no other. It’s better than any drug, anything anybody could do - it’s unbelievable.
“This truck is something I’ve dreamed of and invested a year of my time and money in - there’s no dollar amount that would allow me to sell it.
“I’ll hang on to this one and give it to my son.”