Teams

Bourbon Banditos

Garage Headquarters: Denver, CO

Driver: TBD

Mechanics: Justin York, Bryan Hansen, Mike Zaffee, Brian Isakson

Nuts and Bolts:

Colfax Avenue reaches 26.5 miles through the Denver metropolitan area, making it an irresistible stretch for cruising. Inspired by the always colorful scene, Bryan Hansen, Brian Isakson, Justin York, and Mike Zaffee are building a cruiser of their own; but this one will be gravity powered, and instead of floating in first gear on The Fax, it’ll be ripping the road at Red Rocks.

These teammates are all about speed, especially going downhill. Most are natives of Washington State, where they met while screaming down the slopes on skis and bicycles. Today, Brian owns SingleTrack Factory, a Denver bike (and snowboard and skateboard) store, which means he’s got warehouse space for the soapbox build, plus the means to source parts like brakes and hand levers from local manufacturers. Mike is race mechanic for MZ Motorsports in Washington. His usual gigs involve perfecting cars for races including the American Le Mans Cup, but he’s not above constructing a soapbox racer from steel and Lexan resin. Bryan and Justin, meanwhile, are the geniuses behind the team’s theme – the “Bourbon Banditos.” Both are managers at Future Brands LLC, which distributes, among other things, the number-one bourbon in the world (Jim Beam®). “This is a chance to build something fun and go fast,” says Justin, the team’s captain. “We’re excited!”