As a former engineer at Harley Davidson, Dave Drakes is incredibly passionate about motorcycling. In fact, he is also the founder of The Collective Experience which is unlike any other company out there.  “We are a group dedicated to providing the world with incredibly memorable and once in a lifetime experiences,” said Drakes.  “TCE strives to bring everyone closer to their dreams by connecting them with industry insiders, influencers, experts, and professionals to give you an unbelievable look at what it takes to live out your dreams.”

MX&ORT: What accomplishment are you most proud of to date?

DD: To date, I would say that I am most proud of the growth of The Collective Experience. Throughout the last few years I’ve been very fortunate to see the start of a lot of successful careers in the industry.  To be able to help facilitate someone’s dream job and to watch their success in one of the coolest industries in the world is really rewarding and makes a lot of the hard work and time worth it.  

MX&ORT: How did you get started in the sport?

DD: I started racing mini’ in the early 2000’s in New England. My family and I traveled the country attending races and enjoying the sport. Once high school ended, I decided to go to trade school to learn to be a race bike mechanic.  I volunteered as a mechanic for several years and I started to make a lot of connections in the industry. After I graduated from the trade school spent time commentating at races and building engines to stay connected to the sport.  It was a few months after I graduated from my four-year degree that I founded The Collective Experience, LLC help support the sport in a very impactful way.

MX&ORT: If you could accomplish one more thing, what would it be?

DD: I would love to be able to hold my own race series that focuses on bringing more and more privateer and satellite support riders to the forefront of the media focus. It would be great to get more storylines and focus on the hard working and ultra-talented people within the sport. It’d also be great to give fans a whole new level of immersion into the sport through a one of kind fan experience.

MX&ORT: What is your favorite form of racing and why, and who are your top five favorite racers?

DD: My favorite form of racing is definitely Motocross.  Nothing quite gives you the same level of an adrenaline rush! I also love watching Formula 1 racing. My top 5 favorite racers are James Stewart, Lewis Hamilton, Travis Pastrana, Marc Marquez and Charles Leclerc.

MX&ORT: What five elements do you contribute to your success?

DD:  I would say the first element is perspective. You need to understand the wants and needs of your partners, sponsor, and especially your customer/clients

The next would be empathy. The more you can sympathize and understand the feelings and hurdles of those around, the more effective you can be with your offerings and target your impact.

The next element is to be hard working. You most definitely have to give everything that you do 1000% effort in order to effectively attack your goals.

The next element is to be open minded and flexible. Life is always changing and coming at you in all different directions, so it pays to be open to new opportunities and avenues and be very flexible.

The last element to lead with kindness. In anything that you do you should be focused on providing a helpful service and doing what you can have kindness and value at the forefront of your mind.

MX&ORT: What is the coolest experience you have ever had off-road?

DD: The coolest experience would by far be learning to backflip with Travis Pastrana at his house. Nothing compares to the amount of nerves and epic sense of accomplishment that came from that experience. It was once in a lifetime.

MX&ORT: Where is your favorite off-road destination and why?

DD: I absolutely love Flying Iron Horse Ranch in Utah. It is by far the most scenic and picturesque track you’ll go to. The jumps are massive, and the soil is a dream mixture of loam and sand. Trust me you won’t want to leave when you get there.

MX&ORT: What are three things that people don’t know about you?

DD: I have a degree in mechanical engineering along with a minor in mathematics - most people don’t expect me to be a mechanical nerd. I worked at Harley Davidson helping to develop several of their new bike platforms. I extremely addicted to go karts. Each city we travel to for the races, we visit the local go-kart tracks to try and set fast lap times.

MX&ORT: Describe your ultimate off-road adventure, you know, full bucket-list stuff.

DD: Definitely it would be to ride some thrilling single track and WORCS style courses in the mountains with a fun group of riders. It’d be incredible to ride some of the latest bikes and get the chance to head out to some of the most scenic areas in the world like New Zealand, Africa, and Switzerland. Pretty much anything that Speed and Sport Adventures puts on fits my bucket list.

MX&ORT: What type of off-roading interests you that you have never tried to date?

DD: One type of riding that I want to try is some ultra-aggressive Supermoto racing. I’ve never done it at a high level, and it looks like such a phenomenal time and combines two ultra-fun disciplines - road racing and Motocross.

Very few people ever win an argument about the history of AMA Supercross or AMA National Motocross with Tony Blazier, because the man is like a walking encyclopedia of the sport. He is the ultimate motocross history and shares his expertise on his Instagram @tonyblazier, his Vault Youtube Channel  and even has his own line of products that can be found at the Motocross Vault Merchandise. 

MX&ORT: What accomplishment are you the proudest of to date?

TB:  In 2015, I was asked by Ben Giese of Meta to write an article for the magazine. At that point, I had been writing for PulpMX.com for five years but I have never done anything for print media. As a kid who grew up reading physical magazines, they will always hold a special place in my heart, and I was so flattered to be asked. I ended up writing a piece on former GP star Mike Healey and his bouts with dependency and his rehabilitation after his release from incarceration. I had never written anything remotely like this before and it was such a great experience getting to know Mike and tell a part of his story. It was also quite a challenge learning to pare my writing down to the heart of the story after having free reign in the digital format for so many years. I think the final print story was about a third of my original draft and making those cuts was a difficult process at first. 

It was a special moment when I finally saw my words in print in Volume Six of Meta and one I will never forget. I spent several months on that project and I was so happy with the final result. I was not sure if I could do it when I was first asked and I am so happy I took the plunge and made it happen. That article is easily my proudest moment as a creator. 

MX&ORT: How did you get started in the sport?

TB: My love of motocross started in my early teenage years, but I did not get a motorcycle until I was around 17. My parents hated motorcycles and refused to indulge my passion for them. For the first five or six years, all I could do was read the magazines and dream about owning one. I would occasionally ride the bike of a friend but I had to wait until I could save up $250 on my own to buy a 10-year-old CR250R Elsinore in high school to really catch the bug. Once I had my first real bike I was hooked.

MX&ORT: If you could accomplish one more thing, what would it be?

TB: I have been working on a book chronicling the history of Honda’s motocross machines for about five years now. I would love to finish and have it published. I just have not had the time. It always seems to take a back-burner to more pressing concerns.

MX&ORT: What is your favorite form of racing and why, and who are your top five favorite racers?

TB: Motocross by far. I don’t follow any other form of professional racing although my wife likes watching freestyle. 

1. Ricky Johnson

2. Damon Bradshaw

3. Chad Reed

4. Jeremy McGrath

5. Kevin Windham

MX&ORT: What five elements do you contribute to your success?

TB:  Passion – I love motocross and motorcycles and I think you can see that passion in the content I produce.

Work Ethic – When Steve first approached me back in 2011 to write for his site, I put 100% dedication into doing the best job I could for PulpMX. This has always been a hobby for me and with a family and 50-60 hour a week “real” job in the automotive industry it is not always easy to make time for everything. My motocross writing and video production takes a huge amount of what free time I have and does not make a ton of sense from a monetary standpoint. It also takes time away from my family, and thankfully, they are very understanding.

Talent – While I am not fast on a motorcycle, I am creative and feel I have always been a pretty decent writer.

My love of magazines - I have always loved magazines and brochures and luckily, I decided to keep them all over the years. Now, I have fifty years of great articles and photos to use for research. These hundreds and hundreds of magazines and brochures are an invaluable resource for the articles and videos I produce.

Luck – I am not sure what caused Matthes to reach out to me back in 2011 but it defiantly changed my life. When he asked me to start writing for PulpMX .comit was an incredible opportunity and has allowed me to meet my childhood heroes and actually get to know many of them. If Steve had not approached me, I don’t think anyone in the industry would even know my name today.  

MX&ORT: What is the coolest experience you have ever had off-road?

TB: Writing for PulpMX.com has allowed me to cover several races as a reporter and in 2014 I was on the track in Atlanta while one of my favorite riders, Kevin Windham, was working on one of his opening ceremony transition jumps. Just getting to walk the track is an amazing experience but being up close as Kevin scoped out the jump and executed it for the first time is something I will never forget. 

MX&ORT: Where is your favorite off-road destination and why?

TB: Tomahawk MX in Hedgesville, WV – Aside from private tracks, Tomahawk MX is the closest track to where I live in Northern VA. If I want to get in a little moto practice this is our local go-to. For off-road adventuring, the Hatfield-McCoy Trails in West Virginia are the best place to go for long-distance tree-dodging. 

MX&ORT: What are three things that people don’t know about you?

TB:  My two girls Hannah and Bailey are named after Bob Hannah and David Bailey (yes, I have a very understanding wife.) While I consider myself well-read with an extensive vocabulary I cannot spell worth a dang. Thank God for spell check! During the Jimmy Carter administration in the 1970s, my mother worked for the White House, and as a kid, I was on a first-name basis with the President and Vice President. One year I even got to watch the Fourth of July fireworks from the White House lawn. Cool memories for sure. 

MX&ORT: Describe your ultimate off-road adventure, you know, full bucket-list stuff.

TB: I would love to go on an adventure ride out West with Jeremy McGrath or Rick Johnson. Riding and bench racing with two of my heroes would be an all-time bucket-list adventure for sure.

MX&ORT: What type of off-roading interests you that you have never tried to date?

TB: I was always a motocross guy as far as racing goes but I spent at least half of my time riding in the woods. I always thought I could do well at Hare Scrambles, but I never took the plunge. The thought of a three-hour race always intimidated me, and I was not sure how hard it would be to balance speed and pace over such a long event. Woods riding is still one of my favorite types of riding and I wish I had just bit the bullet and given it a try.