Kurt Caselli

"Dusty Ventures" (dustyventures)
12/21/2013 at 12:24 • Filed to: Baja

ESPN has done an excellent write-up about Kurt Caselli and his final days down in Baja. It's long but !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! even if it does make you realize how dusty the room is.

DISCUSSION (13)

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Dusty Ventures
12/20/2013 at 22:27

Is this why you call yourself "Dusty" Ventures?

Dusty Ventures > Dusty Ventures
12/20/2013 at 22:54

...well fuck. Now I'm crying

Dusty Ventures > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
12/20/2013 at 22:55

Actually I call myself Dusty Ventures on here because it's the name of the desert race team I'm a part of. The team is made up entirely of BSA Venture Crew scouts, hence the team name.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Dusty Ventures
12/20/2013 at 23:00

You missed the joke possibly?

Dusty Ventures > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
12/20/2013 at 23:03

Nah, I got the reference

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Dusty Ventures
12/20/2013 at 23:07

Good

roflcopter > Dusty Ventures
12/21/2013 at 00:47

I both love and hate pieces like this.

Part of me hates that this has to happen to anyone and wishes that everything we do was free from tragedy, but that will never be the case. I love the camaraderie and respect that everyone in the community has for anyone willing to attempt something and pour their heart into everything they love.

It definitely should make all of us realize how lucky we are to get to do the things we enjoy over and over again. I used to be a sponsored rider who competed in downhill longboard skateboard racing, after getting close to so many people that went to seriously injure themselves and remove themselves from the sport because of it as well as the few who didn't make it home I feel like I can relate to this on a personal level and I can tell you, it is a completely different kind of sadness and respect for the people who put everything on the line.

I could ramble for hours about this and I'm glad you posted this story so that we can appreciate the time we have doing what we love.

Dusty Ventures > roflcopter
12/21/2013 at 01:53

Thank you for sharing, I don't think it can be said any better. This hit close to home for me as well. I've never met or interacted with Kurt, but I've been involved in the off road community for five years now and many of his friends are my friends. I'm not the emotional type, like at all, but reading this story... it hit hard.

Dusty Ventures > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
12/21/2013 at 02:02

Sorry, bud, the humor just isn't there for me in this one. Too close to home.

roflcopter > Dusty Ventures
12/21/2013 at 02:02

I've never been involved in the off-road community, although it's definitely on my list of things to do, but I'm sure it's a tight-knit community. That was one thing that always impressed me about the skating scene is that all the people on the upper levels were very down to earth and I think that can be attributed to the fact that it doesn't matter who you are or what sponsors you have or how often you get flown to races, you and the guy next to you both realize that anything could go wrong at any point, and I'm willing to bet most of the off-road guys know that truth all too well.

With different forms of automobile racing being so accessible to so many people I feel that type of bond gets lost on a lot or occasions. I do Lemons racing and while silly, the safety aspect is still there and everyone is fully aware that it's dangerous, I wish more people realized that on a smaller level. I saw two people almost get seriously injured at an autocross not to long ago, due to no fault of their own or the drivers, and I couldn't believe how lightly the situation was taken by everyone there.

Anyways, I hope his accident really does go to improve the level of safety at those events and that everyone sees that he went out pushing for something he believed in. Thanks again for sharing the story.

Dusty Ventures > roflcopter
12/21/2013 at 02:56

The challenge with Baja is with the size of the event and the remoteness (and difficulty) of the course there's a limit to how safe it can really ever be. It's true there's progress to be made, and some of the areas talked about in the article are a good start, but at the same time there will always be cases where rescue is over an hour away, even if the SOS goes out immediately.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Dusty Ventures
12/21/2013 at 11:45

Yeah just trying to lighten the mood a bit after that water main broke in my eyes.

lddk > Dusty Ventures
12/21/2013 at 17:35

Thanks for the link. It's a great article that really clears the air on all the details. I came back to say the same thing...tears.