Gravel Crew

Racer Profile
Name: Chris Tusow (aka Oppie)
Date of birth: November 19th, 1973
Place of birth: Japan
Lives: Riverside, California
Marital Status: Single
First rally race: Rim of the World 2000
Hobbies: Reading, snowboarding, skate boarding, bikes, racing, philosophy, and work

Bio: Oppie traveled a lot as a kid and it has stuck in his blood. Growing up in many different states, he has seen so many different types of people and learned the only way to relate to them is to be on the real. Through out school, reading and writing became natural and math became his challenge. Once in high school motors amazed him and he fell in love with the automobile. Determined to be the best, he set goals to achieve in an attempt to fill his desire for these machines. Right out of high school at the age of 17, he started working at a Dodge dealership on an internship program with the local automotive college. By 19, it was full time building transmissions for a 5 star dealer. Oppie had already achieved ASE Master Tech by 20 years of age. He knew there was more knowledge to these machines then what he had seen at the dealership. Before he was 21, he went on to work for Walker Evans Racing maintaining transmissions and many other major components for several different off road trucks. He also worked the NASTruck Series maintaining the motors at several races. Still there has to be more to it than this. It all seemed too easy. Nothing would challenge him any more. That’s when his focus turned to driving. That’s the ultimate challenge and rally racing is the natural progression from there. The thought of cars on dirt. Perfect. There is a machine that needs care to maintain. Asking her to brave the slick surfaces of gravel roads and she’s willing with the right equipment. Oppie’s new passion for rally has began and he hasn’t looked back from that day on.

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