Kyle Cowling
Editor’s note: As I write this, I am currently streaming the 1993 Supercross Season Review on YouTube where lighting struck for the first time, and it is absolutely glorious. The ’90s are truly the golden era of our sport.
Amongst the flurry of motocross movies that burned our VCR players to the ground in the 1990s and early 2000s, the heavy favorites and (still) most discussed movies of that era are the Crusty Demons of Dirt franchise, Fox Racing’s Terrafirma franchise, and the Moto XXX franchise. Understandably so, these films shined a light on our hero’s of Supercross and motocross that we had no access to: racers in the hills, racers at the river, racers in the dunes, racers at parties, racers hurling pit bikes into ponds, and everything else in between. While the aforementioned trio really took control of forming the look and feel of 90s motocross videos, many other brands took a stab at creating their own unique moto video(s) and, THOR was no exception.
Enter: Full Power Trip pretend by THOR. While I am sure many hardcore moto fans are very well aware of Full Power Trip, the film is, even for me, one I periodically forget about. However, it was part of my rotation as a kid. I am certain I burned a hole in this particular VHS. At the time, I hated that I loved this film so much. As most were, I was a massive Jeremy McGrath fan and, Showtime was a Fox guy while his biggest rival in this era was Mr. Jeff Emig.
Fro Daddy was THOR.
I wasn’t an Emig fan, thus I didn’t like THOR (guilty by association). Secretly, THOR’s gear in the mid 1990s was actually some of my favorite stuff. And, while the Terrafirmas and Crusty films were all very badass, there was just something about THOR’s Full Power Trip by Pat Solomon I found so captivating. I would also like to add that as of 2022, Jeff Emig and I are actually friends, work together on different projects, and my wife and I even visit his current coffee shop/market on Balboa Island in Newport Beach, CA. So, Fro, if you are reading this, I apologize. It was just a phase.
Watching FPT today, I think a lot of why I enjoyed this one had to do with the way the music matched to the visuals. While the other movies of that generation focused on the use of punk rock music (my foundation growing up), FPT came in with a completely different style of music that was fast, but not punk rock. It was this weird blend of industrial rock/electronic fusion (I am not a damn musical savant so my description maybe very wrong). My point is, the music was different but still so damn cool. Mix that with the unique cast of characters between Emig, Ryan Hughes, Buddy Antunez, Rich Taylor, Jeff Willow, Jerry Aleman (can somebody please provide me with an update on Jerry? I was always a massive fan of his), Larry Rosselar, Donny Book, and more you had yourself a diverse mix of personalities and disciplines.
FPT covered the gamut of desert racing, the Japan Supercross, trials, the hills, and some stuff of Victor Sheldon doing his thing in the ocean. And, to push things even further, THOR decided to include a goofy cameo made by Fabio talking about Rich Taylor. While I am aware Fabio has always had a passion for motocross, I still can’t help but wonder if he actually knew who the hell Rich Taylor was? Either way, I thought it was kinda cool. Outside celebrities mixed into moto movies like this are, in my opinion funky and a bit cool. Maybe not as cool as Owen Wilson’s cameo in Girl Skateboard’s 2003 release, Yeah Right! But, it’s something.
Throughout all of this I will still have two questions that maybe somebody can answer me. The first one being the story behind Jeff Emig’s cafe, “The Daily Fix.” Fro? Was this a coffee shop that you owned because since the release of this video, I have always been under the impression you owned a coffee shop. If so, where was it? How long did you have it? Did your shop make ice blended Frappuccino’s for hipsters like myself? Or, at the very least a tasty hot chocolate? My second question is why Edgar Torronterras, who was a Fox Racing athlete, had his own segment in a THOR movie? No, no, I am not complaining. Honestly, I’ve always thought it was cool when shit like this happened. It felt like things weren’t so tribal and “if you’re not on my team, then you are out” type bull shit. But, I have always found it odd that a Fox Racing guy not only had their own segment in a Thor film, but it was, essentially, the final segment of the film.
Unlike the trend setters of Crusty, Terrafirma, and Moto XXX films of which all had multiple installments, Thor’s Full Power Trip was a one and done. Why? I don’t know. It is, to me, one of the classics of this era but often overlooked and forgotten about. I can’t say that THOR ever released another movie of any other name.
Like my selfish desires for a second installment of Supercross Circuit, I also still want to see a second installment of Full Power Trip, with exactly the same cast from part one. The racers of today are not allowed to have fun and, some of them, aren’t even allowed to eat red meat (guess the trainer who mandates that), so there is no way in hell they would ever be allowed to go have fun in the hills, the dunes, let alone grab a number one at the local In N Out Burger. So, while we wait for THOR to hire Pat Solomon once again to shoot a sequel to Full Power Trip, let’s enjoy part one and remember what a funky, good time flick this was amongst its more punk rock counterparts.
