Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
Check out the Zone Offroad Project MJ Jeep Comanche getting the snot beat out of it over the course of several days as it tackles logs, mud and suspension-flexing boulders. Despite those unforgiving and sometimes brutal elements, the truck keeps rolling through places such as Kansas Rocks, the Jones Mudfest and Trails, and the D-Day Adventure Park.
Some models and actresses get their starts by being noticed on the streets by agents. Once they start working, they get made over, start dressing in finer clothes and go to exotic locales for work and pleasure. In the video after the jump, think of the 1990 Jeep Comanche in the same way.
It’s one thing to know how to drive your Jeep off-road. It’s another to have the right stuff with you in case the unexpected occurs. Mark A. Smith, the founder of Jeep Jamboree USA and a U.S. Army Special Forces trainer, is here with some tips to help you pack accordingly for your next excursion.
If you’re a regular visitor to this site, there’s a chance you’ve got modifying your Jeep all figured out. But perhaps you just got one, and you want to know how to make it more badass without screwing it up. Well, you’ve come to the right place. Here are some top tips for upgrading JKs from Bond Gilmer, the president of Rebel Off Road.
Five stars in government crash tests, four trim levels (excluding SRT), three 4-wheel-drive systems, two suspension options, one vehicle. Jeep’s 2014 Grand Cherokee. The 2013 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick offers a 290-horsepower 3.6-liter V6, but Edmunds is more focused on its optional, non-SRT engines: a 5.7-liter HEMI V8 which cranks out 360 […] More »
FYI: If you look up the members of the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards committee, you will not find the following names: Tom Mutchler Jake Fisher Gabe Shenhar Jon Linkov That makes sense. Whereas the NACTOY board nominated the Jeep Cherokee to be one of three finalists for its famous truck […] More »
When you think of towing, the first thing that pops into your mind is probably a diesel motor. In the front of a pickup truck. Not in a Jeep sold in America. But that’s exactly what the guys at The Fast Lane Car were thinking: hauling a 5,740-pound boat behind the 2014 Grand Cherokee ECODiesel. […] More »