BONNERS FERRY — Mike Facha and his son Hunter have returned to Bonners Ferry after venturing to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, where they performed with a group called Extreme Mudfest for a racing event at the Liwa Festival on Dec. 19 and 20. 

Mike Facha said the magnitude of the trip took time to sink in. 

“It’s unusual for us, but we were all packed the day before, ready to go,” Facha said. “I was still in disbelief. The whole time I was thinking, ‘Is this really happening?’” 

The journey itself was an experience.

“We traveled for 24 hours,” Facha said. “Dubai Airport was something like a palace. Their checked baggage area was bigger than most airports I’ve been in.” 

Bonners Ferry weather seemed to follow them on their journey. 

“It'd been a year since it rained when we were over there,” Facha said. “Guess what it did when we were there. It rained hard. It was cold. I think it was around 50 degrees.” 

The event schedule was tightly packed, leaving little time for participants to watch each other compete. 

“We could not see what the other drivers were doing or what was happening out there,” Facha said. “We just came through the gate, went out there and did what we were supposed to do.” 

Traditionally, Mike and Hunter Facha race against competitors, but this event was different. Rather than a competition, the show emphasized collaboration, with no winners or losers. 

“We were a team,” Facha said. “We all helped each other keep the vehicles running and there were about 40 people total. It was cool because it was new for everybody and we came together.”

The Fachas competed in four types of racing during the two-day event, driving their vehicle named the Cockroach Buggy, which is currently being shipped back to the United States by boat. Mike Facha said the types of racing the Cockroach buggy mainly does is different to the event at the Liwa Festival. 

“Unlimited off-road racing combines high-speed dirt, technical rocks, mud, hill climbs, natural obstacles and man-made obstacles into a multiple race event that is averaged out over usually 2 to 3 days of racing to determine the toughest vehicle, team and driver,” Facha said. 

“They didn’t have any of that,” Facha said. “It was all jumps and dirt, with a few smaller obstacles. It was a higher-speed event.”  

Facha said he was surprised by the sheer scale of the production.

“There were literally hundreds of people working behind the scenes,” he said. “It was like a Metallica concert. There were three truckloads of stereo and audio equipment.” 

At the conclusion of the show, the Fachas participated in a meet-and-greet, which Mike Facha said may have been his favorite part of the trip. 

“There were so many cool people that came out,” Facha said. “It wasn’t just kids — men and women came to visit their favorite buggies. They had posters of Extreme Mudfest and all of them wanted our signatures. That was really cool. Everybody was super friendly.” 

Children were allowed to sit in the buggies and take photos. 

“They really enjoyed getting their pictures with the buggy or with the drivers,” Facha said. 

While the trip centered on racing, the Fachas were able to explore Dubai before returning home, including a visit to the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. 

“I was in awe of the skyscrapers and the lights,” Facha said. “I’ve never seen so many Ferraris and Lamborghinis.” 

To make the trip possible, the Fachas temporarily closed Heavy Metal Customz for more than a week. 

“Luckily, most of our customers are forgiving,” Facha said. “I honestly don't know how many phone calls I would have missed, because we had no service and my voicemail filled up right away. Sorry if we missed anybody.” 

    Mike and Hunter Facha exploring the United Arab Emirates.
  

    The Cockroach buggy in action at the Liwa Festival.