R/T is another one of the fellow's I have met while "Web Wheeling" Always willing to help out and lend a hand, or some advice when a question is asked no matter if it's from a rookie or old hand. He was also very excited about being in the "Hot Seat" as well. Another guy I look forward to sharing some trail time with in the future!

1. Tell us your full name?
Roy Thomas (R/T) Gray

2. When and where were you born?
March 06, 1971 in Gastonia, North Carolina

3. Do you have any brother’s or sister’s?
1 full brother and one half brother (well, he is a whole brother since he has all his body parts, but we only share a father!)

4. Where do you live now?
Elizabeth City, NC

5. Where do you work?
I work for the US Coast Guard in Portsmouth, Virginia

6. What do you do there?
I am an active duty Electronics Technician. I am tech support for the Shipboard Command and Control computer system. There are 5 of us who support every ship in the USCG.

7. Do you have a nick name that you like to go by?
R/T

8. How did you get this Nickname?
A culmination of my first two names and the fact that when I get pissed I sound like thunder booming.

9. How many years have you been into the sport of offroading?
I've been offroading most of my life and with my own trucks since about 1998.

10. Who, or what first got you interested in the sport?
My father, most folks just know him as "Pop", he's the one to blame for my addiction! We spent a lot of time just crawling through the dirt roads of the mountains and out on the sand of the beach to fish. He had me riding on the fuel tank of his Enduro motorcycle while I was still in diapers.

11. Are you involved in any off-road club’s?
If so, what is the name of your club? I am co-founder of the Zuwharrie Offroad Event held at Uwharrie National Forest NC and a board member of the LLC that owns the website. It's about as close to a club as I'm a part of now.

12. What is the year, make, and model of your current trail rig?
My current rig is an 88 Suzuki Samurai with a ton of mods.

13. How long have you had it?
I got this one about 4 years ago or so...

14. Does it have a nickname?
Most folks call this one the Neon Noodle because I used the brightest paint I could find for the bumpers and I used to run neon lights around the tag and in the custom grill.

15. Why did you choose this rig to off-road?
I have always loved the Suzuki Samurai, they are virtually unstoppable when stock, and then add that mods are cheap and easy, you just can't beat them!

16. What's the best modification you've done to it so far?
That's a hard call...I'd say a toss up between the gear ratio (127:1) or the 1600/16v engine. Both have made tremendous improvements in my ability to get myself into and out of trouble.

17. What's the worst modification?
At one time I had Calmini 3" heavy duty lift springs on it. They were far too stiff to flex and WAY to easy to bend. I hated them!

18. What’s the scariest moment you’ve ever had off-roading?
My drive shaft separated on one of the toughest red clay mud inclines that Uwharrie National Forest has to offer and myself, my wife, and two of my four kids in the truck. I had seen several trucks flip on this hillside and it was my wife and kids first offroad trip to boot. We slid and leaned and slid some more until I got the wheel against a side, got the family out and some of the guys helped me winch off and effect the repairs. I have been in worse positions with my truck, but I was afraid my wife and kids wouldn't get back in. Now they love it and if it gets to tippy they get out and hike to the top.

19. What was the funniest?
I had rushed to put my new tires and rims on with spacers for the upcoming event and didn't recheck everything like a good wheeler should. As we're driving along the trail, suddenly the left rear side drops sharply. I looked back to see my 35/15.50 Swamper laying under the truck...my wife was disappointed no one took advantage of the "Honk if parts fall off" bumper sticker!

20. What have you learned from the sport that you can apply to your everyday life?
You may not recognize it immediately, but if you look around and use some ingenuity, there is a way over or around every obstacle in life.

21. If you could sit down and talk to anyone, past or present, who would it be and why?
There are many, many people I would love to talk to, Ben Franklin would be a fun one I think, statesman, inventor, playboy... sounds like an interesting conversation!

22. Books on tape, or sit down and read?
Sit down and read.

23. DVD at home or Theater?
We don't go often enough but Theater with my wife wins this one.

24. What is on your MP3, or in your CD player right now?
Gorillaz, Bob Marley, Bare Naked Ladies, Korn and Linkin Park & Jay-Z - Collision Course.

25. Radio, CD’s or "Trail Music" when your wheeling?
XM or Trail Music...radio is too unreliable in the mountains, cd's skip too much on the trail, XM is just right, but if I'm trail leading or tail gunning the only noise is the trail noise, the CB and the laughter of people having fun!

26. When you're not off-roading, or working, how do you like to spend your time?
I love to spend my time talking with my wife or my father, playing with my kids (Halo2 baby!) or the hours and hours I spend online with Zuwharrie.com. I also spend a lot of time doing electronics projects.

27. If I gave you a free ticket to visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?
To wheel? Argentina maybe...I've been a lot of places, I'd like to take Connie to the Caribbean or take her and go back to Russia.

28. What did you want to be most as a kid?
A pirate I think it was, now I work for people who stop pirates, oh, the irony!

29. If you could learn to speak any language that you do not already know, what would it be?
Japanese, the Asian culture and history has always fascinated me.

30. What is your best time of the day, morning, noon, or night?
Night, I do my best work then.

31. What’s your most embarrassing moment (so far)?
I had made a quick run to Wal-mart on a hot Saturday morning, while standing in the aisle looking at something two senior ladies walked up behind me. I heard one of the ladies say to the other "That's grade A prime beef", the other agreed, they giggled and walked away. I suddenly felt a draft on my hind quarters. I hadn't realized it but when I got out of the Zuk the side of the seat had completely ripped the rear end out of my shorts and underwear and I had been walking around Wally world with my complete right butt cheek bared to the world!

32. Have you ever met anyone famous, and if so, who?
Dennis Anderson, owner of Grave Digger, Willie K, a famous performer in Hawaii, oh, and I know Art Lilley personally...

33. If you could give any piece of advice to a future off-roader, what would it be?
Don't be suckered into buying extremely expensive upgrades that you will never use in the type of wheeling you do, and take advice with a grain of salt, and drive within your own ability... the best truck on Earth is useless if the driver is wheeling beyond his abilities.