At the age of 22, Clay Egan turned a corner in life’s pathway and things would never be the same. From his book, 'Over The Top, The Clay Egan Story' - "At the time of my accident in 1994 things were going great in my life. I'd already conquered some major hurdles in my personal life....That particlular night of the accident, I was riding a motorcycle from our cabin in Utah to my cousin's cabin ten miles away. It was late and dark. In my usual 'Clay Egan' style I was heading down the hill, asserting my driving skills, weaving back and forth, passing the yellow stripes down the center. The cartoon image of a horse's face was the last thing I can remember"

Clay became a quadriplegic as the result of that accident. It has not slowed him down too much. We first met at Supercrawl IV in Vegas and we were impressed by his spirit and drive to not only live life, but to "Push The Limits".

- So, Clay Egan, Professional Rockcrawler, father (and now grandfather) and all around busy guy, after your accident could you ever have foreseen your successful career and family life?
"After my accident I pretty much started right where I left off. My accident was just a bump in the road. I just took it in stride. My whole life has been an adventure. So I have always looked for opportunities and things always seem to fall into my lap. So if you ask me if I thought I’d be successful then I say yes. If you ask me whether or not I thought I’d ever be competing in motorsports again, then no. I never thought that would ever play into it. "

- You know, the Bible says that God laughs at man’s plans. That is to say, we think we are completely in control of our lives till circumstances humble us and we realize we are not as powerful as we think we are. What were your plans for your life before the accident?
"At the time I was really busy. I had just hit my one year of being out of drug rehab and was just focusing on staying out of trouble and keeping clean. I had two jobs. During the day I was working construction and then at nights I was working at my local motocross shop. On the weekends I was racing quads on our local motocross circuit and in between I was working on getting my General Contracting license so that I could start my own construction company. So basically I had no spare time."

- For many people, this type of condition can be life defeating. They just cannot cope with the blow and the future challenges of living. How did you come out from that situation?
"Like a bull in Spain. Man, I got off on every new day and what was in store for me and what adventure I was going to have that day. After my accident, I basically had to relearn how to do everything. So each day was just trying new things and accomplishing everything I could. There was no time to sit around and mope."

- What did you draw on for that strength?
"In the first few months I drew a lot of strength from the Lord. I was so sick and just messed up that I never cared if I ever walked again. I just wanted to feel better. So I prayed a lot. Also a lot of my strength came from my inner self. I dealt with a lot of stuff growing up with a mentally ill father and so when my accident came about, I had already gone through tougher times. My accident was easy, compared to what I had already been through."

- Other than faith in God, many people who are successful in overcoming challenges like you faced have a strong group of persons to come alongside them and help them cope. Did you have any special people in your life that filled that role?
"I always had great family support. But also I have always been blessed with the greatest friends. My friends are the ones that have been carrying me."

- Tell us about your team and your sponsors.
"My team consists of three of my best friends. We all been friends since the eighth grade. Chris my spotter was the first kid I met when I moved here from California. I moved in across the street from he and his family. Tyler my promotions guy was the first kid I met at school my first day and Nick my mechanic grew up out by us too. I have some great sponsors. Tuff Shed Is my title sponsor. They have been great support to me. Toyo Tires was my first real sponsor. Then we have a number of others like, Detroit Lockers, Summit Machine, Trailready Beadlock Wheels, Amsoil, Ramsey Winch, Mastercraft Seats, Advance Adapters, Fox Racing Shox, Gaylon’s Drivelines, Tuff Country EZ –ride Suspensions, Composite Coatings, Colours Wheelchairs, Sky Mountain Truck Sales and Mountain High Motor Sports."

- How has this season been going? What events are coming up for ya?
"The season is going pretty well this year. We are sitting pretty close to the top ten. We finished 7th at our last event which was actually a WEROCK competition. We have 2 more competions left in the UROC series. In September we we’ll be in Las Vegas for the series final and then the Supercrawl is at the end of October in an undisclosed site."

- How does your faith affect your rockcrawling career? Can God and the rough-around-the-edges sport of rockcrawling go together?
"Absolutely. Faith plays into everything I do. Whether it’s going to a Ted Nugent concert a rockcrawl competition or going to church on Sunday. "

- So what is in the future for you besides driving buggies up sheer rock walls?
"Well I am currently working on a script and trying to get my life story made into a movie. I will always be a rockcrawler but Baja has always been a life long dream. So that’s one we’ll have to cover next time."

- Any last thoughts for our readers?
“PUSH THE LIMITS” and Never give up. You can always lean on God. I know I do."

Clay Egan can be reached through his web site at www.clayeganracing.com. As well, there is a book and DVD available that shows this remarkable man and his refusal to quit life.