NASA engineer wins Indian custom build competition

ENGINEEING – it’s all the same, right? It certainly is to one NASA engineer, who has proven that he can turn his hand to anything after winning Indian’s Scout Bobber Build Off.

Alfredo (Fred) Juarez, a NASA engineer from Las Cruces, NM, has taken the grand prize of ‘The Wrench: Scout Bobber Build Off’ after his custom Indian Scout Bobber aced all three rounds of the competition.

The hardtail chopper drew inspiration from a selection of mechanical works of art, both in and out of the motorcycle industry, including the Indian Scout FTR1200 Custom, RSD Indian Scout custom builds and David Beckham’s garage company, Knuckle.

Juarez was one of more than 100 non-professional bike builders to enter the US competition. His was one of 12 picked by a judging panel of professional builders and experts, including Roland Sands, Satya Kraus, Jason Paul Michaels and Hot Bike Editor-in-Chief Jordan Mastagni. The chosen bikes were then put to the fans, and Juarez took the top spot, winning $10,000 and a feature story in Hot Bike magazine on his custom Indian Scout Bobber.

“I cannot thank Indian Motorcycle enough for the opportunity. Not only was this a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but the three-month build period created an incredible bonding experience for me and my family,” said Juarez.

“And of course, thanks to all the fans who took the time to cast their vote. I know it wasn’t easy to pick one because the other two bikes are incredible. Hats off to PJ and Christian for their work. It’s been an incredible ride and I cannot thank everyone enough for their support.”

Juarez’s chopper, and the two runners-up – built by PJ Grakauskas (an OSHA safety inspector from Avon, OH) and Christian Newman (a mechanical engineer from Buffalo, NY) – will tour US motorcycle shows and events with Indian Motorcycle, before returning to their builders.

Reid Wilson, Senior Director for Indian Motorcycles, commented: “Since the beginning of this program, our goal was to highlight the passion and the craftsmanship of garage builders from around the country.

“Needless to say, our expectations were vastly exceeded. Fred, Christian and PJ exemplify what this program is all about. And in turn, we hope it motivates and encourages others from around the country.”