The Red Bulletin

The cliché is that practice makes perfect. And, of course, this is true: It takes hard work to perfect one’s craft. Top athletes and artists know this—but also know that it’s hard to reach your full potential if you’re not your authentic self. Ryan Sheckler knows this now. The pro skater has recently made big changes in his life—he’s married, sober and found faith. He’s a father. These things have brought Sheckler a level of peace he’s never experienced—and along the way, he’s found that these changes allow him to skate with more clarity and drive. The Aces have made a similar journey. The band suffered a huge blow when the pandemic quashed plans to tour and support a 2020 album, and several members faced tough decisions about their sexuality…

PIPER FERGUSON “Working with the Aces was such a dream gig,” says the Los Angeles–based photographer, who shot the band in an atmospheric L.A. lounge. “The electric energy was flowing from the first setup and the band are so grounded, sweet and lovely to be around.” Ferguson has photographed many top musicians and has clients like Capitol Records, iTunes, Levi’s and Interscope. Page 38 ATIBA JEFFERSON The L.A.-based photographer has known Ryan Sheckler for more than 15 years. He was present when the skater made a historic kickflip at the so-called Costco Gap in 2008, capturing an image that became an iconic cover for The Skateboard Mag. Jefferson has long been documenting skating, basketball and music culture and has shot for magazines and brands such as Slam, Thrasher, ESPN, Supreme…

For a guy who has spent most of his life piloting a race car along the outermost edge of the laws of physics, Nyck de Vries has had to take his time to reach the highest level of his sport. But now, sitting behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car, the Scuderia AlphaTauri driver is not about to let the opportunity pass him by. Racing cars is his life’s work. De Vries grew up in a small rural town in the north of the Netherlands. His family owned a few Renault dealerships and was into cars, so not surprisingly the kid had an early interest in racing. “My dad bought me a go-kart for my 5th birthday,” the 28-year-old racer recalls. “That’s how it all started.” Before long, that…

Naomi Schiff first tried go-karting at a family friend’s birthday party at the age of 11 and was instantly hooked. Initially, though, Schiff had been wary of racing; born to a Belgian father and a Rwandan mother, she’s mixed-race and didn’t see anyone else at the track who looked like her. “There weren’t many girls or people of color,” says Schiff, now 28. “I didn’t feel like I fit in, and the idea of being compared with my counterparts was frightening.” But after some tough love from her dad—himself a racing driver before she was born—Schiff went for it. “By the time I climbed out of the go-kart at the end of [my first] race, I was smiling from ear to ear,” she says. By 14, Schiff was representing South…

Red Bull F1 driver Max Verstappen takes a victory lap, passing his team on the pit wall after winning the Miami Grand Prix last May. At the start of the race, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was the pole sitter, with Verstappen third on the grid, but by lap nine, the Dutchman took the lead—and maintained it for another 48 laps. In a very American twist, Verstappen took the podium in an NFL helmet, followed by an extravagant spray of champagne. “It was an incredible Grand Prix,” he told reporters afterward. “Very physical as well, but I think we kept it exciting until the end.” Indeed, the Miami heat had everyone sweating, but temperatures quickly cooled after popping a few magnums.…

BMX riders and fireflies have a few similarities: Both creatures do their best work lighting things up in outdoor spaces and are constantly on the move. But you rarely see the two together. That is until photographer Robert Snow set out to shoot Terry Adams, a flatland BMX pro (no ramps, no rails, no jumps), producing a little twilight magic near Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The result shows unquestionable flashes of brilliance. redbullcontentpool.com…