I feel obliged to start this blog as many others do, with the "who am I, why am I here and what happened to get me to this point? etc etc" post. So, as someone once sang in an old film; let's start at the very beginning, it's a very good place to start...
Cast your mind's eye back to somewhere around the beginning of summer 2003, I'm standing on the drive watching my Tamiya Mad Bull 1/10th off-road buggy 'thing' round and round in circles, wondering if this is as good as it gets. I've got to be honest, I was sincerely hoping it wasn't - the novelty of driving a Mad Bull round and round and round the drive is wearing thinner by the second. Cue a good friend taking me to my local indoor touring car club. Having seen him and his Yokomo MR4-TC Custom going round the track I instantly decide two things:
1. I really like the look of this racing malarkey, think I'll give it a go!
2. I want anything but a Yokomo MR4-TC Custom
So, with an August birthday looming and parents primed to lighten their pockets and upset the bank manager I began doing some research. I quickly came to the conclusion that a Team Associated TC3 was my best bet as it was a popular car at the club and had solid support from a local model shop. When my birthday rolls around a few weeks later am I the very proud owner of an AE TC3 RTR. I begin racing it and I am immediately hooked, soon spending all my pocket money and savings on better radio gear, speedos, batteries and numerous other 'hop-ups'.
Fast forward through the next few years where I move onto owning two XRAY T2s and start racing outdoors with one of them. First just at a nearby club and then I try my hand at some regional race meetings in the summer before I leave home for uni. I continue racing indoors during my first year at uni, but the lack of an outdoor club means outdoor racing stops and the outdoor car gets used for spares and backup. My second year of uni I spent in the States and unfortunately the RC gear gets left behind so it ends up being a break from racing... I missed it.
When I return to the UK for my final year of uni the T2s feel somewhat outdated and the brushless revolution has arrived in my absence so I sell the stuff I had (foolishly) left in storage for that year abroad and find myself in ownership of an Xray T2'009 complete with a SpeedPassion brushless combo. This serves me well at club level for the next few months but when I and some mates from our club decide to do the 2009 TC Nationals brushless technology has advanced so far I opt for GM power in the T2'009. A CentralBooking and travelodge.co.uk visit later and we pack the cars up with tables, chairs and gazebo and head off to what is (for most of us) our first National series! Nothing of particular note here, I might do a reminiscent post sometime, but in summary – it was great fun, learned a lot and finished up 26th overall in prostock. Oh and about halfway through the season I got bored of switching setups and stuff for indoor club racing in between National rounds so procured another T2'009.
Now we find ourselves very near the present, the indoor season is in full swing and I have decided to get involved in 12th for the first time and so I’m currently racing in the 12th Nationals series with my Team Associated 12R5. It’s going ok, but issues with my speed control have stopped me doing well on Sundays so far. Plus getting used to 12th setup and driving has stopped me doing particularly well in general!
I also treated myself over Christmas, selling the Xray pair and buying the new Tamiya TRF416X. After seeing how well the ‘old’ model went at the Nationals last season I was convinced that was what I wanted to run during the indoor season, the next National season and far beyond. So funnily enough I find myself coming full circle, from my first two cars being a Tamiya and an Associated... to my last/current two cars being an Associated and a Tamiya. I guess blue really must be better!
There we have it, a brief history of my RC life. Well, it wasn’t as brief as I intended, but what can you do – it’s over now. So, where do I see this blog in the future of it all? I’ve decided it’s going to play an integral role in my RC life from now on. I intend to keep it topped to the brim with witty banter (well I’ll try), pictures, race reports, new product reviews, and thoughts on club nights and bigger meetings, and I’m even planning twitter-style posts during big race meetings via my iPhone. That’s right, how’s that for dedication huh? I even purchased a little blogging app to make sure I have no excuse! So, as they say, on with the show...
No comments:
Post a Comment