Red RC » Industry

June 26, 2014

The New Generation (Part II)

In my last column, I wrote about encouraging more new drivers into our sport. I had a lot of comments from racers about ways that they think we could help to get more youngsters into the hobby. That’s great! Make sure you don’t just keep your ideas on internet forums or in emails, go and talk to your local club and help get the ideas started! This time, however, I wanted to look at what is perhaps the “next stage” for drivers. I’ve been fortunate to grow up with friends from racing across the spectrum – for the classic club drivers through to drivers at the top of the international fields.

Continue reading Oli’s column here

June 4, 2014

The New Generation (Part I)

It’s a topic that’s often discussed and bought up, and something I’ve alluded to in a number of my previous columns. But I thought it was finally time to dedicate a whole piece to the subject. In fact, so much so that I know I’ll need to split this out into a couple of parts! How do we get more youngsters involved in our sport?

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May 28, 2014

On the Grapevine – Austria

Grapevine Austria

Over the last month my work commute became a bit regular, well regular in terms of the destination country as I made three consecutive trips to Austria. The first of these was for the season finale of the Euro Offroad Series which thanks to a change to the weekend schedule would turn out to be the first time in the championships’ 11 races that on a Sunday evening as I did my final wrap up that I made the comment ‘I enjoyed that’. From there it was ETS action that brought me back to Austria, this time to a small town called Mattsee. In my time as Events Editor of Red RC I have got to meet many great people around the world but on that weekend I would get to meet someone who a few years ago as a huge motoring fan I would never have expected to meet let alone be invited to have dinner with. While appreciative of its picturesque countryside and enjoying every second of driving on its twisty mountain roads my Austrian ‘tour’ would unfortunately end on a very damp note as the rain did everything in its power to try and prevent the running of the second round of the new Euro Nitro Series.

Continue reading On the Grapevine here

May 23, 2014

Petition to save Mike’s Hobby Shop

Petition to save Mike's Hobby Shop

Through our live event coverage we get to travel to many r/c facilities around the world meeting many great people along the way. One facility and person to make a lasting impression on us is Mike’s Hobby Shop in Texas which is owned by all round good guy Mike Darnell. Having been twice to Mike’s haven for r/c enthusiasts, once for a round of Scotty Ernst’s Short Course Showdown Nationwide Tour and again for a round of JConcept’s Indoor National Series, we were more than impressed by what the place but also the great work Mike does in particular with encouraging younger generations in our sport. Unfortunately expansion work to Highway I-35 mean that Mike’s Hobby Shop, which would easily feature in a Top 10 of the worlds greatest rc facilities, could be halved in size under current State of Texas proposals meaning it will no longer be a viable operation. Supporters of the facility and Mike, who is one of those guys that goes beyond the call of duty for our hobby, have created a petition that we would encourage you to sign in the hope that this great facility can be saved and continue to viably operate. If you would like to play your part you can sign the petition by clicking here.

May 22, 2014

Driving Technology

I’m sure that when schools in the distant future study the early 21st Century as part of their history lessons, the one thing that will stand out to define this period of time will be the development of technology that has occurred. We’re now becoming a world full of gadgets, apps and connectivity, and scarcely a week goes by without some new product being launched.

Continue reading Oli’s column here

May 6, 2014

Reflections

This weekend, it was the time of the year when I celebrate my birthday. Normally, it ends up being on a Bank Holiday weekend in the UK, and therefore I’ve often been at some race event, somewhere, making full use of the extra day off. However, this year that wasn’t entirely the case – I had a weekend off from major events and so spent the time with my friends and family. OK, I did make a trip to a club race, but would you really have expected anything else from me?!

Continue reading Oli’s column here

April 24, 2014

On the Grapevine – Melzo & Tacoma

While my own racing activities are far and few between these days, one of the things I enjoy most about racing is the actual building of the kit in preparation for hitting the track. I like the piecing together of the various elements of engineering that is to be found in a competition rc car, most of my builds being onroad nitro kits, and I suppose that stems from my general interest in how most things are made. Happy to sit through a few episodes of Discovery Channel’s ‘How is it Made’ series, I have always been keen when an opportunity arises to get an insight into the behind the scenes of how a product comes about, be it a visit to a Skoda car factory in the Czech Republic while there for a friend’s stag or a recent visit to the world’s oldest operating distillery which is located not to far from my home town. With the start of the all new Euro Nitro Series came two such opportunities involving rc manufacturers, one of which would turn out to be a lot more interesting that even I expected.

Continue reading On the Grapevine here

April 23, 2014

Breaking Through

In any form of sport, a large number of people enjoy cheering for the ‘underdog’. With the news this week that a new team was set to join the Formula 1 grid in 2015, and the debut of Porsche in the World Endurance Championship (Le Mans Series), ‘new’ motorsport teams often gain that same level of support. Will these new-comers be able to challenge the established teams? Perhaps not immediately, but will they ever be able to haul themselves up the grid and become serious competitors?

Continue reading Oli’s column here