Ben Mag lines up his truck on the grid

Tom Mag before his servo horn detached itself

JR Mitch takes the win

Ryan Maifield - 1/8th electric Champ.

James Helliwell chases Bradders to briefly take 2nd place.

Interview with XFactory Star Tom 'The hair' Cockerill and 'how to do a lap of the track'.

You've made a lot of effort to come over to the States to race at the clash, is it hard to organise your racing gear for
travel? Any tips for racers who havent travelled before?
Well Virgin have a 46kilo luggage allowance over 2 bags so I squeeze all my racing tools in one and hair care products for
the week in the other.

Tom Cockerill proves his identity three times.

Why do you bring so many haircare products with you?
I like to look hot for racing as I think it makes me drive better so my extensive grooming process usually starts a couple of hours before racing starts, I start with a full body wax (please see beach photos) then Lee Martin comes over and we spend an hour or so with the hair straightening tools.

You're a top UK racer at the young age of 20 which is all good but means you're too young to drink in the USA, do you have any family
or guardians to chaparone you?
Yes, uncle Chazz feeds and waters me with nutritionally balanced and eco friendly burgers, chips, coke and eating tools.

Xfactory sounds a bit like Xfactor, with your boyband hair and boyish good looks will you be auditioning?
I tried last year but Simon Cowell said that I looked like a tool, how harsh is that?

Chazz loves his podcasts and we saw him collar you for a chat, what was he talking to you about?
He was asking me about my days as a model for snap-on tools.

Chazz tells us he gives a team managers pep-talk every day before racing, do you think you could aspire to be management
material?
Well I currently work part-time in McDonalds and my boss says i can be considered for a management training course as he
says its a valuable tool for me in the future if the wig modelling and surfer dude career doesnt work out.

A lap with Tom Cockerill.

Hit the downslope out wide on the last jump to get a nice sweeping line onto the straight.

Coming into to turn 1 you need to lightly get on the brakes to let the rear end break away and get the front to turn-in and stay tight.

As you come up the hill you need to keep it as straight as possible through the chicane
and slow down enough at the top to ensure you don't run wide onto the dust.

As you come down the hill you keep tight to stay on the groove and line yourrself up for the little hop into the 180.

I get on the brakes hard here to make the car pivot round the corner, whereas people not running a one-way diff need to take a more sweeping line.

As you come back up the hill and into the 'S section' you need to keep tight to the pipe, as if you run wide you are on the dust and will lose a lot of time.

The next corner is a sweeping left-hander which needs to be taken fairly wide to line up for the triple jump.

The triple is fairly easy to do, but you can gain a lot of time by hitting it right.

I've found the best line to be take it so you cross the track and hit the downslope, as this gives a quick line into the next 180.

As you come out of the 180 you're straight into the big table top which agains needs to be downsloped to turn quick laps.

There is then a little straight into another 180, where I again use the brakes to pivot the car round. The it's a simple run into the double
where you want to be landing on the downslope fairly wide to get another good run onto the straight.

Tom "throttle, throttle, throttle, brake, flick hair" Cockerill.

Interview with Jimmy Babcock - commentator extrodinaire.

It's been a good event, have you enjoyed the week?
I've definitely enjoyed the week, my voice hasn't enjoyed it though. It's been great coming out here. Jason's always been really good to me.

You're ace, how do you manage to talk all day long!??
Very carefully, you've gotta save your voice, i've kinda mastered it now.
I used to get really fired up early on in an event but i learnt i have to pace myself. I always lose my voice at the nitro races. Drinking tea with honey in it helps.


Is commentating your full time job?
No, i own a hobby shop in California called Hot-Rod Hobbies, we have over 2 acres of race track there I also hold 6 team events throughout the year, and usually get hired to do 15-20 race weekends as well.
It's what i love to do. I raced professionally for Losi for 14 years, then when my results weren't as good i had to figure a way of staying in the hobby and do something i love. I used to do part time nnouncing at my local club, then did a couple of races at my track, then people started hiring you.

Are you involved with any other hobbies?
This takes up all my time, when i'm not working at the shop in the week i'm commentating at weekends. I love going to go karting tracks though.

Tell us about JB:RL.?

It stands for Jimmy Babcock racing league. I started it 5 years ago. We have races throughout the year.`

Have you ever been to England? Would you be interested in coming to commentate in the UK?
i've been asked to commentate at an event in march st Worksop next year, but I havent had chance to arrange anything yet.

We think this dude might have won it.

Interview with Tim Davis - JConcepts sales warrior.

Tell me about your everyday work/life?
I'm a professional hobbyist, my favourite hobbies are racing toy cars, golf, badminton and
shark fishing.

Tim is a consumate professional at all times

Do you tell people that you race toy cars?
I always tell people yes, it's how you meet women, you tell them you race toy cars.

How do you help out at JConcepts and would Jason and Alison cope without you?
I work in sales, I also clean the restrooms (toilets) on Thursdays, and I am the chief bartender at JConcepts. I think Jason and Allisons lives would be immensely more pleasurable without me. Jason has been trying to void my employment contract for the last 7 years, but my attorney is much better than his.

What's your most memorable moment in RC?
Hmmm, *smirks*, I'm gonna say winning 2wd modified at GOAR in March of 1994. GOAR was the best track in Florida for many years, with all the best drivers.

Do you have any pets, and if you could be any animal what would you be?
Yes, I have a horse called Nico. I'd be a platypus, a duckbilled platypus.
I did have a Jack Russel terrier but my ex-girlfriend gave it away,
it was really mean of her and i cried for 9 days straight.

Have you ever been to the UK? What for?
Yes, I have family over there.

Is it true that you manually extract specimens from horses on a daily basis?
Is it true that you manually extract specimens from horses on a daily basis?
That is not true. But I do sell the semen from my horse, however I don't exctract it, I
have a professional horse-semen-extractor who does that. (Imagine having that on your business card)

Who is your hero?
Tony Hawk - pro skater..

How do you plan to celebrate your success at this event?
Well, my failure to properly prepare my race cars cost me many good runs, all 9 runs in 3 classes, therefore i celebrated with my good friends Lee Martin and Ryan Mayfield at an uppity bar/nightclub on saturday night. Instead of participating in any of my main events. I ran one but broke the car. oOps.

What could have improved your overall racing result at this event?
Preparing my vehicles for the race before arriving at the event might help. Actually if I had been
interviewed earlier in the week I think it would have motivated me, I'd have been more
focussed and have more determination to live up to the standards that Vicky would have
set for me on Thursday. (geez this guy talks rubbish - but he's ace).

What is your favourite cheese?
Swiss. Well what for, what are you doing with the cheese? Cheese on toast - definitely swiss. For more creative uses of cheese I'd go with melted cheddar - for dipping and experimentation.

How often do you experiment with cheese?
Every Saturday afternoon at 3pm..

What is your favourite jconcepts product?
Goosebumps for 1/10th scale buggy.

Is 1/10th scale your favourite class to run?
Yes, 2wd modified.

Who's paying for the drinks tonight?
Ryan Mayfield is paying for all the drinks for everyone this week. In fact just put Ben, he's paying for the drinks tonight.

Do you think Lil' Ben is ace??
Yeah I think he's ace. My first impression of Ben is that he reminded me of a rabid squirrel, then later i realised that he was more like an infant porcupine, seperated from his mother, and upset about that.

What do you think of the other english racers?
I really enjoy having all the english racers at the JConcepts clash, it truly makes it an international event: gentlemen like Steven Pierce and Rich Lowe, James Helliwell, obviously Lee Martin, Bradders, Chazz Sinclair - oh wait, he's not english.

Are there any other international drivers at this event?
We've got the Brazillians. Jamie and Danniel, however they were not racing, but very much a part of the weekends activities.

What are your plans for the clash next year?
We're going to have a special entry in the sportsman class, captain morgan will be participating. also we plan to run all of the expert a-finals in reverse track direction, and we're going to have Ben doing a lot of commentating. and obvoiusly do everything possible to encourage all of our friends from England to return to the '09 clash - at a loction yet to be determined.

Chilling on a monkey mobile

Monkey offers Jason Ruona some help in the pits