Day 1 - practice

Day 2 - qualifying

Day 3 - finals

This is the second Proline event at Harper Adams, and our second time attending - previously attending the Neoinvitational event at the same venue in December '06.

The host venue, if you didn't already realise, is the Harper Adams agricultural college. A fancy way to describe a load of farmer types playing with diggers I think. And play with diggers is seemingly exactly what does happen here - the actual track is built specially for the event by the local club (DXR) inside a dirt-filled warehouse. It's an ideal venue for R/C racing, with plenty of parking, pitting, huge race track and a very good / consistent hard packed dirt surface.

Turning up at around mid day Friday, only a handful of drivers were lurking around. Ryan Maifield was tuning his new Associated RC8 buggy with Craig Drescher (not racing, unfortunately) watching on in bewilderment, seemingly trying to get his head around this nitro stuff.

The DXR club who run the event were out in full force of course, and were still doing last minute preparations for tomorrow. We'll try and get a couple of the DXR team interviewed this weekend to find out some more about the effort and time that goes into a huge event of this kind.

Back to the track - It's a very similar layout to the neo event around 4 months ago. The jumps are different with an even bigger, more technical section running along side the straight just in front of the drivers rostrum. This consists of a large double, step-up table top, a table-top with a double on top, and a table top. Ok, not easy to describe but just look at the photos. There is one thing to be said though - marshalling along this section won't be fun! The jumps are so huge that it's very hard to see cars coming.

Spectators are now catered for on both sides of the track, with fenced off areas running the depth of the track on the left and right - though this reduces the places to take photos from (safely).

With practice finally underway and the first buggies finally able to try the many jumps - it was clear this wasn't going to be easy. The long series of jumps in front of the rostrum were a particularly challenging section, claming many casualties in every heat. This series of jumps can be considered 4 jumps in total.

The rhythm from one jump to the next is so hard to get right and the lower heats with lesser experienced drivers were chaos early on, until people learnt that slow and steady was the fastest way. Indeed, one mistake along this section could leave you stranded for some time due to the dangers the marshalls faced - with cars flying over the huge jumps with only the bare minimum of control.

What car is Neil racing with today? RC8. How long has he had this car, and how many times has he raced it? Had the car about 3 weeks, raced in the USA on the Silverstate track in Las Vegas, raced at the 8th scale national at Sandy last weekend, and then here today. Do you find the 8th scale buggies harder work to set up? No not really, I prefer the electric but really don’t mind doing either. Which races are your favourite to attend? I like all the big races, ie. The cactus classic and the 8th scale nationals, which Neil is entered for all of this year. Have you ever raced radio controlled cars yourself? Yes, when Neil was 7, raced for a couple of years.

Do you think you could beat Neil in a race?
Only if I took his transmitter off him.

Which countries have you travelled to for racing and which are your favourite?
Have raced in America, South Africa, Finland, Sweden, Austria, France, Italy. Favourite events are in America, their tracks are better. The races in America pose a disadvantage to Neil though as he doesn’t get to practice on similar tracks in this country, it takes a few days to get used to the tracks over there.
The gas tracks in the USA are much different to this one, the surface tends to be much looser, like sand, rather than smooth and compacted.

Do you find that being so famous takes away a lot of the fun from this hobby?
Yes, definitely. Sometimes Neil just wants to go and have fun and have a laugh with other drivers such as Tricky and Bradders, but even at club races he feels he has to perform and still do well.

Do you get angry at Neil if he doesn’t win?
No, the only time I get annoyed is if he breaks something because he was messing around, but not if it gets broken during a race.

Do you ever get bored spannering? Would you rather be racing?
No I prefer being a mechanic, I really enjoy doing this.

Do you have any further comments to add?
Yes, it’s a very good track and a well run event.

Is this your first time attending a Proline race? Yes Has your car been easy to set up? Yes, it’s Neil Craggs car so is already set up, the last time it was run was here at Harper Adams for the Neo Invitational race. How would you describe the track here? There are big, massive, enormous jumps. It is a bit too difficult, even the top drivers like Neil Cragg and Ryan Maifield are struggling. I like the jumps running alongside the front straight, where there are three together, those are good if you can actually get over them. In your opinion who is the best driver here, who is going to kick ass, and who don’t you want to win? Neil Cragg, Ryan Maifield and Scott Hughes are looking likely to win, I’d like Neil Cragg, or one of the 10th electric offroad boys to win, so none of the ‘usual’ nitro guys.

What has been your best ever race result? And what are your aims for this coming racing season?
Best ever result was 2nd place in both 2wd and 4wd at the 2005 10th offroad European Championships in France. I’d like to be a regular A-Finalist in both 2wd and 4wd, and hope to make an A final in 8th scale also, although that probably won’t be this weekend.

What is your real-life job? Do you enjoy your work, and do you get lots of holidays?
I’m a design engineer for redbull racing,  I enjoy the work although don’t get a lot of holidays. I’m supposed to be working this weekend but said I had something very important to do.

What is the most exciting country you’ve ever visited?
Greece, that was quite fun.

What do you think would increase your chances of winning this event? (Or are you confident that you’ll win?
Not confident that I’ll win this event, I think my best chances would be an outbreak of some infectious disease (Nothing too serious, perhaps a mild version of man flu) to bring down the competition.

Do you race Nitro often?
This is my first time, although I will be competing in the 8th scale national series this year.

Do you prefer this class of racing to the 10th scale electric offroad? And which do you race better with?
Don’t know yet, I think I’ll always prefer the 10th electric offroad, because I am better with them at the moment, and they are more precise.

What is your favourite Zoo animal?
Meercat.

Wheels – Yellow or white?
I kinda like both really, it depends on my mood.
Yellow are better for sunny weather, and white are better for UK weather.

How old were you when you first started radio controlled car racing?
10.

What would you nominate as tool of the week?
Tris.

What would your ideal result be for this weekend?
I’d like to get into the semi finals, because that is where Chris Doughty got to at the Neo Invitational, and ideally I would like to do better than him.

Have you any other comments about this event?
It’s a really good event, should have more one off events like this, but in 10th scale as well and run by the BRCA.

Sponsors: Associated, Reedy, LRP, Futaba, O.S Engines, O'Donnell, J-Concepts, Up-Grade

Well done on your recent double win at the 21st annual Cactus Classic, the track looked very exciting - is that the type of track you race on regularly? Yes, SRS raceway is my home track so I race on there all the time. Could you 'do the quad'? How would you describe the cactus track? Yes, every lap. The track was very fast and made for good racing, but challenging at the same time. How does the track here at Harper Adams compare to the cactus track at SRS raceway? It is the exact opposite, the cactus track had lots of traction and huge jumps, there is less grip on this track. Have you raced on any other tracks here in the UK ? No, this is my first time here.

Do you think you have a good chance of winning this Proline Challenge, and who do you consider to be the toughest competition?
Yeah I think I have a good chance of winning, Scott Hughes, Richard Saxon, Joern Neumann, and Neil Cragg are the tough competition.

How many trophies do you own? And what is your best ever racing achievement?
About 800 trophies. My best results are TQ at the 4wd 1/10th electric offroad IFMAR World Championships, and winning the American Nationals 8th scale buggies.

What is your ambition for this year ?
To finish in the top three in every race, and hopefully to win the world championships.

Do you like country music? And what are your favourite music artists?
After a few beers maybe, I don't really have a favourite band (Apart from the spice girls).

How many classes do you race in?
6; I race 8th scale gas buggies and truggies, gas 10th scale trucks, 10th scale electric 2wd and 4wd buggies, and electric 10th scale trucks.

And which scale do you race better with?
I don't know, I go fast in both I guess. 10th electric 2wd buggy is most exciting to drive.

Who does your pit bitching ?
Richard Saxon, and at home Jake Thayer. Drescher is marshalling for me this weekend.

Is the dirt here in the west midlands better than the dirt in Arizona?
This dirt is better, there are no (or fewer) rocks, and it holds its shape better.

Have you been to England before? How long are you here for, and would you ever want to come back?
I've never been before, I'm staying until Tuesday and would definitely like to come here again.

Does the McDonalds here taste different?
Yes, it tastes a lot different. The McDonalds at home is much better.

What is your full time occupation ?
I'm a full time racer for Associated, have done this for three years, although been racing for 12 years.

What is most important - speed or consistency?
Consistency: speed is exciting but winning is better than speeding.

Do you prefer buggies or Truggies, and does size matter?

I like the buggies better, and size doesn't matter, it's how you work it.

Who is your RC idol?

Craig Drescher, I first heard about him when I was like 8. (Craig: 'Me? Oh you idiot')

Do you prefer coke or pepsi?

I prefer Pepsi (Diet), although I actually like monster best. It's an energy drink and tastes better than Red Bull.

Do you prefer breasts or thighs at KFC?

They have KFC over here?! I like the chicken strips better, prefer the 'bone out' chicken. I like the bone in on the odd occasion.

1

Ryan Maifield

9/ 5m 33.98

USA

RC8

OS

2

Neil Cragg

9/ 5m 39.00

UK

RC8

RB

3

Paul Bradby

8/ 5m 1.02

UK

Hyper 8

Picco

4

Richard Saxton

8/ 5m 1.13

USA

RC8

OS

5

Jerome Aigion

8/ 5m 2.74

France

Kyosho

Sirio

6

Miguel Matthias

8/ 5m 4.82

Portugal

Kyosho

Sirio

7

Joern Neumann

8/ 5m 4.92

Germany

TTR EB4-S3

Novarossi

8

Lee Martin

8/ 5m 5.29

UK

Hyper 8

Picco

9

Graham Alsop

8/ 5m 5.38

UK

Hyper 8

RB

10

Dave Crompton

8/ 5m 6.09

UK

Team Magic

RB

1

Scott Hughes

9/ 5m 28.06

USA

MBX5T

OS Speed

2

Joern Neumann

9/ 5m 28.53

Germany

Mugen

Novarossi

3

Graham Alsop

8/ 5m 2.28

UK

Hobao ST

RB

4

Linus Thern

8/ 5m 3.23

Sweden

Kyosho

RB

5

Lee Taylor

8/ 5m 9.86

UK

Xray

Falcon

6

Jamie Booth

8/ 5m 12.04

UK

Hong Nor

Go

7

Ed Kerry

8/ 5m 14.05

UK

Losi 8 T

Rossi

8

Elliott Boots

8/ 5m 15.56

UK

Kyosho

RB

9

John Holmes

8/ 5m 17.16

UK

Hobao ST

RB

10

Mathew Perry

8/ 5m 17.70

UK

Losi 8 T

RB

11

Mikael Gunnerheim

8/ 5m 23.09

Sweden

Kyosho

12

Mike Craddock

8/ 5m 23.48

UK

Kyosho

Sirio

13

Brennan Ralls

8/ 5m 24.67

UK

Xray

14

Jon Howells

8/ 5m 24.79

UK

Hobao ST

Picco

15

Marc Knight

8/ 5m 32.23

UK

Hong Nor

Go

Hi Scott, where abouts are you from and what tracks do you usually race on? I live in Southern California (Beaumont). I don't have any usual tracks as I only race at big events such as this one. Are you enjoying the Proline dirt challenge here in sunny England? Yeah definitely, there are really good people here, good track and it's a good event. What is your favourite ever track to race on ? The Silverstate race track in Boulder City, Las Vegas. Who do you hope will win this event? Hopefully a Proline guy.

How many sets of tyres have you used this weekend?
If I make the A-Main it will be four sets of buggy tyres, and I used one set on the truggy.

What car are you driving this weekend ?
My buggy is a Mugen MBX5R, with Craddock brakes, and two gaskets on the differentials. The truck is a Mugen MBX5T.

Are you happy with your performance so far?
I'm happy with my racing with the Buggy so far, but not with the Truggy, I was winning my final but broke. The buggy is good though, qualified 2nd place.

Who would you like to beat ?
I'd like to beat Ryan Maifield, he is the toughest competition. Ideally I would like to win - 1st place or no place! When you get so close you want to win.

Who are your top sponsors ?
Proline, Mugen, 0.5, KO Propo, Mechanix Wear, Oakley, Pro Motion, CML, SRAM.

How much of your time is taken up with racing ?
About one full week of racing in every six weeks, but not at all in between.

What racing events are you most looking forward to this year?
American Nationals, European Championships - I won't be racing there but I will go to support the proline team.

Where is your favourite holiday destination ?
Rome, Italy, I went there last summer with my wife.

How old were you when you started racing, and what influenced you?
I was 13. And it was the original RC10 gold tub chassis that made me want to race.

Do you race any other classes ?
No, just the 8th scale.

What is the best thing about England ?
The history: there are lots of old buildings, in the USA nothing is older than 100 years old.

What are your favourite flavour crisps?
I like mexian style tortilla chips with salsa sauce.

How long have you raced radio controlled cars for? About 10 years. Which scale are you better at racing? 10th electric offroad, although I mostly race at 8th scale events now because I argue too much with my brother when I race at the 10th scale events which are the ones he attends. What result are you aiming for this weekend? I'd like to be in the top 60, although I doubt it. I've bumped up two finals so far into the 1/32. Who would you like to beat? And who do you consider to be competition for you? I'd like to beat Neil Cragg (laughs), my biggest rival is probably Ben Williams, if I can keep up with Ben I know I'm probably on a good pace.

How does this track compare to others that you have raced on? What are the best and worst features?
I find this to be a demanding track but still the fun element is there. It's more of an American track than British. The best feature is the air time off th jumps, the worst feature is the jumps if you can't do them well.

Which do you think is the most dangerous marshalling point? And do you ever fear for your life when marshalling?
Point 6 I think, right in the middle of the track next to the bomb hole. And yes when Ben Williams is racing - he gets it a bit wrong in the air sometimes.

How did you hear about this Proline race?
I've attended the races here previously which is generally when I hear about the next event, so I heard about it at the Neo Invitational and put my name down.

Who is your greatest support at racing?
My old man, he winds me up sometimes but he drives me and pushes me, he gets the best results out of me every time.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
I've never really thought about it, I like to take each day as it comes and not make too many plans, just enjoy every day, you never know what tomorrow is going to bring. You could win 1million or lose 1million.

If you could be re-born as any animal what would you be?
A dragon. 1) because they're welsh, and 2) because they are big and strong, they are noble creatures and look so fearless.

Guest Question from Lee Martin: How long is a piece of string?
As long as you want it to be.

What is your dream car?
A Lotus Elise. I'd love one but I can't afford one at the moment. (You never know what tomorrow might bring though).

Which race events/series are you attending this year?
I'm racing at all the 8th scale nationals, that's all I'm concentrating on this year. Hope to get some practice at the local track if it is open - Talywauy, although there have been some problems with planning permission, hopefully it will be up and running again soon.

What is your all time favourite track?
Craig Harris' indoor track.

Who paints your shells for you?
Steve Curtis Rich (DCM), if I want a shell painting I have to order it a month and a half in advance due to the detail. I think I have the best painted shell here.

Do you prefer Burger King or McDonalds?
Burger King.

Are you a football fan and do you suport any teams?
No I'm not a football fan, but I do support Leeds united and Cardiff City.

Who do you think will win this event? Neil Cragg. And who don't you want to win? Ollie James.

How long has this event taken to organise? Since we finished the neobuggy race in December, started making arrangements for this event straight away. How many people have been involved in the planning? Myself, Cameron Ellis, and Wes Myles. Cameron designs the track, Wes and myself build the track. Wes drives a digger so he formed the jumps, I used the drive-on roller to smooth them out. That is how DXRs first track build injury occured, I drove too fast over the triple jump, and fell off whilst the roller continued moving, but my leg stayed behind. (Lewis points to his very swollen knee). We wanted the very best people for each job, so naturally chose Sue and Kev to run race control, Rob to do the timing, and Jimmy to take the photos.

How long did the track take to build and what equipment was used?
We worked from Tuesday to Friday building the track, from 8am to 8pm. We used a 5 ton digger, 80 roller whacker plate, and elbow grease!

Do you use this venue for regular club meetings?
No, we just run very large one-off events here. It isn't cheap any more, each event we do gets bigger so the costs increase as does the effort.

What is DXR? Where are you based, what do you do?
DXR stands for dirt cross racing, we're a club that organises big events here at Harper Adams, which is apparently the biggest indoor dirt hall in Europe. We have help from the best race organisation team, Rob Nelson, Kev and Sue Griffiths.

Are you racing here this weekend? How long have you raced for, and hw many different classes have you raced in?
Yes I'm racing, I have raced for around 8 years. I raced electric buggies many years ago with the Tamiya Fox. I race trucks, truggies and buggies.

What is your favourite fast food?
Burger king Junior Whopper (I can't manage a whole whopper), with cheese and bacon.

Are you pleased with the way the track has turned out?
Yeah, it's a little dry, we've watered it but it's still dry. It's a learning process so we know what we can improve on next time. We probably won't have quite so many jumps in the middle section, give the drivers more space to correct themselves.

Are you scared of marshalling ?

(Looks at knee) Well I don't have to marshall; it depends who's on the track, but not really - everyone knows that there are big jumps and big air, so to watch your head.

Big thanks to Lewis for taking time to answer our questions, and to the DXR team and race organisation crew who made the proline dirt challenge such a great event.. The track was built to perfection and the event ran very smoothly, avoiding any delays.

You appear at a number of different events, which are your favourite to attend ? I enjoy the 10th scale offroad nationals. The track here at Harper Adams appears very challenging, how are you finding it to drive on? It is challenging, very technically demanding. You work for Racer magazine as your full time occupation, what are your general roles and responsibilities? Everything from tea making, taking photos, writing, we have a designer who does all the layout. What are the bonuses of your job, and does it have any downsides ? I get to do my hobby as a full time job although that is also a negative. I have to take my work everywhere, can't ever get away from it.

Are you under a lot of pressure at work to meet deadlines?
Yes, they come around every month, you can't get away from them and bank holidays don't help matters. We're working a month and a half ahead of ourselves, so the magazine goes to the printers on the 10th of each month in order to be on shop shelves by the first Thursday of the following month.

Does your boss tell you off if you don't race well ?
No, not really. He thinks I should practice more, but the magazine has to come first and racing second. He likes the fact that he has an editor of a racing magazine who races. Alan (ADH publishing) used to race also, he raced touring cars, 10th scale electric offroad and 8th scale nitro. He finished 2nd at the 8th scale British Regional Championships a few years ago, and also was among the top 20 10th scale electric offroad drivers in the world

How many different countries have you travelled to for racing, and which have been your favourite events to cover?
Probably been to more than 10 countries over the years, the events in the USA are the best to attend due to the entertainment and social side, it's more family orientated rather than just sitting around in a hotel.

You have a wife at home, do you find that your job and hobby is very demanding of your time, and is this difficult to juggle with your homelife?
Yes, I travel 75 miles each way to work every day, I only work from home about 3 days each month. Every weekend is spent racing, last weekend was an 8th scale national, the weekend before was the national indoor finals, and next weekend is a 10th scale national.

Do you have time for any other hobbies outside of radio controlled cars?
I'd like to, but not really. A little bit of motorsport very occasionally.

Are all of your holidays based around race events or do you ever get 'time out'?
I do get time out, but generally only take one weeks leave at a time, so we don't get to travel very far, the last couple of years it's been italy. All race events are covered during works time, and it means I spent all the time writing about the event and getting information for the magazine.

What is your favourite part of the job you do?
Travelling and seeing new places, that's a big opportunity and I like to experience everything once. It's difficult to really see much of a country when racing, all we see is the airport, hotel, and track.

Who here would you like to beat this weekend ?
Richard Cree because he has a one-colour body shell.

Have you ever superglued your wheels/tyres to yourself or your clothes?
No, they usually end up stuck to the towel so I have to pick bits of fluff off.

Where is your favourite holiday spot??
Kind of Italy, but I have to say I like the west coast of the USA.

Finally, a guest question from Lee Martin: Do you own a bidet, and if so what do you do you use it for? (Lee used to own a Bidet but had it taken out because it was just sitting there doing nothing)
No I don't, although if I did I would use it for washing toy car parts in. I have used the dishwasher before and end up with grass all over the teacups.

Sponsors: CML

Sponsors: Associated, Reedy, Up -Grade, Thunder Tiger, TQ Fuel, Nomadio, Bodz, Smith, Factory Team.

How old were you when you started racing? 20. What is your best ever race result? I've won multiple American Nationals, by best ever result was TQ at IFMAR 8th scale off-road World Championships. Have you visited England before? This is my first time here. It's a beautiful country, hopefully Associated are going to make this an annual event, so I would like to come back. Are you happy with your performance this weekend? Yes, we have a new car and I think I have done really well, fourth overall in qualifying.

What do you think about the track here?
It's nice, really nice. The middle section is particularly difficult. The managing of the race is really great, the people are nice. Organisation is better here, this is the correct way to do it. American events are run like back in the 80's. I think there should be one set of rules set by IFMAR that everyone abides by.

How many tyres have you used?
Two full sets prior to the finals.

What can you tell me about the RC8?
This is the pre production model. It has a unique drive train, I'm running a truggy gear ratio which seems to create a lot more acceleration. At this track it makes a big difference, there are three RC8 in the top four qualifyers, 1st, 3rd and 4th place, those are the only 3 RC8's at this event. I have carbon fibre shock towers and unique suspension geometry. The high downforce wing is for maximum traction.

What is your role within Team Associated?
I work full time for Associated in the research and development department, I helped to develop the RC8 with Torrence (who is the main designer), Kurt, Ollie, Josh and Curtis. The test drivers are Ryan Maifield and Ryan Cavileri. It's been raced at three big events, the nitro challenge in Arizona in February, which saw 2 RC8's in the main, and TQ in one qualifying round. Also finished 3rd place at Silverstate last month. The car has taken about a year to design and build.

Day 1 - practice

Day 2 - qualifying

Day 3 - finals