I recently went on a road trip with my partner in crime, Greg. Some of you may know him on Instagram as @useayota. We decided to head down to RC Excitement for a competition they were having. They had a “tough truck’ course and U4RC racing. I was actually really excited to see U4RC racing for the first time. It’s huge and blowing up on the West Coast, and I know a few racers out there, and they love it. It’s a perfect combination of short course racing and rock racing rolled into one.
I left my house at 2:00am to meet Greg for 3:00am. It was a four hour drive, and the comp started at 10:00am, so we loaded up the Silver Back yota, and headed to Massachusetts with smiles and expectations! We gabbed about what it was going to be like, hoping to meet the very pushy guy named Mikey Bowman. He was the main force behind us coming, he was very persuasive.
We arrived at 7:15am to a very sleepy town, and RC Shop. Some people were up and milling around. We were greeted with a big hello and hug by a man known to the local as JCM. John Mathews, he is tall, bald, and loud. I knew we’d get along right off. He was very warm, and receptive and said; “I finally get to me Vermont Scale RC” I smiled uncomfortably and was humbled. I’m never really sure how to take that. I know it’s a compliment, but, I feel like, I don’t know, awkward… It’s not like when I was skating or in a band, people knew me for what I was doing, whether it was killing a rail or slaughtering a stage, I knew the compliments were a part of all those things. I don’t know, maybe I’m just not used to it, or feel like I haven’t contributed to the bigger scene of RC… Or I’m just a dork, and I finally see that. Haha
After all the setting up and talking with the guys we settled in for the day. We traded stickers, jabs, and drinks. We set up with a group called, the JCM Crew. There was John, obviously, then Anthony, aka Flying Hawaiian, Tim, Mikey, and a few others that I can’t recall at this moment. They treated us like we’ve been boys for years, they reminded me of what my USC Crew is like; full of love and helpfulness. I knew we made the right choice to come be apart of their scene.
The time came to choose the comp, and after seeing the two courses, I decided that I wanted to do the U4RC race. Was there any doubt in your mind that’s what I was going to do? Besides, the tough truck course was basically a rock crawling event, and my true scaler is set up for just the opposite. I finished the first ever Recon G6 a few weeks prior, so I was pretty sure I could handle the course, but I didn’t want to lose out on racing. At $30 for a class and $15 for additional, I was choosing “A” class. U4RC it was.
I met this kid on Instagram a while back, and he said he was coming to the event, and I could tell he was excited, and that he wanted to hang with us. So when I met Scotty, I knew I was in for a ride. This kid’s enthusiasm for everything he does is contagious, and I was excited to have him hang with us at our tent. He first came up to me with a huge smile and a timid out look on the comp. He was worried about his home made rc, against these high dollar rc’s. We’ll just say he was very intimidated by it. I convinced him the only way to learn, is to stay, and play. Can I just be honest here, the kid built, yes built, with his own hands an RC frame for the spare parts he had lying around. He welded, yes welded his own cage, tranny, and mounts. Of course it wasn’t perfect, but I was so damn impressed with it, I had to show it off. 14 years old, I was still eating dirt with my BMX. This kid is welding cages… Future custom tube maker, Perhaps… He did the course as best he could, but the driveshafts were not his friend. So I plugged in HatefulV2 and he ripped the course up with my rc. He completed the whole course, and the smile on his face was exactly why I do this.
I watched the rest of the competitors rip through the course and even our local hero Heath put an ole ass whopping on their course, true VT style, placed on the podium with in both classes. Greg, well, he finally saw that Jacked Up is not a rock crawler, nor a comp truck with the SUV hard body, full interior, and weight. He made it to 20 foot from the end and the front axle had enough, it blew up. Greg had fun though; he really loves driving just as much as building.
I was up for the U4RC next and I got to see what the first heat was like. After the first lap, I was blown away and realized very quickly I was out classed with my completely stock Wraith. These guys were flying all around with their beefed up Yeti’s and Wraiths. But, I never back down and with everyone fully supporting me; I went out there and gave it my all. 20t on 2S = slow… After the first few laps, I stopped shaking like the last leaf on the tree and got into a groove. A few blips and flips, I kept going. When the heat was over, I had placed 2nd. To my disbelief. I watched all the other heats, turn marshaled and got ready for my second heat. I put the stock tires back on as I ran Pro-line Hammers for the first heat. I did much of the same as the first lap. I tried to keep the wheels on the ground and stay out of the super fast rc’s way. When the dust settled, the Recluse Wraith placed 2nd again. Beginners luck. This out me 5th in the A-main. I was really excited, but knew that I was a last place finisher in that class.
So the A-main came and went. I did the best I could, raced my heart out and ended up 4th. One car broke, and the other I beat out right. Not too bad for never doing a U4RC race. Needless to say, it won’t be my last.
One thing I don’t miss about racing is the screaming drivers at the turn-marshals. The slamming down of their feet like a bratty child, and swearing at people. I used to race 1/10th nitro stadium trucks a lot a few years back, and it was pretty competitive and a lot of the same whining. I thought maybe it wouldn’t be as bad because this was just a race for a trophy and not points, or money or something big. Maybe bragging rights? I flipped over a few times, and the turn-marshals got to me at a decent pace. I think if you’re a good driver, you won’t need a turn-marshal at every corner you flip at. I think for myself, if I flip over, it’s on me and not the turn-marshals fault I’m turtled up, wheels spinning. This kind of behavior is a real drag and may just be the reason I don’t go back to racing.
I’m not perfect, but I’m not screaming at someone that is trying to help me either. It happens, and that’s that, carrying on like a 2 year old, gets old after awhile.
Over all though, we had a great time, and the people there were super nice, and were willing to help, share, and make you laugh. The RC community is real, and it is supportive. You know we at Ultimate Scale Challenge promote a positive and friendly rc experience, so we support the ones out there doing the same thing as us. If you have the drive and desire to change the way you want to RC, look us up. We’ll help you get where you need to go!
Special thanks to John and the entire JCM Crew for helping us, feeding us, and being solid guys. Our camp is your camp anytime!
Thanks for reading!!
Trevor
www.ultimatescalechallenge.com
Vermont Scale RC 