AKRC: 2018

Sunday 11 March 2018

Driver Interview - Kyle McBride

Name: Kyle Ward-McBride (Usually just call myself Kyle McBride)

Age: 22 Years Old

Nationality: Australian

Current Sponsors: Team Associated, Reedy Electronics, Proline Tires, Novarossi Engines, JK Racing Designs, Upgrade RC

AKRC: So what was your first hobby grade RC Car?

Kyle: Losi Mini T when I was 10 years old.

AKRC: When did you start racing RC cars and for how long as a professional?

Kyle: I started racing on and off when I was 11 years old. I became professional after attending my first World Championship in Thailand in 2010, where I managed to finish 4th.

AKRC: What do you usually do when setting up for a track you have never been to before? Please elaborate.

Kyle: Before attending a track that I've never been too, I like to try find out as much information as I can. Talk with people who may run there or have been there before and see what type of tires work there and how the track changes over the course of racing. I also like to get ahold of pictures of the track so I can study the layout (if it is already built) before I even get there.

Now on to something more personal...

AKRC: Where did you grow up?

Kyle: I grew up in Brisbane, Australia and have been living here my whole life so far.

AKRC: What were you like in high school?

Kyle: Hard to say :) I liked to do a lot of things not just racing. I was into sport and of course hanging with my friends. But my focus has always been on racing, I never thought about doing anything else apart from it :D

AKRC: Who’s your favourite band or singer?

Kyle: I'm very much intro rap, always have been. Some of my favourite's are 50 cent, russ, Migos, Nas. I also like some Hilltop Hoods and Bliss N Eso. But for the most part I enjoy all types of music.

AKRC: What is on your music playlist now?

Kyle: At this very time I have all of the above but have been listening to a lot of Travis Scott. Gets me pumped up :)

AKRC: What car do you drive (actual car)?

Kyle: I own a Mitsubishi Triton 2015 model. Perfect car to get me to the track and back whenever I need!

AKRC: What do you think about when you’re alone in your car?

Kyle: I think about a lot all the time, I think about my future and I think about my next races and what I can do different to better myself. But of course I blast my music at the same time. I enjoy spending my alone time whenever I'm driving.

AKRC: Who is your idol? In RC and outside of RC

Kyle: My idol in RC would have to be Ryan Maifield and Ryan Cavalieiri, they both have such tenacity at races and I love how much effort they put in and they are always there at the top at each race! Not to mention they are both really cool guys at the track and away from the track. Outside of RC my idol would have to be my dad. Without him I wouldn't be doing any of this and he's the reason I am where I am so far to this day.

AKRC: Apart from RC, what do you do in your free time?

Kyle: I like to get to the gym as much as I can, as a sharp body means a sharp mind and that is important in RC. I enjoy playing basketball and golf just for fun with my friends. And of course spending time with my family as they mean the world to me. If I'm not too tired after a day I do enjoy jumping on my PlayStation 4 and play some games :)

AKRC: What is the funniest thing that has happened to you recently?

Kyle: Very random but the funniest thing for me is my RC shed getting raided by Toads over the last few weeks haha. It's very hot here in Australia at the moment and somehow they've been creeping into my shed and I hate it haha.

AKRC: Who would win a fight between Spiderman and Batman?

Kyle: Obviously Spiderman.

AKRC: What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever done for you?

Kyle: I haven't had anything that weird, I've signed a lot of different things but I absolutely love it. Feeling that support from other people that look up to you is a blessing.

AKRC: Do you have a bad habit? What is it?

Kyle: I would say one of my bad habits is over thinking too much. It's easy to overthink when there is so much going on during racing sometimes but I have things to keep myself focused.

AKRC: Name 3 other drivers that you would want to see answer these questions..

Kyle:

1. Ryan Maifield

2. Ryan Cavalieri

3. Robert Battle

AKRC: Say something to your fans

Kyle: Thank you to all of those that follow me and support me at races, without you guys I wouldn't be doing what I am doing either. I can't wait to see any one of you at the track and to also meet new people around the world :)

Thank you Kyle McBride for this interview. I wish you all the best in your RC Racing career!

Monday 5 February 2018

SBS 1/10 EP OFF ROAD MAJOR LEAGUE ROUND 1 RACE REPORT

SBS 1/10 EP OFFROAD MAJOR LEAGUE – Round 1 race report.

Track venue: Syahmi’s Backyard Speedway, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia.

Date: 4^th January 2018

By: Adrian Khaw

Mother nature was extremely kind to us as we were blessed with the ‘awesomest’ of awesome weather for this race, especially when it was mostly rainy days for the whole of January in this area. In a way, this allowed us to be a little more flexible on the race schedule as the pressure of trying to complete all qualifiers and finals in the quickest time possible is now off.

The total confirmed race entries were 39, which comprised the following:

Open 2wd Buggy: 11
Open 4wd Buggy: 23
Open 4wd Short Course Trucks: 5

This is probably the highest turnout ever in 1/10 EP off road racing in Malaysia. A very encouraging sign indeed!

This race series will comprise of 4 rounds of races throughout 2018 on the following dates:

Round 1 – 4^th February
Round 2 – 6^th May
Round 3 – 29^th July
Round 4 – 4^th September

Rules we kept simple to encourage participation. 2s battery and no reverse ESC. Racers will be competing for points at every round for the overall League champion in their respective categories.

Apart from that, points will also be awarded for manufacturers with the 2 highest scoring finishes in each category will be combined for every round and at the end of the series, the highest points manufacturer will be awarded with a trophy. This is something new to the hobby which should draw attention from the local distributors in to support drivers of their respective brands.

Qualifying rounds:

2WD open buggy, which recently saw an increase in racers was as competitive as any other racing class. Mark Lim of Singapore took Q1 with 10 laps 5m 7.18s. Kum Yew also of Singapore bagged Q2 & Q3 however his time was not an improvement over Marks, handing him the TQ spot. WK Foong completed the top 3 qualifiers on the grid.

4WD Short Course Trucks, although had only 5 racers saw a fierce battle for the final grid positions. All 5 drivers are very experienced racers who provided spectators with 3 qualifying rounds of pure entertainment. Boy Hazlyne grabbed TQ with 2^nd spot going to Ramesh followed by Shem in 3^rd. The crowd could hardly wait to watch them battle it out for another 3 rounds in the finals!

4WD open buggy was the most competitive category with 23 racers fighting for top spot. Shem, driving Sworkz took Q1 with 12 laps 5m 23.29s. Kent grabbed Q2 with 12 laps 5m 25.51s with his Tekno EB410. However, Q3 will be the round to produce all top 3 qualifiers. Mizan drove his Serpent with a very clean 12 laps 5m 14.77s to snatch TQ with Bashir making the 2^nd place on the grid with his Xray. Hakeem completed 3^rd on the grid driving an Sworkz buggy.

We took an hour off for lunch and to water the track as the dust was starting to get a little unbearable.

Finals:

It is somewhat of a challenge to drive 2WD buggies on this outdoor dirt track. But that did not stop anyone from putting up a good fight for the overall win. Foong drove a good race to secure A1 with Kum Yew in 2^nd and Cynthia Lye in 3^rd. In A2, Mark Lim led from start to finish for his first win. Sim took 2^nd with Foong trailing in 3^rd. It will all boil down to what happens in A3. Both Foong and Mark was leading the pack, swapping the lead every time any one of them makes a mistake. In the end it was Foong who triumphed and grabbed the win, securing the overall first place for 2WD. Mark Lim had to settle for 2^nd and the surprise 3^rd place winner went to Sim.

As expected, the Short Course finals was going to be more entertaining than the qualifiers as Boy Hazlyne was going to be the driver to beat. Veteran racer Shem starting in 3^rd on the grid gave chase and stole A1 from Boy, who had to settle for 3^rd as 2^nd went to Ramesh. Boy, an experienced and former winner of several on road races kept his cool and managed to get his first win in A2. Like in 2wd, A3 will be the deciding race. Again, Boy kept his head straight and managed to avoid everyone who was after him for the win. He won A3 with a slim margin of 0.5 seconds from 2^nd place Ramesh. The overall results was Boy in 1^st place, Shem in 2^nd and Ramesh for 3^rd.

4WD buggy finals was the race everyone was waiting for. In A1, Mizan was in complete control without much drama. He took A1 with a comfortable 1 lap ahead of Bashir. Mizan drove his Serpent with another clean run in A2 to secure his overall win in 4WD buggy. After A3, the overall result was Mizan, Hakeem and Bashir for 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place respectively.

All in all, it was an almost perfect race day as not only the weather was perfect but the racers were on time and adhered to instructions like clockwork. We ended the day with trophy presentation and exchanged appreciations all around.

We would like to thank everyone for their support and to our Singaporean friends for driving all the way to join us for this fun filled day.