RC Heroes
 

Do you remember that feeling you got when you got to your first 'big' meeting and saw the famous names you'd read about in the magazines? Guys that were simply EPIC on track?

Does that feeling still exist now? Do you go to your mates/WAGs and say ''Corr, look, its him....its HIM!!! Wow!''?

Who were your RC heroes? :thumbsup:

Never meet these guys but it always was Masami Hirosaka and Jeff Halsey when I was a young boy....long time ago.
http://www.qtl.co.il/img/copy.pnghttp://www.google.com/favicon.icohttp://www.babylon.com/favicon.ico

I was lucky in that Rory Cull lived just up the road from me as did Nick Marson so I got to meet lots of drivers 'back in the day'.

I think the one that stuck in my mind the most though was watching Jamie Booth running his Manta Ray at one of the Malvern Indoor meetings Worcester Buggy Club used to put on ... that was an awesome display of skill and he was comfortably fastest all day. Jamie turned out to be one of the nicest most friendly blokes ever too which was great!

Sometimes its better not to meet your 'heroes' I find.
In the mags they all look great, but in real life it isnt always like that.

Saying that though, Craig Drescher is one of the nicest blokes ive ever met and a true gent. Approachable, nice to talk to, helpful and friendly.

Is that because of Stiles...? Ha Ha

Anyway, there's a chap that's just come back to racing at EPR after a near 20 year break was my hero when I was a youngster (he knows who he is!). Bit embarassing now telling him that...

My first ever big race meeting was a BRCA 2wd national at my local track in 1989.
I bought an RC10 in a shoe box for £20 so I could race.
Was in the bottom final and popped a steering ball joint - Jamie Booth fixed it and I even won the final :) Still have the trophy somewhere...
Don't think I spoke to him on the day, wish I had but I make up for it with the grief I give him now - top bloke.

I think that I have met most of my heroes through Wez. I owe Wez a debt of gratitude. Hes my RC hero :)

im quite new to racing and have met verry little of the rc greats but i must say richard barton and tony truman have helped me so mutch

I'm a touring car guy at heart, and David Spashett was always the height of professionalism. Devestatingly quick, superbly prepared and would help anyone with advice.

Only raced at two meetings where he was racing, but they were awesome to watch.

Mr Moore by any chance? I rememebr when he came down to the Herne Bay club when he first had a Pred. It sounded like a bag of spanners going round, but Damn was it quick!!
He was the first "National A Finalist" driver i ever met.

It wasn't actually, he raced with Kevin in the 80's but had given up by the Kev really hit his stride...

I do remember the first time I marshalled a Euros A final - I was bricking it!!

Hero's
 

Met Masami and Raced against him ! His dad was ace hardly any English back then just knodded to every question ! EPIC !

As for the Others Living near Jamie meant him wipping my butt every club meeting ! Dresh is a cool guy and my sister fancied him like mad. As they all did. "Explains the obsesion with TAKE THAT "

Hopefully this weekend at Worksop gonna probably be my one chance to kick Jamie's arse !!!! :woot:

Met Adam Drake and LOL actually beat him LOL he broke !! at the Nova Rossi GP.

I would love to meet Gil LOSI !

Is it RR kieth??
I remember meeting mike reedy and jurgen (lrp) back at marston in the day. both very helpfull guys. mr r built me a motor and mr lrp gave me a set of proto bbs wheels for the yoke i was running. Quality people!!:thumbsup:

Richard Weatherley for me....so ahead of his time:thumbsup: I remember thinking when i first saw the first Predator this mans a god ( woven sexy carbon tub / aero dynamic wishbones / inboard suspension / front wing etc...and its still devastatingly quick/competative today!
i have had the pleasure of meeting him now many times and he still has amazing ideas

You are a hero mush with that LED inside your motor :lol: I always watch it when I should be marshalling! For me it has to be James Weedon of 80's RallyX fame. He lived in Combe Martin and ran my local club in Ilfracombe school.

Gil Losi Jnr is such an amazing RC legend!

he just 'knows', hard to explain how, but he hits the nail on the head with every question you ask.

I have met many the big names in rc history now!! lucky as being in the business i guess, It never surprises me how many of the greats drove Kyosho to start their racing or have at some time in their history.

The first time i do remeber being kinda awestruck was the first worlds i went to in Essex Basildon i think?
Seing Kinwald,Magic Joel Johnson, Masami, Moore, Booth, Drescher i think was there.
It was the first real big race i ever went to I remeber Mike cradock asking me to get a day of work so we could go and watch, I booked a day holiday and he took a sick day ;-)

that LED is damm sexy :)

I was lucky enough to be able to get my dad take me to the offroad world championships in Basildon. My dad got talking to some french bloke whose son was racing and he took me into the pits!

I was 14 or 15 and nearly fainted when Masami, Joel Johnson and Mark Pavidis signed my official worlds booklet! I still have it :) Mark Pavidis filled an entire page with his autograph and I remember thinking he was a ponce for not leaving any space for anyone else to sign :lol:

Pops Losi was fun too at the Euros in Lille where Kevin Moore dominated with the all new XX4 prototype with a magnesium chassis which they worked on under(!) the table and carried to the track in a bag :thumbsup:

I no longer nearly shit myself when meeting people now :woot:

Adam 'Showtime' Lewis for me......... :thumbsup:

Yeah and you still do one in your pants when you meet him :lol: !!!!

Oxford defines a hero as 'a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength' I don't know all of the top drivers personally but with all due respect I don't class a guy playing with toy cars all his life and then wins some races in that definition. :lol: I spent 5 years in the military and met some heroes there. :)

Mr Frogger you are of course correct they are not real heros. The Boys and Girls in Service should not be compared to boys with toys.

But as a child i guess the correct word could be idol? these guys was someone they only ever saw in magazines or heard about in stories by people behind model shop counters.

I recently met Joel Johnson and Yuchi Kanai and many others at the Kyosho Masters they are real nice people all you would hope from those guys you idolised for many years.
A few i have met are a bit arrogant but perhaps that is what makes them winners! Its the nice ones that make the difference in the hobby for me.

bang on.

Wes Myles is my hero :wub

Seriously though for me its gotta be Spashett, can remember seeing him on the covers of all the mags when I was young after him winning the triple in the on road worlds in 98', arguably one of the talents of the rc world, whilst also being a damn nice bloke and serious professional ;)

Well, got to admit, always been a Tamiya nut, so when I got the chance to go to the Tanaplan GP, and seens a certain Mr Booth racing Tamiya's, it was awesome.

Don't really have any hero's, but thought it was awesome watching those top guys racing at Basildon at the Worlds.

For me I guess it was Jamie Booth - back in the 80s he was just awesome.
Watching a certain Mr Stafford grow old (I was going to say grow up but he hasn't done that yet :p) and seeing him progress from National K finals (Chingford circa 1987) to National A's and International titles has given me a lot of satisfaction.
Sadly, my own National prowess has correspondingly gone the other way - which has not...

Anyone who reaches a certain level and is elevated onto a pedestal by their peers but who doesn't forget where they came from and who still has the time and inclination to help the young and less experienced gets my respect.

Those who become arrogant by their 'success' do not.

Steve "old Dog" Haynes, Mr Drescher, David Bailey , Jamie Booth:)

Go
 

At wbmcc we are lucky enough to be graced with the presence of Ant Molyneux, who is not only an rc legend, but a true inspiration for ginger people everywhere.
________
VAPOLUTION VAPORIZER

my wife is a GINGA and she worships the ground Ant Molyneux walks on,she has even trying to grown a chin strap beard she loves him that much:woot:

So many RC people that i admire and all for different reason's.....

Drescher - Was a joy to watch him, so smooth and precise made off road look effortless!!
Mitcham - Took on the Predator when Moore left and was always at the sharp end.
Stafford - One of the nicest people i have ever met, and when he is on it.... damn he is quick!!
Cragg - What more can you say, First british off road World champ... and a great guy to boot.
Lewis - Otherwise known as Showtime... This man is awesome, how many people do you know can race leaning on something.
Rasey - The dirt master!!! Nuff said.
Lee - Rocky for short, one of the best people i know for setting up a car...

The list could go on and on .....

There are too many that come to mind but i think the main ones were....

Craig D
Kevin Moore
Ellis Stafford
Ben Sturnham
Rory Cull
Jamie Booth
Dave Duggan
Karl Marsden
William Mitchum
Jukka Steenari
Andy Shaw

All guys that i looked up to a lot and thought they were amazing to watch...

Rory was just about packed up as i started but i got to see him race at the 1995 Reedy Invitational meeting at Marston's, that was cool also with the attendance of Mr Ruona, Mark Francis and a load of European racers.

Craig was always a bit of a legend though, i was so excited seeing him race for the first time, Radio Race Car at Cheltenham in 1995 when the RC10 B2 had just come out, think they bought them back from the Worlds in Japan - he was doing rather poorly all day so i was a bit gutted, then last round of qualifying it chucked it down and Craig somehow managed to put it in the A - That made me smile and showed true class i thought having struggled all day in the dry!

Theres a club in herne bay? Pm me the details

yup meeting the big guns was great fun. Three were tops with me, Masami and Mannie Pannesar (team mate as well), Bob Gammon. Also cant forget Jon Tucker, Jon Leonard and Craig Harris as they all had a part in helping me to catch them up. I agree some didnt meet up to the standards as per the mags but the majority were much better, especially the night before after a few beers.

Herne Bay shut years ago, but Faversham club is only a few minutes away from there:)

In my racing CV ive put my most respected drivers as: Phil Sleigh, Nathan Ralls, Craig Harris. Think ide have to add tricky and doughty junior and senior to that list really.

A

My hero is Jonsey!!!!! Team Orange!!!!:thumbsup:

Three were tops with me, Masami and Mannie Pannesar (team mate as well), Bob Gammon. Also cant forget Jon Tucker, Jon Leonard and Craig Harris

THATS SIX!:p

Jonsey is the nuts, or is that he is nuts!!! GO ORANGE!!

Funny you like orange things!!!

:woot:you seen my old l200!!

That must be Andy Langdon then, if its the same one I remember. I remember watching him with his Yok Dogfighter at Medway...super accurate. I must have been about 11...so it was a long time ago. Always did wonder why he ran it with ride height = zero though. Wonder if he still does that haha! Am I right?

Andy is still kicking ass at EPR!!!!:thumbsup: Well mine at least, haha