It all sounds sooooo familiar.
My early days started around 1986 I guess when I convinced my mum that dad would love a Tamiya Grasshopper for Christmas. What a selfless act that was! Dad unwrapped it, wondered what mum had been smoking and saw straight through my 9 yr old cunning. He then asked mum just how the hell he (I) was supposed to use it without any batteries, charger, radio gear etc. The model shop (Keens in High Wycombe) had neglected to mention to my mum that a kit on its own was pretty useless. So come the 27th of Dec, dad was down there forking out another hundred quid or so to get the thing working. Dad soon discovered that the whole "right is left and left is right" when it is coming towards you was too much for him to cope with and sure enough, little Nick became the proud owner of the hump pack, 380 motored mean machine.
Little did the old man know that the following years would be much more expensive.
Proper racing started in summer 1988. Dad knew John Chamberlain, who at the time was a works sponsored 1/8th nitro driver. John moved to the new Kyosho team to race the Kyosho Burns and dad bought his Siccom Magnum Force, with a couple of OPS motors and a big old Sanwa radio. Day one I took it down the local rec, blitzed it around at full throttle and seized the motor...... Dads first repair bill! Three days later I raced in the BRCA national at Slough and made the C final. Not a bad debut.
Nitro off road made up the next coule of years using the Siccom, then a Garbo Ghibli (world champs winning car of 89 I think), and then a Mugen. Various BRCA nationals and the odd Euro GP at Slough. Club championship trophies were coming my way.
1/10th started to appear on my radar, initially the very beginnings of 1/10 electric circuit racing with a PB Sizzler. I used to go to Southampton and Crystal Palace mainly.
1/10th off road also came into my life. In approx order I went through Lazer ZX, Lazer ZXR, ProCat, Cat 2000 and Yokomo. This was 1991-94 I suppose. Racing was the usual local area stuff at Chesham, Aylesbury, Slough, Friday nights indoor at the Centre in Slough, Langley sometimes, Apex Models GPs and the odd race somewhere Newbury way.
Best success came at the Radio Race Cars nationals with a pair of A finals in 93.
I did get an RC10 team car on my 18th birthday, but by this time I was already rallying as well, so it was hardly raced... And still sits in the shed today.
So rallying became the big thing, and I was much better at that than I ever was with the little ones! I rallied through to 2002 and then moved overseas, found love, got babies and everything came to a halt.
And then, just like everyone else on this page, I got itchy for some rc action again (rallying remains politically incorrect and too dangerous according to the Mrs.... She's wrong, but let's give her some time to learn) and so in 07 I got back Into 1/8th at Slough all over again for a summer season. Baby number 2 and new houses paused it all again, but in spring 2011 me and my 6 yr old took a trip down to Slough, bumped into some old pals and we now both race 2wd down at SHRCCC with Tartman, Dudders and a really great gang of mostly old timers, with a nice smattering of young blood.
Ben, now 7, loves his Mad Monkey and his driving gets better every time. My old fingers are at least getting me around and I love my Centro. I've spend far more than I intended (cheaper than rallying darling) but we love it.
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