New Name, Same Mission.

the RACER underground: Knowledge for the masses on a budget.

    Over the past month and a half, I've tried to make this blog a home for the MINI racer. A place with info, results, and insight into a class that caters directly to the budget racer. Hopefully I've shed light on this amazing class in this short time. It's one of the few remaining categories that offer the full package for the majority of hobbyists: Low cost, Setup experience, Close racing, and FUN.

    There's one part of all this that I hadn't really thought about until now, however. As much as MINI racers need a home for info and growth, the general budget racer needs it even more. This hobby is expensive. In case you haven't noticed yet, that's no bullshit. The common misconception is that, in order to be competitive in whatever class you choose, you must thrown down the coin. While this can be true to an extent, there are more than enough examples to the contrary:

• My Mi1 - Last November, I became a team driver for Schumacher racing. With a healthy discount on all equipment offered, I could've went for their top-of-the-line Mi4 Touring car kit, but I had an idea. I wanted to show that you didn't need to spend $400.00+ to be at the top of the Scale Spec/VTA class, so I ordered the Mi1. for those not familiar, the Mi1 is an updated version of the Mission platform, a car design over a decade old, and well outdated by industry standards. Countless heat race wins, numerous podiums, and at baby-time (when I stopped racing for the year) a solid second place in the season standings, right behind Phil Gibson, my teammate, also racing a Mi1. The results speak for themselves.

• Jeff's R1 - Around January of 2013, word was out that Spec-R, an aftermarket parts supplier out of Hong Kong, was releasing their own Touring Car kit, called the R1. This car looked to have it all, top-end parts, all the adjustability of the others in it's class, and some extra bits not included in it's competition. What shocked everyone was the price tag: a pedestrian $289.00. This was uncharted water for a "Top Shelf" TC. At the time, the most inexpensive car worth buying was an Associated TC6.1 for $389.00. A big gap. The obvious reaction was to write this "cheap-o" car off. Where did they cut the corners to make this price point? Jeff Jenkins, who's not afraid of a challenge, bought one of the first, and set up his new steed for a debut, not in stock, but in Modified Touring. What followed was pure brilliance. For the remainder of the season, Jeff wheeled his sub-$300.00 ride to several wins and a track record, taking down TC6's, an Awesomatix and whatever else came it's way, Proving that the price tag doesn't dictate the podium spot. I suppose that's why we race the races.

• Mark's M03 - Mark Brown is the "man" of MINI racing these days. He flies to many of the Tamiya TCS races across the country each year, taking wins and frustrating locals. he does this with a car that, after nearly 15 years in existence, is still THE most competitive and inexpensive M-Chassis cars on the track, the M03. One look at his car, and the flashiest bits might be the aluminum steering knuckles, not for bling, but for sheer durability. Examine closer, and you won't find the blue fanciness of the M06's, or the new-age complexity of the M05's. What you find is a car that is pure function, in the most cost-effective of ways. What he doesn't spend on material items, he more than makes up for in expertise. His Mini's are brilliantly set up, using no more than the average racer's budget. Again though, the results speak for themselves.

   Where theMINIunderground started, theRACERunderground will now be a source not only for the MINI racer, but the budget racer as well. All that has been good for the MINI scene in these past couple months, will now hopefully spread across the club-level board. RC racing is expensive, but it doesn't have to be outrageous. This blog will show you how to make the impossible, possible. No matter WHAT the budget.


Keep doin' it on 60d's.....or whatever you choose.

-Jesse


R_