If RC Had a Media Day....

That livery though..... The TLD KTM is alright too.

    It's the most wonderful time of the year. Christmas has come and gone, the new year is here and Supercross is back! With less than a week until the gate drops on Anaheim 1, teams are revealing an off season's-worth of hard work in the form of shiny new haulers, equipment, apparel, and of course... the bikes.

(Fresh faces and fresh equipment. The 2018 Geico Honda squad. @transworld mx)

    From the most elite of factory unobtanium to the most minuscule of privateer parts & pieces, the newness of the season is everywhere. Instagram posts, magazine articles, and videos fill our social media by the hour. New riders with new teams, new teams with new sponsors or support, privateers with a new box van, the list goes on and on. Contracts are signed, testing is over, it's time to raise the curtain on a new year.  New team photos begin to trickle out in the weeks leading up to the start of the season, culminating in the big "Media Day" extravaganza the day before round one. The off season is mercilessly over as the new riders and bikes are unveiled all at once for our viewing pleasure. No more secrets left other than the all-important on-track results.

(Full-factory pornography. photo @pcraceteam)

Getting excited yet?

    In many ways, Radio Control racing isn't all that different than the Motocross industry. "Silly Season", as it's commonly referred to, is an ever-present and ever-changing barrage as we near the holiday season. Each Fall, we amateurs search for varied support for our toy car endeavors, while at the same time, keeping up on the daily rumor mill of professional musical chairs. Where will our favorite drivers land? Who will our favorite brands sign for the upcoming year? I become enthralled by the constant uncertainty of this time of year. The only thing that's certain is the uncertainty itself, and that's never more true than within the RC industry.

    All of these "what ifs" come to a head around the final weeks of December, as we are flooded with social media posts with copied pictures of brand logos that various racers are "extremely pleased" to announce as part of their program. Not that these posts are bad, in fact quite the opposite. I kind of enjoy seeing what everyone has lined up for the new year. For many of us, the level of support we receive directly impacts the quantity and quality of our racing schedules for the coming seasons. If you recall, I recently wrote about an argument I had with my wife regarding the amount of greenbacks I burn up on my toy cars. While it seemed like peanuts to some/most, to me it was hard to look at. I'm constantly on a tight racing budget, so any support is always appreciated. I'm not going to get into the never-ending argument about "who" should receive support in this hobby. My opinion can be found here: https://theracerunderground.blogspot.com/2017/07/thoughts-from-racer-sponsored-privateer.html

    The issue isn't who receives support, but rather, how it's presented. The standard-issue "I'm very pleased to announce that I'll be joining/racing blahblahblah for the upcoming year" posts were stale years ago, but somehow are still the accepted way to announce the support that we all work very hard to achieve. There are some that get it right, but those rare few get overrun by the cliche' write-up with copied/pasted company logos. I know what the logos of these varied companies look like. I think we all do.

    I want to see the car. I want to see new equipment showcased in a clean, sleek track weapon with a fresh lid and a new livery. If I'm a company doling out support, I want to see my product placed in the vehicles I'm supporting. I want to see a well-prepped car with a nice background. I'm not talking about a full-on photo shoot, but a little creativity goes a long way. We spend countless hours building, maintaining and dialing in our equipment, so why can't we show them off for others to see rather than just a manufacturer's logo?

    I'm not trying to piss in anyone's Cheerios here... that's not my intention at all. I myself have been guilty of not making a better post regarding my program. Heck, at times I didn't even write a post at all because I didn't want to bombard people with my cliche "sponsor" details, especially since I'm just a club racer. To those that were spared, you're welcome. I aim to please. I then had a thought..... I worked just as much as anyone else to gain the support I have, I hustled hard to get where I am (which isn't very special), why don't I give my supporters the exposure they deserve? I then thought about Supercoss and how professional and cool those preseason photo shoots are. Disclaimer: I'm neither professional or cool. Nevertheless, I wanted to bring a little of that to my own RC announcement for 2018, but instead of a quick Facebook post, I thought I'd post it to the blog instead. 

    The fact of the matter is, I'm still a privateer. I don't receive cars, parts or accessories for free. I pay for my equipment, I pay for my race fees, my parts and just about anything else that this hobby consumes. I'm also not a professional racer... quite far from it, I'm a local club racer at best. I don't have the budget or spare time away from family to travel to multiple big races and participate in every club day on every weekend. That doesn't mean however, that I appreciate the support I receive any less than the next guy. If anything, I appreciate it more, because it allows me to compete at a higher level than I would normally have been able to otherwise. 

    So with that, here's my completely amateur take on the annual New-Years fiesta we all enjoy so much. If RC had a "Media Day"....

2018 ThreeEightSix / StickyKicksRC / Schumacher 

ROAR Region 11 Stock Touring Car

BOOMrc taking care of decals and the custom ThreeEightSix SK*RC Schumacher logo. 

Chassis:

Schumacher Racing -  Mi6 evo

*2018 updated 2.0mm main chassis.

*Updated upper chassis plates.

Power/Electronics:

Motor: Maclan Racing MRR V2 Team Edition 21.5t (per current ROAR rules)

Batteries: Maclan Racing 8500 LiHV Graphene

Speed Control: Hobbywing-UK XR10 Pro V4 (via Schumacher)

Servo: Savox SB-2263MG-CE 

Transmitter: Futaba 4PV

Receiver: Futaba R204GF-E

Cleaners/Traction Compounds/Accessories:

Sticky Kicks RC - Outdoor traction compounds

Sticky Kicks RC - Cleaner & wax

Fluids/Screws/Accessories:

Core-RC  - Diff & Shock oils

Core-RC - Titanium screws/nuts

Graphics/Decals/Apparel:

BOOMrc - Custom decals & T-shirts

The Mi6 evo in all her glory. Schumacher "Old School purple" bits added for personalization.
 Maclan 21.5t power strapped in per current ROAR rules. This motor flat RIPS. 

Maclan 8500 battery taking care of voltage, Core-RC handling fluids, screws, etc.

    I want to quickly give a huge shout out to those that support my racing. From the companies that help, to the fellow racers that make it fun, to my wife that allows me SOMEHOW to take time away from home life to enjoy this hobby. Thank you.

    I can guarantee without a doubt that I won't win ROAR Nationals, or ROAR Regionals, or hell, even most club races. I have a realistic mindset that allows me to compete and have a lot of fun doing it. This is my 21st year in this hobby, and I can honestly say I've never had more fun racing than I do right now. Thanks again to the people that support this blog, and support my racing fun. It really does mean the world. See you all in the B-Main! (well, not really.....hopefully.)