THE Cub Report, Version- Why I Drive

Yo rc fans, it’s another week in rc and thanks for tuning into another edition of THE Cub Report. Last week over on Vital MX there was a long thread on why people ride motocross, which got several of us in the office talking about why we do rc. Everyone has their own reasons, but these are mine-

I drive rc because… I had wayyy too many injuries riding mx. Of course I went for years injury free, but my ’99 mx season started out bad and only got worse. In February of that year I endo’ed into a whoop jacking up a bunch of ribs. I kept on riding through the pain but waded it up about a month later, making the ribs worse while also messing up both of my wrists. Then in July of that year I had “a big one”, the kind of crash that takes months, really years, to recover from. During that time I got hardcore into the rc and it has been my main hobby since. To boil it down, one of the biggest reason I drive rc is because I never have to worry about a trip to the ER while doing it.

I drive rc because… I’ve made a whole lot of friends while doing so. All over America I’ve met people who are as fervent as I am about getting in some trigger time. These people are ultra laid back just looking to have fun with their rc car, just like me. It’s great fun to get in some bashing, then talk smack back at our pit tables. In other words, I’m into rc because of the good peeps that bash (something I can’t really say about the racing crowd).

I drive rc because… I can do insane things that I could never pull off with a full sized mx bike or car. Yup, I’ve watched all the crazy freestyle/Robbie Maddison/TP199 vids and wish I could have done those things on my own mx bike, but I was never that talented on a bike, nor was I into that sort of huge risk taking. Thankfully I can grab my Vaterra Halix or ARRMA Kraton and huck them pinned WFO off the roof of my house. Or I can drive by a construction site and see a big hit at the top of a hill, stop, start up one of my trucks, and go for it down the hill. I can build an insanely set of gnarly whoops at the local track and hit them WFO without fear of another Life Flight ride. All those insane jumps at my local mx tracks that I could never make, I can re-create and huck with ease with rc.

I drive rc because… of all the hot chics at the track. Those of you that have been to your local rc track know how sarcastic I am on that one, Rc tracks are freak’n Kryptonite to women, although not so much at a typical bash. However, there are plenty of smoke’n hot booth babes at rc trade functions, which definitely makes being into rc worthwhile for me.

I drive rc because… of the tech. One of the reasons I was into moto was the explosion of tech in the early 80’s, the same can be seen in rc now days. Lithium based batteries, 2.4GHz radios, brushless, electronic stability control, etc, have radically changed our industry, and I have the sort of personality that enjoys using the latest in tech.

I drive rc because… it is cheap. Ya ya, I know some of you will quote that a new 5th scaler with all the goodies will cost an easy 5 large, but to me that is still far cheaper than setting up a new KTM 450 SX-F FE, or insanely cheaper that setting up a Ferrari for any type of real racing. Basically I can grab a solid truck like a Durango DEX8T, throw in the best of the best to get it running, and will have still saved several Hublot Bing Bangs worth of cash compared to what I would have spent putting an average SCCA car on the track.

I drive rc because… I have to. Literally, if I don’t get in some trigger time every couple of days I start to get a strange tick in my face, my hands start to tremble, and I get edgier than a smoker the day after quitting cold turkey. I am just very addicted to driving an rc car, if I don’t get in some wheel time my life simply isn’t complete.

I drive rc because… I like to wrench, well at least a little bit. I really enjoy bolting on uber hop-up parts, making my baby the very best it can be. While it might cost 100 grand to bolt the best of the best onto a new Ford Raptor, I can completely uber-out my new PRO-MT for a few hundred bucks. There is nothing like showing up to a bash with the trickest truck in the group, it is something I really enjoy.

Lastly… I drive rc because it gives me a nice dose of nature. I spend entirely too much time on planes or stuck behind conference tables, rc lets me re-connect with nature. I’ll admit I am wayyy too sub-urbanized, rc is my best outlet for getting in some time with Mother Earth.

Feel free to leave your own reasons that you drive, and see you again next week. As always, don’t forget to hit up your local hobby shop to see what they’ve been up and to break out those trucks for some trigger time at your local bash spot.

YOUR Cub Reporter