Tim Roberts Interview
A little background for those who have been without total communication for the last 2 years. Tim is the 2006 and 2007 RC Pro Monster Truck Champion. He drives and works for Traxxas. So let’s find out a little more about this Champion that burst onto the racing scene in 2006.
RC Pro. Tim let’s start with the question most of RC was asking in 2006. Who are you and where did you come from?
Tim.
I was born and raised in Libertyville, IL, a northern suburb of Chicago. Growing up I always had a passion for racing and tinkering with mechanical things. I spent most of my free time out in the garage or workshop building, repairing, and modifying anything from boats to lawnmowers to cars and go-karts. We used to live on a big dead end road, so my brother and I would race the go-kart around the neighborhood in time trials. My first exposure to actual racing came when I was given a 1/24th scale slot car kit as a gift to run at the local track. I was usually racing against guys two or three times my age, with years of experience. I managed to do very well, and had lots of fun. I actually attribute most of my RC driving composure and throttle control to racing slots cars when I was younger.
Every summer my family and I would go to the Indy car races at Road America, which was just a couple hour drive from our house. I would sit in the pit area watching the crew members and mechanics working on the cars, and I thought they had the coolest jobs. It was then that I decided to pursue a career in engineering and hopefully have a job some day working with race cars. I went to the University of Missouri to pursue my degree. One of my reasons for choosing Mizzou was to join their Formula SAE program. This is a intercollegiate competition where the students design, build and race formula style race cars. While attending school full time I also spent 30-40 hours a week in the car shop learning how to build a race car and manage a race team. The FSAE program opened up a lot of opportunities for me, including landing me a job at Traxxas after I graduated.
Shortly after starting with Traxxas I began to race karts at a track just north of Dallas. I raced there for about two years until I began racing RC after the Traxxas Revo was introduced. My first RC race ever was some time in 2005, and I’ve been racing almost weekly ever since then.
RC Pro. You've mentioned that racing slot cars as a kid has helped with your throttle control and composure. Has the FSAE program in college helped at the race track?
Tim. Absolutely. In the FSAE program you get one shot to demonstrate what the car’s capabilities are on the track. That’s a lot of pressure considering that the team has spent the last year agonizing over every minor detail of the car’s design and construction. Our team had about 15 members on any given year, plus a couple faculty members, including the Dean of Engineering. Sitting in the staging lanes prior to a driving event it’s hard to overlook the fact that there are a lot of people counting on my performance. Over my years on the FSAE team I learned to tune that pressure out and focus 100% on the task at hand.
That same type of pressure can be felt any time I’m at an important RC race. The 2007 Finals was especially difficult for me to find my focus. I missed the first practice sessions and 1/10 Gas Truck qualifying, so my familiarity with the track was very low. Not to mention I was the defending champion, with everyone in the field gunning for me. Additionally, I had lots of family at the race and I didn’t want to disappoint them. Thanks to my previous high pressure experiences, once I marched up the driver’s stand and put in my first couple of practice laps I was able to find my zone, and the rest is history.
RC Pro. I understand about racing in front of family! That's a lot more pressure than normal. While we're on the 1/10 Gas Truck subject you started last in the B Main and won it then started 14th in the A Main but you developed a problem and dropped out at about 18 minutes. What happened?
Tim.
At the 2007 Finals my Jato was running awesome. Because I didn’t make any of the qualifiers I started last in the B main, but quickly moved up to the front of the pack to secure the top bump spot. The start of the A main went very well and I was moving nicely up through the field. I think at one point I was looking to run inside the top 5. Typically I struggle a little bit with 1/10 Gas Truck, but that day was special. That was until the electronic gremlins revealed themselves. I developed an intermittent radio malfunction caused by a broken battery wire. Thankfully my truck never ran away. I was very disappointed with the result, but that’s just part of racing.
RC Pro. It looks like you got the hang of the track rather quickly. Can you give some of the new guys out there some pointers on learning a track quickly?
Tim.
At big races it seems like you never get enough time to learn the track, so I’ve developed a method that seems to work well for me for learning the track quickly. First when I arrive at the track I try to get up on the driver’s stand to observe the track being driven by other drivers. I’ll watch the faster drivers, learning their lines, braking points, jump approaches, rhythm section timing, etc. Then I’ll run one tank through my truck to get a feel for the track. I’ll build speed progressively over the first few minutes so I can have time to react to the obstacles. It’s important to focus on driving the right line at this time, otherwise you’ll train yourself to make the same mistakes every lap. By the end of the first tank I’ll usually be pretty comfortable with the layout, so I’ll push it hard for a couple laps and see what tricks are hidden throughout the track. After the first tank is done, I’ll head out on the track to marshal and watch other cars go through the tricky spots I found. This close up view of the action can reveal a lot about the track, things like a slight kink in the straights, or a hidden bump or pothole, or a kicker on the jump face. After observing for a few minutes around the track I’ll try to get back up on the stand for a couple more tanks and apply my new knowledge by adjusting my lines and approaches. It’s only at this time that I even think of making any adjustments to the truck. Usually I’ll just make small deviations from my base setup to improve certain aspects of the truck’s performance.
RC Pro. The 2nd part to that is. of course you run the Traxxas Jato but have you run other brand Gas Trucks? If so are there any major differences in handling between the Jato and other brands or do they basically all handle about the same?
Tim.
The Traxxas Jato can be a very competitive race truck. However, it wasn’t developed to be a national championship level race truck, instead it was developed to be the best all-around fun truck. Anyone who has ripped around a Jato 3.3 knows that it definitely nailed that goal. I don’t have a lot of experience running the other brands of trucks, but I think I’ve proven that the Jato can compete with them in terms of handling and performance.
RC Pro. There seems to be a drop off in attendance for the Monster Truck classes across the nation. I know some events that used to have the class don't anymore. What do you feel are the reasons for this?
Tim.
It certainly isn’t because of the lack of performance or capabilities of monster trucks. Monster trucks also have proven to be just as reliable as anything else, so it isn’t because of reliability. Cost is typically in the favor of monster trucks, so that isn’t it either. I think the real reason is the rising popularity of the truggy class. Not because truggies are better, but because they share so many parts with the most popular off road nitro racing class, 1/8 scale buggy. If a driver can race in two different classes, but with similar equipment then it might be easier for them. Prior to the existence of truggies many drivers chose their second class to be monster truck, or gas truck.
Another possible reason for the reduction in MT entries is the fact that until the Revo Platinum Edition, there were no race ready monster trucks. Many potential MT racers seemed turned off by the fact that they had to create their race truck, rather than just buy one. The buggy and truggies are purpose built racers, no extra stuff necessary. Hopefully with the new Revo Platinum Edition we will see an increase in MT racing popularity again.
RC Pro. Part 2 to that is I know there are a lot more MT's sold than ever see a race track. What do you think it would take to get these people to the track?
Tim. Most MT buyers have no desire to race their truck to begin with. They want to go out with their friends and family to the local park or construction site and enjoy their truck in the element it’s designed for, bashing. I think that is why so many people claim that MT racing is more fun than any other, because there’s an element of camaraderie that stems back to our passion for the hobby. Getting new racers to the track is the easy part, most tracks are full of bashers on non race days because driving at a track can be very fun, especially when you get together with a few buddies. I think it’s important for the tracks to make these would-be racers feel at home, and provide them with plenty of guidance to try and keep them coming to the track. I can vividly remember my first few races, I was so scared to screw up someone’s race while I was marshaling, or cause some other problems because of my inexperience. If I hadn’t had good mentors I probably would have quit racing. I know of a few tracks that offer clinics to new drivers to try and teach them not only how to race their truck around the track, but also explain and demonstrate how the races are run. Those tracks typically have many more MT drivers on a weekly basis. In the end, we can’t make anybody race, but we can make the ones who do decide to come out to the track feel welcome regardless of their skill level. That will keep them coming back.
RC Pro. I know what your saying about more MT racers than what we see at the races. A lot of tracks have racers of all classes that will just go out to practice but never come to a race day. Yes I think some of this is they may not feel welcome or they may think they will just be in the way. I do know Johnny Cool Guy is one of the track that runs classes to help new racers and it would be a great idea for more tracks to do this. I would love to get RC Pro involved in some events where we can have some of the pro's work with anyone that wanted help. I think this would be a lot of fun for the new rcer's and the pro's. Maybe we can get with Traxxas and get something like this setup this year.
Tim.
I think that is a great idea. It only makes sense to team up the most forward thinking company in RC, Traxxas, with the most forward thinking RC Racing sanctioning body, RC Pro. Speaking on behalf of the rest of the team Traxxas drivers out there we would certainly welcome the opportunity to reach out and help our fellow racers. Maybe we can even incorporate this idea with the existing RC Pro regional races; perhaps something like a track side Traxxas customer service department.
RC Pro. Do you think we will see an influx of new MT racers this year since we are allowing Electric Monster Trucks in the class?
Tim. There always seems to be a separation between nitro and electric RC racers. By allowing the electric and nitro trucks to race against each other you will definitely be joining the two opposing factions and adding racers. It may take a little while to catch on, but I think you will definitely see growth in the MT class because of it. At this point in time we are at the dawn of growth for large scale electrics considering the recent improvements in performance and affordability of brushless systems and Li-polymer battery technology. I expect there will be lots of curious hardcore nitro racers that will consider picking up an electric MT once they see how impressive they can be. I wouldn’t be surprised to see electric MT’s fighting for TQ’s and race wins this year.
RC Pro. Also very last thing please feel free to thank the companies and guys that have helped you.
Tim. Of course I have to thank my family first. My wife for understanding and sharing in my passion for racing, and not giving me grief for being gone so much; and the rest of my family for their continuous support.
My sponsors also deserve their recognition. I couldn’t do this without them.
Traxxas for an amazing truck, engine, and fuel.
Majestic RC for the awesome bodies, paint, and vinyl graphics.
Ballistic Batteries for my ultra reliable radio system batteries.
MOJO Engine Mods for my engine support.
Lastly I need to thank you, Carlton. RC Pro is a fantastic organization and I am proud to be part of it. Thanks for the opportunity to speak out to the RC community. See you at the track!
RC Pro. Thanks Tim and thanks for competing in RC Pro you definitely bring the competition level to a higher level. I suggest any racer that gets the chance to stop by Tim's pit area and talk racing with him. He is definitely one of the class acts in RC.
Nitro Offroad
Electric Offroad
Nitro Onroad
Nitro Oval
State Series
Caribbean Series
Canada Series