One on One with Pro-Line’s Adam Drake talking about the 2012 IFMAR 1/8th Off-Road Worlds!
Over the weekend we caught up with Adam Drake and did a one on one interview with him about attending the 2012 IFMAR 1/8th World Off-Road World Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina… Check it out…!
RCI: Adam take us through this year with TLR overall? Are you guys ready for the Worlds?
AD: 2012 has been pretty good. We have done a lot of testing and are ready for the World Championship.
RCI: Can you elaborate on testing since the warm-ups…? How many days a week are you at the track? How much testing goes on between you and the TLR team? Pro-Line, and Novarossi?
AD: Since the warm-up I’ve been testing 3-4 days per week. Most of the testing has been with the chassis and tires. Not really a ton of changes, but trying a lot of different combinations to make sure I’m comfortable making changes at the Worlds. On the engine side, I’ve made a few small changes to increase power for the large track in Argentina.
RCI: In early November we found out Mike Truhe wasn’t going to be on the U.S. TLR 1/8th Off-Road Worlds team. We were told Matt Castellano would be taking his place… Why did TLR go in this direction? Is TLR starting to go off performance based results? Finally, is TLR looking to build their factory team through younger drivers at this time?
AD: Matt didn’t take Mike’s spot or anything like that. The original plan was to have both Matt and Mike at the race along with a few other drivers, but due the the challenges with customs TLR decided to cut back the size of the team for this race.
RCI: We have been following you all year… People are fascinated with what prototype parts TLR drivers are trying out… Can you give us any insight on what prototype parts you have been testing during the year? Shock towers, etc? Are any of the parts working good?
AD: Team Losi Racing is always working to make our products the best they can be. I happy with the results and the progress we have made with the 8ight 2.0.
RCI: At the Worlds Warm-Ups we saw customs problems with drivers? Are you guys more prepared this time heading back to Argentina? Are you even looking forward to heading back knowing customs problems could arise again?
AD: The track in Argentina was a lot of fun, but dealing with customs was a nightmare… I’m excited for the World Championship, but I don’t know what to expect with customs. The organizers have told us that everything will go smooth for the Worlds. We’ll see what happens next week. I’ll be crossing my finger when we go through customs.
RCI: Do you think Speed Paradise in Buenos Aries is easier to drive than the Pattaya, Thailand Worlds track in 2010? Since were on the subject of the track, We saw pictures of the track that looked flooded… Is it under water at this time? What have you heard? Are you guys concerned?
AD: The two tracks are totally different from one another. The Pattaya track was one of my favorite tracks. It was very technical.
The track in Argentina is a true “euro-style” track. It’s fun, but a lot different from the tracks we normally run on. Pro-Line put in a layout at there test track that is very high speed and it’s been a huge help for testing and to improve my driving on this type of track.
Thank you everyone at Pro-Line for all the support and for giving us such a great place to test.
RCI: Adam, we know you pay attention to who is driving well overall in 1/8th Off-Road. Any thoughts as to which driver looks to be the front runner at winning the Worlds this year? Is it a toss up? Your Thoughts?
AD: All the usual guys will be fast, but the Worlds is one race and in the past the favorite isn’t always the one to take home the trophy. I’ve done a lot of testing and prepared more than ever. Hopefully it pays off.
RCI: From a company standpoint is it too late in the year to run this 1/8th Off-Road Nitro Worlds? Wouldn’t it make better sense to run it in August or September so you can market winning products for Christmas? Your thoughts?
AD: Having the race a little earlier in the year would make it easier for guys who live in parts of the world were the weather has turned cold. I’m not sure why the race is so late in the year, but its worked out well for us living in California.
RCI: Recently HPI laid off 20% of its staff? Can we possibly see this throughout the industry down the road in days, weeks, and months to come. Your thoughts?
AD: I’m don’t know the details of what happened at HPI. Team Losi Racing and Horizon Hobby are working very hard to provide customers with great products.
RCI: What final preps do you have to make these last couple of days while your state side before leaving for the Worlds? Are you nervous? What goes through your mind during this time? What goes through your mind while your at the Worlds?
AD: I’m pretty much done testing and preparing my cars. Just need to pack a little, finish up a few things at work, and it’s now time to relax and spend some time with Ronda before leaving for Argentina. I’m not nervous for the Worlds, I’ve worked really hard to prepare for the event and it’s going to be what it’s going to be at this point. I’m a little nervous to see what is going to happen with customs, but I’m hoping for the best. My mindset at the event is to have fun and enjoy the event.
RCI: Adam do you have any final thoughts that you would like to mention?
AD: I would like to thank RC Insider for taking to time to put this interview together and of course all the great companies that I race for. Special thanks goes out to everyone from Team Losi Racing, Nova Rossi, and Pro-Line.
RCI: Adam thanks for taking the time to talk with us…
AD: Thank you…
This was our final One on One with TLR’s Adam Drake before he leaves for the 2012 IFMAR 1/8th Off-Road World Championships later this week in Buenos Aries, Argentina…
Note: Special thanks to Adam Drake for taking the time to talk with us…
Photo Source: (RC Inisider, Adam Drake, Pro-Line Racing)
Source: RCInsider.com
