Short Course Showdown
involved in racing ever since. It’s even taken him overseas—Scotty said he had just returned from trips to Amsterdam and Austria for the world and European championships. “I’m very lucky; I get to travel the world doing what I love.” Spencer, Iowa native Dale Nichols, who took part in both racing and spectating at the Short Course Showdown, says these types of events have saved the hobby. “Short course trucks are what got me back into it,” he says. “I used to do R/C racing with my brother when I was younger, but these races weren’t something you saw very often. Since short course has gotten big, everybody’s been getting into it. The realism of the trucks and the advances in electronics are amazing. They’re easy to drive and they’re durable.” The growth of the hobby should certainly be credited to some of the advances in technology and design, but there is also something to be said for the sponsors who make events like these possible. Ernst is a big believer in the importance of sponsors. “The format we use is different from any weekly club race. I wanted to give a chance to the sponsors to really showcase their product to all these people,” he says. “And I wanted a way to give something to the spectators, so we
have raffles for free kits every time. We hope the enticement of a free kit gets more people in and interested in the hobby.” The first raffle of the day saw one lucky spectator walk away with a brand new Team Associated RTR SC10RS, and later on a Losi RTR Ten-SCTE and a Traxxas RTR Kyle Busch Slash were also given to raffle winners. Nichols says he thinks the events are encouraging for those who may not be as into the hobby to try it out. “Just look at who’s here. We’ve got people 6 years old to 60, and all kinds of people hovering around willing to fix problems. All they ask in return is a ‘thank you.’ 90% of the people here are willing to help others out.” The Short Course Showdown is the perfect opportunity to check out the hobby if you’re unfamiliar or have been away from it for an extended period of time, and also a great way to meet a ton of people with similar interests. There are racers of all experience and skill levels, so there’s no need to be shy if you’re not an R/C veteran. You don’t even need to have your own suped-up R/C to compete—there are outof-the-box races, where competitors must race their trucks as they come, without any mods or upgrades.
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