There are many different disciplines within the world of RC car racing: off-road on a variety of different surfaces, asphalt on-road, carpet on-road dirt oval, paved oval, and carpet oval - factor in the number of vehicle types that can compete in each, and include the different nitro and electric divisions, and it’s enough to make even the biggest RC enthusiast’s head spin. There are plenty of racers at all levels who compete across different platforms, but a majority find one thing they like and stick to it - especially when they try to take it seriously enough to gain sponsors and compete for event wins.
Max Flurer of Denver, North Carolina, is not one of them. Having competed in many different classes throughout an RC career that covers much of his 27 years of life, Flurer regularly competes - and wins - in both electric off-road and dirt oval in some of the nation’s biggest races. I met Max a few years ago and have enjoyed watching his progress, so for this week’s Talk It Up Tuesday I sent him a few messages on Facebook to learn more about what it’s like racing two very different types of RC cars.
Aaron Waldron: How did you get started in radio control, and how long have you been racing?
Max Flurer: I got started in RC at a pretty young age. My dad has been racing since before I was born so I have been around RC racing my whole life.
Photo: Kevin Griffie, via Facebook
AW: When did you decide to start competing more seriously?
MF: I think it was after I went to the 2010 Midwest Winter Champs and had some ‘ok’ results so I figured I would try and go to some bigger races and see where it would go from there.
AW: What do you currently do for work? Is it difficult finding time to commit to practicing and racing?
MF: I currently work at Custom Works RC. In the past it was hard to find the time to practice and race regularly, but now that Speed RC has opened up about 20 minutes from my house I have been spending a lot of time up there.
Photo: Customworks, via Facebook
AW: You’ve had success at the regional and national level in both off-road and dirt oval racing. Is it difficult to stay competitive in both disciplines?
MF: Yes. Just finding time to stay up on all the different cars is probably the hardest part.
Photo: Erika Norris Church, via Facebook
AW: What is your favorite part of off-road racing? What about for dirt oval?
MF: My favorite part of off-road racing is that every track is different. It's fun showing up to a track and just seeing what they did differently in the layout. For oval, it’s pretty much be the same thing - even though it's always an oval, there is always some bump or dip in the track that makes you drive a little differently.
Photo: Cheryl Joye Shiver, via Facebook
AW: From a racer’s perspective, what’s the biggest difference between off-road and dirt oval? What is the biggest similarity?
MF: They are both pretty similar but for oval the car setup is a little more important and things happen a lot faster.
Photo: JConcepts, via Facebook
AW: What do you think is one big thing that off-road and on-road racers don’t understand about oval racing?
MF: How fast things happen.
Photo: Carolina Dirt Oval Bash, via Facebook
AW: How do you explain to non-RC friends what you do?
MF: LOL - I try to avoid it. But if that doesn't work, I just show them YouTube videos.
Photo: A Love and a Lens, via Facebook
AW: What are your most proud racing moments?
MF: Probably just where I've gone and how far I've made it in the RC community.
AW: Do you have any particular goals for your RC career?
MF: Not really. I'm just having fun and going to as many races as I can afford to attend.
AW: Who are some of the people that have helped you the most?
MF: There have been so many people that have helped me over the years it would be hard to list them all.
Photo: Chris McKinney
AW: What is your favorite track? Favorite big race? What about your favorite racing class?
MF: Favorite track would be Speed RC. My favorite race is the Psycho Nitro Blast. My favorite class for off-road is 2WD modified buggy, and in oval it’s modified sprint.
AW: What’s your favorite part of RC racing?
MF: Traveling and meeting new people.
AW: What about RC racing annoys or bothers you?
MF: The drama. sometimes it can be worse the a bunch of middle schoolers.
Photo: Dave McEwen, via Facebook
AW: Thanks for the interview! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
MF: Yes! I would like to thank you for taking the time to interview me, and thanks to all the people who have helped me over the years get me to where I'm at today.
Photo: Jenna Maziarz, via Facebook
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