Las Vegas racers hit the jackpot at the 702 Raceway Novak Test Drive

 

Have you ever wanted to have your electronics installed by the experts? Maybe have a private test day at your local track with factory reps and pro drivers? Try out the latest motors and ESCs in your own race ride before you buy them? Well for the racers at 702 R/C Raceway in Las Vegas, they got exactly that opportunity! The Novak Test Drive event rolled into Vegas smack dab in the middle of the NHRSA Hobby Expo on Tuesday, April 30.
 
 
Novak's Test Drive is a chance for a local track to host a "Night With Novak." Racers are handed brand new Novak ESCs and motors to install and test run on the track using their favorite race vehicle.

That's right, try it before you buy it!

But wait, there's more! Not only do you get to try out the latest gear, but Novak staffers are on hand to assist with the install, setup and running the systems. That's right, get the full factory shake down of the newest gear at your local track! Bonus gift items included T-shirts, decals, a full gambit of the new Novak storage containers, and toolbox supply accessories like solder, shrink tubing and double-sided tape!
Novak's founder, Bob Novak, and Vice President (and Bob's daughter), Linda Novak, traveled with Novak's tech crew for an evening filled with on-track action and tips from the pros in the pits. Novak's in-house support expert, Brent Newman, and Traveling Race Support representative,?Charlie Suangka, joined Factory Driver Mike Truhe, local Novak racers, Richard "Orange Crush" Narcisco, and James Generalao, to race side-by-side with the 702 racers and assist with installs.

702's racers were invited for a private track night with food/beverages, raffle prizes, great deals on new gear, and one-on-one time with Novak's experts! This included a chance to brush elbows with Novak factory drivers and Novak technical specialists to ask any and all questions related to RC. Bob Novak himself was even called into duty for some wiring!
 
The installs went smoothly, and the drivers all headed out to the track. Mr. Novak was on the drivers' stand longer than anyone as he did marathon duration runs with his Activ8/Ballistic8 powered E 1/8-scale. Truhe was on track wheeling his Pulse/Ballistic 7.5 powered, 2wd TLR 22 buggy in spectacular fashion. Oooohs and Aaaahs could be heard from the sidelines as he crushed the rhythm sections and timed the big airs perfectly. Newman put on a display of raw horsepower in his Pulse/Ballistic 550 powered 4x4 SCT, which blazed around the track making that wonderful "woooooosh" sound that only an over powered SCT can make! Charlie's track time, well let’s just say, Charlie opted to stay in the pits helping more then doing laps, for the sake of the people walking around next to the track...... "HEADS UP!"

After a couple packs, drivers started to tune gearing, and work on vehicles, but oddly enough, very little was asked for in the way of ESC setup changes. Novak has worked very hard on the latest Super Tuner and X-Drive combos, and have repeatedly received reports of "great out of the box performance" from the field.
 
"It was re-assuring for the tech staff to have such great feedback from the racers at the track! We have always felt our latest ESC's are "the best", but to have a room full of racers, install them and love them right out of the box...... well, that's a feeling that is hard to explain!" -Charlie Suangka

As the evening continued, we were extremely pleased to report that several racers snatched up the great deals and took their test drive systems home! Thanks, racers! Laps were turned all night, and good times were had by all as Truhe wheeled the "comedy" 55' Bomber Bodied SCT around the track with no lack of full throttle to keep the crowd going.

Our hats off to Garret Tokumo, the owner operator of 702. Race tracks in this country come and go, but guys like Garret are here to stay. His track is run by not only him, but his racers. 702 is one of those tracks that works with the racers to make the facility better. They listen and do whatever they can to make the track friendly for the racers, and their family. The 702 track crew works harder than most we've encountered, and are always making sure the track is as good as they can make it. Garrett has transformed his corner of the Vegas strip into an RC oasis just waiting for you to do some wheelies on it! If you're in Vegas, bring your RC car, or if you need one more excuse to make the trip, add 702 to our list of reasons, it's worth the trip!

"Novak's test drive night is very beneficial to the track and the local drivers/racers, it was also a great night of sales, we sold more speed controls and motors in one night that we normally do in a month. Boost in sales of Novak products still continue to this day, due to the great performance of the new Pulse Speed Control with the Vulcan Motor. Racers that weren't here for the test drive night saw the increase in speed of the guys with the new products and had to get their hands on it too! The racers all felt a sense of comradery among each other. Race and practice days following the test drive night saw drivers with the new Novak equipment talking and sharing information about gearing and their improvement in race times, which is great to see and hear! Upcoming youngsters like 12-year-old "Little Ryen" Sugimoto also had an added sense of confidence, especially when the man himself Bob Novak helped install the speed control in Ryen's truck. The youngster is on FIRE now battling with the big boys! Everyone loves watching and getting tips from top level Pro Drivers like Mike Truhe, who was on hand showing the fast lines! Special thanks to Mike for coming out and helping out our local racers, words from a top caliber driver go along way in the minds of a sportsman driver.

Big thanks to Charlie and the entire NOVAK crew for bringing this unique event to the racers here in town. Shout out to the local Team Novak drivers Richard "Orange Crush" Narciso and James "Other Guy" Generalao for the help on a off night. I highly recommend all tracks to host the Novak Test Drive Night!" -Garrett Tokumo, Owner/Operator 702 R/C Raceway

From everyone at Novak, to the entire 702 Staff, and their racers, THANK YOU for a great night of, laps, wheelies and bench racing! 

 

 

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