Talk-It-Up Tuesday with "Turd Ferguson"

When it comes to R/C racing there are a lot of very special and important people. Yesterday we honored the past, present, and future soldiers of the United States military for all that they have done, are doing, and will do.  

 

In addition, to honor the brave men and women who serve our country after this Memorial day weekend, we have decided to sit down for a special edition of "Talk-It-Up Tuesday" with our good friend, R/C hero, and airman...the one and only Turd Ferguson!
 

   

LiveRC: Turd, welcome to the "Talk-It-Up Tuesday"! First of all, your real name is Brad Krans, but you're known worldwide as "Turd". How did you get such a unique name?

Turd: My first trip up to the legendary DirtHeaven in New Franken, WI, I was practicing when a guy named Karl asked my name. At the time, I was also working at a friends car stereo store in my hometown a few hours away. There, we always had fake names when we called our reps from various manufacturers (I.e. Turd Ferguson, Barry Mahoginer,...). Anyways, as soon as Karl asked, that's what came out. It's a little SNL skit, Celebrity Jeopardy.
  

LiveRC: Tell us a little bit about your background in R/C?

Turd: I started racing when I was 12. We had a carpet and paved oval in my hometown. That track closed a year later, so I hitched a ride whenever I could to run at the Mid-west TriClone, which wasn't more than a few times. I stopped racing at 16 and concentrated on other things. I started back up in 2005 when they built a track in Madison, which is where I was stationed.

LiveRC: You are now the importer of LMR, Lee Martin's products from the UK. How did that come about?

Turd: Lee and I became good friends the first night of the JConcepts Clash in 2007. We both went out with a big group, and partied a little hard. The next morning I had to detail Allison's car and Jimmy's rental. We kept in contact over the years and helped each other out. I was also lucky enough to go to his wedding and meet his whole family. When he asked about being a US contact for LMR, it was the least I could have done for a good friend.

LiveRC: Outside of the R/C world, you are a brave member of the United States military. First of all, we thank you for all that you do and your bravery. Can you tell us a little about your recent trips to Iraq and your duties there?

Turd: Currently I am a F-16 Crew Chief and a member of the Arizona Air National Guard in Tucson which is a non-deploying training unit. Before here, I spent 10+ years in Wisconsin. I was activated and removed from college after 9/11 for almost four years. During that time, I was doing homeland security missions and had a deployment to Qatar in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. After my activation, I went back to college and spent my first summer in Iraq. We were directly supporting ground troops with a constant eye in the sky (with bombs and missiles.)
 
 
LiveRC: Back home here, you recently got married and have a baby on the way! Congratulations on both! Will the baby's name be Turd or Turdy Jr.?

Turd: Thanks, we are very excited. It isn't due until December so we don't know the sex yet. After we find that out, we'll think of names. Right now, we only have a list of names that we won't name it. Mike is on that list...

LiveRC: We understand that you are a huge fan and frequent guest (1-2 times per week) of Hooters restaurant. Is the chicken really that good?

Turd: Depends. I have a fear of waiters, so Hooters is a pretty good answer. I currently live less that a mile from one so we have a crew (wife included) that visits almost every Wednesday for all you can eat wings. It's also the after race meeting place of Competition Hobbies. It was at DirtHeaven when I raced there too. 
 
 
LiveRC: Are you aware that the Hooters in Green Bay (your previous home) is in fact closing down?

Turd: Just found out, that's not good. Maybe we could do a car wash fundraiser or something. Hopefully they can keep the doors open until after the CornRoast...

LiveRC: Tell us about Turd Ferguson Racing (TFR).

Turd: It's a lifestyle..

Not sure how it started. I think it was the first year we went to the Paradigm race at Trackside, and I was lending out wheelers so we could have a huge class. I think the b-main had three cars with the same paint scheme. It was then about having fun, so I wanted to keep the fun people racing. It was a fun group and we traveled around and spent a lot of time at Hooters. We all are still good friends and keep it fun every chance we can. Those friends were also the ones that were really good to me when I was deployed. That isn't forgotten.

LiveRC: What is your personal biggest accomplishment in R/C?

Turd: I'm excited when I'm not last (which isn't often). I always tell people, if I was good at Toy Cars also, what else you they be left to do! Hahaha. My favorite moment was when Brian Kinwald didn't believe how big TFR was. Then when he went to Trackside and saw all the support, he was then a believer.

LiveRC: What is your personal biggest accomplishment while attending a Hooters restaurant?

Turd: Ask Mellow.

LiveRC: You are known by and/or friends with almost all the top drivers in the industry. If you had a flat tire on the side of the road, who would you call on to help you change it and why?

Turd: I'm sure I could do it myself, but I'd call Maifield or Due cause they're the only guys that would show up like they said they would.

LiveRC: What is the most memorable R/C experience you have?

Turd: Lots of fun after the track. When work is so stressful, to take vacation time to go to a race, it better be fun. There were a lot of moments on race weekends to remember. A great one was Doug and the toothbrush.

LiveRC: What is one thing most people don't know about Brad "Turd Ferguson" Krans?

Turd: Some know because of my wedding, but I had a mullet all through high school. It was a hockey thing.

LiveRC: You happen to be good friends with LiveRC's very own, Brandon Rohde. What is one thing most people don't know about Brandon?

Turd: His alarm goes off for hours.

LiveRC: When and where will you most likely be seen racing next?

Turd: Just club stuff now. Tamiya is releasing some new stuff that I need to durability test. And with a midget on the way and some home remodeling stuff, my energy is on that. I might head to New Mexico in a few weeks for a regional race to hang out with Scott Spear and the gang. Maybe the CornRoast, Worlds and IIC. Just depends

LiveRC: Brad we sincerely thank you for joining us today and more importantly serving our country. Our hat is off to you and all of the brave men and women who keep America safe. Is there anything you'd like to add?

Turd: Thanks for wanting to interview me. I'm not that exciting, just trying to do my job. Thanks to my sponsors for their patience: Tamiya USA, Pro-Line, Speed Passion USA, TrakPower, Hobbico, Stickit1, HobbyAction, LiveRC.com and RC Scoring Pro.

 

 

   
 JOIN US NEXT WEEK FOR ANOTHER EDITION OF "TALK-IT-UP TUESDAY!" 

  

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