Talk-It-Up Tuesday with TLR's Todd Hodge

  

Welcome to LiveRC's weekly column, "Talk-It-Up Tuesday!" Here we spend a little time talking with industry icons including racers, manufacturers, team managers, developers, promoters, and everyone in between! Sit back, relax, and go behind the scenes as we interview them all! 

It is yet again time for another edition of "Talk-It-Up Tuesday." Team Losi Racing has been around for years, and is amongst some of the most successful racing teams worldwide. While the racers may take the team to victory on the track, there are a lot of very important people working behind the scenes to develop and create these race winning machines. Today, we sit down with successful racer, and TLR's very important person, Todd Hodge!

 

LiveRC: Welcome Todd to "Talk-It-Up Tuesday!" Let's start off by talking about your racing. When and how did you get started in R/C?

Todd: I’ve always been amazed with R/C cars when I was a kid. I started R/C racing back when I was 12 or 13. We had a local carpet oval track in Youngstown, Ohio. I entered my first race with my Kyosho Icarus and won the Beginner A-Main. After that I was hooked. From that point I raced carpet oval in my local area in various classes with an RC10 then eventually started racing 1/12th onroad with a 12L. My first major race was the 1989 or 1990 US Indoor Champs where I raced 1/12th stock. I think I was in the P-Main.

LiveRC: Tell us a little about some of the successes of your racing career.

Todd: I don’t have any major wins but did manage a lot of podiums. A have a few podiums in 1/12th Modified, multiple ROAR Nationals A-Main appearances in both on-road and off-road, both electric and nitro.

LiveRC: At what point in your racing career did you sign on board with Team Losi Racing?

Todd: Team Losi Racing was my first chassis sponsor and I started racing for them in 1995 after the ROAR Nationals in Savannah, Georgia.
  
  
LiveRC: Today you are a full-time employee of Horizon Hobby as the Losi/TLR product manager. What are some of various things you are involved in doing there?

Todd: I am a little more than just a product manager for Losi/TLR. I am the Category Manager for both the Losi and TLR brands, which means my responsibilities include product development, product management, product lifecycle management, working with our brand management team in Illinois with marketing activities, and product strategy. I am also privileged to work with an excellent team of passionate individuals here at Horizon who live, eat, and breathe R/C.
 
LiveRC: There has been a lot of buzz lately regarding the new 8ight 3.0 buggy. First the buggy won the 2012 European Championships, and now the 2013 ROAR National Championship. Has there been any talk or consideration of a 8ight-E or 8ight-T 3.0?

Todd: I cannot say much but we are definitely working on a few new releases that will satisfy the market.
 
 
LiveRC: The IFMAR 1:10 Offroad World Championships are just around the corner, taking place on American soil. You work closely with the team and the equipment prior to major races such as this, what are some things you guys will be doing in preparation of the race?

Todd: As of lately our Team Manager, Kevin Gahan, has been working with the team quite diligently. They went to the Worlds warm-up in Chico and came back with some great information. Since then we’ve been hitting many of the Southern California tracks such as Controlled Chaos in Palmdale, SDRC in San Diego, as well as OCRC in Huntington Beach. We have been working on the mid-motor setup a lot as well as refining our rear motor setup.

LiveRC: What are your opinions on the track conditions and the "sugar or no sugar" debate?

Todd: For a WC level event I am fine with the sugared tracks. I like the sugared track because it stays consistent for the entire event. For local club racing sugared tracks I don’t think the sugared tracks are good for the new consumer because of two reasons; first, the sugared track wears out tires very quickly and increases the cost for racers. Secondly, sugared tracks have so much grip special setups are needed to make the cars easier to drive and for a new person that gets into racing, this could drastically decrease the fun factor from racing.
 
LiveRC: What is your personal preference and comparison between mid and rear motor setups?

Todd: On low bite tracks rear motor is the best because of the extra rear grip and for high grip tracks mid-motor is the best because it makes the car easier to drive. I personally like rear motor because most of the tracks we run are suitable for rear motor.
 
LiveRC: We have heard rumors of several new cars that may be debuted in time for the Worlds, such as a possible Hot Bodies 1:10 4wd buggy. Are there any plans or projects in the works at TLR in preparation for the 4wd buggy class at the Worlds?

Todd: We are always working on new and innovative designs that set us apart from the competition. I can’t say what we are working on right now, but time will tell.

LiveRC: What is your personal favorite of all the TLR vehicles and why?

Todd: My favorite car is the 22. The TLR 22 is my favorite for a few reasons. First is that I personally love 1/10th off-road buggy racing, especially now with all of the advancements in brushless motor and battery technology. It’s amazing to go to the track with only two batteries and no comm lathe. Secondly, I love the TLR 22 because of its handling and durability and the fact that we were able to create a new 2wd buggy for TLR a few years ago. The TLR 22 was TLR’s rebirth back into electric off-road and I think we did a great job with this vehicle.
 
 
LiveRC: Most memorable R/C moment?

Todd: Probably my 2nd place finish at the 1998 ROAR Offroad Nationals in 4wd or in 2005 or 2006 US Indoor Champs when I nearly won the A-Main in 1/12th Modified. It was the first time I had ever made a 1/12th Modified A-Main. I qualified 7th on the grid and just came off of the TC A-Main where I grenaded my car so I was upset. I went into the 1/12th A-main with no care and just went for it. Unfortunately as I was in 2nd place right behind Dumas with 20 seconds to go and I had used up all of my battery and ended up 3rd. If I just had a bit more confidence to know that I could’ve won that race, I probably would’ve.

LiveRC: Most embarrasing R/C moment?

Todd: Back in 2001 or 2002 we were at some 1/10th off-road race and we just returned to the hotel after one of the days of practice. I ended up lying down on my hotel room bed with the door cracked and I had falling asleep. When I woke up I found mayonnaise spread all over myself. I had no idea how it happened or who did it. I later found out that it was compliments of my late friend, Bill Bridges, who later told me that he pulled the prank.
 
LiveRC: One thing most people don't know about Todd Hodge?

Todd: Four years ago I went back to school to get my Business Degree and I will graduate later this year. I am looking forward to the graduation because I can have a normal life again and have the ability to hit the track more.

LiveRC: Is there a new TLR 4wd buggy coming out?

Todd: I know, right!
 

LiveRC: Can't blame us for trying again (laughs)! Todd, thank you so much for joining us today! We wish you all the best of luck at the upcoming races, and hope to see you soon! Is there anything you would like to add?

Todd: Thanks for the opportunity here at LiveRC. Keep up all the great work on the site. I enjoy watching the races and keeping up with what’s new in our racing world. KEEP IT TIGHT!

 

 

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