NBA star forms R/C racing team

Sacramento-Area Drivers Todd Pearson, TJ Wickum First to Join Team

Veteran NBA big man Brad Miller has found his way into the world of RC truck and car excitement with the formation of BMiller Racing. A past RC enthusiast, Miller was recently struck by the short course racing bug and wanted to get back into the hobby.

“I am definitely a backyard basher when it comes to RC driving, but I really enjoy the scale look of the short course trucks and VTA cars. The advancements in the RC industry over the past few years have been impressive and made bashing and racing fun for everyone. As for myself, I will likely stick to bashing in the fields around the house and leave the racing to the experts,” states Miller.

A two-time All-Star (2003, 2004), Miller has played 13 NBA seasons and is currently a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves. He has posted career averages of 11.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 853 games with Charlotte, Chicago, Indiana, Sacramento, and Houston, and is one of only five players in history to make an NBA All-Star team as an undrafted player. The 7-0 center-forward also was a member of the USA Basketball Men’s Senior National Team from 2006-08.

Miller, who is an avid outdoorsman and current co-host of Country Boys Outdoors on The Sportsman Channel, played six seasons with the Sacramento Kings (2003-09) and resides in the offseason in nearby Granite Bay, Calif. It is in Northern California where Miller had a chance to meet the first two members of BMiller Racing, Todd Pearson and TJ Wickum, who both race out of their home track of Speedworld Raceway and Hobby Shop in Roseville, Calif.

“Today’s RC trucks and cars not only have a full scale look and lots of speed, but the drivers are getting better and faster,” says Miller. “Todd and TJ really impressed me when I had a chance to meet them. They have consistently gotten better over the past year, and being from the Sacramento-area are the perfect fit to be the first two drivers to represent our team. I look forward to seeing what they can do out there on the track.”

Pearson has over 20 years of RC experience with cars and planes. He began in 1991 flying electric planes and racing 1/10th scale electric cars at local indoor tracks and parking lots. In 2008 he started racing short course off-road around Northern California. Last year Pearson enjoyed a banner season, winning the End of Summer Off-Road Series at Speedworld in the Expert Slash class as well as a victorious run at the Kit & Caboodle Dash For Cash oval race. He also was a member of the winning team in the 2010 SCT 3-hour Enduro at Speedworld. Pearson began this season on fire as well, winning the Speedworld VTA Spring Series by taking the top podium spot in four of the five races. A resident of Lincoln, California, Pearson has always been willing to assist newcomers around the pits, and was instrumental in bringing Wickum into off-road racing. Pearson also has served as a certified trainer for aspiring RC aircraft flyers.

Wickum, who resides in Rocklin, California, is a relative newcomer to the world of competitive RC racing. He began flying electric planes in 2008 but moved into cars after one year. His first racing experience was in late 2009 racing 1/18th scale electric trucks on indoor carpet tracks before moving into Spec Slash racing at Speedworld Raceway. This spring he added on-road racing to his repertoire, and just recently finished second to Pearson in the Speedworld VTA Spring Series. Wickum has won a number of local Sacramento-area races over the past year and was a member of the winning team in the 2011 SCT 3-hour Enduro at Speedworld in April. He is now expanding his racing experience to the regional and national levels, having recently finished as an A main qualifier in Pro 2 Modified Short Course Truck class at the Nor-Cal Electric Off-Road Championships.

Both Pearson and Wickum are expected to run at the upcoming JConcepts Summer Indoor Nationals and ROAR Electric Off-Road Nationals.

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