Move over, boys - here come the ladies.
A Reedy Race record of four women are competing in the Open classes this year, mixing it up with the men in the ultimate modified buggy race in the U.S. Each of them are veteran off-road racers from very different parts of North America, with sponsorship help from some of the biggest companies in a very male-dominated industry. While ladies like Vicky Blackstock and Ronda Drake have proven that women can be just as competitive and talented as men when it comes to driving an RC car around the track, it’s refreshing to see new faces and paint jobs in the field. Rather than trying to prove something by beating as many guys as possible, perhaps the biggest accomplishment each of them could make this weekend would be to inspire other ladies to join in the fun.
Name: Jennfier Lathrop
Age: 30
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
Sponsors: HB, JConcepts, AMain.com, ProTek RC, Tekin, BFast RC, Upgrade RC
Running a B5M and D413 prepared by her husband Randy, Jennifer Lathrop has only been racing modified for about a year now - but she’s definitely no stranger to RC racing, and was the 2012 Dirt Late Model Racing Association Super Late Model 1:8 Scale National Champion. While she spent the Open class practice learning how to navigate the track, adjustments to her car each run made them perform better as well. “My goal is to make the top 50 in both classes,” said Jennifer, who added, “I’d be happy with that.”
Name: Lauren Bendrat
Age: 26
Hometown: Santa Clarita, CA
Sponsors: AMain.com, Pro-Line, ProTek RC, and Upgrade RC
Lauren Bendrat is no stranger to the racing scene, and was featured recently in “Talk It Up Tuesday” - after all, she works at Upgrade RC (and even made custom t-shirts for her and the girls to wear this weekend). Sponsored by Team Losi Racing, Pro-Line, Upgrade RC, AMain.com and ProTek RC, “Okie Dokie” began her RC career during the short course craze before moving to a stadium truck and eventually a 2WD buggy. She’s a regular competitor at both Hot Rod Hobbies and SCVRC, where she has been practicing with a modified motor in her TLR 22 2.0 for several weeks to prepare for this race. Lauren made a few changes to her buggy throughout practice on Thursday to make it easier to drive, and was comfortable with how it felt going into qualifying. Her goal is to make the top half of the field.
Name: Rachel Timmermans
Age: 18
Hometown: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Sponsors: HB, Pro-Line, Mattox Designs, and a shoutout to the Radio Impound Podcast
Competing in her first Reedy Race of Champions, LiveRC chat room savant Rachel Timmermans doesn’t really have anywhere to practice racing modified buggy at home - so when she can’t race her nitro buggy outdoors she runs on the local carpet track with jumps laid in place. Normally, Rachel works on her own vehicles but was accompanied on this trip by both her father, Brian, and Mark Hughes to help her prepare her B5M and HB D413. After practice, Rachel said that both of her cars felt good and that her goals are simple: “Don’t get last, and just have a good time.”
Name: Sarah Ernst
Age: 23
Hometown: Waukesha, WI
Sponsors: Team Associated, Reedy, JConcepts, Futaba, Trackside Hobbies and Raceway, 92zero Designs, RC Scoring Pro
Racing in her second Reedy Race, the veteran of the group is not only the daughter of race director Scotty Ernst, but also the girlfriend of former Open 2WD winner Chad Due. Sarah finished in the Saturday main events in 2012 and attended again in 2013, but didn’t compete. She regularly races Modified 2WD Buggy at home and usually competes in the regionally popular 13.5-powered 4WD buggy class, so this race is just another indoor event for her. In the last round of practice, Sarah said both of her cars were awesome after making a couple of changes to each one to make them easier to drive. “Chad helped me get my cars ready before the race, but now he’s in his own world over there,” said Sarah, who checks in with both Chad and her father throughout the day for tips and advice, “but he’s focused on the Invitational class though, so I’m not at all mad.” Sarah’s first goal is to simply qualify into Sunday’s upper main events, and would like to make it as high as the C or D Mains.
1/23/2015
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