TALK IT UP TUESDAY: Cole Tollard

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Mike Garrison

0 July 31, 2018, 3:50 p.m.

By Mike Garrison
LiveRC.com 

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!

 
(Photo by JConcepts)

LiveRC: Welcome Cole to this week’s Talk It Up Tuesday! First off, congratulations on this past weekend’s victory at the King of Kings Race at Stateline Raceway. Tell us a bit about your weekend.

Cole: The weekend was a blast hanging out with friends and family.  Qualifying went very well and set myself well for the main events.  Nitro Truggy main started off rough as my car broke  before the race and had to borrow a fellow teammates car Brian (Mellow).  In the end I finished 5th after a flameout.  E-buggy didn't change the luck that I had in truck and crashed on first lap and kept on crashing.  Not sure where I finished, but then focused everything on Nitro Buggy and took the lead early. Flamed out in the middle of the race and was back to fourth and came back to win the main.

LiveRC: When and how did you get started in R/C?

Cole: I got started by my dad when I was four years old.  Dad bought me a xxt and I raced it at our local hobby shop.  Then we got out of the hobby for a little bit and got reconnected when we saw my cousin racing oval with a slash.  From their on out I have been in the hobby.

(A young Cole Tollard and Scotty Ernst)

LiveRC: What has been the hardest thing to learn as you’ve climbed the ranks? 

Cole: One of the hardest things that I have witnessed is setup and patience. As time has gone I have learned a lot of things now like setup and patience, but I would like to see more Mid-West up and comers to get reconized more. Since we don’t live by the main companies or fast guys it makes it hard to go through the ranks.  

LiveRC: This year you put in a stellar performance at the ROAR Off-Road Fuel Nationals. Your entire family was in attendance and drove the family van all the way from Wisconsin to Florida for the event. Tell us about that adventure and your experience at the Nats.

Cole: It was probably the best feeling I had ever had making the mains on Father's Day/ Birthday and having my mom and dad there to witness it. The drive down to Florida was pretty cool though to because we stopped at Mammoth Cave National Park, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and got to see the Atlanta Georgia Aquarium. It took us 17 hours to get down to Southside Raceway, but we broke the ride into three days. It was definitely one of the coolest trips that I have been on.

LiveRC: You will also be headed to Australia later this year for the IFMAR 1/8 World Championships. What expectations/goals do you have going into the Australia?

Cole: One goal I have going into Australia is to stay positive and hope to beat my 2016 IFMAR Worlds finishing spot. I feel that if I could make the semi-finals that would be an awesome accomplishment.

LiveRC: What is your biggest achievement so far in R/C racing?

Cole: My biggest achievements in R/C has to be making all three A-mains at the ROAR 1/10 Nationals for the past 2 years, making both mains this year at the 1/8 ROAR Nitro Nationals, finishing 25th overall at 1/8 IFMAR Worlds in 2016, and finishing 6th overall at the 2018 Reedy Race Invitational Class.

LiveRC: You have a seen a lot of success over the past few years in a variety of classes. Which class do you enjoy the most and/or feel is your strongest class?

Cole: I feel my strongest class is nitro buggy for 1/8 and for 1/10 it has to be mod 2wd truck, but mod 2wd buggy is a close second.

LiveRC: Will you be attending the upcoming ROAR 1/10 Off-Road Nationals, or staying home to focus on your 1/8 program in preparation for the Worlds?

Cole: I will be attending the ROAR 1/10 Nationals. I plan on taking the next 2 weeks to practice and try new things on my cars.  After 1/10 Nationals I will be working hard on the 1/8 program to get ready for Worlds.

LiveRC: For young rising stars that started where you once did and want to follow in your footsteps, what are some pieces of advice you have for them?

Cole: One big piece of advice I know all rising stars should have is to remember this hobby is for fun. We take this hobby too serious sometimes. Another bit of advice I will give you is to have a good attitude and look at yourself as if you are just another racer because you don’t want to be that stuck up racer that know one likes. Finally the last piece of advice is to keep calm and stay smooth on the track at first, because the speed will come later.

LiveRC: What is your ultimate goal in R/C racing? Do you want to make a career out of racing, work within the industry, or just keep it as a hobby?

Cole: My ultimate goal would be to just stay in the hobby for now. Next year I plan on going to college so that I know I can get a job for sure. My idea is to go to college for some type of engineering, welding, cnc machining, or manufacturing.  Once I am done with college I hope to work in the industry hopefully.

LiveRC: When you aren’t R/C car racing, what are you most likely out doing?

Cole: When I am not racing I am usually hanging out with friends and family, shooting some baskets, and playing some baseball. I also enjoy building model cars and play video games occasionally.

LiveRC: One thing most people don’t know about Cole Tollard?

Cole: When I first started racing I was really into the monster truck named Monster Mutt. I told my dad that I wanted my Slash to look like that. So my first body painted looked like Monster Mutt.

LiveRC: Favorite R/C car you’ve ever owned, and why?

Cole: My favorite car I have ever owned is the Traxxas Slash.  The Slash got us back into racing and we had the iconic dog eared body painted up on it.

LiveRC: Thank you Cole for joining us today, and we certainly wish you the best of luck at the upcoming races and of course the IFMAR Worlds. Is there anything you would like to add before we go?

Cole: Thanks for having me!  I really appreciate it and look forward to seeing everyone in the upcoming events.  I would like to thank all my sponsors for the support through the years because without them I would not be where I am today. Team Associated, Reedy powered, Jconcepts, Sanwa, Shearious Designs,Nine2zero Designs, Vp racing fuels, Gravity Rc, Trackside hobbies, TRZ, Mip, Liverc.com, and Fat guy designs.   I would also like to thank all of my the friends and teammates along the way for the support certainly Liverc and the donations from our gofundmepage for giving us the chance to go to Australia for worlds.