The 2013 IFMAR World Championships had everything: one of the fastest, largest, most extreme tracks ever to host an IFMAR Worlds; on- and off-track drama, ranging from impending weather to broken cars that knocked favorites out of the race; and two deserving champions, including a dominant favorite and a middle-of-the-grid underdog.
Next week, the 2015 IFMAR Worlds will kick off at Yatabe Arena, where new champions will be crowned in the 2WD and 4WD divisions. This week’s Talk It Up Tuesday, though, visits with the drivers who will be entering the race as the defending champions - 2WD winner Jared Tebo, and 4WD titleholder Steven Hartson.
For Tebo, the title was his second on an international stage. He’s won off-road races all over the planet, in both nitro and electric, with national titles in many different classes to his name. His 2WD victory in Chico, CA in 2013 came after clearly defining himself as the favorite, with the fastest times in qualifying that earned him the TQ overall, and he won the first two main events to claim the title outright.
For Hartson, the IFMAR Worlds victory came out of nowhere - more accurately, the sixth spot on the grid. Then-21-year-old Hartson earned his first major victory at the most major of all events, benefitting twice from mistakes by the front-runners to secure an improbable title.
Read along to hear how both drivers are preparing for their title defenses and reflect on the memories of winning the most coveted titles in RC racing.
Aaron Waldron: After winning your first IFMAR World Championship back in 2007, were you surprised it took six years to win another?
Jared Tebo: I was and wasn't surprised that it took six years to get another World Championship. The next 1/10 WC was 2011, as 2009 was not attended by any of the top drivers. In 2011, I was very close to winning both 2wd and 4wd, so I knew that I was capable of winning another World Championship. I had great chances at winning the 1/8 World Championship in 2010 and 2012, but I had some some bad fortune during both events. Racing is racing, and things happen, it sure felt great to get my second World Championship in 2013!
AW: How much did it mean to you to win the title in the U.S. with your family watching from beside the track?
JT: It meant a lot to me to win with my wife and daughter there. As a traveling husband and father, I miss a lot of great family memories, and on the other hand, they miss a lot of my great racing memories. I had a tough couple of years leading up to that event, so to rise above and have them be there by my side on that day, it was very special. They see me when I'm down and want to give up, they see all the extra hours and the sleepless nights - nobody else can fully understand what it takes. It was also great to win in the US and keep the 2WD title in the US.
AW: You were one of the fastest drivers in practice and TQ’d two of the first four rounds before the rain started. Do you remember how you felt when the clouds open up?
JT: Yes, I remember that night like it was yesterday. We were eating a Olive Garden and it was lightly raining when we started dinner, but then it was pouring when we finished. I had very mixed emotions. I felt like the fastest driver on the current conditions and I didn't want conditions to change and the race to get away from me. I was a stressed out mess that night and morning. I did not want to see the race day cancelled and be crowned World Champion without racing, so I was happy that they got the track back in working order and we got to race it out.
AW: The main events were in danger of being cancelled, but the track crew got the surface in reachable shape. The drivers lined up for a practice run - and then the race director announced that you were actually going to run A-Main #1. What went through your head?
JT: They did an amazing job with the track, but it was quite a bit different than qualifying. The grip was much higher as the track was pretty much asphalt with all the burnt sugar on the track. The plan was two practice runs and then the triple A-mains. The first practice was a nightmare, the track felt completely different and I was flipping off the track everywhere. Then we did a mock start and I crashed in the first jump section. My nerves were pretty bad and I was feeling a lot of stress, so I was excited for the second practice and was trying to get my mental side back together. When it was called out that it would be A1, my nerves went a little nuts again, but I was able to calm down before the start and drive a great race to the A1 win.
AW: At the ROAR Nationals at Silver Dollar Raceway just a month prior, Dakotah Phend won from third on the grid. Did you think leading the field into turn one on a very similar layout was a benefit, or did it make your task more difficult?
JT: I like driving with pressure, so I much rather start first than any other position. I like to control the pace on the start and only worry about me. When you are in the pack, you have to worry about you and the car in front of you. That track was difficult to lead mentally, as it was really edgy feeling and the car behind always seemed faster than you. For me, starting on TQ was a benefit.
AW: Earlier in 2013, you won 2WD at the Cactus Classic - one of the first big races to be held on a sugared track. Why do you think you were able to figure out high grip surfaces better than anyone else?
JT: Cactus was different because not everybody had mid-motor 2wd cars. I think I was smart with my testing before the race and was more prepared to run mid-motor than anybody else. I do like the high-grip conditions and I think my smooth style suits those conditions well.
AW: The Kyosho team struggled a bit in 2WD at the Warm-Up (but killed everyone in 4WD), and you’ve been doing a lot of testing at local carpet tracks since. Do you feel prepared for the turf?
JT: We struggled big time in 2WD at the Warm-Up race. There were many factors in that, and I wasn't there to win a race, I was only there to learn. My setup was way off and we only got one practice run before the racing started. I had never raced on turf before and there was a learning curve with that. Also our current RB6 car was not designed for those mega-high traction conditions, so our car just wasn't that great. We had great testing the following two days at Yatabe and we learned a lot of things moving into the World Championships. We have new parts and I am very confident that my 2WD will be very competitive. Our 4WD was amazing on the turf and I will be showing up with the exact setup I ran at the Warm-Up. I have put a lot of time in for this race, and I am excited. In the past month, I have logged around 530 minutes of driving on a carpet track. Carpet is different, but for me, I think it was great to practice on.
AW: How much have you been communicating with teammates overseas who may have more experience racing on artificial surfaces?
JT: I have been communicating a lot with the staff at Kyosho, but not with the other drivers. We actually don't run very similar setups, so that side of it is difficult to communicate. I seem to just do my own thing setup wise, because they want a different feeling than I want. I know what I want my cars to feel like, so that's what I do. It would be better if we liked similar cars, but that's not the case.
AW: Is it any tougher to attend the Worlds as the defending champion?
JT: I don't think it is tougher at all. It's just another race and I'm going there with the same goal in mind.
AW: Thank you, Jared! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
JT: Thanks for having me on here, I have a lot of people I would like to thank. Kyosho for all the hard work coming into this event, Team Orion, AKA, KO Propo, MX, Amain.com, Upgrade-RC, TD Paint, Lunsford, X-Gear, Mckune Design, LiveRC.com, Rock Brook Church, Bike Source. Also a few special thanks, to my family for always fully supporting me, to my friend Gerad for all his help during my practice sessions the past month, to PCRC in Bolivar, MO for opening up their track for me, and mostly to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for blessing me with my racing career.
Aaron Waldron: How has your life changed since winning the Worlds?
Steven Hartson: I don't think much has really changed for me since winning the Worlds. I do notice a lot of people treat me differently now for some reason. I feel like I'm still the same person and I try to ignore the hype or attention people give me now. I think I do better with less attention and I try to stay low-key most of the time.
AW: How much did it mean to you to win the title in the U.S. with your family watching from beside the track?
SH: I felt like it was a very special moment to win the Worlds with both of my parents there and also the many friends that were there to witness it. It also felt even more exciting to have it happen here in my home country. I think it made the publicity better as well for all the Americans watching. It was awesome to see both classes won by Americans with Jared Tebo taking the 2WD class.
AW: At what point did you really feel you had a shot to win your first Worlds title?
SH: I really didn't feel like I had a chance until about mid-way through A3. I felt like in A1 everyone in front of me blew out and I just got lucky. It seemed like in A2 everyone put their heads down and made it a good race, so I really didn't get a chance to pass anyone. A3 was kind of similar to A1 with a couple guys crashing early which gave me a chance to get up to the front and battle with Tessmann, Cavalieri and Naoto at the end. I felt like in A3 I finally got the chance to earn a win. It’s amazing how many things have to go your way at the Worlds to take the overall win, especially from the 6th spot.
AW: Many of the drivers ahead of you crashed or broke in A1, and you picked your way through from sixth on the grid to take the win. In A2, though, a mistake cost you a shot at running up front. How did you maintain such composure in A3 when so many other drivers on contention crashed out?
SH: I really didn't feel like I had a shot to win, so I didn't feel any pressure going into A3. I had never made a Worlds A-Main prior to this, so I was just super happy to be sitting 6th. Both my parents and my teammates kind of left me alone after A1, which I thought was a good thing for me to stay focused.
AW: It’s almost unheard of for a sixth qualifier to win a major race. Do you think the fast, tricky layout was a big reason that you were able to compete for the win from so far back on the starting line?
SH: I think for most guys the high grip made it difficult just to stay on the track. The layout did have a few tricky sections as well, so that was part of the mistakes that were made. Most of the Americans had little experience running on such high bite, so I think that gave the aggressive drivers more of a hassle. A few of the front runners were able to make good qualifying runs, but struggled in the mains under pressure because of the grip level.
AW: Just a month prior, you qualified 10th and finished 9th at the Nationals. What led to such a big improvement for the Worlds?
SH: I think everyone as a team learned a lot at the Nationals. We even stayed afterwards to test, so I think I had more confidence going into the Worlds after we found a few things that helped with setup and driving. I also feel very comfortable driving at Silver Dollar Raceway for some reason, so that always helps with peace of mind going into the race.
AW: Only a couple of Team Associated drivers attended the Worlds Warm-Up, mainly to test new parts for the B5M, and didn’t have very good luck in 4WD. Does the team have any tricks under its sleeve?
SH: I think we learned a lot at the Warm Up. For me, it was mainly getting used to driving on astroturf since this was my first experience on any type of carpet. The guys at Associated have been making a lot of progress with both cars going into the Worlds, so we should have a few things up our sleeves at the race. I'm hoping we will have enough practice runs to figure everything out, but I think the main struggle is going to be getting used to the surface.
AW: Have you been practicing on carpet or astroturf to prepare?
SH: There aren't any astro tracks in California, so I haven't been practicing at all. The only time I've run on astro was at the Warm-Up. I've mainly just been club racing at OCRC trying to keep my skill level up. I wish there were more tracks with carpet, but it hasn't quite made a presence here in the U.S. yet.
AW: Is it any tougher to attend the Worlds as the defending champion?
SH: I don't think it will be any tougher for me. I go into every race with a fresh attitude, so for me it's just another race to attend. I try not to put added pressure on myself just because it's a Worlds event. I'm just going to go there and do my best and have some fun at the same time.
AW: Thank you, Steven! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
SH: I would like to thank all my sponsors including Team Associated, LRP, JConcepts, Futaba, Makita, Kicker, Complex Ink, MIP, Duratrax Paint, OCRC Raceway and LiveRC for the interview.
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