TALK IT UP TUESDAY: Jake Mayo

0 Oct. 20, 2015, 4:10 p.m.

By Aaron Waldron
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!

Last July, I interviewed Jake Mayo of Santa Clarita, CA, after he was picked up by Team Associated following a very fast - if not heartbreaking - performance at the Top Gun Shootout. He had already won the Super Stock Truck class and finished third in Super Stock Buggy at the Cactus Classic, and notched a runner-up finish at the Hot Rod Hobbies Shootout as well. By the end of the 2014 season, Mayo clinched the Jimmy Babcock Racing League championship in both Super Stock Buggy and Modified Stadium Truck, and moved up to the Modified divisions full-time for 2015.

With more power strapped into his cars, Mayo quickly motored his way back onto podiums across Southern California. Mayo won 2WD, 4WD, and Stadium Truck at the Pro-Line Mid-Summer Shootout, and came within just a few points of completing the same feat in the JBRL, winning 2WD and Stadium Truck and finishing second in 4WD with eight main event wins between the three classes. I sent Jake a Facebook message to get an update on his racing career and future for this week’s Talk It Up Tuesday.

Aaron Waldron: We last talked a little over a year ago, right after you accepted a sponsorship offer from Team Associated. How has your experience racing RC cars changed since then?

Jake Mayo: Racing RC cars since my sponsorship from Team Associated has changed by having the opportunity to work with my teammates and learning from them.

At the seventh round of the series, hosted by Rainman's Hobby and Raceway, Mayo finished
with two wins, a second-place finish, and a $200 bonus for winning the Best Whip contest.

AW: Do you think any racers have treated you differently now that you’re representing larger companies and have won a few events?

JM: By representing larger companies and winning events no one has treated me any differently but I have noticed I am approached more often for help which I enjoy doing.

AW: Congratulations on two class championships in the Jimmy Babcock Racing League this season! What’s your favorite part of racing in that series?

JM: Thank you. My favorite part of racing in the Jimmy Babcock Racing League is going from track to track with my friends along with the rivalries from round to round. Jimmy Babcock makes it a great series with a competitive family atmosphere.

AW: Do you think that traveling to different tracks around Southern California has affected your racing skills?

JM: Absolutely, I think traveling from track to track has improved my ability to learn new skills in setting up my cars per each track's conditions which can help me not only be successful with going to tracks in the future but to help others as well.

AW: You competed in three different classes at JBRL. What do you find most difficult about competing in different categories at the same event?

JM: Competing in different categories at the same event is challenging with limited time to make sure all three cars are at race pace. I also think racing three categories is an advantage for more track time.

PHOTO: Ron House, via Facebook

AW: Now that you’re almost halfway done with your final year of high school, do you have plans for what you would like to do next?

JM: My plan after graduation is to still race full-time while going to my local community college with the possibility of joining the family business.

AW: In your last interview, you said that your goal for your RC career was to be a representative for Team Associated. What are your goals now?

JM: My goal is to continue to represent Team Associated and my other sponsors with all that I have to offer by continuing to work hard, help others, work on my consistency and making as many A Mains as possible.

AW: Do you know what your racing schedule for next year looks like?

JM: My racing schedule for 2016 will start off with Reedy International Off-Road Race of Champions, the 30th Annual Cactus Classic, Electric and Nitro JBRL Series, 2016 1/10 Electric Off-Road Nationals, and as many more that I can attend.

AW: Thank you for the interview! Is there anything else you’d like to add?

JM: Thank you for choosing me, Aaron. I would like to thank my parents for all their support and allowing me to continue doing what I enjoy. I would also like to thank my sponsors for their support Team Associated, Reedy, Pro-Line, Airtronics, Schelle, Upgrade RC, and my local track SCVRC.