I remember watching fourteen-year-old Kevin Motter for the first time in 2012, driving with ice in his veins amid the pressure of winning his first two ROAR National Championships at West Coast RC Raceway. Driving TLR vehicles with help from JConcepts and SchuurSpeed, he dominated the 17.5 2WD Buggy class by winning the first two A-Mains from the TQ spot, and finished second in 17.5 Racing Truck. Perhaps even more impressive was the following weekend, when he borrowed Paul Wynn's SC10 and won the 17.5 Short Course championship, again from the front of the grid. The performance was good enough to earn a contract offer from Team Associated, and Motter has been a staple on SoCal race podiums ever since. After a 2013 Worlds appearance and two Reedy Race Open class podiums in 2014 as well as four championships in the highly competitive JBRL SoCal traveling points series, Motter switched to Team Losi Racing for the 2015 season and reunited with Ron Schuur at Hobbywing. As soon as Motter's deal became official for 2015, I hit him up for an interview to talk about the switch and his career leading up to it.
Aaron Waldron: How did you get started in radio control, and how long have you been racing?
Kevin Motter: I started racing when I was 13 and at the time I would lose focus in the later rounds of racing my Jr. Dragster. My dad worked near West Coast Rc Raceway, so he went in there one day and saw that this took focus so he bought me a HPI Blitz RTR.
AW: When did you decide to take RC racing more seriously?
KM: I decided to take it seriously about a year after I started when I saw how competitive this hobby was.
AW: How long did it take for you to start attracting sponsors?
KM: My first sponsor was from Ron Schuur at SchuurSpeed and he sponsored me about 6 months before the 2012 ROAR Nationals at West Coast Raceway.
AW: Is it difficult to balance being a student with racing?
KM: Yes, it’s definitely a challenge but school comes before racing and I need to keep my grades up in order to race.
AW: Of what races are you most proud?
KM: The 2012 ROAR Supernationals at West Coast Rc Raceway where I won 2 national championships, my 4 JBRL overall Championships, as well as placing 3rd in both Open 2WD buggy and Open 4WD buggy at the 2014 Reedy Intenational Race of Champions. I am looking forward to a very successful 2015 year.
AW: Who are some of the people that have helped you the most in RC?
KM: Geoff Monise, Ron Schuur, Jason Ruona, John Piant, and Paul Wynn at JConcepts, Hayato Matsuzaki, Kody Numedahl, and Matt Castellano.
AW: What is your favorite track? What about your favorite racing class?
KM: My favorite track is OCRC Raceway in Huntington Beach, California, because it’s a premier track that is known all over the county and it’s only 20 minutes from my house. My favorite class to race would have to be 2WD mod buggy because of how competitive the class is.
AW: Congratulations on signing with Team Losi Racing! Did they approach you about switching, or did you go to them?
KM: Thank you. I approached TLR at the end of the 2014 racing season.
AW: Was it difficult to leave Team Associated?
KM: Yes, it was very difficult to leave Team Associated since they were my first chassis sponsor and I have developed great friendships with many of the drivers and workers at Team Associated.
AW: Did you talk to any other teams about racing for them in 2015? Will any of your other sponsors change?
KM: I talked to another competitive brand, but TLR best suited my driving style. I will now be running Hobbywing motors and speed controls as well as Spektrum servos.
AW: What’s your favorite part of RC racing?
KM: Probably how competitive this hobby is. I am a very competitive person and love the feeling of having to work for a win. I also like the fact that you meet so many people and make so many new friends.
AW: What about RC racing annoys or bothers you?
KM: Probably when someone is racing out of their skill level.
AW: Do you have any big goals for your RC career?
KM: My goals have always been to do my best at every race that I attend, represent my sponsors properly on and off the track, and be as competitive as possible.
AW: Thank you for the interview! Is there anything else you would like to add?
KM: Thank you Aaron and LiveRC! I would like to thank my mom and dad for all their support as well as all of my sponsors: TLR, Horizon Hobby, JConcepts, Hobbywing, Airtronics, Spektrum, LA Parts House, Upgrade RC, and MIP!
1/6/2014
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