TALK IT UP TUESDAY: Kyosho America's Matt Chambers

0 July 14, 2014, 7:40 p.m.

7/15/2014
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!

Colorado is one pocket of the U.S. that has turned out more than its fair share of fast factory racers - including Team Associated engineer Kody Numedahl and 2011 ROAR 2WD National Champion Dustin Evans, among others. Matt Chambers is among those talented drivers who've made a name for themselves far beyond the Rocky Mountains, earning a ROAR National Championship and traveling the world as a member of Team Losi Racing for the better part of a decade. When it comes to being a sponsored driver, Matt has always understand both parts of the equation - placing equal importance on acting as a respectable brand ambassador as well as performing well on the racetrack. That well-rounded resume is no doubt one of the reasons he was able to find a whole new roster of sponsors heading into the rest of the 2014 season, and he talked about that more for this week's feature interview.

Aaron Waldron: First things first - congratulations on the deal with Kyosho! Did Kyosho approach you about running for them, or did you make the first move?

Matt Chambers: I am really thankful to be a part of Team Kyosho. Everything came together after I had been talking with Kyosho team manager (and my long-time friend) Joe Pillars about some parts and setup questions. Joe knew I had been running an RB6 since January of this year and he took it upon himself to get the ball rolling to get me on the team. I am extremely grateful to Joe as he really worked hard to make everything happen!

AW: At the beginning of this year you left long-time sponsor TLR. What prompted that decision?

MC: Yes, I left TLR at the beginning of this year for a few reasons. First off, TLR supported me for 10 years and paid for me to travel me to races since 2007. I really owe them a great deal of thanks as they helped me in so many ways throughout the years! I still have a lot of friends there that I respect greatly. Personally though, I was needing a new race program to challenge and re-motivate me and I think I've found that with Kyosho America.

AW: Was it a shock to show up to the racetrack wearing a different t-shirt, and with different cars, after all those years?

MC: Yeah, it was a big adjustment for myself and others when I showed up at the track with new cars. I probably got 9,853 questions from fellow racers about the change. Most people understood and were happy to see me moving on to a new challenge.

AW: You changed other sponsors as well, going from Orion to Reedy and from JConcepts to Pro-Line. Was it easier to just go ahead and switch up everything and get a fresh, new start?

MC: I didn't think about it at the time, but yes, I think I wanted a "fresh start" and when presented with the opportunity to race for Reedy and Pro-Line I happily accepted. I've been really fortunate to be able to race for companies that I look up to and respect and Reedy and PL have been great to me so far.

AW: We posted a press release when you signed with Tresrey USA and Yaiba Racing back in late February, with a photo of you holding a Kyosho RB6. Did your experience with the car contribute to you potentially racing for Kyosho?

MC: Yes, I signed to race for Tresrey and Yaiba early this year. The benefit to me in that situation was that I could race any car I wanted to as long as it used Yaiba accessories. During that time I tried a number of different cars and found myself really pleased with the performance of the Kyosho RB6. Due to some manufacturing issues within the company, I was released from my contract with Tresrey/Yaiba after only a few months. I think the experience was a good one, though, as I continued to race with the RB6 as a privateer and Joe Pillars took notice which led to me joining Kyosho America.

AW: You posted a picture a few months ago of a kit you received from JQ Racing. How did that go?

MC: For a few months there I didn't race for any 1/10 or 1/8 chassis manufacturer. Just as the 1/8 season was beginning here in Colorado, I reached out to Joseph Quagraine (JQ) about racing his 1/8 buggy. He sent me a car and a bunch of parts but unfortunately I was only able to build it and race it once. It was a really cool car and I'm grateful he gave me the chance to try it out.

AW: You were predominantly an electric racer for a very long time before getting into nitro racing. What are some of your favorite challenges of each discipline?

MC: I've always been a hardcore electric guy but I've raced nitro for 7 or 8 years now and I love it! I have learned so much from both disciplines! The challenge in electric is building the car correctly and having everything working perfectly. The challenge with nitro is endurance in the long main events; that includes building and maintaining the car to withstand rough track conditions. I also think with nitro you have to use a lot of foresight to envision "what could go wrong" and try to prepare for that. I'm really happy I've raced both electric and nitro because a lot of the lessons I've learned from each can be applied to the other.

AW: How long have you been racing, and how did you get started?

MC: I've been racing for 14 years now (Whoa!!). My dad was always into R/C airplanes and I enjoyed that but I was always more interested in the cars. I come from a skateboarding and BMX background before I started racing so I liked individual action sports you could say. The first time I was able to get to a racetrack it was MHOR R/C (my home track) and seeing R/C cars flying off jumps immediately piqued my interest.

AW: You had a great year in 2011, with highlights including qualifying 2nd in 2WD at the ROAR Nationals and an appearance at the IFMAR Worlds in Finland. How difficult is it to repeat solid results at the top level year after year?

MC: Yeah, 2011 was a great year with some awesome racing experiences. I went to the Worlds in Finland and had one of the best times of my life! At the ROAR Nats that year I felt I had a really good shot to win or at least podium in 2WD Modified but made a few too many mistakes and ended up 4th. It is difficult to race against that group of guys (Cavalieri, Maifield, Tebo, Evans, etc.) year after year. The level of driving skill and perfection is very high and to compete against that I've found I not only have to practice often and maintain my cars perfectly, I also have to be confident and in a good frame of mind. At that level of driving everyone is extremely skilled - it's really more about who can keep it together mentally.

AW: How has your RC career changed over the last ten years?

MC: For me, racing has changed quite a bit over the last 10 years. In 2004 I was just starting to get to some of the bigger races around the country with some pretty good results. That year I won the ROAR 2WD Stock Nationals in Missouri and also the Expert Stock Truck class at the Cactus Classic. With those wins and some help from Matt Francis I got picked up by Team Losi. After that I went to as many races as possible and in 2007 I made the 2WD and Truck Modified A-mains at the ROAR Nationals in Albuquerque, NM. That race was significant to me because after that Team Losi began to send me to all the major electric races in the US. Now it's 2014 and I'm still basically trying to do the same things: travel to major races, help promote my sponsors, and achieve the best results possible.

AW: Having lived in Southern California for a time before returning back to your Colorado roots, how does the local racing scene differ between both areas?

MC: I only lived in So-Cal for a few months but I really enjoyed the club racing scene there. I was able to club race at Hot Rod Hobbies, West Coast, OCRC, Thunder Alley, etc. It was great to get to race at such a large variety of tracks. Back here in Colorado there are only 2 off-road electric tracks and I primarily race at MHOR R/C Raceway as the other track is pretty far from me. I'd say the racing here can be just as competitive as SoCal but we certainly don't get to race as many big races, as many tracks, or with the large amount of entries that SoCal races get.

Check out the neon yellow beacon on the window - Matt has been rocking the LiveRC stickers for years!

AW: Does the new Kyosho contract mean you’ll be back to racing all of the large events? What are your goals for the 2014 season?

MC: Right now I have committed to attending the Hot Rod Hobbies Shootout and ROAR Nationals for sure with Team Kyosho. I will likely be going to any other races I am able to attend. For 2014 I am really looking to get back into the swing of going to the major races. My goal for this year is the same as it has always been: to do as well as I can at each race and try to be a good ambassador for my sponsors and the hobby.

AW: Thanks, Matt! Want to give a shoutout to any sponsors before I cut you off?

MC: Thank you for the interview Aaron! This was fun!

I want to take a moment and thank my family, specifically my mom and dad, for always supporting my dream of being an R/C professional... You guys are the best!

I have to thank all of my sponsors as they are the ones that make it possible for me to pursue my passion for racing:

Kyosho America, Reedy, Pro-Line, Airtronics, Schelle, Upgrade R/C, B-Fast, Bradley Fine Line Designs, MHOR R/C, Sticky Kicks, AVID, OC/RC Raceway, and LiveRC.com

Talk-it Up Tuesday

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