Some racers are perfectly at home competing at the very highest level. Some racers enjoy the pressure and sense of achievement that comes from driving off-road tracks against the worlds top racers. Multiple European Championship A-Finalist Paul Bradby ticks both these boxes before he even breaks a sweat!
Paul has risen through the ranks of club, regional, national, and European competition like a man on a true mission. Winning 9 North East Regional BRCA Championships alone is a staggering achievement with such high quality racers hailing from that area. Following this up with 16 top 10 BRCA National Championship positions, multiple domestic off-road wins, and 2 World Championship A-Final placings, Paul lights up the track with his amazing ability. My recent interview with Paul was a really exciting opportunity to talk with a guy who seems unstoppable so far....sit back, relax, and step into the high voltage world of Mr Paul Bradby.....
ORRC - What was your first RC experience?
Paul - It isn't the most vivid memory, but it will have been when I was about 5 (a loooooong time ago). My dad ran the Scarborough club and used to race himself, so I used to be at the track every weekend from an early age. After a while I was nagging him so I could have a go, which brings me to...........
ORRC - Describe your first ever race?
Paul - I was 6 and my dad had got me a Mardave Meteor with a lovely yellow painted body shell. That car was pretty indestructible.....and pretty ugly too. It was a club race at Scarborough which was an enormous track, especially when you're only a few feet tall! I was so excited to be racing around the track with other people when it actually meant something and wasn't just practice. The car wasn't exactly a rocket-ship but I hardly crashed during the whole race, and I think it shocked a few of the regulars when they were beaten by a little nipper. After a few months my dad realised I had a bit of potential, and I think he got tired of me nagging him for me to race the Optima Mid that he had. He relented, I got to race the Optima, and he stopped racing. Kids eh?!
ORRC - What's the best looking race buggy you have ever seen?
Paul - On purely aesthetic terms, for me it's the gold tub RC10. At the time when most people laid eyes on it they were like 'WOW!' It still looks badass these days too. I used to be a bit obsessed with Derek Furutani back in the day and his paint scheme on that car was pretty much perfection.
ORRC - When you race off-road do you prefer racing high pressure, high level meetings or fun relaxed club races?
Paul - I'm all about high pressure, I love it. You don't have any choice but to be switched on and focus. I enjoy that feeling. There's nothing better than going to a big international race and knowing that unless you bring out your A-game you won't be near the top of the pile come the end. Club races are good fun, but I'd prefer to just do big races every week.
ORRC - When you hammer the throttle down a fast straight, how do you judge your corner speed for the first turn of the track?
Paul - A lot of the time in a practice run I'll try different speeds/lines etc to see what works and what doesn't. Most tracks aren't that demanding at the end of a straight so you just negotiate it without really thinking about it too much. If it is relatively difficult I always find a visual mark that I know is the last point at which I have to brake or turn in. It could be a join in the astroturf, where the next lane on the track changes direction, pretty much anything as long as it doesn't move..... such as, where a marshal stands. They move from time to time. I've made that mistake before and ended up way off the track. Schoolboy error.
ORRC - When you work on your race gear, what's the most important part of your preparations for meetings?
Paul - There's not one particular thing more important than another really. I'm the same as most other people, I don't want to be turning up at races and having little things that still need working on (although it does happen occasionally). So it's just a case of making sure you can turn up and throw the car on the track. That way you can concentrate on watching other guys on the track before you rather than being sat in the pits wrenching on your gear. I always thinks it helps massively to watch the track as much as possible, that way you see how it's changing in different areas, certain lines etc that may be quicker.
ORRC - Does your style of driving change during any given season? If so, explain why this may happen?
Paul - A bit difficult to answer this one really, I don't think it changes at all throughout a season. It does change through the course of a race though.
ORRC - Can you remember the first time you understood that hitting apexes was such an important part of racing science?
ORRC - Are you a racer who pushes the car to its limits, or drives steadily and leaves some in reserve if needed?
Paul - I'm a mixture of both I guess. I tend to start a race pretty steady, nothing crazy. As the race goes on I push more and more, especially in finals. My quickest laps are always towards the back end of my races, I've been like that for a long time now. It isn't an intentional thing, it's just happened that way. I'd quite like for us to have longer races because it would suit me so much more!
ORRC - What's your favourite off-road obstacle on a track?
Paul - As long as it isn't a 'make or break' jump (sometimes quite literally) I wouldn't say I have a preference as such. Maybe rhythm sections where it's double into double etc. Something that really rewards being taken and landed right, but if you get it a bit sketchy you aren't going to ruin your entire race.
ORRC - Describe your driving style as a sound? And explain your answer ;)
Paul - Tinnitus..... it's relentless and it's near impossible to get rid of.
ORRC - Can you give any tips for racers who want to understand shock oil and spring set-ups better?
Paul - The sound of worms leaving cans is in the air now! There are so many different books/websites etc to read up on all of this. But I really can't give any better advice than to try things for yourself at a track, preferably when it's not a race day. That way you can try a whole range of things when it doesn't really matter and you know what feels better and what doesn't. If it helps to remember things, write down what you find. Learning things yourself is so much easier than being bombarded with information from numerous sources, which don't always agree with one another. If all else fails, use a tried and tested setup that one of the 'top' racers uses and go from there. It won't be too far wrong.
ORRC - How often do you fully strip differentials in your 2wd buggies?
Paul - The longest I'd leave a 2wd diff without fully rebuilding it would be 2/3 events, and that's only if the car has felt really good and I don't want to mess with things unnecessarily. In my opinion the diff is the most important thing on a 2wd to have working correctly. If your diff isn't working right the car feels bizarre to drive, no matter how good the rest of the car setup masks it.
ORRC - What's your favourite race meeting on your annual calendar and why?
Paul - Anything that's on a dirt track, which basically means any race outside the UK. In recent years the event I really look forward to is the Reedy Race. Best drivers in the world at a great venue (West Coast RC Raceway) on a great track, and every run is a heads up race. What's not to like?!
ORRC - Since the technological developments of wheel transmitters, do you think racers who learnt on sticks will eventually move over to wheels or will both control formats be around for the foreseeable future ?
Paul - I don't see anything changing so dramatically that sticks won't be used for a long time yet. At the end of the day sticks have won a lot of world titles. OK, 99% of those are by the same guy, but hey!
ORRC - If you could pick one surface to drive on forever, what would it be and why?
Paul - No contest. Dirt, dirt, dirt!! It's the most rewarding and enjoyable surface to drive on. Unlike our high grip astroturf tracks, you can actually have proper wheel to wheel racing on them without cars flying off the track 99% of the time. Small setup changes can be felt a lot more on dirt too. When you race on a good dirt track with a well setup car, in R/C that's what you want to be doing all the time. Coming back to race on an astroturf track is always painful afterwards!
ORRC - What has been the most memorable meeting you have ever raced and why?
Paul - There are so many memorable events over the years; for good, bad and hilarious reasons. But on a purely personal note, the 2005 Worlds in Italy are the most memorable. I was racing for Yokomo 4wd and AE 2wd, and in 4wd made my first A after been handed the prototype Yokomo BX to run. After the first practice with the car I knew it had the potential to be a very good event. I was quick straight away and it just felt so easy to do clean, fast laps. Masami and all the Yokomo dudes were out watching every run, and everything was going to plan. I was more confident each time on the track. Long story short, I qualified 9th (just in front of my R/C idol Mr Drescher) and Neil was 3rd on the grid. 3 Brits in the final was a really good achievement. I wasn't going to be challenging for the podium unless something miraculous happened, but just been in that final with people that have won numerous World, European and National titles and not feel out of place was an awesome feeling. Each of the 3 legs was split into the front 5 doing their own thing and the back 5 battling between ourselves for 5+ minutes. They were 3 intense, scrappy legs. But 3 legs that I learnt so much from. I finished 8th overall and felt like I'd made a big step forward that week.
ORRC - What's the best way to get clean consistent laps on a track you have never seen before? This question is aimed at travelling club/regional racers
Paul - Although there's no substitute for running on the actual track you'll be racing on, getting track time on something similar is just as beneficial. If there's an event coming up in 2-3 weekends that's important to you, try and get as much practice in the weekends beforehand on a track as similar as you can to the one you'll be racing on. If you can't, then just get track time in on anything. As everybody says, 'practice practice practice', it's that simple. If you turn up to an event feeling comfortable, knowing you've been practicing, it helps. Plus, be patient and don't get frustrated if it doesn't go to plan straight away. Don't take it too serious and remember why you started racing in the first place...... it's meant to be fun.
Paul Bradby has already etched his indelible mark in the history of European 1/10th off-road racing. His continued hard work and commitment to working alongside his sponsors in the development of new racing products has cemented Paul's name as one of the drivers to beat on the track. With such strong driving skills and a real 'no holds barred' professional mentality, Paul is inevitably moving only one way....and that is clearly straight up!
We wish Paul and his sponsors the very best of luck for the 2012 season and we look forward to catching up with him again soon for more words of off-road wisdom.
To learn more about Team Associated products visit http://www.teamassociated.com/
To view the full range of JConcepts products visit www.jconcepts.net
No comments:
Post a Comment