Vintage AE Ad -- 1979 RC12E "Go Racing With The Team"

[WC1982]

thanks kent for that info. real interesting to know how that came about. big jim, real cocky sob, but the wealth of knowledge he had was unbeliveable. i never met him, but nearly everything i know about brushed motors came from him. i wish he was still around.

how did your relationship with mike lavacot come about? i remember seeing him race in the early years of 12 scale racing. also, for some reason every picture i've seen of him he doesn't age. why is that?

Big Jim was always a colorful character in RC. He was famous for overgearing his drivers, they'd go out with a super quick pace for the first 5 minutes and then crawl to the finish line. I think that came from his old slot car roots, where speed was everything. He made some really nice stuff.

Mike Lavacot and I met at the first big race I went to, the 1979 Nor-Cal Invitational in Monterey CA. We were both rookies and I think Lav had just been picked up by Mike Reedy for sponsorship. I remember watching Lav drive before I met him. His car handled great and his driving style was super fast. So I went over and introduced myself. I think I ended up winning stock and mod with my RC12E. After the race Reedy asked me if I would like to be sponsored and I immediately said YES!. I still have the first shipping box that Reedy sent me

Lav and I raced all over the world from 1979 until he semi-retired from racing in 1987 so he could concentrate on getting his masters degree in electrical engineering. We also teamed up to form LAVco from 1986 to 1991, then we worked together at Novak for about a year. He's been working at Intel as an engineer for a long time now.

Regarding not aging in photos.... Mike's 45 now, so I'm sure he looks a *little* older than the early AE adds that showed him when he was 15. He didn't even have a drivers license when we first met! He has some gray hair now, but still looks young.

[littleVETTE]

was it right after the reedy sponsorship that you got picked up by associated? for some reason, i've always got a vibe(seeing your foto at certain races, not racing, but watching. and the 12 scale ads you've added to this site.) that your heart has always been in 12 scale racing. probably because of your roots and/or your first championship?

[Charlie don't surf]

This is good stuff, thanks for joining and having an interest in answering these questions! Very cool indeed. Gonna have to mention this to Dieter in January--

Do you still race at all?, what are you up to nowdays?

Say hi to Dieter for me.

I can PM you his number just in case you want to

[fastang]

Thanks Kent for sharing all these great memories!

It sounds like you still have many of the cars/parts from back then?

[karnivool]

this is a fantastic thread im really enjoying it. thanks very much guys.

[WC1982]

was it right after the reedy sponsorship that you got picked up by associated? for some reason, i've always got a vibe(seeing your foto at certain races, not racing, but watching. and the 12 scale ads you've added to this site.) that your heart has always been in 12 scale racing. probably because of your roots and/or your first championship?

Back then I think Gene/Roger had a deal with Reedy that allowed him to sponsor who he wanted, but the Reedy drivers had to use Associated cars. So once Reedy sponsored me I was officially "on the team". AE was really the premier sponsorship back then and there weren't very many limits on parts or travel if you were one of the top drivers. Gene and Reedy were so into racing that they infused the whole team with a competitive attitude, good sportsmanship, and just a fun time in general.

1/12 scale was my favorite. When I started in 1978 my intention was to learn how to drive with a 1/12 car and then move up to 1/8 gas racing. But 1/12 scale was becoming super popular at that time, mostly because they were more reliable than the finicky gas cars of that era. So although I dabbled in 1/8th racing a little, 1/12 scale kept me busy with all of the racing going on around the world. Back then we had a very active Nor-Cal monthly series, special big races like the California Championship Series, ROAR regionals, indoor and outdoor ROAR Nationals, and the IFMAR Worlds every two years. It was fun to be a part of the explosion in popularity of 1/12 scale racing.

In the late 80's I was also lucky to be a part of the "glory days" of 1/10 scale oval racing as well. Huge races on permanent banked ovals with all of the top teams and top drivers competing with each other. Fun times

[WC1982]

Thanks Kent for sharing all these great memories!

It sounds like you still have many of the cars/parts from back then?

My pleasure! Yep, I kept a lot of my cars from the big races rather than recycle them for future events. So now I have a nice stable of about 20 vintage cars that bring back a lot of nice memories.

[Dirtdiver]

Kent-
Who was the best rc driver that you ever raced against? And did you ever race dirt oval?

Thank-you

dirtdiver

[a01butal]

Kent,
You haven't mentioned your speed record exploits or maybe that should be another thread. Sure would love to read about that car and the speed runs, any info would be great. Thanks.

[scr8p]

Kent,
You haven't mentioned your speed record exploits or maybe that should be another thread. Sure would love to read about that car and the speed runs, any info would be great. Thanks.

x2.

i've done quite a bit of research on the speed run cars of the early 90's in preparation of a couple replica i have in the works. your (kent) car from '91....

and gary hamiltons' hpi insane speed 10lss conversion from '92....

i have seen these pics you've posted on other forums, but there was really no story to go along with them.

being as though this thread is more for the 1/12, i'd like to see it continue in that direction. but like al mentioned, maybe you could start a 1/10 scale thread (when you have time). i know i have some questions for you, but i don't want it to take away from the 1/12 scale stuff.

[WC1982]

Kent-
Who was the best rc driver that you ever raced against? And did you ever race dirt oval?

Thank-you

dirtdiver

My "Best Driver" award would go to Masami Hirosaka. 14 time IFMAR World Champion, brutally fast, an innovator behind the scenes with things like tires, batteries and radio equipment (FET servos). And he is a super nice guy who would do anything to help his teammates. 2nd place goes to Joel Johnson.

I think I ran a couple of dirt oval races but it was wayyyy back. I still have one of the first Landgraff built Dominator 4WD oval cars to come off the production line.

Let's dedicate a thread to the speed run cars.

[RC10resto]

Hi Kent,
Thanks for all of the posts!
This is a great thread because the 12e was my first RC car. And I just "accidentally" found a new factory built kit last week - will post pics in AE on-road forum later.
Keep posting the scans and pictures - great stuff.
Brian

[WC1982]

Speaking of Big Jim, check out this shot from the starting grid of the 82 Worlds. Big Jim sporting some tube socks You can bet that shirt had a big white Checkmark on it.

That's my buddy Al Chuck pitting my car. Could that be HPI's owner Tatsuro Watanabe in the background?

[littleVETTE]

In the late 80's I was also lucky to be a part of the "glory days" of 1/10 scale oval racing as well. Huge races on permanent banked ovals with all of the top teams and top drivers competing with each other. Fun times

are you kidding me kent? anyone that was part of rc from the 80's to the 90's knows your background on the ovals. and the damage you and your awesome rigs did on them, with those record speed runs. personally you, mcgregor, case, hamilton, lett, and blackstock were my favorites. you guys were the foundation of what's going on with todays record speed runs. minus the oval track and todays insane electronics.

kent, i really appreciate talking to you and for you answering my questions.
but i've got to ask, since you brought it up. you said you dabbled in off road. what did you have, and what would a clausen buggy or truck looked like?

[littleVETTE]

Speaking of Big Jim, check out this shot from the starting grid of the 82 Worlds. Big Jim sporting some tube socks You can bet that shirt had a big white Checkmark on it.

That's my buddy Al Chuck pitting my car. Could that be HPI's owner Tatsuro Watanabe in the background?

Al-1k.jpg

lol i bet you could spot him anywhere with all that red. never seen a "young" shot of him like that. that's a keeper. thanks

the hpi owner you're talking about, is that him in the background with the white shirt and brown pants?