UF1 RC 
Wins: 4
Podium Finishes: 6
Pole Positions: 1
Races Attended: 7
Congratulations on winning the 2019 UF1 Winter Series Championship. It was a great comeback season and we were extremely happy to see a lot of new faces show up to the event!
First off, tell us a little about yourself; how long have you been racing F1 and what drew you to that class?
My name is Hector Martinez. My favorite class indeed is F1. I have been running F1 for approximately 5 years. I came to TQ in 2014, I saw a guy named Panda driving his F1. I loved it and the following week I bought my own. Panda was always one of the ones that always helped me, and I am very grateful because he introduced me to F1.
Yup, Panda was running in the UF1 for quite a few years. Always a fast guy on the track. Looking back at the past season, what was your best moment of the series?
The best moment of the series was round 3, when Edgar Fiallos competed with us. The first two mains he pressured me and made me very nervous. But I was able to contain myself and win the victory. On the carpet usually nobody pressures me the way he did that day.
It’s always fun to run nose-to-tail with someone, especially if it’s a good, clean race! Switching gears, what was your worst moment of the series?
The worst moment was when we changed the race to asphalt because I didn’t have enough grip on my pneumatics and my car was loosing control.
Being your first UF1 series, did you find it challenging to run 15 minute races and having to work with two pit stops?
No, I didn’t find it challenging because in past races I had raced with a similar format.
Well good that you had previous experience. That sure helps. During the season, you were extremely dominant on the carpet. What chassis and electronics did you choose for your carpet car?
The first two rounds I used VBC Lighting FX18, Hobbywing speed control, Orca 21.5T motor, Orca 5,000mah Gen3 Battery and an Expert servo. On the last two races I switched to the Xray X1’18 with the same electronics. The only exception was the battery – I used a R1 6000mah pack.
So you tried two different chassis’ during the season. What was your decision based upon to swap them out?
I did use two different brands, VBC and Xray. The first one was very easy to drive and smooth, but the Xray has higher speed and its more consistent on lap times.
I’m sure your competitors weren’t so happy to see you switch to something even faster!
You won all four rounds on the carpet (as well as taking TQ in three of the 4 events), however your first attempt outside was a little shaky. What was your feeling after the first attempt on asphalt?
It’s obvious I’m a man of carpet, changing to asphalt is very challenging for me to find traction on my tires. I just knew I had to make enough points on the carpet to compensate for my outside results.
Not having alot of time outdoors, that seems like it was the best plan of attack. Seemed to work out well for you!
It seems that most drivers are moving to separate outdoor and indoor cars. Did you have a separate outdoor chassis and if so, which one was it and what electronics did you run?
The first race I drove a Tamiya TRF103, Hobbywing ESC and Hobbywing 21.5T motor. On my last race on asphalt I used my Xray X1’18 with the same electronics.
The next UF1 season will have four rounds outdoors and 4 rounds indoors. You are pretty much a favorite at the moment for the indoor part of the series. Are you making any adjustments to attack your outdoor program?
Yes, of course I will make changes. But first I have to practice more so I can detect the faulty parts of my car to make it better.
This season will be integrating the Constructions Championship. Do you have a fellow F1 driver in mind you’d like to team up with?
Yes, I do have someone in mind. His name is Brian Ruvalcaba and he is going to switch from UF2 to UF1. Him and I will team up together.
Well we’ve seen Brian run both indoors and out. He’s got some amazing talent on both surfaces so you guys will be a pretty tough team to beat!
One final question. The UF1 was designed for F1 enthusiasts to come out and play with cars based on the real deal. What advice will you give someone wanting to get into UF1?
Ever since I started to race onroad, my favorite class has always been F1. For me, it’s the most fun of all. My advice is to get to know the sport, learn it, then apply it to real life RC racing and to don’t be scared to go for it. Practice makes all the difference.
Thanks so much for the interview, Hector! Great to see you coming back after such a successful season! We’re all curious to see how you and Brian do in the Constructors as well! Congrats!
