UF1 RC Podium Interviews
Drivers: Lee Passehl (1st), Ron Schuur (2nd), Tony Neisinger (3rd)
Chassis: TOP Rebel
ESC: Tekin RS
Motor: Schuur Speed 21.5
Battery: Turnigy Shorty
Driver: Lee Passehl
Q: Another dominate victory for Team Patron-Honda. You took the win by 5 points over your nearest rival, coincidentally your teammate. How does it feel to not only win but go 1-2 in the Constructor’s race?
A: It feels really great! Ron Schuur and I have been making changes to our cars as traction has increased and those changes have really helped to reduce the chances of traction rolling. This has allowed us to be a bit more aggressive and confident in our driving style in areas where traction rolling is a problem. I think this had given us a slight edge along with us both being very consistent over the three races.
Q: Tell us a little about your dad; what is his part on the team? Does he help keep you focused in between races?
A: My dad is a big part in our discussions of what chassis and tire changes the team will want to try out on the cars when track conditions change. We’ve been working together for so long that his advice usually to me between rounds is “just drive your race, you know what you’re doing”.
Q: You are on your way to being the first two-time UF1 Champion. Is that something you are thinking about or are you taking each race one at a time?
A: I am very proud and honored of the possibility that I may be the first two time UF1 Champion, but there is still one race left and I can take nothing for granted. I have lost a lot of my points lead with the 3 throw out points adjustment. There are so many great drivers involved in this series that can alter the outcome of any race. I am fortunate and happy to just be a part of what I consider to be the best racing series there is.
When I was growing up my dad shared a philosophy that he would always tell me; “if you take care of your pennies, the dollars will take care of themselves”. The same thing goes for racing; if you pay attention to the small details in your preparation and practice, the results will follow.
Chassis: TOP Rebel F1
ESC: Hacker Sensoric10
Motor: SchuurSpeed 21.5
Battery: ThunderPower Shorty
Driver: Ron Schuur
Q: Congratulations on a great 2nd place finish. A great run by both you and Lee; how does it feel to have Team Patron-Honda go 1-2?
A: It was just one of those days everything fell into place. A day to be remembered for sure.
Q: Passehl is obviously a title-contending force on the track. Has he been helpful to you in your weekly race regimen?
A: Without a doubt Lee’s ability to run practice laps at a race pace has been a big factor. We can make a change and get immediate feedback; are the laps slower or faster? We’ve tried some unusual things on the F1 cars and made some early progress that has carried us through the series. Bottom line, Lee is really a fantastic teammate.
Q: You’re sitting 5th overall in the Driver’s Championship. How do you feel going into the last two races?
A: Well to be sitting anywhere in the Top 10 of this series after my first race day is a huge bonus. I’ll approach the next 2 race days as before and put the effort in to maintain my results of late. This series is extremely competitive and challenging so a finish in the Top 5 would be awesome but in reality a Top 10 would be very satisfying.
Chassis: Tamiya F104 VII
ESC: LRP SXX Stock Spec
Motor: Reedy Sonic 21.5
Battery: Reedy Shorty
Driver: Tony Neisinger
Q: Solid performance again, Tony. Great to see a Ferrari up there mixing it up with the Patron boys. How was the car today?
A: The car was ok. I went with the basic initial setup I used when this series began. The last two series races, I was trying some totally different setups to try to get the car to quit snap rolling without giving up so much steering.
Q: I understand you’ll be missing the next race (and possibly the final one). That must be quite a blow since you’re sitting pretty high on the leaderboards.
A: Yes, it would have been nice to be able to race all the series events, but I still really enjoy what this series is really about everytime I participate. The close competition, realisitic cars and racing heats, and great people who are true racing enthusiasts.
Q: The 2013 Summer Series starts in March. Will you be joining us?
A: I will try to make as many races that I can. It will be interesting racing at the different tracks with different conditions which will make the series just that more enjoyable.
Great job guys and thanks for the Post-Race Interviews. See you at the next race on February 2nd.
