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Dave drives his scale model car with real style
Pembrokeshiresport.co.uk is delighted this month to introduce a new sport to the site in Scale Model Car Racing, with Dave Clutterbuck, from Neyland, as one of the most experienced exponents since he has been involved for over twenty years. Those of us not versed in this form of model car racing might make the mistake of dismissing it as an up-market form of Scalextric from our dim and distant childhood but talk to Dave for ten minutes and he will quickly ensnare you with his enthusiasm and provide you with the facts needed to prove that it is a hi-tech, high speed mini-version of car or truck racing, with scale models (in Dave’s case one-eighth scale) that use a very expensive form of fuel and there is certainly a need for care with health and safety, plus complex handsets for controlling the vehicles which are computerised, digital and have thousands of channels.
Shows prowess with ‘No Limit’
As well as his experiences of racing, Dave is also heavily involved in, and committed to, showing off what these cars have to offer at shows around the county and was recently off to Weston Park, near Telford, where there were also model planes as well as cars. At these events the ‘No Limit RC (UK)’ Chapter, which is the only British chapter of the ‘No Limit’ club in the USA, demonstrate the speed and control needed as they use ramps to jump over, or land on, cars or other large vehicles, which in Dave’s case has included a real tank! It really is an eye-catching spectacle since top exponents are able to jump up to 20 metres – as Dave and Co proved at this year’s ‘Monster Jam’ Truck Fest at the Millennium Stadium.
Thrills and spills of racing
Back on the racing front, Dave says,
“The cars are like ordinary cars in that they are fast, very powerful and potentially dangerous in the wrong hands since they race at around 45mph on a specially designed track which includes jumps and chicanes. I would have loved to race real cars as a youngster but the cost was prohibitive so this is certainly the next best thing – and I can assure you that it really gets the adrenalin going, with all the thrills and spills that take place in scale model motor racing.”
Dave’s most recent racing event was the Nitro X-Cross Championship on a 350 metre track which is organised by the East Shrewsbury Buggy Club and takes place on grass and his ‘Truggy’ ( a cross between a truck and car) performed quite well. The qualifying races are run over five minutes, plus one lap, and the top ten in terms of time reach the ‘A’ final, the next ten the ‘B’ final and so on (with the ‘B’ final winner qualifying for the ‘A’ final as a reward.
There were the usual jumps, chicanes and tyres placed to stop drivers cutting corners, and two pit stops needed during the twenty minute final where the car can be lifted onto a box set at waist height, refilled with the mixture of methanol and nitro which costs up to £30 a gallon! Dave’s wife Jo takes responsibility for his organisation of the race and they work closely together to make sure that things go smoothly.
Over two decades’ of involvement – and real success
Dave started out with his scale model racers over 20 years ago and the vehicles can cost £150 and upwards now, with real care needed to maintain the mechanical ‘set-up’ of the car as he can change shock absorbers, pistons and a host of other items that can make the car go well, including a choice of tyres for wet or dry conditions. There are all different types of racers made in America, Japan and Taiwan and Dave has a ‘Hot Bodies’ Truggy from sponsors HPI. His first success came in 1989, when he won the West Wales Championship, and has since won the Welsh Championship on two occasions to confirm his skill. He competed in the World Championships in 2000 and the series of races were featured over several weeks on the ‘Men and Motors’ channel on Sky Television – and his most recent long distance trek was to the USA and a special visit to ‘Digger’s Dungeon’, the home of the world-famous ‘Grave Digger’, the Monster Truck Racer. Dave had to race an all-electric car there, because he couldn’t take a methanol/nitro-fuelled racer on the plane, and he won one qualifying race – and had a great time overall despite being eventually eliminated.
Future hopes
So what ambitions does Dave still have in Scale Model Car Racing? He is happy to carry on with his racing but is even keener to develop others’ interest in his sport under the banner of ‘No Limit RC UK’. To that effect he will attend as many shows as he is invited to, showing off the power-paces of his cars, which generate 3.5HP and upwards of 38,000 RPM.
He is particularly eager to show what model car racing has for youngsters so that the sports’ future is assured but says that anyone can take part of any age.
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