Grand Motorsports, Team Tekin, MaxAmps lipo batteries, big squid RC

TSRacing "in the Pits"

Tekin team manager Randy Pike

TSRacing: “Give us a little overview of your background in the hobby industry...What lead you to become a team manager and working for the most talked about company of late?”

Randy Pike:

I’ve been involved with RC for over 20 years. Prior to working for Tekin I was a team driver since 2005. At the time I owned a hobby shop and was still working as an auto tech at a Dodge dealership. My heavy technical experience with real car technology slowly started to spill over to the new brushless technology. I use to talk to Jim Campbell (owner of Tekin) on a regular basis as I frequently tested new products. The Team Manager position opened up and the rest is history.

TSRacing: “Have you been surprised that the RC community has suddenly adopted your motors and speed controls?”

Randy Pike:

Yes and no actually. Tekin has been known as one of the founding fathers of the electronic speed controller in r/c. Bringing that name back to life with the exceptional products and customer service was a key factor and we knew it would only take time for the customers to choose Tekin. It’s been a lot of hard work and long hours, but we have one of the hardest working groups in the industry dedicated to being there for our customers.

TSRacing: “What new motor or speed control technologies are you working with right now that we’ll be seeing in the near future?”

Randy Pike:

Everyone knows that we never stop development. We’re a racing company that is dedicated to being at the top. We have some new products coming down the pipeline but I can’t discuss them at the moment, sorry!

TSRacing: “When you look at the overall health of the RC industry (sales, number of people active in the sport, etc) right now, what do you see? A high point, low point, or point of transition?”

Randy Pike:

I believe we’re in a point of transition. Customers are now viewing electronics purchases as a long term investment, not just something to replace when the upgrades or new version comes out. Racers in general were very prone to spend money to keep up with technology changes. Now with the ability to upgrade software I feel that has changed the way people view electronics. This now adds “what company is going to support me long term” into the customers purchasing equation.

I do feel that the sport needs to come back to its roots. There are too many classes right now in racing that water down the experience and can quickly confuse new racers to our sport.

TSRacing: “What is the single biggest change that can be done at the manufacture level to boost the overall health?

Randy Pike:

Manufacturer cooperation. R/C is still a very small hobby when compared to other sport activities. We need to improve upon the exposure factors. Hosting races out in the middle of a field does very little to grow the hobby/sport. We need to host these events near shopping centers, fair grounds while the fair is occurring, and other relatable sporting/motor sports events which are likely to catch the attention of our potential consumer base. We need to bring more consumers into our exciting hobby. We cannot do this without the proper exposure. The entire manufacturer base needs to work together in some fashion to improve this exposure and help the hobby grow. Without growth the hobby will not improve.

TSRacing: “We are well into the “new age” in electric RC's. Nitro's once dominated in the late 90's. Electrics made a mind-blowing comeback due to brushless motors and lithium based batteries. Where was the first time you were able to see the future of electrics?”

Randy Pike:

Running my 1/10 brushless truck in a 30 minute nitro truck race with a battery change. You could never do this before without destroying a brushed motor in the process. I knew right then and there that electric was going to make a comeback.

TSRacing: “How can you see the industry changing due to brushless motors and lithium based packs in the next 5-10 years?”

Randy Pike:

I don’t believe that your nitro racing will ever go away completely. Nitro racing is a completely different experience with the pit strategies, smell and sound. However I do feel that it has allowed people to experience 1/8 racing without the need for a 2^nd person to race. Nitro racing requires a pitman, electric does not. Removing the fumes and noise will also allow for the larger scales to be raced in areas that you simply could not before. I predict some new classes and designs that can exploit this new technology in the future. Quick change battery designs and electric specific chassis’s are not far off either. Battery technology will also continue to grow at an accelerated rate. Batteries that are less volatile, can be fully charged in 20 minutes are right around the corner.

TSRacing: “If you had an unlimited budget, were head of the project, and could build anything you wanted, what type of RC car would you manufacture?”

Randy Pike:

Wow that’s a tough one! My favorite class has always been 1/10 4wd mod buggy. The current designs are great in their own right but with the current technology there is room for quite a bit of improvement. I have some design ideas like a unique drive train layout that utilizes……………..hey wait a second; I’m not going to give my ideas away! LOL

TSRacing: First choice,

Corn or Potato chips? Randy Pike: Potato

Trucks or Cars? Randy Pike: Trucks

Shorts or Pants? Randy Pike: Shorts

Texted or Talk? Randy Pike: Texted

TSRacing: “Thank you Randy for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk to us at TSRacing. Who would you like to thank?”

Randy Pike:

Thank you! I would like to thank Jim and Sherri Campbell for giving me the opportunity to be a part of Tekin. This is truly a job that never feels like one! Most of all I would like to thank my wife and kids for supporting me!

Questions or Comments?

Feel free to email us at TimSmithRacing@gmail.com