Track Focus – RC Tracks of Las Vegas

Track Name – RC Tracks of Las Vegas
Host –  Chris Tocco
Country – United States
Location – Las Vegas
Direction – Clockwise
Surface – Dirt with paved section

Two years ago, during an IFMAR meeting at the 2014 1:8 Offroad World Championships in Italy, when Paul King confirmed that ROAR had from 3 applications selected Las Vegas to host the next World Championship, the father of 2010 World Champion Cody King backed up the announcement with ‘Chris will do a great job’.  Roll on 2-years and a great job is exactly what Chris Tocco has done presenting a facility that reflects that status of what is the sport’s most important race.  Situated directly across from the main runway of Las Vegas’ busy McCarran International Airport, RC Tracks of Las Vegas was only in the early stages of being built when it was announced as the host of the 16th running of the World Championships but former Motocrosser Tocco said this was part of the planning as it allowed him to put in place the right infrastructure for a Worlds from the start allowing the time closer to the event to be used to plan the finer details and make the race ‘a show’.

Originally from SoCal, Chris’ background is motocross.  Starting out on bikes at the age of 4, he would ride professionally in a career that lasted 19-years.  Eventually forced to retire from bikes through injuries, he would make the transition from riding to building training tracks for pro riders.  Away from that he would discover RC as a new way to get his racing fix and in that time developed a friendship with none other than Jared Tebo.   Losing touch a little with RC, a move to Las Vegas would re-ignite his interest initially as he raced some 1:10 Offroad Indoor, but because of his similarity to Motocross he really wanted to be racing 1:8 Nitro and as ‘a nitro guy’ this lead him to seek out a location on which to build a track.  Looking for a site, he was to come across a 2 & a half acre plot of land which he said at the time was disused and completely covered in trash.  Part of a 144 acre site that also houses an outdoor kart track and outdoor baseball batting cages, he took on a lease on the plot of land with the goal from Day 1 to bring his motocross knowledge to RC.  Having built AMA National Motocross tracks that could cater for 40,000 race fans, he said while RC budgets are a lot smaller he still wanted to bring the same kind of experience of a motocross track not just for racers but for those who come to watch the racing.  He said ‘racers are here focused on the serious business of trying to become World Champion but I want fans to come and go, this is awesome I have to get a car’.

In terms of the track build, Chris said he has taken elements from previous track builds but the rhythm five pack is something new which he as always wanted to try, with the paved section also a first for him as a track builder.  Built in an area 175 feet wide by 139 feet deep, the track has been described by many as ‘easy’,  a criticism he said he will take.   He said, ‘I could have made double jumps but then when the track roughs up no one will be able to make them.  I want drivers to race each other.  Good racing is better than just who can jump it the best’.  Spending $30,000 on bringing in the dirt for the track, he said initially they tried to glue the surface but he quickly went back to ROAR/IFMAR and said if thats what you want then give the event to someone else adding, ‘I’m a motocross guy, racing should be on dirt not a sealed flat surface’.  In order to help make the track last the 8-days of racing his track team will water the track between each and every heat, something they managed to achieve successfully in yesterday’s ‘Race In’ event when he said they had the track watering finished before the marshal’s got to their posts.  Chris said, ‘the track crew are doing an awesome job and want to thank anyone who picked up a hose, a brush, zip tie for that help’.

One driver with experience of the the track already is Mike Truhe.  Although he had qualified for a Team USA Worlds entry, an admin error meant he missed the closing date for receipt of the actual entry and so he had to book his place in the Worlds through the ‘Race In’ yesterday which was won by Lee Martin.  Describing the track as ‘simple’, he said ‘I think it will get better as it gets bumpier’.  The Mugen driver added, ‘If you’re late in one corner your going to be late in the next three’.  On the paving section he said ‘I expected more of difference but it didn’t grip or change how I needed to drive it’.  Feeling more bumps will give tyres more to grip off, tyre wear expected to be low, the former Vice-Champion added, the track is not finished being built up until Saturday so its going to get more character each day’.

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