‘Without knowledge you can drive but you can’t win’ – Jilles Groskamp
It is easy to think that the top drivers in the World have a special ability to just show up at an event and put their car on the track and be quick straight off the bat. While there are one or two exceptions who do possess this super power, for the most part the success comes from combining that natural talent with a lot of hard work, that mostly goes unnoticed, between races. Racing at the top level is relentless because when you are not putting in the work your rivals are, and they are making marginal gains that combined can be the difference between them winning or you not. One driver who has always stood out as one of the hardest working drivers in our sport is Jilles Groskamp. Even back in the dominant years of the Tamiya TRF team in electric touring car it was Jilles who was doing most of the ground work for the entire team. That effort was justly rewarded when he became the 2012 Electric Touring Car World Champion at his home track of Heemstede. Now at the age of 43, Jilles admitting himself ‘I’m not the youngest guy anymore’, putting in the work is even more vital than before and through that comes knowledge which he points out ‘without knowledge you can drive but you can’t win’.
The 1:8 Onroad World Championship will be only Jilles’ fifth in the category. His first was 15-years ago when he made the trip to Argentina in for the 2007 Worlds. A team driver for Xray back then, it was the launch of their first ever 1:10 Nitro car at the European Championship in Spain a year earlier that led to him being put in at the deep end in 1:8. Using Sirio engines, the Dutch driver impressed the Italian manufacturer on his EC debut finishing second to Dario Balestri who successfully defended his title. While Xray didn’t have a 1:8 car at the time, Jilles would drive a Kyosho due to Japanese company’s close links with Sirio. While Jilles would make the Quarter finals on his debut he said the biggest issue was ‘not enough experience’. Very much an Electric Touring Car driver at the time when Jilles moved to Tamiya he said his electric racing schedule prevented him from competing in Nitro but as he also stated, Tamiya having no competition nitro onroad chassis, racing a Kyosho car was ‘not so smart’. Returning to 1:8 in 2013 with Shepherd and Maxima engines, he would win the European Championship which was followed by a trip to Japan for the Worlds. Despite losing a shock in the Semi he still made the main but his race would end with an engine failure. After another break from World Championship action due to electric commitments, his signing for Infinity would see him in France in 2017. Making the final there, he was in a battle with Shoki Takahata for the podium when his engine broke. As the saying goes “bad things come in threes” and in 2019 he would fail to make the final, yes his engine broke in the Semi final.
With nitro racing having become the major part of his program with 2017 1:8 and 2018 1:10 World Champion manufacturer Infinity, Jilles says he has gotten a better understanding of engine and clutch set-up and how one effects the other adding ‘you can gain at lot from understanding what to do’. He added it is the same with pipes and knowing what they do in different conditions but says ‘understanding the power and its effects is something I enjoy a lot. If you don’t have the engine power you don’t have steering. Sometimes I think it is not fair that other guys have more power but you need to find your way to make it best for you’.
And it is on this statement that Jilles has decided to choose to run Picco engines at Infinity International RC Speedway. The brand that powered Tadahiko Sahasi to the World title last time it was held in Japan, Jilles explained, ‘Not many people are using Picco, most use O.S based engines. I started with this (O.S) and it feels nothing special so I tested Picco and it had more power than my O.S did. I also saw Steven Cypers use Picco and he had really good power. I have been getting great support from Picco since deciding to run their engines and we are really prepared, I have 8 engines ready.’ Another bonus to running their engines is that Jille’s mechanic Armin Weihert has experience with the Italian brand from the time Oliver Mack ran them. Also boosted by the new IF18 III Infinity has released, he said, ‘the main conclusion from running the new car is that it has more traction, is more stable, and has more steering. Everyone in the team is happy with the new car. It is more consistent and with controlled tyres this helps a lot’.
Asked about his hard work ethic, Jilles replied, ‘I work for a company so I have to show them I work hard. I can’t just show up at races, it looks bad. To just arrive at a race you are already on the back foot. This season I have mainly focused on 1:8. Not many people see this work in the background. I have even prepared parts boxes so it is easy to find everything. That takes time but as well as my job it is still my hobby so it is still nice to do, sorting everything out.’ Unlike many of his team-mates, Jilles has never been to IFS before but again as part of the behind the scene preparations he has been watch videos of the track saying ‘you need a lot of steering and to ride the curbs. It looks like a challenging track and that you need power in the bottom and mid range so I can be really confident with Picco’. On his goals for these Worlds he said, ‘I’m realistic, especially as it is Japan. Sometimes you have guys you never heard about that are super quick. If I get straight into the Semi I’ll be very happy, then my game starts. I am stronger in the finals than qualifying.’ Asked if the pressure of World Championships still make him nervous, he replied, ‘I’m not nervous. I am more thinking of how I’m able to manage being away from home and everything can run OK. This is my job, so for sure I’m excited to go there and to see everyone again. If you have a good race, make the final, make the podium, it feels even more great’.
2023 IFMAR 1:10 Offroad World Championship coverage presented by Infinity
The third of the four World Championships Red RC will attend this year, starting Monday, 30th October, our coverage of 1:8 Onroad in Japan is being supported by Infinity. Releasing their first car in 2015, the Japanese manufacturer won its first 1:8 Onroad World Championship in 2017 in France with Dario Balestri and last year completed the nitro onroad World Championship set by winning the 1:10 Onroad title in Thailand with Tadahiko Sahashi. As well as producing Nitro Onroad kits, Infinity also offer 1:10 Electric Touring Cars and Formula 1 chassis.
