HPI Europe was proud to sponsor this past weekend's first UK Scaler Nationals. Organized by Radio Race Car International and its Head Editor Peter Gray, this 'comp' was designed from the start to be a fun, laidback and interesting weekend for scale RC afficionados from across the UK. Scale crawling fans headed to Derbyshire, converging in the historic Peak District, from as far away as Newcastle and Bristol just to have a laugh, share driving tips and trade scale parts back and forth.
Radio Race Car Head Editor Peter Gray paid to hire the location at Bracken Rocks near Belper & Matlock in Derbyshire, with the entry fees and raffle tickets donated to The Pluto Appeal, a charity that provides remote surgical robot services when surgeons aren't able to operate directly on their patients. What a perfect RC tie-in! Many prizes were donated by companies throughout the RC industry, with HB-HPI donating 2.2" and 1.9" crawler tyres that will do someone really well in their next comp! Nearly £1000 was raised for the charity due to the goodwill of RRCI, companies such as HPI and the racers themselves, some of whom donated money to 'buy' crawler parts from other racers. The camraderie enjoyed by all the competitors made it feel like a weekend away and not an uber-serious event, and everyone enjoyed the tough trail sections, with spectators, scorekeepers and other drivers suggesting lines and routes for the drivers on the course. Successful manoeuvres were celebrated by cheers and clapping, and with only trophies and bragging rights on the line the mood was friendly and helpful through the entire competition. All in all, it was a fantastic, friendly weekend - the perfect way to have some fun with your RC vehicle! Many thanks to Chris from RadshapeRC.com for the use of his pictures! .
