FUTURE STARS OF RC: Jermaine Robinson

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Tyler Hooks

0 March 18, 2020, 9:36 a.m.

By Tyler Hooks
LiveRC.com

Future Stars of RC is a regular column on LiveRC where Tyler Hooks has a conversation with fellow up-and-coming racers across the country, covering youth-friendly topics such as school subjects, watching TV, throwing huge whips and, of course, relationships. 

Scotty Ernst and I had the pleasure of announcing the 2020 Dirt Nitro Challenge and one name consistently at the top of the leaderboards was Jermaine Robinson, a young HB Racing driver with a ton of talent from the West Coast. We caught up with him after his Intermediate Nitro Buggy win at Nitro Challenge.

Name: Jermaine Robinson
Age: 13
Sponsors: HB Racing, Proline Racing, MKS Servos, J&T Bearing Co, Flash Point, VRP, Cen Cal Hobbies

TH: When did you first begin racing?
JR: I started racing a Slash my Dad gave me for my birthday. My first race was at Hemet Raceway.

TH: What is your biggest racing accomplishment?
JR: My win in Intermediate Buggy at the 2020 DNC.

TH: What is your worst racing failure?
JR: My results at the 2017 Silver State. I had the speed to win both buggy and truggy, but broke both cars in the main.

TH: Where do you attend school, and what is your goal for a future occupation?
JR: I am finishing up 8th grade at Williams Middle School. I’d like to become a Mechanical Engineer.

TH: Do you have a girlfriend or boyfriend?
JR: Not right now.

TH: What is your favorite class for school and racing?
JR: My favorite class in school is Science. My favorite racing class is 1/8 nitro buggy.

TH: What do you think of the old saying “girls just get in the way of racing?”
JR: It sure seems so. I’ve seen a lot of good racers quit after meeting a girl.

TH: What is your real dream car?
JR: Porsche GT2 RS. Must have all the manuals.

TH: Huge whips, driving absolutely flat out or more calculated driving, smoother on the throttle?
JR: Huge whips, for the kids of course.

TH: Action Sports or Conventional sports, what do you follow in your free time?
JR: I follow basketball. And I love to ride my scooter.

TH: This comes after your big win at the DNC, how was that weekend as a whole?
JR: The weekend started off pretty good. I had solid runs in qualifying. Then the rain came, and it kinda threw me off a bit. I didn’t really go through my truck like I should have, and I had a failure in the main. But I recovered nicely on Sunday.

TH: Who did you look up to when you were an even younger racer, or who has been the biggest help to you as a driver?
JR: As a younger driver, I looked up to Adam Drake. I was able to watch him prep his cars and race, and I picked up a lot from him.

TH: What is the biggest piece of advice you would give to a new up and coming racer?
JR: Focus on your driving consistency. Speed isn’t as critical, as you can’t go fast if you are always on your lid.