ADVERTISEMENT | ADVERTISE WITH US
0
April 1, 2013, 11:02 a.m.
4/2/2013
By Mike Garrison
LiveRC.com
Welcome to LiveRC's weekly column, "Talk-It-Up Tuesday!" Here we spend a little time talking with industry icons including racers, manufacturers, team managers, developers, promoters, and everyone in between! Sit back, relax, and go behind the scenes as we interview them all!
This edition of "Talk-It-Up Tuesday!" we have decided to sit down with long time racer, business owner, and Psycho Nitro Blast winner, Ryan Lutz. Ryan has been a fan favorite for years with his personality and kindness off the track, but on the track he is all business. Lutz is known for a long list of successful race wins and World Championship finishes. His most recent success comes from the PNB, where he was able to bring home the victory in the stacked 1:8 Pro Buggy class. We've sat down with Ryan to discuss the race and his plans for 2013!
LiveRC: Ryan, thanks for joining us on this edition of "Talk-It-Up Tuesday!". Let's start with your recent win at the Psycho Nitro Blast. You had some stiff competition, but proved to be THE guy to beat. Did you feel confident going into the event that you would walk away a winner?
Ryan: Thanks for having me. Going into the Psycho Nitro Blast I generally feel confident that I will do well. How the track ends up at the end of the week suits one of my driving styles very well which is to be creative and find lines others don't see or can't hit. So as the track progressively got more blown out throughout the weekend I knew that I would have a good shot.
LiveRC: Overall, who do you think your biggest competition right now is in 1:8 buggy? Ryan: Really it's a tossup of many top drivers. There is a solid crop of top 1/8th Buggy performers and any of them can be on, on any given weekend.
LiveRC: Team Durango has been working on some new platforms, including a new touring car. Will we see you behind the wheel of the new touring car? Ryan: With my extremely limited time behind the wheel of a TC I have not been a part of the discussion on that vehicle at all. I'm sure once it becomes available I'll give it a try and maybe do one big race a year but of course it's not my focus.
LiveRC: The Silver State Nitro Challenge is coming up soon, what sort of things do you work on to stay on top of your game and "train" for major events such as this?
Ryan: For me there isn't much time to 'train'. It's just taking the knowledge from the previous race and applying it to the next race. I travel and race so much that i'm so used to driving on a new and different track every week other other week so i've gotten pretty adept at just adjusting and doing my best from event to event.
LiveRC: LutzRC is the United States distributor of your new Alpha engine. How has it been going on the business front?
Ryan: Yea, its just a small business I started to allow me to import my Alpha Plus Ryan Lutz Edition engines into the USA. It's been going way better than I expected. So many more people than I ever thought are giving the Pink engine a try and the feedback has overall been super positive. Around June time I have some new items coming available that are exciting for me and I really think will be well received by the racing public. I hope people continue to give the engine a try as I feel it's one of the best out there!
LiveRC: Personally when I think Ryan Lutz, I think of your incredible whips and drift-style truggy driving from the first time we met at the RC Pro Finals years ago. What class do you enjoy the most and consider your "specialty"?
Ryan: Yea, my driving style has 'matured' you could say over the past couple years and on most tracks I don't have the same 'let it all hang loose' driving style that I used to. I've opted for more of a consistent style but I always have that 'drift' style in reserve for when it's needed or warranted! Truggy is probably my specialty class where I feel I have the ability to always do the best in. Unfortunately in the past year and a half i've had really bad luck when it comes to truggy finals. I'm hoping to fix that soon because I really feel it's a class that I excel in. 1/8th Nitro buggy though is my favorite class and the one I prefer to do better in.
LiveRC: You have travelled a lot to some pretty interesting places with your racing on behalf of your sponsors, where would you say has been the MOST interesting and why?
Ryan: I would say the 2010 Worlds in Thailand. Riding in the back of a pickup truck as a Taxi. Seeing what seemed like 100 power lines strung up and if one goes bad they just tie it up right on that pole and string another. It's just a whole different culture from what i'm accustomed to.
LiveRC: Best and worst moments in R/C?
Ryan: Best would have to be seeing my engines perform so well for customers and seeing them at the track! Worst would be breaking in the A-main at the Worlds after moving up to 3rd.
LiveRC: Major goal for 2013?
Ryan: I have 3 for this year. Win Neo 2013, Make the A-mains at the 1/10th Electric Worlds, and have a successful launch of my new LutzRC products!
LiveRC: Ryan, thanks for joining us today, is there anything you would like to add?
Ryan: Thank you for the interview. I would like to thank my sponsors who support me Durango, Alpha Plus, AKA, Byron Fuels, Futaba, ProTekRC, Tekin, 4C Hobby Supply, 92Zero Designs, LiveRC.com, LutzRC, PT RC Racing Oils, R/C Hobby of Medina ,Paint by Ron, R/C Race Teez. Most of all I would like to thank those who are reading this interview and who support me and this great hobby we all enjoy! Thank you for allowing me to do what I do and as always let me know if I can be of any help to you!
JOIN US NEXT WEEK FOR ANOTHER EDITION OF "TALK-IT-UP TUESDAY!"
Eng / Usd
Français
Deutsch
Italiano
Recent comments