I met Chris Tocco over a decade ago, having grown up frequenting nitro races in Southern California where Chris and his brother, Corey, also competed. It was exciting to learn that Chris was opening his own track in Las Vegas, an area that has desperately deserved a quality outdoor facility within city limits for a long, long time. This week, while halfway around the world, we learned that the track Chris is finishing up in order to open to the public for the first time will be the next host of IFMAR's biggest race, which will bring the 1/8-Scale World Championships back to the United States for the first time in eight years. I fired off a Facebook message in the week hours of the morning to see how he reacted to the news.
Aaron Waldron: Congratulations on landing the bid for the IFMAR World Championships! How did you react to the news?
Chris Tocco: Thanks Aaron! I was so excited I don't think I can explain it. I just know how huge this is for our track and all the racers in Las Vegas. I am so honored to be chosen to host this prestigious race.
AW: How did you get started in RC?
CT: I raced motocross from the time I was 5 years old. When I was 15 I broke both my ankles racing MX so that Christmas, my grandfather bought me an RC10T and I went to RacePrep in Southern California and got hooked from there. I raced off and on for a few years but in 2003 I was done racing motocross and had more time to race RC. I really got into racing gas truck at Hot Rod Hobbies, then one day I was at Sun Valley Raceway and drove Greg Degani's Kyosho 1:8 buggy and was completely hooked. That felt like racing moto again to me and I started taking it more seriously and traveling a bit.
AW: As a former racer, what prompted you to build your own facility?
CT: Well, I've always thought I could build and run a track pretty well, but I lived in SoCal and there were quite a few tracks around so it just didn't make business sense to open another one out there. I moved to Las Vegas with my wife 3 years ago. I was watching the IFMAR 1:10 Worlds on LiveRC and watched my buddy Jared win the 2WD title and got the itch to race again. The only track here in Vegas is an indoor electric track so that's where I raced. But I'm a nitro guy and saw there wasn't a track that was open out here and decided to work on opening an 1:8 off road track. From there I met my business partner David and he got excited too so we got to work!
AW: Was hosting the Worlds always the goal?
CT: Yes it was a major goal for me! After I found the location, that's all I thought about. I kept telling my wife that I really wanted to host the Worlds. I knew if the facility was built properly and where our track was located, they would have a hard time turning us down. My partner wasn't sure how serious they would take us because we were just starting to build it, but I didn't care what anybody thought. Besides, it's Las Vegas! What could they say? No? So I had the IFMAR and ROAR rule book with me at all times and wanted to build it to that standard so we at least had a shot at the Worlds. The feeling I got when Steve from ROAR called to congratulate me is something I will never forget.
AW: What do you think made your facility stand out above the other bids?
CT: Well being that it's Las Vegas, across from the airport and 1000 feet from Las Vegas Blvd. doesn't hurt. Also, we are making sure to do this right, from the dirt we chose, the drivers stand we had built, the pit area, the location at the Sports Center and going through permitting the right way. Everything is first class and well thought out. We weren't going to cut corners even if that meant it would take 12 months to open.
AW: Do you think your motocross background influences your track designs?
CT: Yes, I do. I have built motocross and supercross tracks for some of the top names in the sport. My brother and I also built the AMA Motocross National at Glen Helen in 2008 and 2009. I would like to bring something a little different to the rc track designs. I like elevation changes and big berms, too. Technical jumps, I feel, are more fun than hitting a jump at full punch. Our tracks will be fun and make for good racing. I'm a bit of a perfectionist too. We aren't even open yet and I've already built two layouts. That part is fun for me. I have some cool ideas for future tracks and now we have two years to see what really works and build something really cool for the 2016 Worlds.
AW: Sixteen years ago, the USA hosted the 1/8-Scale IFMAR Worlds for the first time - and that, too, was in Las Vegas. What makes the city such a great place to host an international event?
CT: Las Vegas is host to some of the biggest events in the world! What it brings to the event is excitment that nowhere else can match. The city is built around entertainment. The Worlds is already an exciting event, then you add to the fact that we have some of the best hotels, dining, shows, gambling, clubs and shopping in the world and it's icing on the cake. I believe this Worlds will be something the industry professionals can bring their families to. The racers can be serious about the race while their families can enjoy the town as though they were on a vacation. You can't do that at any other track in the world, in my opinion.
AW: What can we expect at the 2016 IFMAR Worlds?
CT: The facility will be very clean, well put together and accommodating. We have an onsite kitchen, go-karts, batting cages, and a rockwall for entertainment. I really want to set the bar for future Worlds and show how professional RC racing can become. I really like how supercross is a show for the fans, but also a very serious racing event and I would like to bring that to the RC industry. We are working with a few major hotels to become the event partners and accommodate our racers and teams. As far as the track, it will be a mix of Euro, American and motocross style. The rest, I guess, we will have to wait and see.
Before we end, I would like to thank my partner David for helping make a dream a reality. Without him all of this would not be possible. I would also like to thank my wife Kayla for supporting me and pushing me to build this. We have some work ahead of us to bring this to life, but we have a great team of guys working on this project and I know it will be a worthy facility to host the Worlds and many big races to come in the future!
9/23/2014
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