Like Ryan Maifield, Billy Fischer, and other Arizona-born pros who came before him, Spencer Rivkin first found success at the Cactus Classic and was courted by Team Associated early in his career. The rising teenage star grabbed the first two ROAR National Championships of his career last summer, as he won the 17.5 Short Course and 2WD Buggy classes at Silver Dollar RC Raceway in Chico, CA, then backed up those great results with the Open 4WD class title at this year's Reedy Race of Champions. Pegged by many to help fill the void left when his mentor, Ryan Maifield, departed Team Associated earlier this year. After being interviewed for Talk It Up Tuesday a few months ago, I caught up with Spencer again heading into his first ROAR Nationals in the Modified divisions.
Aaron Waldron: How old are you, and where are you from?
Spencer Rivkin: I’m 15 years old, and I’m from Surprise, AZ.
AW: What grade are you in, and at what school?
SR: I am in the 10th grade and I go to Willow Canyon High School.
AW: How did you get into RC, and how long have you been racing?
SR: One day when I was outside the house, I saw my neighbor with a remote-controlled car. It was a Jato 3.3. I asked my dad, "Can I get one for my 9th birthday?" About 3 months later my dad took me to the Nitro Pit, and that's when the real fun started. A year later I got a MBX6T and I’ve been racing ever since. When I got into electric, I was running a brand of car that was not working out for me, and Jeff "Humpty" Helms came up to my Dad and I, and said, "Let's put together a B4 and see how you do." So that day my dad bought a B4 and gave it to Humpty to build on that Saturday afternoon. I raced that day with the B4 and I was beating every mod driver there. When I was done with that race, Humpty told my dad and I that I had lots of potential. Ever since that day he's been helping me and going to different tracks like Competition Hobbies and SRS. Without him getting me on the right track, I wouldn't be where I'm at now. I have been competitively racing for 2 years.
AW: What made you decide to start attending big races and trying to attract sponsors?
SR: I wanted to start attending big race because I love this hobby and I wanted to get better. As I was getting better I was getting more sponsors.
AW: How often do you practice and race?
SR: I race three times a week, sometimes four. I practice on club race days because I get to the track really early.
AW: Is it difficult to balance school and racing?
SR: No, because I get most of my work done before I go out of town.
AW: What’s it like traveling around to RC races with your father?
SR: It’s awesome because he supports me a lot, and without him I would not be even racing.
AW: Who are some of the racers that have helped you most in your career so far?
SR: Ryan Maifield, Jeff “Humpty” Helms, and Brian Kinwald.
AW: How did you feel when you found out Ryan Maifield was switching to TLR and Orion?
SR: I was really upset, but also really happy for him.
AW: Do you feel any added pressure to step into the spot that Ryan left on the team?
SR: I don't have anymore pressure than I did before, when he was still on the team. I don’t really think that I’m stepping into his shoes, but I hope to!
AW: What did it mean to you when you crossed the finish line and won last year’s ROAR Nationals in 17.5 buggy? Was that the biggest race you had won to that point?
SR: It meant and still means a lot to me. That was the biggest race I won at that point, as well as the Cactus Classic.
AW: What was a bigger deal - winning the ROAR Nationals in 17.5 buggy, or winning Open 4WD at the Reedy Race earlier this year?
SR: I think the Open 4WD class at the Reedy Race was a bigger deal than the 17.5 ROAR Nationals.
AW: Are you nervous heading into the ROAR Nationals knowing that you’ll be racing in the Modified classes?
SR: Yes and no.
AW: What are your goals for this weekend?
SR: My main goal is to make the mains in all my classes, but my goal at every race is to win.
AW: What is your favorite tracks?
SR: My favorite tracks are OCRC and the new SRS.
AW: When you’re not at the racetrack, what are some of your favorite hobbies?
SR: I like playing basketball and football with friends.
AW: Thank you so much! Do you have any other sponsors or people you’d like to thank?
SR: Team Associated, Reedy, JConcepts, Airtronics, Lunsford, B-Fast RC, Stickit1racing, Hobby Town SRS, and Team Kinwald.
8/19/2014
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