TALK IT UP TUESDAY: Marc Rheinard [GALLERY]

0 June 6, 2017, 11:11 a.m.

By Aaron Waldron
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!

RC racing is a family business for Marc Rheinard; his father helped found the Euro Touring Series and Euro Offroad Series in addition to owning his own hobby shop and racing facilities, and brother Toni owns and operates a distribution company and retail site. However, it’s Marc - a four-time IFMAR world champion who has enjoyed international success in nearly every form of RC racing - that’s perhaps the best known. After his record-extending sixth Reedy Touring Car Race of Champions title a couple of weeks ago, I asked Marc about his racing career, his life, the offseason switch to Infinity and more for this week’s Talk It Up Tuesday.

Aaron Waldron: How old are you, and where are you from?

Marc Rheinard: I turned 30 in November of last year, and I'm from Andernach, Germany.

AW: How did you get into RC, and how long have you been racing?

MR: I started when I was 7 years old. My dad had his own indoor and outdoor track, including a hobby shop. After school I went pretty much every day to drive RC cars. Then I did Tamiya Cup races for a long time!

Photo: The RC Racer

AW: What made you decide to start attending big races and trying to attract sponsors? When did you first think about racing RC cars for a living?

MR: After the Tamiya Cup races I started to drive in the modified touring car class in Germany and did also some international races like the LRP Masters and DHI Cup. I had some good results and then, in 2004, I decided to attend the IFMAR ISTC World Championship in Kissimee, Florida. I had been getting some parts for free from Tamiya and Team Orion, but my parents paid my trip to the Worlds. I went there with my parents, basically just to see how the world championship is, not thinking about winning the race or making the A Final. But I totally exceeded my expectations and, surprisingly, won the world championship! Until then I had never thought about making a living off of racing, but the first contracts came after winning the world championship and from that moment on I’ve raced for a living. And I'm really happy about that!

AW: What is your favorite track? What about your favorite event?

MR: There are many tracks which I like. My favorite track was from the the 2008 world championship in Bangkok, but it’s not there anymore. Besides that track, I think the Hudy Arena is probably the best RC track right now.

My favorite race is the Reedy Race at the Tamiya America racetrack as I love the heads up racing a lot! The Euro Touring Series is the best series in the world, with a really high level of competition.

AW: How often do you practice and race? Is it important to practice with faster drivers, or do you prefer to run on an empty track?

MR: To be honest I don’t practice very much. When I come home from a race, I don’t touch my cars for a while. I enjoy the “normal life“ with my friends. Before a big event, I practice and prepare all my stuff to be ready to hit the track! It’s always important to practice with other good drivers to see which pace you need to be competitive.

AW: How often do you enjoy racing disciplines other than touring car, like off-road and 1/12-scale? Will we see you racing more nitro on-road with the Infinity team?

MR: Touring car is for sure my favorite category, but I also enjoy off-road a lot. It’s a lot of fun to drive 1/12-scale cars but it’s not my favorite class - I basically just do the world championship every two years! Right now we don’t plan that I do nitro racing. I will focus more on electric for now as we have a brand new car and new team!

AW: Having traveled around the world to different events, how does the racing scene in Germany compare to other places you’ve visited?

MR: I must say that, at the moment, the level of competition in Germany is really high.

AW: What are you most proud RC moments?

MR: All my world championship titles are special to me and make me proud, and the same goes for the six Reedy Race titles. I think those are the races which make me the most proud! The first world championship back in 2004 is the most special one, as this changed my life in a positive way and I'm happy to do what i can do best for living!

AW: How did you feel after winning your first Reedy Race with Infinity? How did this win compare to your previous five?

MR: All wins are always in my mind, but to win for Infinity after being with Tamya for all those years before makes it really special. After just a couple of months of being on board at Infinity to win one of the biggest races in the history of RC makes me proud and shows that our brand new team is working in the right direction!

AW: What is it about your driving style that makes you so good at the Reedy Race?

MR: I think it’s better if other people judge about my driving at the Reedy Race! But I think that I'm a pretty smart racer - everybody says that I can always go one step better when it comes to racing in the finals when compared to qualifying. Maybe that’s the main thing - that I'm pretty good in heads up racing?

AW: Which is more important to you - four IFMAR world titles, or six Reedy Race victories?

MR: A world championship is a world championship, so that’s the biggest race you can win! But the Reedy Race is, for me, almost as important as the Worlds.

AW: You were the first one on the drivers’ stand to congratulate Ronald Völker when he won the ISTC world championship last fall, and you two have traded Reedy Race victories for the last five years. What is it like competing so closely with him?

MR: I think that, as both of us get older and more experienced, we both respect each other more than back in the day. We’ve raced so many times against each other - for sure not always fair - and we’ve had also some arguments in the past, but right now I must say that I really like to race Ronald as both of us are fair drivers that respect each other and have a similar driving style. Sure, I would have loved to win the world championship in China, but I was just not fast enough. I was happy that Ronald won the world championship after trying many times to win the Worlds; he was always so close to win, and in China it was his week!

AW: What goals do you have for the rest of your RC racing career? And how long do you think you’ll continue racing?

MR: I'm still hungry to win every race, so that’s what I want to do for as long as possible. I’m not even close to thinking about an end to my career!

AW: When you’re not at the racetrack, what are some of your favorite hobbies?

MR: When I'm at home I go to play tennis, hang out with my non-RC friends, and do what most people do - going out, go to parties, go to watch some football matches. Just a regular life!

AW: What’s the best part of RC racing? What about RC racing annoys or bothers you?

MR: I love to see all the friends I’ve from all over the world, and I love to see different countries with different culture. What annoys me if I'm driving like shit and don’t win! And to sit on airplanes so much is sometimes not so nice. But overall, I really love to travel and go racing!

AW: Who are some of the people that have helped you the most?

MR: My family, one hundred percent - all the effort and time they put into the hobby to go with us from race to race and all the money they invested in me. That is the biggest help you can get! And for sure, all the sponsors I’ve had - especially Tamiya, who supported me since I started racing.

And now a big thanks to Kenji Taira (the boss of Infinity) for giving me the chance to start a new chapter!

We had so many great photos of Marc and his cars from the last few seasons that there wasn't enough room to share them in the interview - so here's a bonus gallery!