 |
|
|
 |
|
(click to enlarge) |
|
|
|
When did you start with RC racing?
Lamberto: Very hard to say… As far as I remember the first time I used a transmitter was when I was 5 years old… I remember that it was a boat and I enjoyed to run it for almost 1 year on the weekend with my father.
What was your first contact with RC?
Lamberto: Alongside the boats my father also gave me a 1/10 electric power on-road RC car 1/10. When I didn’t play with the boat I ran with the car. Next year I got my first nitro 1/8 scale RC car.
When did you start with serious RC racing?
Lamberto: I started when I was 9 years old at a regional championship. I practiced a lot during the weekends but I wanted to race against other drivers to feed my “racing spirit”, and therefore my father allowed me to enter the race only after 2 years of my everyday requests!
What tools, set-ups & equipment were you using during that time?
Lamberto: Haha… we are speaking about late 70’s and early 80’s. No branded tools, no set-up stations, different cars without suspension. At that time I saw many times many people to use a cigarette box to set the camber. Trust me, it was not weird at that time :) And also homemade screwdrivers or nutdrivers were very common.
Which product (tire truer / accessories / equipment / tool / set-up system/ starter box/ …) did you miss the most at that time?
Lamberto: Honestly – ALL OF THEM! But we are speaking about another era. Something “pioneering”… picnic tables, beach umbrellas, foldable seats… nothing similar to what we have now!
Who was helping you with your cars?
Lamberto: My father and Gianni Fini had been helping me. I was a child and they helped me making every wrench I needed until I started to learn. As it seems I was not bad with a radio stick and I was lucky enough that I found many other mechanics that helped me during my career.
What were the most common problems with your cars?
Lamberto: Because it was a different era, rigid cars had different problems of what we can imagine now. Spare parts were not easy to find. At those times I spent a lot of time and tried to prepare my stuff at home better than I even could.
How were you fixing them and what product were you using to do it?
Lamberto: Most of the time we had been using CA glue, scotch tape, iron wires and stuff like this… Most of all we used a lot of experiences of my mechanics ;-)
How did your work on your cars evolve during the years?
Lamberto: Step by step I learned from my close people in those years. My father taught me all about engines and this is still my “treasure knowladge”. Gianni, Ago, Franco and many others later gave me a basement to understand setups and settings. I’m still grateful to all of them.
Did you have any idol from whom you learned new tips about how to take care and set up your cars?
Lamberto: Tadiello, Bortolomasi, Sabattini, Ghersi, Veronesi raced almost every weekend at Futura track in Bologna. (Now the name is Collari Raceway, but only because I take care of it with some close friends). They were the fastest drivers in the world that period… challenging them meant a lot for me, and this challenge allowed me to grow faster than expected.
What is the most important thing you have learned about RC cars?
Lamberto: That you’re never enough prepared for a big race. You need to spend 10 parts of your time at home to be able to enjoy 1 part of that time at the racing fields. Of course only if you wanna be crowned as a World Champion.
What is the most important thing you need to have in your mind when you mount and set-up your cars?
Lamberto: It is the speed… all top drivers have a lot of skills. You need to set-up your car as best as possible to be fast enough to challenge them. If you only wait for opponents´ faults, you have already lost!
Tell us the most entertaining story you have about how you messed up a set-up or set something wrong / etc.
Lamberto: Few years ago during the winter time I was practicing with 1/8 nitro buggy. I built the car myself and after a big crash in a “double-triple jump”, my mechanic took the car to fix it and he found so many shims I used to reduce the “play”. Lot of shims… I mean seriously lots of shims … He spent 2 hours by fixing everything. But later the car was drivable much better :-)
What was the first time the HUDY brand caught your eyes?
Lamberto: Since the beginning of the “HUDY story”. I was one of the first who got a tool kit with my name engraved on.
What is your favourite HUDY product?
Lamberto: During the years a HUDY tire truer was a huge help. Actually, because at most of races drivers need to use handout tires, my favorite ones are the HUDY setup station and HUDY body reamer.
How do you perceive how RC tools & equipment change and evolve over the time?
Lamberto: Quality and precision of the RC tools dramatically improve along the years. My perception is that, now, the quality available in RC is higher than other motorsport racing ambience. Can’t be surprised if someone in F1 uses Hudy tools ( eg. Mercedes)
Why did you choose HUDY?
Lamberto: It is something “familiar”. I have been using HUDY for a long time and it’s something I’m “used to”, at the same time it is comfortable to use and easy to get… I’m not a “fashion victim”.
What are pros of HUDY products for you?
Lamberto: Quality and reliability with the widest range of tools available.
Why do you think it’s important to have a well set up car every time and how the right set-up influences the chances to win or lose?
Lamberto: Definitely. On what position you end up at a race is a mixture of your preparation and racing skills. Luck is not a part of this game.
Bearing this in mind, which product is a must have for every driver?
Lamberto: I think that most of people want to have all products in the shortest time possible to show the best pit-table appearance. I built my tools line step by step including new items one at time. Selection of tools is really personal, in my career I had to build myself some tools before HUDY or other company released a better item (e.g. engine bearing replacement set). If I have to choose only ONE product, I would choose the STOPWATCH: it’s the only tool that can never lie to you… ;-)
What would you like to see in HUDY’s portfolio in the future?
Lamberto: Range of products is wide enough… but I’m sure that someone at Hudy could surprise me again soon… ;-)
Lamberto Collari is HUDY |
|
|
|
|
