Henry Says:
What got you into RC Drifting?
Otis says:
I was always into RCing in general, but didn't have the time or money to race - driving up and down the driveway was boring. So I was looking for an alternative to just messing around in the street on my own. AND THEN ONE DAY… I saw someone drifting a lonesome Yokomo HKS Silvia at a motoring event at our local 1:1 race circuit...I was hooked. I then started doing research about RC drifting on the internet, and came across DRC. I found the SG videos...blew my mind.
Henry says:
And the rest, as they say, is history...
Your Team D10 videos are nothing to scoff at. I take it that the SG vids were your inspiration. How much time and effort do you put in for each vid?
Otis says:
SG videos were definitely the inspiration ... The 1st D10 vid took really long to make since it was the first time i had used video editing software. In fact it was the first time i even tried to edit a video. It took roughly about 1 month of working on it every day for about 3 to 5 hours a day. It was alot of trial and error and i had to start from scratch quite a few times because i didn't know how to handle the raw footage... But i suppose it turned out alright in the end… lol
Henry says:
You suppose!?!? That vid is nuts! Great call on the Chemical Brothers song featuring Q-Tip. I almost creamed my pants when I heard it. I would've never known that you're a total newb at video editing. It doesn't show in your vids. Those vids, I bet, influenced ALOT of people to try out rc drifting.
You have a tireless passion for this hobby. You've got the South African rc drift scene rolling with your Team D10 drift team. You must be proud of your accomplishments thus far. What are your future plans with rc drifting?
Otis says:
I see RC drifting enjoying the same attention and support as RC circuit racing does at the moment...No, actually i see it being bigger than that... more popular. I want to have a fixed venue for drift sessions here in Cape Town, as well as official Drift Series events, something that the kids can count on, to always be there - for them to get their drift on. lol...
Henry says:
Sorta like Team Arai with their Arai Drift Land and GroovyDrift with their GroovyDrift Series.
Otis says: Exactly!
Henry says:
How many members does Team D10 have now?
Otis says:
Thats a bit difficult to answer, in that pretty much everyone in Cape Town who drifts is a member... but regular drifters = about 20 core members = 10
Henry says:
That’s impressive - Unity in the Community. It’s the only way rc drifting is going to get anywhere. Especially with all the people who are so against it. What's this I hear about you guys being featured in a magazine? Is this top secret or are you gonna let us in on it?
Otis says:
No secret. MAX Power... a UK magazine, is launching the South African version of the mag on Saturday
They're doing an article on 3 of our members, and D10 in general. It’s the launch party of MAX Power SA... so they invited D10 to be part of the entertainment. We'll be doing a drift demo.
From left to right: Takumi (Rouen), Otis (Odyssey) and Nish
Henry says:
AWESOME. You guys are really on a roll. Will this be like a FHM Magazine party complete with girls?
Otis says:
They're called MAX Power Babes. http://www.maxpower.co.uk
Henry says:
Nice. One of the fringe benefits of being in RC Drifting. It gives you a chance to get closer to the babes (check out airborneranger’s pics at http://www.groovydrift.com ) even if you're not a 1:1 driver. But we won't tell our wives that.
Otis says:
"...we're just playing with our cars dear"
Henry says:
Be careful, your rc drift car will be the only thing you’ll have left to play with the rest of your life if your wife catches you hanging with hot import models! Team D10 is doing awesome. You've got the vids, the website, rc drift compeitions, rc drift demos and now the magazine story with the babes. What more can you ask for?
Otis says:
Well, there's a long way to go...
I need to get it to the point of properly organized and sponsored drift competetions with a series winner at the end of the year. Much like you guys are doing in the States, the guys in the UK and Japan . I also need to get more input and interest from the hobby stores here in SA
Henry says:
If your magazine article in Max Power doesn't get them interested, I don't know what will.
Otis says:
They're not supporting us properly in terms of having drift specific goodies in stock. We've had to go as far as importing stuff from Japan. Now we shouldn't really need to resort to that now should we? I'm hoping that they're going to sit up and take note after the article.
Henry says:
Well, if your LHS doesn’t take notice, Genki, Capsule21 and RC Champ will be more than happy to meet your needs. What's the shell are you drifting in now?
Otis says:
Tamiya R33. It’s narrow as hell, but I can't enough of it. It just looks so good
Henry says:
The blue one?
Otis says:
Yeah the blue one - correction...the "Odyssey Garage Blue" one.
Lol… That's an official team colour now. (Team Odyssey – more about that in the near future)
Henry says:
What chassis are you using to perform those drifts in your videos?
Otis says:
Vols 1 & 2 i used my normal DP...but in the latest vid i used my gorgeous SSG ...that i purchased for a song, from my good friend in the States
Henry says:
lol... So it shows that you don’t need an expensive chassis to have a great drifter.And how do you like your SSG? Any differences drifting a SSG vs. DP?
Otis says:
I love the SSG... I think, I'm not sure though, but i think i noticed a bit of extra understeer when I changed to the SSG... but it could've been due to something else that i had changed at the time... I've since then adapted to the feel of the new chassis...and I have to say - I'll never go back.
Henry says:
Anything special done to your chassis? What's your car's setup?
Otis says:
Nothing special...except the rear spool, 3 Racing alloy shocks, modified Tamiya RZ motor (rewound to 25 turn)... other than than that its pretty standard.
3 deg rear toe in
1 deg front toe out
0 deg camber all round - due to PE tyres not needing camber
light shock oil all round (no idea what weight it is) with Yokie stock DP springs
front ball diff, fairly tight
rear spool
30 pinion / 70 spur
25t RZ motor
Henry says:
After http://www.oneten.co.za what's your favorite drifting website and why?
Otis says:
That's a no brainer...DRC. It's the only place that i can find out exactly what everyone else is doing... what the current trends are. It has a warm friendly feel, not pretentious and stuck up like some other sites...I won't mention names. lol...
Henry says:
Lol… I won’t go there. I’m part of the DRC team now. Thanks for giving me the link http://www.maxpower.co.uk You're right about the babes! I wish you luck with your event this Saturday, I know you guys will be a hit! Thanks for all the cool drifting videos you've given to the rc drift scene. I know I speak for the rest of us when I say, “I can't wait to see the next one!” Any shout outs before we close this interview?
Otis says:
Dude, if I were to give a shout out to all who deserve a mention ...I'd have you here all night.
Henry says:
It’s ok, I’ve got the day off and I don’t feel like studying just yet.
Otis says:
Lol… The most important people to mention are :
Rouen, who started D10 with me
Ernie, who is also a founder member
Glitch, who is our voice of reason and technical advisor.
Nish, who can (and usually does) get anything done
Nicholas and V8_Drifter, who's enthusiasm and commitment to drifting is second to none...
Geoff – who runs and maintains www.oneten.co.za for us
Kermit – the mad scientist, who along with Mac12 developed the “NOS purge” system.
Racemaster – for helping us out with events and hosting the D10 vids.
And in no particular order: Sonzero, Ashwin, Leeza, Asif, as well as the guys from Team Synergy.
Dude, I know I left people out, and I’m gonna get hell for that...lol
oh oh ...and Grant, who’s always there with the extension cords and tables, when the rest of us forget everything other than our own RC cars...lol
Last but by no means least, - Aries326, Capsule21, Genki, Airbourneranger, DannyP, Philchrome, Pigeonfarmboy, evanstewy, Mitchsterbrau, etc. – for their inspiration and assistance. If I’ve left anyone out, I apologize…
Henry says:
They'll understand. A man with many friends in the rc drift scene. Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. Maybe one of these days I'll swing by South Africa, go on a safari, shoot a gazelle or two and do some rc drifting with Team D10. Now go eat dinner before your wife kills you!
Discuss this article HERE.
2004/05