Earlier this month, a group of RC drifters gathered together again for the 2nd round of the RealGood Wintercup 2018 presented by Shapeways. This time, the venue was Drift Arena Geldermalsen. Located in a big industrial hall normally used to store second-hand cars, this venue has two big circuits designed for RC drifting. For continuity, we chose their carpet track for this round of competition. Check out the backstory in our first post on the competition.
Martin Lansink’s Lexus with custom full interior
Despite Drift Arena Geldermalsen usually being a pretty chilly, the team who runs the track, Dutch Drift Friends, did an amazing job creating a nice and cozy atmosphere for everyone. Extra heaters were rented, and tasty food was served throughout the day to keep everyone warm and energized.
A few less people signed up for the 2nd round, meaning extra track time for those who were there. By the time qualifying sessions started, everyone had a chance to get some practice in and it showed. Even the drivers new to RC drifting were turning out one good lap after another.
MST RMX 2.0 cooling fan mount designed by H-Run’s RC Parts
RC drifting is a hobby that’s all about personalization and style. You will never find a single car on track that’s in factory condition. And it’s not just the outside, the body shell, that gets personalized, the chassis underneath gets the same treatment.
Whether it’s team colors or a detailed replica of a real car, RC drifters go to great lengths to make sure their model stands out from all the others. Hobby shops these days are filled with accessories to personalize and detail your RC car. This includes everything from spoilers, rims, lights and decal sets, to high-tech upgraded parts for the chassis and suspension.
Top qualifier, Xander van Beek, doing battle
However, for most people, buying off the shelf is not good enough. With easy access to many tutorials and tools, creating your own parts and accessories has become part of the culture. Almost every team creates their own stickers on a vinyl plotter, many cars have custom interiors and details made from plastic card, and you can even get handmade, laser cut and welded steel exhausts made to your specifications and design.
3D printing is another tool that has become very popular over the last few years. Shapeways is commonly being used more, as you can tell from ever growing RC car marketplace on our website. At our event, I’ve spotted many 3D printed parts all over. From exhausts, fan mounts for multiple different cars, batterymounts, keychains to a steering wheel on a controller and even a full rear spoiler.
Thanks to Shapeways’ sponsorship, we got to hand out a couple of printed pieces as well in the raffle, introducing more RC drifters to the possibilities of 3D printing and Shapeways materials. Hopefully in the next article I can show you some of the giveaways installed on winners’ cars.
The podium for Round 2 of the RealGood Wintercup 2018
Back to the action on track, top qualifier of the day was Xander van Beek, who was competing with his brand new Wrap-Up Next Travis chassis. Although a big success for the first time out with a new car, it wasn’t long lived. Xander got knocked out in the Top16 by the belgian Kurt Janssen in what I’m sure was the best battle of the day. The guys were door-to-door with each other in both runs, but a few small mistakes from Xander gave the edge to Kurt.
It was Xander’s teammate Davey Zoutenbier taking the lowest step on the podium. In the finals, it was Bauke van Wieren and Sander de Vries duking it out for the win. Both guys made their way into the finals by keeping their head calm and avoiding making big mistakes. Sometimes it’s consistency and safe driving that will get you the win. After a heavy battle, it was Sander who took the overall win for the day.
Current points leader, Manuel Jumpertz
Just missing out on the podium, Round 1 winner Manuel Jumpertz managed to get just enough points to hold on to the #1 spot in the championship ranking. Bauke van Wieren is in close second, so it will be exciting to see who will be crowned the Wintercup 2018 champion next time.
The 3rd and final round will be held on March 17th back at Drifted.nl circuit. In the meantime, you can find all news and footage on the RealGood Facebook page. Stay tuned for more of the RealGood Wintercup 2018 presented by Shapeways!