1997
POMONA, CA
A CLASSIC DAVID
VERSUS GOLIATH
BATTLE BETWEEN 14-TIME WORLD
CHAMP MASAMI HIROSAKA AND
BRIAN KINWALD
f KEVIN’S PICK | kevinh@airage.com
LOSI’S FIRST, AND ANOTHER WIN FOR KINWALD
1997 marked the pinnacle of the heated rivalry between Team
Associated and Losi. At this time, the tension between the two
camps was intense. Victory was the only thing that mattered, especially to Losi, who wanted to establish itself as a legitimate car manufacturer. Associated dominated the world’s warm-up race months
prior to the actual world championships. They secured nine of the 10
spots in the A-main at the warm-up race, but Losi wasn’t showing
all of their cards. Fast-forward to the main events at the actual world
championships and you had a classic
David versus Goliath battle between
14-time world champ Masami
Hirosaka (Associated) and Brian
Kinwald (Losi). Hirosaka top qualified
the race with Kinwald sitting third on
the grid behind his teammate Greg
Hodapp. After a terrible A1, Kinwald
got into the winner’s circle in A2. In A3 Kinwald was able to get past
Hodapp and Hirosaka and into the lead. Kinwald was able to check
out and win the race and world championship. The win solidified his
place in RC history as one of the best, and it was huge moment for
Losi.
“IN MAIN EVENT
NUMBER THREE
IT WAS ALL OR
NOTHING.”
IT WAS A BIG RACE
BECAUSE I ALREADY WON IN 1993
with Team Associated and now I was running a Losi in 1997. It
was also important because it was Losi’s first world title. I owe
it all to Gil Losi Jr. for the win. He really helped me and taught
me a ton that year. The race was quite exciting. I was third
qualifier, my teammate Greg Hodapp was second and Masami
Hirosaka was first. The first main didn’t go so great. I can’t even
remember where I finished, but I do remember winning main
number two and bumping a bit in the first turn with a green car
(Masami Hirosaka), which was much deserved. It was a really
good race. In main event number three it was all or nothing. I
remember going right down the inside of Hodapp in turn one
and passing Masami in turn two—it was just like a dream. After
getting by the two of them it was smooth sailing. My teammate
Brian Dunbar was in second the whole race. I could remember,
Hodapp, my teammate and best friend yelling at me, “You can
still win with a second and don’t push it.” He was trying to help
me be smart, but as a racer I wanted to win. It was exciting
moment for me, Losi and Trinity. We were all happy for Losi’s
first win, which happened in their backyard at The Ranch Pit
Shop.”—Brian Kinwald
“
IN THE FIRST FEW TURNS, HE
SNUCK BY HIROSAKA AND BAKER
AS IF THEY WERE STANDING STILL 2002
PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA
f PAUL’S PICK | paulo@airage.com
ON-ROAD RACING HEATS UP
In 2001, Team Associated, Yokomo and
several others had very strong on-road
teams. Associated’s Barry Baker was a
favorite as was multiple world champion
Masami Hirosaka. Relatively unknown
Tamiya racer, Surikarn Chaidsuriya,
quickly made a name for himself by
grabbing the third qualifying spot. Baker
top qualified the race with Hirosaka second on the grid. The first two legs of the
triple A-main format saw two different
winners in Baker and Hirosaka. In the
final A-main, Surikarn’s father, who was
also his mechanic, approached the starting grid with his son’s car outfitted with
tire warmers. In the previous main
WHEN
SURIKARN WON
THE WORLDS
in 2001, it meant a lot to many
groups and people. It validated
Tamiya’s collective effort to pursue
the TRF program with electric on-road racing. A significant win was
needed soon, otherwise the program could have been potentially
scrapped. The win gave our customer base and longtime supporters something to cheer about. It
elevated our on-road product line
to a whole new level. Many consumers equated a Tamiya car as
too entry level to be able to compete. The win pretty much shut the
critics up. Many of our competitors
were very happy to see Tamiya win.
I think for them it was a nice
change. Mr. Tamiya was very
pleased with the win. He likes to be
number one in all that he produces
“
