EFRA is very lucky to work with some of the best and most established RC racing clubs in the world, welcoming racers to their home tracks for several days of high-intensity competition! Of course, it takes amazing amounts of effort, time, patience and very hard work to make any one of these events a success, and that’s where the race organiser comes in!
In this interview series, we’ll meet some of the hardest-working people in the world of RC! Today, we are talking with Maximillian ‘Maxi’ Cantarero of Eisenbahner Sportverein 1958 e.V., located in Bischofsheim in Germany!
EFRA: Hello, Maxi! How are you things with you today?
Maxi: Thanks – I’m fine! I’m really looking forward to hosting the EFRA European Championships for 1/8 ELEC OFF ROAD at our club!
EFRA: That’s fantastic! To start with, what is the full name of your club, and where are you located?
Maxi: We are the Eisenbahner Sportverein 1958 e.V., located in Bischofsheim, next to Frankfurt am Main.
EFRA: And including yourself, how many people volunteer for the club?
Maxi: We are a department of our club, Automodellsport Off-Road. The club has around 160 members. 80 of them are members of our department.
EFRA: Wow! That is a very large number! And hat type of racing does your club do normally?
Maxi: We typically offer local and national races on our 1/10 scale race track, as well as hobby weekends. In our crawler and scaler park, we are also planning to host several events. The highlight is our 1/8 scale race track, the well known ‘Rhein-Main Circuit’. Here, we offer local, national and international races, like our traditional International Warm-Up, German National Championships, Hessencup – and now the EFRA EC 1/8 ELEC OFF ROAD!
EFRA: That’s amazing! It’s so good to hear that your club is kept really busy! So what is your official role within the club?
Maxi: I am the head of our department, responsible of organizing everything that affects our department.
EFRA: And on a daily or weekly basis, what do you do for your club/organization?
Maxi: For the last ½ year, I was organizing the EFRA EC 1/8 ELEC OFF ROAD in collaboration with our European Championship team. We have put a lot of effort into several improvements at our track and its surroundings.
EFRA: Of course – it must be quite a lot of work behind the scenes to make major events go well! How many events or races does the club organize during a normal year?
Maxi: Typically, we are planning to host 5 to 7 races and up to 10 hobby weekends per year.
EFRA: And are there many local racers taking part in the regular races at the club?
Maxi: Almost every weekend, our members are driving on our racetracks. There’s always some action going on!
EFRA: Amazing! So in addition to those races, how often do you organize major national or international races?
Maxi: In a ‘normal’ year, our largest international race is our International Warm-Up, which we host every year in the last weekend of April.
EFRA: What would you say is the largest event the club has organised so far?
Maxi: Definitely the EFRA 1/8 ELEC OFF ROAD Euros!
EFRA: That’s awesome! We’re positive it will go great! Now, what race would you say is the club’s proudest event?
Maxi: So far, I would say the International Warm-Up Race for the upcoming Euros, which was just a few weeks ago. We used this race as a test for our organization and procedures for the European Championship – and it all went well! I am very proud to say that our club is hosting this race format for 16 years already. Our entire team is looking forward to the European Championship and all of us are extremely thankful for being chosen as it’s host.
EFRA: Are there any club members in particular you would say are maybe future EFRA European Champions?
Maxi: I think that all of our members are good RC drivers. Some have been racing for almost 20 years, but we also have many newer racers, who of course are very welcome at our club.
EFRA: That’s excellent! Does the club encourage local spectators to visit or participate? And what would you say is the most important thing to get new members to participate?
Besides our club races, we offer our hobby weekends, where everybody is invited to visit us. Our members kindly provide help to everybody who is interested.
EFRA: Now, maybe a more serious question: what would you say is the biggest challenge facing the RC hobby in the next few years?
Maxi: In my opinion, the main issue is that everything has become more and more expensive, not only in our hobby. Since RC driving is connected with larger spendings of money, I hope that many people will still be able to afford this awesome hobby!
EFRA: Finally, what’s the first piece of advice you would give to another club event organizer?
Maxi: Just from my experience, good planning always pays off! And also, if your guests feel comfortable at your club, you will see them again!
EFRA: That’s an excellent insight and so true! Thank you very much for your time, Maxi!
