Conny Svensson from Sweden heads up the newly-created Large Scale Off Road Sub-Section, which was recently voted in at the 2022 Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Brussels. Get to know Conny here in his Meet the Board introduction! We sat down with Conny to ask about his vision for the Section and how he plans to achieve it!
EFRA: So, first of all Conny, congratulations for being elected Sub-Section Chairman!
Conny: Thanks, feels fun, exciting, important and a little bit nervous.
EFRA: First of all, obviously you’re a big fan of this racing class…. So how long have you been racing this class?
Conny: Next year will be my eighth season racing large scale off road cars!
EFRA: Okay, so now you’re heading up the Large Scale Off Road Sub-Section for EFRA! What’s been the reaction you’ve gotten from long-time racers in this class?
Conny: Only positive feedback, many likes, encouraging comments and just an awesome response from the community, which is a big part of why I like large scale. Everyone is so nice and welcoming.
EFRA: For those not involved directly in their country’s RC federations, can you explain why the Large Scale Off Road Sub-Section was created? And what is its purpose?
Conny: Before we had Large Scale as one section, including both on road and off road. Even if the scale is the same, the cars and tracks are very different, and the people and culture also differ a lot. Today, we have one rule book with some common rules and then special rules for each class. It only makes sense to split them up the same way as onroad and off road are split in all other scales. LSOR is currently a sub section but the plan is to make its own section by its own but that requires a change in the overall rulebook, something I will try to push for at the next AGM.
EFRA: And what would you say is your number one goal or priority for this Section? And how do you plan to achieve it?
Conny: My ultimate dream would be to have a Worlds in LSOR, but that would require ROAR to make it an official class, and then IFMAR. That’s a long process but I have already made some inquiries with people in the US I know both from drivers and manufacturers and Carlos Gomez is also on the IFMAR board and might be able to help to at least start the discussion. In Europe and EFRA I think the section is already quite healthy and have stable rules, there are always some things you can improve on. I want LSOR to be a fun, relaxed but also competitive class. Looking at the allocations for next year in Starec it’s already overbooked so looking forward to a great first Euros for me as a chairman.
I’m also thinking of opening up a better dialog between the community and EFRA for LSOR. So that we can together discuss how we can improve the class going forward. This should not only happens once a year at the AGM. I won’t have all the answers, but together we can make this even greater!
EFRA: Alright, now the hard question: what would you say is your biggest challenge? And how do you think you’ll start to overcome that?
Conny: I want to see more youth and females racing LSOR. I think the best example is the Shilcocks, mom and son racing together. It’s so great to see. LSOR is unfortunately a little bit more expensive to start with than, let’s say 1/10, so it’s hard to get the youth in. It usually requires the parents to be racers, so maybe we need to start there to get them to bring their kids into the hobby.
It’s also seen as slower than the other classes, but it’s really just an optical illusion by the scales of the cars. Looking at the best times for 1/8 and 1/5 at the Fehring track it only differs some tenths of a second. I would like to work with our media partner at Ctrl TV to make LSOR look even cooler and faster. Everyone that comes to a race are always blown away by the size and realism, but it doesn’t come through the same way in the coverage we have. I would like us to see how we can be creative and change the image of the class.
EFRA: And finally, what would be your message to LS Off Road racers who haven’t been to a GP or European Championship race?
Conny: The LS cars are a little bit more complicated to travel with, so make the races a holiday trip, that’s how I have done it. Going with the family across Europe and see other countries before or after the race. Think about the race as a way to meet friends you usually only interact with on social media. If you have the chance to signup for a Euros or a GP, take it! It’s an experience you never forget and it also improves your race program. You will come back to your home country or track as a better driver, I assure you. The good thing it looks like we have a BIG interest for the Euros next summer in Starec but don’t forget about the GP race in Blackpool, UK. They were very close in getting the Euros for 2024 so this will also be a good opportunity to try that track because I think the Euros will be held there at one point in the future and it looks like a great facility.
EFRA: That’s it from us for now! We really look forward to seeing how the new Sub-Section grows! We’ll see you at the track!
Conny: Thank you, looking forward to see everyone next year at the track!
