Even amidst the atrocities and tragedy of war, the courageous Ukrainian people continue with day-to-day life as much as they can, always with the hope that peace will win. Some even dream of getting back to hobby pursuits such as RC racing! Even as it is defending itself from the daily ravages of war, the people of Ukraine maintain a belief and hardiness that is an example to us all.
At the recent EFRA AGM, members voted to welcome UFAS, the federation that looks over Ukrainian RC competitions, into the EFRA family. Today we are talking with Viktor Lytvynenko, who represents UFAS.
EFRA is extremely proud to welcome UFAS, its president Kachur Viktor and all racers under the blue and yellow flag of Ukraine!
EFRA: Hello Viktor, it’s great to talk with you. How are you today?
Viktor Lytvynenko: Right now, I am okay. At this time it is difficult to find happy moments, but joining EFRA is that small happy moment for me and I believe for other Ukraine drivers.
EFRA: At the 2022 EFRA Annual General Meeting, all EFRA members voted to welcome your federation and all RC racers in Ukraine to EFRA, and now we are very proud to introduce your federation to all EFRA racers! To start with, can you tell us the official name of your Federation in your language, the official abbreviation (such as BRCA, FEPRA, etc.) and the English translation of the full name?
Viktor: The official name of our Federation in Ukrainian is “Українська Федерація Автомодельного Спорту”, and translated to English this is “Ukrainian Federation of Automodel Sport”, abbreviated to UFAS.
EFRA: That’s great – welcome to everyone in Ukraine and UFAS! So how long have you been involved in the RC hobby and racing?
Viktor: RC racing is a big part of my life, about 14 years ago I started racing. To be honest, I always dreamt of racing go karts, unfortunately it was not possible because of budget, so I switched to slot cars. I quickly realized it is not enough for me, though, and finally I found RC cars. (Now of course, I have the budget for go karts, and sometimes I race them, but my passion is really RC racing).
EFRA: What was your first racing kit?
Viktor: My very first RC car was actually handmade. Only after some time I was able to buy a used Tamiya TRF 415MS.
EFRA: Amazing! We can’t imagine making our first RC car chassis by hand! So what categories of racing are you personally most interested in, and what categories are most popular in Ukraine?
Viktor: I mostly prefer 1/10 TC and 1/10 off-road (2WD & 4WD). In the country, the most popular class is off-road 1/10th (4WD & 2WD) and also 1/8th electric and nitro cars, plus short course is very popular.
EFRA: Our hearts go out to everyone who’s suffered from the war in Ukraine, and we can’t imagine what your country is going through right now – is anyone even able to get out to even just do a bit of hobby work to get away from what’s going on in eastern Ukraine and the larger cities?
Viktor: Thank you very much for your support. I would say there is no safe place in Ukraine right now, and traveling is also dangerous, so there are no competitions as usual. There has been only one small competition for children, but that’s it.
EFRA: What is the history of UFAS, and what sort of auto models does it support?
Viktor: Our federation began its journey in 1958 and was created by auto model enthusiasts. We were formally registered in 2010 as “Ukrainian Federation of Automodel Sport” or UFAS and received official National status. The Federation represents RC cars, slot cars, tether cars, and drift RC around Ukraine.
EFRA: That’s a really cool list of model sport! Now, you’re probably in contact with a number of tracks, clubs and racers in your country already…with everything that’s going on, is there any way to conduct championship races in the near future?
Viktor: Unfortunately, this is an example when politics directly impact sport and we can not predict anything until we successfully defend our country.
EFRA: Of course. Beyond the current state of affairs in Ukraine, what do you see as your biggest challenge for your federation?
Viktor: The biggest challenge for us is of course the war right now. Hopefully we will come back to normal soon and create a lot of events for the Ukrainian racers. But until then we are focusing on our home defense.
EFRA: Final question… We were fortunate to meet a couple of Ukrainian racers last year at a couple of EFRA events – do you think we can expect to see Ukrainian racers at European Championship races next year?
Viktor: Yes, of course, we will do everything possible to make this happen!
Of course, hostilities in Ukraine are preventing the normal course of life and recreational activities like RC racing, but we hope that this progress helps give Ukrainians hope that the future will be better.
