Our Racer Recap series rolls on with series founder and 2.6 Class 3rd place Overall competitor Jeremy Bunting.
Name: Jeremy Bunting
Trucks: Bad Company and Hooligan
Sponsors: Fat Cat Customz and So Cal Monster Trucks (SCMT Warpath Chassis)
What got you into racing RC monster trucks?
I got an Axial SMT10 as a basher a few years ago and went down to a race in Fresno in September of 2017. I had no idea how many people would be there, but I met a lot of racers and was immediately hooked. I did terrible my first time out, but it became a new challenge and a fun hobby that I’ve met a lot of new friends doing. I got tired of only being able to race competitively in Southern California, so with a lot of feedback from the guys down south, from other series throughout the country, as well as experienced racers/promoters like Torey and Todd up here, decided to start a points series and try and help grow this part of the hobby and meet some more like-minded people.
What was your biggest accomplishment this season?
Winning the Round 1 freestyle competition was fun, but more than anything I’ve gotten more comfortable as a racer and feel like I’ve got my trucks where I want them so now it just comes down to me being able to execute. I’ve only been racing for 2 years, but from where I started to where I am now is a big improvement. Running two new trucks and being as competitive as they have been running only 2S while most of the competition runs 3S batteries is a good feeling too.
Looking back on this season, what do you plan to improve for next year?
As a promoter, I want to have the series continue to grow and get better and better. I learned a lot this first season as a promoter: mainly what worked and what could use some refining. I think we’ve got a good foundation and a fun group to help it grow. As a racer, I want to get over the hump and bring home some more wins! I consistently was competitive and have the rigs to win, but getting to the finals and winning when it counts are my goals going forward. Some was bad luck that’s just part of racing, but there were times when my lack of experience would show and I’d lay down fast qualifying passes then beat myself with a stupid rollover or not trusting the truck and going too conservative.
Who is your toughest competition?
In this series up here, definitely Todd and Torey. I’ve beaten Todd in racing before, but he’s on another level of nuts for freestyle to where you’d think he hates his truck with how he punishes it. I still have yet to get Torey in racing but I’m sure I’ll get some more opportunities in the future.
What are your thoughts on the Points Series?
I think the first season was a success, especially considering our first event got postponed due to mother nature then having to change venues for the final event while competing with the ASD Crawl on the same weekend. Next year there’ll be some changes and I appreciate the feedback given, but I think there’s a solid foundation in place and the main thing is everyone that came out had fun and felt it was worth their while to come out and compete. I thought that Round 4 in Chico at A-Main under the lights with a bunch of racers coming up from Southern California to race was a blast and a highlight for me as a promoter. Hopefully in the next few months we can continue to grow interest and have the 2020 series be even better and get the people who are “thinking about building a truck” or have a truck but haven’t been out, to come out and race and have a good time. With as strong as the crawler scene is in Northern California, I feel like monster truck racing would be a logical cross-over because you can still get the scale, customization aspect, there’s a lot of interchangeable parts, and you can send it!
