The final Racer Recap of the year is the 2022 2.2 and Retro Class Champion and President of the Nor Cal RC Monster Truck Racing Series, Jeremy Bunting. Here are his thoughts on the year and plans for 2023.
How many years have you been racing R/C Monster Trucks?
This was my 5th year of competitively racing.
What was your biggest accomplishment this season?
My biggest accomplishment in the series was getting my second straight 2.2 Class Championship. I felt like I had the perfect truck setup for last year with the new Black Market RC BRD chassis, so only made some minor adjustments and ended up running away with it again this year. It was great being able to hold on and take the championship in the first year of the Retro Class being a part of the Points Series as well. With how much parody there is in that class, having a consistent and predictable truck made the difference and I’m really happy with the JConcepts Regulator chassis that made 4 of the 6 final rounds and took two wins. Outside the series, winning the Summer Showdown freestyle with a huge field of tough competitors from all over the west coast was fun and of course, getting selected to compete at the Monster Jam World Finals in Orlando was a bucket list item as well!
Who was your toughest competition this year?
I had some great battles this year, especially with David, Zac, and Sam, but my toughest competition remains Wes Harriger. For some reason, I seem to only beat him at exhibition events, but he’s had my number in Points Series races since 2020.
What did you think of the 2022 Points Series this year?
I think it was a great success: the competition level has gone up tremendously and gotten much more unpredictable which makes things much more exciting and interesting. We averaged 46 entries per race this year, added a new venue in Auburn RC that we could race in the evenings during the summer, plus added a bunch of elements to enhance the event production and have a solid group of people who consistently attend and contribute. While there will always be some turnover from year to year due to a variety of circumstances, we are always striving to improve the series and I’m excited for what should be a very competitive and fun 2023 season.
What are you trying to improve this offseason?
After making the podium every season and winning it all in 2021, I failed to make the podium in the 2.6 class in 2022. While some could be chalked up to bad luck or the law of averages, there were too many times I beat myself in racing or had early breakage in freestyle from components not being able to take the abuse of a monster truck freestyle run. So for 2023, I have completely overhauled my fleet and will be going to LMT-based rigs including introducing my own identity in addition to “Bad Company”. I’m making it a point to have the trucks dialed in and a force to be reckoned with both in racing and freestyle to give myself the best shot to get back on the podium again.
What classes do you plan on competing in next season?
I will be expanding my 2.2 Class fleet to two trucks now running the smaller wheels and tires on one of my Warpaths while campaigning the BRD championship truck too. I’ll have two new LMT-based BMRC Agitator chassis to race in the 2.6 Class and “Shotgun” will return in the Retro Class. I’m also excited about the all new 2.6 Scale Spec Class and will be racing a custom tube frame chassis that should be an absolute show piece and hopefully reasonably competitive as well.