Innovator at work: Rick Hohwart

Rick Hohwart is the owner and founder of Peak Performance, a company that's well known for its racing motors, batteries and accessories. Rick has also been a national champion multiple times, and he has a long history of success. He's also a racer who has turned his hobby into a successful business. Although it sounds great to run your own hobby-related business, Rick admits that his busy work schedule often means he's short on time to enjoy the hobby himself-as you'll read in this month's "Innovator at Work."

Radio Control Car Action: Rick. how did you become involved in R/C racing?

Rick Hohwart: I bought my first "real" R/C car in 1982, when I was 14, but I played around with toy R/C cars throughout my childhood. I was fascinated with cars and racing in general, and I stumbled across a mail-order catalog from a company that sold plastic models. They had a section dedicated to RtC cars, with some photos that were taken at races. I knew right then that I had to get involved. So after a little research and some trips with my dad to a couple of local races, I bought an Associated RC12E and started racing.

RCCA: How long did it take you to become truly dialed?

RH: Things were a lot different back then, as far as tracks were concerned. Most were temporarily set up in parking lots, so the only time to practice was on race day, and even that time was limited because there were only 12 or so legal frequencies. I raced in the Southern California Series, which consisted of one race per week at a different track each time, and a championship was awarded in each racing class. I raced in the stock production class where the cars were basically box-stock with bushings, no differential and stock motors. I won the series bv finishing in fourth or better at every event then moved up to the stock and modified classes. I guess I was pretty dialed from the start.

RCCA: You've raced with all the R/C legends. What was it like in the early days, racing with guys such as Cliff Lett, Gil Losi Jr" lay Halsey and Chris Moore? What was different about R/C racing, then and now?

RH: Because I came from an on-road background and didn't really start racing full time until 1989, I never really competed against the legends of off-road as much as I could have. Cliff Lett and I have had some good battles, and I have raced against Jay Halsey and Gil Losi Jr. When I started, the guys to beat were Joel Johnson, Mike Lavacot, Kent Claussen and Bruce Hickman. Off-road racing didn't even really exist at that time.

Back then, racing was a lot more family oriented. If you were young like I was, you would go racing with your father or other family member. Nowadays, parents drop their kids off at the track and then pick them up later.

RCCA: Which aspects of R/C rating are most enjoyable to you, and which aspects, if any, directly influenced your decision to become involved in the R/C business?

RH: The competition that R/C racing provides is by far the best. You also get to meet a lot of nice people and travel to some nice places. I think my involvement in the R/C business is something that evolved naturally; I can't give credit to any one particular aspect of R/C racing as being influential.

RCCA: When was Peak Performance officially launched? What were the company's first products?

RH: My partner at the time, Mike Hickman, and I started Peak Performance in 1985 selling accessories like tire-traction additive, but a year later we realized that even if we sold a ton of the stuff, we weren't going to make any money, so we decided to give the motor and battery business a go. At that time, there weren't many companies making motors, and both Mike and I had plenty of experience with motors. We also knew someone who could make us a battery tester-battery testers were all custommade at that time-that would allow us to match cells. We won the '86 ROAR 1/12scale nationals, which was our first race using our own motors and batteries. It was really incredible!

RCCA: Peak Performance is back in the battery business. What can you tell us about the new battery line?

RH: Peak matched and sold batteries in the past with great success, but the point came when it was not cost-effective to do them ourselves, so we worked out a deal to import them from Europe. This worked well for a while, but with the increasing competition, we were no longer able to compete selling batteries in this manner. By selling our own batteries, we are able to put more money into developing new techniques that will bring better products to the marketplace and offer better prices to the consumer.

Peak's PowerFlo batteries are voltage-enhanced using custom-built equipment and then cycled and tested at 3o amps using state-of-the-art Competition Electronics equipment. The batteries are available in three grades based on voltage and run time, and they are sold worldwide.

RCCA: What do you like to do when you're not at the office?

RH: My life pretty much revolves around Peak Performance, but I like to spend time with my wife, Traci, and my dog, Emma. I enjoy going to the movies and following most types of motorsports, and I'm also a big hockey fan. I enjoy going to both Ducks and Kings games whenever possible.