Under the hood: Chris Doseck's - Trinity Switchblade 12

Radio Control Car Action, Apr 2003 by Gonzalez, George M, Sams, Jason

FACTORY DRIVER HOT MOD

Chris beefed up the 1/12-scale Kimbrough servosaver with a small piece of graphite. The ball studs are threaded through the servosaver and through holes in the 8x14mm graphite plate and are secured with locknuts. The graphite plate reinforces the crucial ballstud mounting points. He'll never lose a race because of a broken servo-saver.

QUESTIONS

DRIVER:

Chris Doseck

AGE: 36

LAST BIG WIN:

U.S. Indoor Championships

SPONSORS: KO Propo, Protoform, Pro-Line, Jaco, Fantom, Mugen, Bud's, CD Racing and Parma FasKolor paint

WHEN I'M NOT RACING: I enjoy spending time with my daughter and family, riding a World Superbike, watching Formula I and Superbike racing on TV. Basically, my TV stays on the Speed Channel at all times!

RC CAR ACTION- You started way back on the grid in the 1/12-scale Mod A-main. Did you have a battle plan before the race, or did you just wing it?

CHRIS DOSECK: My plan was to drive cleanly and to patiently pick my way through the pack. I also decided to let anyone who came up on me go by because I knew that if I challenged anyone it would cost me in the end.

RCCA: At what point during the Main did you realize that you had a good shot at winning?

CD: When I was running in fourth place and noticed that everyone in front of me was crashing. It wasn't until the last 30 seconds of the race, though, that I came around and ripped the throttle and found that the car was still fast. I knew right then that I was in a position to do some damage.

RCCA: You won with off-the-shelf gear. Tell us about that.

CD: I did not have a chassis or motor sponsor. Last year, my good friend Paul Martin, the owner of Martin Custom Products, a manufacturer of racing go-kart brake systems, bought me a Trinity Switchblade 12 because he knew I could be more competitive If I had the right machine. He also bought a Trinity battery pack to let me use during the race-all off-the-shelf stuff that anyone can buy. When I gave the battery pack to Paul, he told me, "I haven't ever won the U.S. Indoor Champs, but at least my battery pack has!"

RCCA: Did the Team Trinity drivers help you set up your car?

CD: I talked to Josh Cyrul at some of the USTC races, and he gave me a general setup that was a great starting point for me, but I switched to pink-compound rear tires. The tires held traction during the entire run and showed very little wear.

RCCA: You've had a pretty controversial racing career, but it seems that you've matured considerably since the early days.

CD: We all have ups and downs in life, but for the most part, I have always tried to help everyone at races. Even professional, full-scale drivers lose their tempers at some point in their careers. I have definitely matured a lot, and I have a better perspective that life goes on, even if you don't win the "big one"I

RCCA: A Good luck; it's good to see you back in the winners' circle. Since winning the Indoor Champs, Chris Doseck has joined Trinity's factory team.