Race Report: Axial Fest 2017

 

AXIAL FEST 2017, IT’S NOT JUST A HOBBY.

Event: Axial Fest 2017
Date: July 12-16, 2017
Location: Cisco Grove Campground – Cisco Grove, CA
Team Hitec Attendees: Billy Tompkins

By: Billy Tompkins

During the week of July 12-16th I had the opportunity to attend Axial Fest 2017 as a company representative of Hitec RCD USA, Inc.  Excited for weekend, I loaded up the Hitec truck, hooked up the trailer and headed to the mountains for a few days of fun with the fine folks at Axial Racing.

Axial Racing are the makers of high end remote control products and accessories specializing in purpose-built off road cars and trucks that mimic their real world counterparts. Their scale trail trucks (rock crawlers), rock racers and trophy trucks are the best in the business. With the popularity of Axial and a large customer base, they came up with a way to give back to their customers and thank them for their loyalty by hosting the annual gathering named Axial Fest.

Axial Fest is an event created to get you, your family and friends away from the confines of everyday life and get you out in to the wild to reconnect with mother nature. In all actuality, they just wanted to get you out playing with your awesome Axial vehicles! Axial Fest is a 4 day camping adventure that takes place at Cisco Grove Campground in Cisco Grove California located about 80 miles north east of Sacramento in the beautiful Tahoe National Forest. Besides the camping and bonding with nature, there were plenty of cool things going on at Axial Fest. Throughout the entire campground, there were 11 trails set up, each comprising of 150 gates to drive through with your Axial Vehicles.  Each trail with its own unique features, terrain, and fauna, would give the drivers plenty of challenges for their vehicles. A couple of the trails would take some of the drivers upwards of 2 hours to complete, while some had to be towed back to camp by fellow trailers as the trail would prove to be too tough for their rigs.

 

Michael Derstines finishes the Altra 5km Endurance Race using the Hitec HS-7950TG as his go to servo for the high speed brutal conditions that is Scale Ultra Racing.

Michael Derstines finishes the Altra 5km Endurance Race using the Hitec HS-7950TG as his go to servo for the high speed brutal conditions that is Scale Ultra Racing.


 

Along with the scale trails, there was a rock racing course, as well as a 5km endurance race (Altra 5K) that would challenge the driver both mentally and physically, as well as test their trucks and buggies mechanically to the fullest. There was no set schedule or format for how you ran each of the 11 trails. Each participant was given a mini score card, and you went out on the trails going from gate to gate scoring yourself, kind of like miniature golf.

 

Participants enjoying the cooler night time temperatures and hitting the trails with their lights.

Participants enjoying the cooler night time temperatures and hitting the trails with their lights.


 

The trails were there and open 24hrs a day. This allowed some drivers to attach running lights to their rigs and hit the trails at night. That was a sight to see!

You could see the feeling of adventure in every participant’s eyes. Each one driving an Axial vehicle unique to their own liking including custom trucks, unique scale accessories and personalized details everywhere you looked. As John Schultz of Axial said, “it’s not just a hobby, it’s a lifestyle!”

 

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Vendor/Manufacturer Circle


 

The uniqueness of Axial Fest draws in a multitude of vendors and manufacturers with the opportunity to show off their products that both enhance and personalize the Axial vehicle line up. Vendors such as Super Shafty, CKRC Hobbies, RPP Hobby, Knight Customs and AMain Hobbies were just some that were in attendance. Manufacturers attending the event included Vanquish products, Tekin, RC4WD, Protek, MKS and of course Hitec.

 

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Saturday evening showcased an amazing awards ceremony with a chance to win some cool Hitec Gear!


 

The ability to meet and greet with our customers means a lot to us at Hitec. Not only do we get to show off our latest products but also lets us learn about our customer’s wants and needs, and puts us on a more personal level with them. Not only did I get to meet a lot of new faces at the Axial Fest, I got the opportunity to help a few guys get back out on the trail when they had servos and chargers that were in need of service. Not too many companies can provide that kind of support, but I digress.

 

 

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