I had a chance to catch up with the Tacoma Terror and Rd 3 Pacific NW Showdown race winner, Michael Schoettler, and asked him a few questions about his car and how the performance was over the weekend. Being the class act that he is, Michael was more than happy to answer a few questions which I bring to you today in this interview with photos. Below is also his setup for those who are interested please have a look.

I’d also like to thank Michael for taking time out of his busy schedule and being the 1st to do an interview with 2wdMod.com. As this website evolves, I hope to bring you some of the best reads, photos, info about RC and especially for 2wd buggies. Read below and get to know a little about Michael Schoettler….. not Michael Schumacher!

2wdMod: Let’s do the quick stuff….How old are you? What’s your hometrack, how long have you been racing, and favorite class to race?
Michael Schoettler: I am 18 and race at Tacoma R/C Raceway. I have been racing for about 5 years.  My favorite class to race is 2wd mod truck because I like to wheelie like a redneck.

Another silly one but I’m sure there are people out there that want to know! PS4 or XBOX One?
MS: XBOX One

Do you have any pre-race rituals or superstitions?
MS: I try not to have any pre-race rituals or superstitions.

Obviously you had the track dialed, but what was the hardest or trickiest part of the track for you? How did you overcome it b/c you were tearing it up out there!
MS: I think the switch-backs were the hardest part for me. I was having a tough time landing right next to the pipe to get a good line through the switch backs, so I just started jumping into the corner instead of down-siding the jump.

What setup changes did you make as the day went on? How did it help you?
MS: I was struggling with my car pushing on and off power on Friday, so on Saturday I went to a lower front ball stud which helped the car turn in a little more, and I think the best change I made was going to half degree hubs, which makes the car have less toe on the centro because we run our hubs backwards. I would not recommend running less toe unless there is a lot of traction like there was at the showdown.

Was the car as dialed as it looked? Where you stoked on how the car handled by main time?
MS: After I figured out the steering, then my car was very good through the quals and mains.

I noticed you lengthened the car by 2mm by moving the rear arms back….what was the goal of going +2mm?
MS: I haven’t been running the centro for very long, but the first thing I noticed is that it didn’t round the 180s very well.  I knew that lengthening the car should help that and as soon as I tried it the car got instantly more stable at high speed and rounded the 180s much smoother.

For those running the C4.2, what recommendations would you make that made the biggest difference in performance?
MS: I think finding the correct weight balance has been the most important performance changes. Since the Showdown I have gone to a low profile servo to make the front end a little lighter for when grip is lower.  The mid motors generally struggle on forward bite when the track is a little looser and lightening the front end helped with that a lot.

Any advice for the ‘young up and comers’ to find success in this sport?
MS: I’d recommend practicing and racing as much as you can and always ask the fast guys at their track about setup, tires or even different lines on the track. I’ve been very lucky to have Scott Brown and Chris Bridgewater to help me learn how to make my car work on any track conditions.

Lastly, who would you like to thank?
MS: I’d like to thank everyone that has helped me.  Luke smith for tweaking my chassis, John Walentia for breaking my defroster in my buggy, Chris Bridgewater for the get smart pills, and my dad for rebuilding my diff.

Besides Michael being a Xbox ONE fanboy, this 18 year old has it going on. What amazes me is he’s not a 1 trick pony either. I hear he’s got a full ride to play tennis at a fancy school in California and also heard he once tied Tiger Woods on 18 rounds of golf! Is this kid for reals? =]