It is time for another “ETS Family Interview” and today we speak to the very well-known Xray factory driver Alexander Hagberg (30) from Sweden! Alexander is one of the most successful touring car racers and we can call him “The Master of 1:12 Scale” of the last years. Let´s read what we found out about the life of Alexander Hagberg!

ETS:
Hi Alex and welcome to our series of “ETS Family Interviews”. We are all facing hard and special times at the moment with the Covid-19 virus affecting the life of almost everybody. How is the situation for you and your family at the moment in the UK, we hope that you are all doing fine?
Alex:
I am doing fine, and so is my family. I am “working from home”, which is a bit hard to do as a professional RC racer. But I’m keeping myself busy with social media, producing content for my YouTube channel, and responding to customer’s questions. I’ve also started running VRC PRO to keep my reaction and concentration levels up to par! My wife is working for the NHS here in the UK. She is working in the ICU unit at the hospital, which is now exclusively for COVID-19 affected patients. Needless to say, she’s having a very tough time right now, and I have my biggest respect for the work that she’s doing. At the moment, we are all doing fine, but we are taking it day by day, as nobody can know exactly what the future holds, or when the curve will start to flatten.

ETS:
We all know you because of your very successful RC racing career. But in 2017 you got married with Joana and now you have a 15 month old son Francisco. As you are still winning big races, the family life seems not to “slow you down” at all! How do you organize your family life in combination with the many races you are doing all around the world?
Alex:
Just like with everything in life, it’s about finding the right balance. When I’m at home, I try to make use of my time, to be able to spend as much time as possible with my family. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to be away as much as I am, but we are making it work. I feel really lucky to have the life that I have – I wouldn’t exchange it for anything!

ETS:
Let us travel into the past to learn about where your RC journey started. You grew up in Sweden so tell us how old you have been when you got your first transmitter in your hands. Was it just a toy or did you start racing directly in one of the Swedish RC clubs?
Alex:
I started with RC because of my dad basically. He was racing Formula 3 and rally in the 1970’s, so I always had a natural interest in cars.
I started driving a Kyosho PureTen which I borrowed from my cousin. I just raced it up and down the street in front of my house! Eventually we got introduced to the local carpet track, by a salesperson at our local hobbyshop. I was 10 years old at the time. We raced locally and travelled around in Sweden for the first few years. The class at the time was touring car on carpet.

ETS:
Can you remember the first time you attended an RC race? If so, which class did you race, which car did you use and which result you finally achieved?
Alex: Even though touring car was my very first class, ironically enough, I drove an Associated RC10B3 2WD off-road car in my first ever race. It was off-road on carpet, using foam tires! I finished 5^th. I believe but there were less than 10 entrants in the class, since touring car was already taking over from off-road.

ETS:
Did you have a good friend or a family member who helped you in the early stages of RC racing when you were young and not a sponsored driver?
Alex:
Except for my dad, who worked on my cars until I was about 15 years old, another important person for me in my early years was Andreas Myrberg. He was the top Swedish and XRAY driver when I grew up, and he was a big mentor and friend for me. And still is, to this day. Thanks to Andreas, I ended up racing for XRAY in the first place!

ETS:
Sweden is a really big country and the distances can be huge. Did you have a lot of tracks and races in Sweden or did you have to drive hours and hours to get your car down on a nice track for practice?
Alex:
When I first started racing, there was a local carpet track in the city where I lived, Uppsala. But eventually, that track got closed down, and we had to start driving further to practice and race. I spent countless hours in a city called Eskilstuna, in the middle of Sweden. They had a big permanent indoor carpet track for many years, and I just loved it there. A lot of my practice and racing until 2009 took place there.

ETS:
How was the feeling for you to race at your first international events before you became the well-known Alexander Hagberg of today?
Alex:
When I first started racing outside of Sweden, back in 2004/2005, I definitely had a hard time to keep up with the best drivers. It took a couple of years to get used to the pace of the international racing scene. I am thankful for my father who happily brought me to those events to gain experience though. In 2004, I raced at the DHI Cup, LRP Masters as well as the European Championships. One must have in mind that there were A LOT less international events on the calendar than it is today. So those three events which I just mentioned were the main events of the season in Europe. My first decent international result was at the LRP Masters in 2005, where I qualified in the B-main, together with some strong names.
I made my first international A-main at DHI Cup in 2007. I just made it, in the 10^th spot. I remember I was extremely satisfied, almost in disbelief. Any racer that’s achieved some kind of success will understand the feeling that goes through your mind at a moment like that. From then on, my results started to become better and better, as I grew more confident, and also got faster for the years that followed.

ETS:
Which was the first company who offered you kind of a sponsor deal and how did that feel?
Alex:
XRAY was my first chassis sponsor. I raced for the Swedish XRAY distributor, Minicars, already since December of 2003. But I got offered a direct sponsorship from XRAY in 2005. And as you know, I’m still with the same company today. I am extremely grateful to the Hudy family for everything they’ve done for me over the years.

ETS:
At one time you got the chance to race RC cars as a fulltime job and as a factory driver for Xray!
Was it easy for you to decide that this was exactly what you wanted or did you use some kind of a “pro and contra” list to make your final decision?
Alex:
I had the opportunity to become a paid driver (professional) in 2011, as XRAY offered me a renewal of my contract, with a salary. But I had to choose – if I wanted to study at university, or commit all my time into RC. My original plan was to become a journalist, as I always liked writing. I had already started my first term at the university when I got the offer from XRAY. To become a pro was a dream coming true for me, so I can’t say that it was an easy choice, but I don’t regret my decision until now!

ETS:
Now, some years later you get paid for racing and you are travelling the world to race 1:12 scale and touring car at the highest level! Do you always feel some pressure when you fly to Asia, Australia or the US for a race that you MUST win or do you stay calm and more relaxed to achieve the best results for you and your sponsors?
Alex:
Of course, there is always pressure to do well, not only from my sponsors, but from myself as well. When you are a professional driver, you will always have the eyes on you, no matter where you race. Doesn’t matter if it’s a club race, or a world championship, everyone expects you to win. So there is always pressure to perform, regardless of the size of the race. Ironically enough, smaller events are often the most challenging, as there is always a “local hero” who wants to beat you!

ETS:
You have won a lot of major touring car races in your career, including a European championship, some ETS wins, the Snowbirds in Florida and the TITC in Thailand.  But when we look over to 1:12 scale racing your list of wins is even more impressive with a world championship title and 7 European titles. What is it that makes you kind of a real “benchmark” in 1:12 scale racing?
Alex:
Honestly it’s probably about my passion for the class, as well as the time and focus that I spend on it. Every year, I dedicate at lot of time both on and off the track to try and win the European Championships in 1/12, and it’s paid off many times! I also feel that my driving style is perhaps better suited for 1/12.

ETS:
You have been the top Xray driver for many years, and then Bruno came onto the team and won a lot of races. Do you think, having Bruno as your team mate, made you even better and working harder than before or is it just good for Xray to have two top guns who are able to win big races at any time?
Alex:
Most definitely, when Bruno came into the team back in 2015, it was a big motivation for me to try and improve, and to get even faster. Bruno quickly became the man to beat at every given race, so to have him on the team as a fellow racer, but also as a good friend off the track, has meant a lot for my racing career!

ETS:
At races you always seem to be very focused in the pits and you are very well known for your perfect built cars. Is that attention to detail something that comes along with your character or was there somebody teaching you all these little secrets about wrenching in the past?
Alex:
I always worked very hard on my race preparation, both leading up to an event, as well as during. I feel that I want to give myself the best possible chance to do well when I’m up there racing, so I want my equipment to be in immaculate condition, and my setup to be as perfect as possible. I picked up the knowledge from my teammates, from reading and watching online, as well as endless hours of “self-learning”. I don’t have a background in engineering like many racers do, but I still feel that I have a lot of knowledge and experience which is useful for RC car racing.

ETS:
You don`t have a personal mechanic at the races. Do you just feel better when you make changes and maintenance work by yourself or what is the reason you are doing all the preparation by yourself?
Alex:
For the majority of the events, I work on my own car, yes. If I would have a mechanic, it would be more for the sake of saving some time in between runs, and to rest my mind. I believe that I have all the knowledge that I need to prepare my own car. But it can be extremely valuable for a driver to have a mechanic or a friend help giving feedback from watching the car on the track. For this, I have our team manager Martin Hudy, who always helps out and consults me on setup changes, and how to progress on race day.

ETS:
As we mentioned before, you have won a lot of titles already. When you have to pick one of them as the most important, which one would it be and why?
Alex:
Of all my titles, the most special one for me is of course my 1/10 Nitro World Championship in Bangkok, Thailand. The feeling of crossing the finish line after the 60 minute final was one of the best I ever felt in my life. Its every racers dream to win a title like this, and I feel extremely fortunate to be able to call myself world champion.

ETS:
On the other side, in every racers career there are some sad moments when you lose a race you wanted to win so much! Do you remember a defeat which took you some time to get over in the past?
Alex:
Absolutely. I lost the 2016 Touring Car Euros by less than 0.1s on the tie-break. I also lost the 2018 TITC on the finish line, after a controversial move by a competitor. Both these losses were tough to get over. But as they say, “when the going gets tough”. Every loss also teaches you something.

ETS:
What, from your point of view, makes the ETS the most successful on-road racing series for so many years?
Alex:
ETS is successful not only because of the high level of competition, with all the top European drivers, but mainly because of its function as a social event. People travel to the ETS to meet their friends, and to hang out at these great race venues all around Europe. As a bonus, they get to race cars, and to spend time on the passion which they all share. ETS is not only about the racing, and this is one of main reasons in my opinion.

ETS:
You are producing some videos with tech tips and about products on your YouTube channel and for MonacoRC since quite some time. It seems that your videos are very popular out there and everybody wants to learn from your knowledge! Do you enjoy this part of your job as well?
Alex:
I certainly like to spend time doing that kind of content to social media. I try to be active online on a daily basis to help out customers, and to reply to questions, no matter if you are an XRAY driver or not. The RC community as a whole, benefits from this. Hence why I find it extremely important, but also enjoyable.

ETS:
Back to the track: You are leading a race and somebody is very close behind you. Most drivers get even more nervous when they are under huge pressure. Do you have a special trick to stay cool like special blocking techniques or do you just try to think that you are driving all alone by yourself?
Alex:
With the amount of experience that I have, I have to say that you get more and more used to handling the pressure at races over the years. I remember getting a lot more nervous in my youth. But you need to use the adrenaline and turn it into something positive, not negative. It shouldn’t come to the point where you start getting the “shakes”. But it should help you to stay focused.

ETS:
What is your favorite racetrack for 1:10 scale electric touring cars and why?
Alex:
I enjoy racing at the HUDY Arena Outdoor track. It’s super smooth, has perfect curbing, a nice and flowing layout, as well as a high average speed. It has everything that you can ask for from a track!

ETS:
Do you prefer indoor or outdoor racing?
Alex:
I started racing on carpet, and this is still the most “natural” surface for me, and hence, it’s my favourite.

ETS:
Who was your personal RC hero in your childhood and from which guy you learned the most?
Alex:
Andreas Myrberg was the person that I looked up to, for the reasons that I mentioned in one of my earlier replies. I learned a lot from him!

ETS:
Do you have other hobbies beside RC racing? How is your “perfect day off” looking at home?
Alex:
I don’t have any other hobbies. But I do love cooking (vegan food) at home. When I travel, I mostly eat out. So I do enjoy to cook my own food when I’m at home. And of course, to try and spend as much time with my family as possible.

ETS:
You lived in Sweden, Portugal and the UK until now. Which is your favorite food from each of those countries?
Alex:
Each of those countries has food which I like. But I have to say, the Mediterranean diet was always a favourite. I like the seasoning and the freshness of the Portuguese kitchen. But on the other hand, I do enjoy a nice vegetarian meatball dish from IKEA, as well as a “full English” breakfast!

ETS:
Have you ever thought about the time after your active career as an RC racer? Do you have any other profession or made some plans how your future can look alike?
Alex:
I want to work with RC for many more years if I can, as it’s my great passion. When my professional career as a driver eventually will come to an end, I hope that I can look into other options in the RC industry, to keep working with what I love.

ETS:
You have a lot of fans all around the world following you on social media and on the racetracks as well. What do you tell people when they ask you how to get better and faster RC racers?
Alex:
Practice, practice and more practice. And don’t be afraid to ask the top drivers for advice! It’s the best way to learn.

ETS:
Alex, we would like to thank you for your time and answering all our questions. The whole RC community is happy to have such a great ambassador like you are to promote our great sport!
We hope to see you racing for many, many years and we wish you best of luck for the upcoming races. If you like just give a shout out to all people who support you and to your sponsors as well!
Alex:
Thank you for featuring me on your series of interviews! I want to thank my main sponsor XRAY for all their support, as well as every other sponsor that puts trust in my racing program. I want to thank all my family, friends and fans around the world for all their support and friendship!

For this week`s “ETS-Family Interview” we talked to the one and only Marc Rheinard.
Marc is a fan favorite wherever he is racing and he won multiple championships and titles throughout his whole RC-Racing career. Let`s hear what Marc told us about his life, his RC-Racing career and his plans for the future.

ETS:
Hi Marc, nice to have you here for our “ETS-Family Interview” series. How are you doing in these days where the Coronavirus knocked out almost everything we are used to do normally?
Marc:
Puuuhhh, what can I say, it totally sucks to be at home all the time and not be able to do what I love the most, racing RC Cars! But we have to take the situation the way it is right now, being healthy is the most important thing but I hope that we can hit the track as soon as possible again !

ETS:
Your actual life situation changed after the split with Infinity in the End of 2019. You are now using an Awesomatix car and you are more involved in your brother`s company Tonisport. What are your responsibilities there right now and was it difficult for you to get into that rhythm?
Marc:
It`s different now but I really like the way it is. I’m helping at Tonisport every day, doing all kind of stuff to see all different things to run a company. It´s good for me as this was my plan anyway after my RC career to be with my brother Toni at Tonisport to stay in the RC Industry!
Thanks to my brother and the Tonisport team to take me a part of it earlier than expected!

ETS:
You found a really good pace with your new Awesomatix car very quickly. What is the most noticeable difference from this car to the cars you used before? Is it more easy to drive or what is the secret behind the huge overall success of the Awesomatix platform in your opinion?
Marc:
I didn’t drive too much since my change at the beginning of the year but the car is just brilliant.
The Awesomatix was the car I was always looking up to and I always wanted to race this car one day.
Now I have the chance and I really love the handling of the car, it is so consistent and the car works all the time. I´ve never had a run were I said, Jesus, the car feels bad… it`s always good to drive.
I´m sure the car and myself have a lot more potential than I showed at the last ETS in Daun, so I’m super motivated to go for the next races!

ETS:
When we look back on your racing career, the first thing we all remember is your fantastic win at the ISTC IFMAR worlds in Florida in 2004. Back in these days it was a real big deal as you won against the stars of that era with Masami and Hara and it was the first ever electric worlds title for a German driver! Was it more difficult to win a worlds back then or would you rate the competition nowadays higher?
Marc:
I think back in the day and now, both times were hard to win a worlds. More difficult back then was for sure to have good motors and batteries as the runtime was always a key factor. But competition wise it is the same, always good drivers who fight for the win. Electronic wise it is for sure easier since we have brushless motors and LiPo batteries and the power and runtime is not an issue anymore.

ETS:
The whole technology in RC changed tremendously since 2004. Today the 13.5 Stock Class is almost at the same speed as we had in modified in the early 2000s. Normally all the spec classes should be something for beginners or guys who don`t take racing too serious. Do you think the cars became too fast or do you like the ongoing development which pushes everything up to new limits? 
Marc:
True, the difference between stock and modified especially indoors is not big anymore. To me it should be a bit slower, ETS 13.5T seems good, but the open brushless classes are just pointless as they can also run modified then!

ETS:
When you grew up and started RC Racing, your father Uwe had an amazing facility with the “Motodrom Andernach” and set a real benchmark at this time. Did those indoor and outdoor tracks helped you a lot to become that amazing driver that you are today or would you say that you got better and better a long time after the Motodrom finally closed the doors? Let us also know what you remember the most when you think about the golden days at the old “Motodrom Andernach”?
Marc:
For sure this was a big advantage in my career, as I could drive every day. After school I went many times to the track, just to drive without thinking about setups….! So I really learned to drive all kind of cars, even if they didn’t go straight or felt broken. I really love these days back then with the Tamiya cup we drove since 1994, this really helped a lot. Starting with slow cars and then step by step switching to faster categories.

ETS:
You race a lot of touring car which is your main class (3 times world champion) but you have also won 2 worlds and 2 euros in 1:12 scale and you became European champion in 4WD buggy in 2009 for example. Was it difficult at some point to switch between these classes or to race a 1:12 scale worlds against the best drivers of this class without having a lot of practice before? 
Marc:
Offroad is always different as I’m not used to the jumps!
When I won the euros I had a brilliant car with the Tamiya belt car and it was 90% astro, so I could drive it like a TC car with jumps. I just had to learn the jumps which worked good for me on this track.
1:12 is always fun for me to drive, I love how these cars handle and I drove it already early back in the days. Yes, I’m not driving too much 1:12, basically just the WC the last years but I know how these cars handle and I love to race it, maybe that’s why, I can still be fast without practice?!
But TC is still my favorite class!

ETS:
Are you kind of nervous before you start a qualifying heat or a final or do you always believe in yourself and your driving skills, knowing that you can always be in the mix to win something?
Marc:
If someone says, he’s not nervous before Q1 and A1, he is lying.
It always looks like I’m relaxed,… but I’m nervous going into the race as Q1 is important to get a good start into the event and the same with A1.  The pressure is always there, even if you feel confident you are always nervous in some ways.

ETS:
Your own brand MR33 seems to do very well right now. The range of products constantly grows and the products just look fantastic. How proud you are about this and isn`t it cool to see your own logo on a complete line of products?
Marc:
Yes, it`s nice to see people using my shirts as well as my products in the pits. But the guy behind all this is more my brother Toni and Tonisport. I will try to help more and more now but he builds up my brand and that’s what I am really thankful for!

ETS:
Marc, you will turn 34 this year in November! What do you think how long can a racer stay on top of the game and do you already have some plans in your pocket for the time after your competitive career or do you just enjoy every day as intense as possible doing what you love the most?
Marc:
I´m not thinking to stop in the next years, I have still many goals and I’m sure that the speed is still there to go for many more years! As Ronald is older than me, I won’t stop before he does. I am sure our great rivalry will continue for some more years!
After my career, I plan to be even more involved at Tonisport, I want to stay in the RC industry as this is my passion and I can’t think of a life without RC!

ETS:
Which driver you will call your hardest all time rival on the track and which is the hardest driver to overtake in a 5 minute race?
Marc:
Like I mentioned in the question before, Ronald is the guy nowadays I love to race the most! We respect each other on and off the track, we have similar driving styles and we know how to race!
To pass him is a miracle, I had to notice that again at the last ETS in Daun. I was faster in the beginning than him but he protected his line in style, there was no way to make a clean pass.
Clean racing is what I love.
All time rivals are Atsushi Hara and Ronald Völker!

ETS:
On your Instagram account it is easy to see that you support the football team of Werder Bremen. What makes this club so special for you and who is your favorite ever football player?
Marc:
Not the best timing to ask this question. I love this club since I’m a small kid, no idea how this started as Bremen is 4 hours away from home and there are many good clubs closer to my hometown.
I love the stadium, the whole team, the atmosphere….maybe not the position in the league right now but I hope we will find our way back up!
Favorite player: there is only one person, CRISTIANO RONALDO!!! CR7!

ETS:
Which other hobbies or activities do you like the most when you are not wrenching on  your car or traveling around the globe to race RC cars?
Marc:
I love to play tennis, it`s the best sport and I’m playing tennis since I’m 6 years old and I still love it.

ETS:
You have visited so many places during your career, which one do you like the most and which racetrack you would prefer as the coolest you ever ran on? Is there a place on earth that you can imagine to live instead of Andernach/Germany ?
Marc:
The best track I’ve driven on is the 2008 WC IFMAR track in Bangkok at RCS. A real shame that this track is not there anymore.
I want to live in Germany forever but to have a nice apartment on the best island, MALLORCA, would be a dream! (not only because of the german party area, the island is just beautiful and I love to be in the sun and on the beach!)

ETS:
Can you tell us the secret behind your SEVEN outstanding Reedy Race of Champions titles please?
Marc:
I think this question should be answered by other people who watch the reedy race.
All I can say is that I love to do heads up racing, to fight for every position is what I love.
People who watch me at the Reedy Race say, that I’m patient and not too aggressive, I take my time to find the best spot to make an attack… Maybe that is one of the secrets!

ETS:
When a rookie will ask you: “Which class should I run, what should I do to improve, how can I get sponsored”…How would your answer look like?
Marc:
Start with slow cars, and try to improve you skills. It`s not about a fast car, its more to learn how these cars handle. I would tell them, how I started RC and how long it took to get sponsored.
I started with Tamiya cup FWD and Mini class and these days help you the most to become a good driver! I got sponsored after good results, it was more difficult back in these days to get sponsored than now. Just drive, drive, drive and enjoy the hobby!

ETS:
As we are coming to the end of our nice little interview, is there something you would like to see changing in the RC Industry for the future?
Marc:
In this moment, I would just love to race again and I hope that our industry is strong enough to survive this crisis. I would be happy if we can continue the way it was before.
The only thing I want to see more are YOUNG KIDS coming to our hobby instead of sitting at home and play some stuff on a screen!

ETS:
Thank you for your time Marc, we hope to see you racing for many more years and we will see us at the racetrack as soon as possible. If you like you can give a shout out to your sponsors and most important people on your way to the top of our sports now!
Marc:
There are sooooo many people I need to thank but the most important back in the days and now is my family!
Sure all my sponsors who support me since a long time but the family and friends are the ones who make all this possible!
I hope to see you as soon as possible on track again!

For this week`s“ETS-Family Interview” we talked to one of the best in the business – defending ETS champion Bruno Coelho from Portugal. Bruno had a big impact to the racing scene at the 2014 touring car worlds in Florida and since these days he became one of the fastest racers on the planet!

ETS:
Hello Bruno and welcome to our series of interviews where we would like to know a little more from you then we already do! First of all, how are you and your family doing during these days where the whole world seems to slow down a lot? Is everything OK and how do you spent your time now without any RC racing!
Bruno:
Hello guys! Indeed, we are all living very scary times where unfortunately many people have been already affected. As many countries, Portugal is also in self-quarantine. Most people have been almost locked at home for a while now and as a consequence our RC world is completely stopped. Luckily so far me and all my family are healthy, and I hope it remains like this.

ETS:
Which part of Portugal is your home? Do you live in a bigger city or more on the countryside of Portugal?
Bruno:
I live about 15 minutes away from the center of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, in a small village, which is perfect combination of peace and quiet so close to a busy and fun city.

ETS:
When you remember your start into the RC Hobby, which car do you remember the most and on which track (or RC-Club) did you race with it? 
Bruno:
My biggest memory it is still my first experience with RC. I started in a parking lot close to my house. One day I was passing there, and many people were driving RC cars and my dad stopped by to watch with me. He immediately realized I was super excited with it, so one month later on my 8^th birthday he decided to give me my first RC car, a Thunder Tiger 1/10 Touring Nitro.

ETS:
We remember that your father was with you at your first ETS races and he was also your mechanic! Did he travel with you all the time when you were younger, or did you go to races with other friends or club members too?
Bruno:
My dad used to be my mechanic and sponsor for all classes and we always traveled together (either the 2 of us or with the rest of the family).  I never did a race without him before I started to be professional driver.

ETS:
Did you win and dominate a lot of races in Portugal before you became a “Pro Driver” or would you rate yourself just as a motivated driver with some talent who just found that kind of “switch” in the right moment to became really fast and good!
Bruno:
Yes, I won a lot of races in Portugal and I was sure I had the talent and the hard work to back it up. The challenge was always having the little struck of luck that a kid that live in a country that is not the center of the RC world need. Being from Portugal, with my dad as sponsor and a bit distant from the big RC centers like Italy and Germany meant that all my chances were placed in only 1 race a year, either the World or European Championship dependent on which one was in Europe.

ETS:
What was your regular job at home in Portugal before you became a professional RC Racer?
Bruno:
I was a contract manager for transport trucks. Basically, I was working for a truck company that was renting their trucks to a private people. My job was verifying the trucks, checking if everything was in a good condition according to the contract, planning the services, tire changes, and sometimes if there was something broken on a truck I needed to find out if it was defect or just bad use from the driver.

ETS:
Was there a special race or a specific season of racing where you noticed that you are really good or maybe good enough to do this as a real job for a living or did that just happen by accident?
Bruno:
When I was 14, I won the Junior WC 1/8 On road nitro in Argentina, finishing 12th overall and won the Junior European Championship (15th overall) in Sweden where I was dominating the semi-final where I started 4th and after 3 minutes I was leading by a good gap and I did the best lap of the race, unfortunately my unexperienced cost me a big mistake in the middle of the semi as I crashed. My dreaming came very big that year to be a professional driver. But through the years no company wanted to invest on me. They said that Portugal was a small country so there was no point to sponsor or either to pay the travels as it was too expensive to travel all the time to the big races in the center of Europe. So, I started to lose that dream until I was 21 when finally, my dream came true.

ETS:
Since you race at all the big racing series like ETS, EOS, ENS and also the worlds and euros it seemed that you were able to win big races just from the beginning. What was the biggest difference and challenge for you when you attended more of these big international races? Was it more the racing itself or everything around these events with all the preparation and the traveling which you had to get used to?
Bruno:
Through the years that I was not professional we had limited amount of money for races. Which means that you are limited on the amount of testing and of course limited on the resources like number of engines available or types of tires. So for me the biggest difference is the amount of testing and preparation I can now do and also the fast pace of traveling from place to place to attend all races I need to do.

ETS:
Is it sometimes funny or difficult to explain people who are not involved in RC Racing what your “Job” is and that you get paid for racing with toy cars?
Bruno:
Haha, yes it´s kind of difficult and sometimes embarrassing when someone asks you what’s your profession and they end up not having an idea that RC even exist. Sometimes it’s funny because even when they don’t understand they kind of congratulate you for how far you go, but sometimes it’s really frustrating when that person goes like “really you get paid for that?”.

ETS:
You are now racing at the highest level since 6 years and you have a lot of different sponsors. That must be like a dream come true to get paid to do what you love the most. Which are the real ups and downs doing RC racing as a fulltime job?
Bruno:
For sure my life changed a lot since I´m professional driver, I´m also very sure that is a dream of every RC driver to become professional as we all started this because we love it. The “ups” are the races, new friends, visiting many countries in the worlds, different cultures, new foods, that´s for sure a very positive side. The “down” side is the time that you stay away from your family, girlfriend, best friends and Portugal which is a country that I really love to live.

ETS:
During a regular racing season you race in many different classes from electric touring cars to 1:10 scale offroad and all the nitro cars. A lot of people might know how difficult it is for you to switch between all these classes from week to week? Do you still try to practice a lot for all these classes or do you just use the big amount of races to get your driving on point?
Bruno:
Yes, sometimes it is difficult but I normally get used to it very fast. Honestly, I don´t practice that much. When I´m in Portugal I try to spend most time with my family, girlfriend and friends. When I have some time left, yes, I do some RC but only for fun not really to practice for some specific race. Before the big races I normally practice 2 or 3 days together with the XRAY team in some track.

ETS:
You are using XRAY cars for your complete racing program as you are their top factory driver. Do you think it is a huge benefit to have all cars “out of one hand” in case of support and setup knowledge?
Bruno:
For sure is a big benefit as XRAY shares their knowledge in all different classes. For example sometimes we find something that works very good in 1/10 touring electric and we try it in 1/10 off road electric and it works as well so I´m sure that is very positive to have all classes in one brand.

ETS:
Your mechanic Francesco Martini travels with you to a lot of races and it seems that you work together very good as a team. Some top drivers work with a mechanic, some prefer to work on their cars by themselves! How important is it for you to have somebody around yourself in the pits who you can talk to in case of setup, track conditions, the next round of qualifying, strategy and all these things?
Bruno: 
I think that is very important to have one person on your side to help you not only on the set-up matter but many times also to have a look on the track and discuss about how the car is working, lines, etc. It´s also important that the person on your side is able to be open mind and bring their own vision to a discussion so that more sides are covered.
With Francesco I´m sure that he is not only my mechanic but also a huge friend that helped me when I became a professional racer. He was such a big support when me and my father started in the first years as professional. We didn’t know much about 1/10 touring electric class, it was very new for us, and it was such an advantage to have Francesco sharing his many years of experience from the get go. Eventually Francesco decided to stop driving and started to follow all my electric touring car races. This was a decision that for sure I will be thankful for the rest of my live to him.

ETS:
Bruno, until now you have won many ETS titles, you became a three times world champion (2x4WD Buggy, 1xISTC Touring Car) and you won a 1:8 buggy euros and many more titles. Is there one special title for you who stands over all the others and if so, just let us know why and how it felt to win it!
Bruno: 
All of them were special for me. But I can say that the 1/10 TC World Championship in South Africa and the 1/8 off road nitro European Championship in Portugal had maybe a better “taste”.
The Worlds in South Africa because on the Warm up we had such a big advantage to the other drivers and at the Worlds everything was not running as we expected and in the finals we found out the mistake and we were able to turn the second grid place to a victory, passing two times Ronald Volker that we all know to pass him in one final is already a big “world championship”.
The euros in Portugal because it was at my country, having so many people pushing me, giving me confidence, supporting me and giving me so much reasons to never give up and “fight for the win we  all believe in you”! It´s a great feeling during the final passing the straight line and listen during 45 minutes in the middle of all engines and all your focus a crowd of people screaming your name, making noise. This is something that gives you an extra power and it will be in my memory forever and for sure something that I would like to feel again!

ETS:
When you are not at the racetrack, do you have some other hobbies or things you like to do when you are at home with your girlfriend or your family?
Bruno: 
When I´m not at racing I used to spend a lot of time with my girlfriend and friends. I also have some other hobbies like driving my sport car on a race track, CrossFit, play computer and some other things.

ETS:
Which is your favorite Food and Drink?
Bruno:
I´m a meat lover so everything with meat I really like. I would say maybe a good all you can eat Brazilian Barbecue, about drink nonalcoholic drink I would say Sprite and alcoholic drink Vodka Black with lemon.

ETS:
Do you support a special football club and who is your favorite player?
Bruno: 
In Portugal my club is Sporting Lisbon. My favorite player is for sure Cristiano Ronaldo and I think I no need to say why!!!!! HEHE

ETS:
Is there something you are NOT good at and you absolutely don`t like to do?
Bruno:
Interviews! No, I´m joking, haha. I´m not good at cutting bodies. I hate it.

ETS:
Which of your racing classes do you enjoy racing the most?
Bruno:
I really like 1/8 on road nitro. It´s my favorite class. The fastest and I always have fun driving it.

ETS:
Who was your personal “Star of RC Racing” when you were young?
Bruno:
When I was young for sure Lamberto Collari as I was driving only on road nitro and in that time he was unbeatable.

ETS:
Difficult question: Which RC Track you like the most (Onroad, and Offroad)?
Bruno:
On road it´s very difficult to say, I would say RC Addict in Thailand as a layout, race itself and Hudy Arena as by far the best facilities in the world.
Off road I would say the 1/8 off road Worlds in Australia 2 years ago, I don´t remember the name of the track but I really liked that track.

ETS:
Bruno, thank you for your time and all the information you gave us. We are really looking forward to see you race for many more years with us and we wish you and your whole family all the best.
Please give a final shout out to all of your sponsors and the people you want to say “thank you” to!
Bruno:
I would like to say thanks to my family, special thanks to my father that never give up on me, girlfriend, friends, sponsors that always do everything to make the best result as possible. I´m really sorry about what is happening now around the world but I´m sure that this will pass and we will all get back to the track, doing what we love to do with the people that we enjoy and have fun to be with.