Featured Racer: Bobby Shivers

Bobby Shivers of Clinton, MS certainly is not the greatest, nor the most experienced slot racer around. So, why make him the Racer of the Month? The reason is pretty simple - he has learned something that many racers never learn. He has actually learned it with less than six months of actual racing experience. What has he learned? He has conquered the eternal struggle of driving within your own abilities and not let what others do affect your driving. This is one of the secrets that many racers never learn even after years of racing.

Bobby came into slot car racing late in 2016 when Charlie's Garage opened in Pearl, MS. He had raced R. C. cars in the past without, shall we say, being the best on the track. When he first started running slot cars he was like all new racers just trying to get around the track. He accepted the fact that he was not the fastest racer on the track and did not get frustrated by others who were much faster than him. He did display a couple characteristics that would give the astute racer signs that he would be a contender one day. He was not intimidated by running with people who were faster than himself and he was willing to learn. Not only was he willing to learn but he sought opportunities to learn, especially on the track. He had plenty of opportunities to learn as he has been very dedicated to his new hobby. He has been at Charlie's Garage almost every day it has been opened for over six months. All this track time has had an effect on his abilities. Early on, his track time consisted of impromptu racing until he or his race partner deslotted. These impromptu races usually didn't last more than three laps due to the fact neither would keep their car on the track for more than that length of time.

The first real sign of his improvement was when he started trying to learn how to follow someone around a turn on the outside instead of trying to pass on the outside. He learned to follow until he has a safe opportunity to pass (see the tip of the month for July). This was a concept he learned pretty quickly and put to use in actual racing. Bobby may not be the fastest racer on the track all the time, but when he chases you down you know he will get the pass as he is very patient. He will lock onto the rear of your car and wait for the opportunity to pass on a straight or in a turn where he is on the inside. Bobby has also learned that sometimes it is better to give up a spot than to fight for it and be deslotted. He has learned when someone is obviously faster than you and has caught you, he is better off to let a person by in the straight as opposed to fighting them on the outside of a turn. I suppose this is why he was selected as Racer of the Month as it goes with the Tip of the Month, “Keep your car out of harm's way”.

Bobby may not always be the fastest racer, but recently he was fast enough to set a new track record at Charlie's Garage in the wing car class. This particular night, all the stars were lined up correctly for Bobby to do this. The track was fast and the number of competitors were low. He started in the field of eight cars with no expectations of even making the podium. He was just racing for the fun of it without a thought of actually winning as his car was not nearly the fastest car on the track. For the sake of having corner marshals, the field was split into two races with four in each race. There was no qualifying, nor bump-ups to a faster main. It was simply two races and the lap totals would be compared after both races were run. The second race, the one Bobby was in, had one driver pull out due to motor problems before the start leaving only three racers. As the race went on Bobby drove his own race and did not worry about what was going on around him. On the third of eight rotations another car had to drop out due to mechanical failure, leaving only two cars on the track. Both cars were usually separated by at least one lane and each driver just drove without trying to out drive the track. There were very few deslots and hardly any track calls for the entire race. The race was actually quite close between the two on the track running for a couple rotations with no more than 20 feet ever separating them. Bobby just drove his car not worrying about anything but driving the best he could without desloting. With less than a minute left in the last rotation the other driver desloted giving Bobby some breathing room. Bobby had the most laps and as such set the official new track record. Was this because of him being lucky with his race situation? Maybe a little luck helped him, but he helped himself more by driving and not coming off. He put everything he had learned through countless hours of practice and all he had learned in his brief slot car racing career to the test. There is a formula for luck, it is preparation + opportunity = luck. Bobby prepared himself, then had an opportunity and he made the most of it. Call it luck if you want, I call it good racing.

With his success in wing car racing you might think that would be his favorite class. This is not the case, his favorite class is a box stock class. This is a class run at Charlie's Garage using JK ready to run cars as they come out of the box. The primary rules of the class are: JK C21 chassis, JK LMP bodies, Hawk 7 motor, and the original gear ratio that comes with the ready to run cars Charlie sells. Bobby says he prefers this class because it is not as fast as the wing cars and he can see the cars in the turns better. He says he can get his timing for the turns better in this class because they are not as fast. When asked what he contributes the most to his being able to hit his break points and acceleration points accurately, he replied it is his musical background. Bobby has been a musician most of his life making a career as a school band director. He said the experience as a musician has given him an edge to getting timing down better than he could have done otherwise. After all, timing is an integral part of music.

Having set the track record at Charlie's in the wing car class with only a couple cars on the track he was asked if he prefers a full track or a race with only about half the lanes full. His response was that he wanted to race. He enjoys racing with however many are on the track, but he finds it exciting to race with as many lanes full as possible. Bobby Shivers is not a one trick pony as he has won with a bunch of cars on the track as well as only a couple. He has won in the wing car class as well as the box stock class. He is a humble man who not only is willing to encourage others, but does so every chance he gets. He is a racer who will win and then tell you how well you did yourself. Bobby is the kind of racer you can run with and know he will not mess up your race by making a lot of mistakes. He is also a racer who will make you cringe as you see his car catching you little by little to pass you AGAIN. He is kind of like the shark in the movie Jaws. You see him coming but there is nothing you can do to prevent the inevitable.

Has Bobby peaked in his racing at this point? No way. He is still trying to learn and improve on his skills, especially in the pits. He understands that even with the success he has had, there is still a lot for him to learn. Having only raced at Charlie's Garage and no where else, he was asked if he thought he could do well at another track with only an hour or so to practice? His response was a resounding no! He understands that he has practiced a lot at his home track and would have to practice elsewhere in a similar fashion to even hope to have a fraction of the success he has experienced so far.

What the other racers need to be concerned about is how well Bobby will do when he realizes the wing cars are affected by the same timing principles as the box stock cars....only the tempo has been increased and the crescendos grow quicker.