Iron Mountain, Mich. (WZMQ) – The Iron Mountain RC Track just off of State Highway M-95 in Dickinson County was not the only place where father and son duos were competing over the weekend, but a place for families to get together and make friends.
RC racing enthusiasts at the track noted that outdoor RC is growing in popularity, and there are more courses around the U.P. that they would still like to explore.
On Father’s Day, Neil Anderson, the owner of the Antigo Area RC Track in Wisconsin, traveled with his son Brady Anderson to the Iron Mountain RC track to compete.
“We don’t have a hobby shop down by us like Dave has, so it’s a little harder for us to do, but we get guys traveling for two, three hours just to come visit our track,” informed Anderson. “At home, we’re more hard-packed clay outdoors, so we have to water a bit more. Now he’s got more sand here, so it’s a different setup, a different tire setup for what we’re doing.”
His son, Brady Anderson is a sophomore at Antigo High School. He brought his four-wheel-drive short course, two-wheel-drive short course, and wheelie to the race. He explained that everyone is friends at the track until the race begins. “It does get really, really competitive. We have our own series that we started in Antigo. And it’s called the five-star series,” Brady explained.
Ory Starnes and his son Tyson Starnes also made the trip to the races.
For Ory Starnes, an Escanaba RC racer, the outdoor activity is a refreshing change from online video gaming. “It’s definitely something different. I’m coming from online video gaming to this, so it’s just, I want to be outdoors,” he said.
For his son, 11-year-old Tyson Starnes, the changes and challenges are paying off in prize money. “It’s kind of hard when you first start because you don’t know all the controls, but I’ve been doing this for one year,” Tyson remarked. “It’s just really to make friends and have fun,” he added.
Despite the distance, the Andersons and Starnes families were eager to compete at the Iron Mountain RC track. The race proved to be a challenging but rewarding experience for all the competitors. The father and son duos left with new memories and a continued love for the sport of RC racing.
Iron Mountain RC Club is also affiliated with the Maxx Entertainment Complex’s indoor RC track. The Club is active on social media with any race changes or cancellations throughout its racing season. Sunday’s top finishers were:
⅛ Buggy:
Ethen Maki
⅛ Truggy
Ethen Maki
2wd Open Buggy:
Mark Wickman
2wd Open Sct:
Mark Wickman
2wd Open Stadium
Mark Wickman
2wd Super Stock Buggy
Mike Johnson
2wd Super Stock Sct:
Mark Wickman
4wd Open Buggy:
Mark Wickman
4wd Open Sct:
Ethen Maki
Monster Class:
Mike Johnson
Sportsman’s:
Greg Nelson
