Team driver Tim Smith has been reaching speeds in his custom built RC drag car that most of us don’t go in our full size cars. Tim’s most recent accomplishment is a run at 167.8MPH making this officially the fastest RC car in the world. To reach these speeds however has taken time, experience and quite a few advancements in technology.

In fact in 1991 he broke his first record. He was the first car to average over 70 mph for four laps at the Insane Speed Run. This record stood for an entire two hours before it was broken again by fellow racer Cliff Lett later in the evening. This exciting record in RC racing, even though short lived, sparked something in Tim that didn’t take hold until later in life. Tim began to win events on a regular basis at this point setting himself apart from the crowd.

• 1991 IEDA unlimited dragster (20 cell electric) and top fuel dragster (14 cell electric) West coast champion.
• 1991-92 MHRA West Coast champion and series points leader in Unlimited and top fuel dragster
• 1992 IEDA Worlds champion Top Fuel dragster and Top Fuel funny car.
• 1992 IEDA East coast nationals champion in Top Fuel dragster (3cell lipo)

Tim then turned his attention to oval racing for a short period and was ROAR oval series champion in the modified class where he set two track records in 1992 and 1993.

Summer of 1994 something happened to Tim that required him to get out of the hobby for a time. He started a family. Tim had a total of three children with his wife Jeni. For 13 years Tim focused on his family, buying a house, raising his kids, and dreaming of the day he would come back to RC. In 2007 Tim jumped back in with both feet again winning several awards in Drag and Oval racing.

Drag racing:

• 2007 IMDRA Top fuel West Cast national’s champion.
• 2007 MHRA top fuel and two cell dragster series points champion.
• 2008 IMDRA West Coast National’s runner up in 2 cell dragster.
• 2009 IMDRA 10.5 points champion
• 2010 MHRA-ROAR West Coast nationals champion 10.5 class
• MHRA track and ROAR national record holder in 10.5 for both mph and ET (1.78 @ 73.6 mph)

Oval racing:

• 2009 SWT All Star Shootout number 2 qualifier.
• Current stock oval track record holder on the San Jose velodrome.

For a number of years Tim rode a motorcycle 50+ miles to work every day. In November of 2010 only 4 days after setting the 2 cell record at 119 mph he was hit on the freeway while riding home from work by a women making an illegal lane change. Slamming into her truck at 55 mph he was thrown two lanes over and hit by another car. His left leg was destroyed requiring 4 surgeries, three steel plates, and over 35 screws (which are all still in him now). At this point he was told he might never walk again and if so it would only be with the use of a cane. For over 8 painstaking months he was not able to even take a step. Other than physical therapy every day trying to learn how to walk again he was bedridden. Tim lost his job of 17 years and if that was not enough his house went shortly after (when you don’t have a job paying for a house is not easy). During this time of highs and lows Tim’s mind became consumed with doing something no one else ever had, and becoming the fastest RC driver in the world was that thing. He worked harder than he ever thought he was capable of and now 3 years later he can run a mile and other than a tiny limp and an iron will you might never know what he went through. What Tim discovered in himself was a drive that has pushed him to 167 mph.

“God has put all this on me for some reason. I still am not sure why but He certainly likes to make me overcome things.” Says Tim Smith

That spark that began so many years before took hold. By setting records that will stand for more than two hours Tim hopes to be the goal for future racers to surpass. Tim’s recent focus on speed has really put him on the map with the RC community. Hitting several different challenging speed records is quickly making his desire into a reality as he strives to be the fastest RC driver in the world.

Speed Run:

• Current ISC 2wd stock class (7.4v pack with single 540 motor) World straight-line speed record @ 119MPH. (He originally broke this class record in 2008 with a run of 84MPH. A year later he again broke the record with a run of 101MPH becoming the first 2 cell RC car to ever break the 100 mph mark. Finally in 2010 he set the record at its current mark of 119MPH which has yet to be broken by anyone.)
• ISC Modified electric (14.8V single motor) World straight-line record @ 126.50MPH
• ISC modified “closed course” oval speed record at the 2009 Insane Speed Run.
• First 7.4v or 540 motor to record a run over 100MPH
• Currently attempting to break the current Guinness World Records® record and his best run on video is 167.8 mph but he has run as fast as 179MPH in testing.

Today Tim shares his hobby with his wife and three kids Holly, Parker, and Makenna.

Check out his last attempt at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAkMRImOCos. Also visit him directly at https://timsmithracing.podbean.com/.

– Joshua Barker PR Manager