JQ Europe Tour | THEQuagraine

Jul 04 2016

Euros Track – Amazeballs

The track is amazing! Really really nice, can’t wait for tomorrow. I also like the fact that it’s a real driver’s track. There are a lot of corners and combinations where the driver can make a big difference. Everyone is not able to do the same thing, and a talented driver will be able to make a difference. Challenging track, and it looks great.

The surface is a bit of a question mark. It doesn’t look like it did at the warm up. I think it will be dusty tomorrow, and should groove up. I expect it to be medium to high grip and bumpy in places later on. I hope the grip isn’t as high as for the warm up.

I hope I get my car good early on in practice and get to focus on my driving. Tyre choice will most likely be between long wear medium impact and enduro. Maybe long wear soft to start with, will have to determine that after watching the first heats run.

Some sections are looking like concrete dirt.

Some…not so much

Tagged euros 2016, redovan rc track

Jul 03 2016

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JQ Europe Tour, Race Reports, RC Tracks

Euros 2016, Redovan Spain

Long drive from France. But oh man, does the track look good!!!

Tagged euros 2016

Jul 02 2016

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#rcgypsy, #THETourist, JQ Europe Tour, Other Stories, Travel Stories

Max Euro Trip

Written by: Max Mört

This has been the first big road trip for me and first time being abroad without my parents, if not counting Sweden, and it has been pretty amazing. I have gone to the last two Euros with my family with a caravan so the start felt pretty normal going through Sweden except that it was Joseph that I was traveling with not my family. One of the cool things Joseph has is his #rcgypsy style. No nights staying at a hotel only staying with some friends. One big difference to traveling with my family is that me myself and Joseph, we do not like to plan things too far ahead. That is something I really like. You are driving through Italy and you see a really nice town next to the Mediterranean sea and you decide to go there and buy and ice cream and enjoy the view. Or you realize that some friend lives nearby the road you are going and decide to go eat breakfast with them.

The life of a young #rcgypsy

The race in Landshut Germany was my first race without my dad being my mechanic. Luckily some nice German JQ drivers wanted to help me and I got through the finals pretty well. Tomorrow we will drive to Spain after a cool training week in France with the Medjoubi family. They have been really nice and gave us a place to sleep. The week has still been really hard. Wake up early go to sleep late. Whole week wrenching and driving and breaking in my and one of Joseph’s engines. I wanted to get confident for the euros and decided to drive with my base setup and just get as many laps in as possible and as the track was really hard it was really nice to just drive and only think about that, not to try different setups all the time. On Thursday however, I decided to change my car and got it really really good and now I am even more confident for the Euros.

Amazing feast at the Medjoubi family! This week we prepare for the Euros together!

One of the funniest moments of the week was Joseph’s frustration on Monday when he did not get his shit together. He was sitting on the rostrum just looking at his transmitter and then he asked me to go turn his car around. After that I decided to give him a friendly hug every time he looked sad and somehow he got everything sorted out. This trip has also taught me many things about Europe and seeing some new cities and small villages has been pretty cool too. For example in Germany we went to a local beer garden and in Italy we went to get an ice cream by the sea. Today Rayan showed some places here in Toulon and some other places nearby. It has been a great trip and a great experience. Also huge thanks to all the people who have let us stay with them for a night or just a quick visit: Mervyn, Dieter, The Medjoubis and Max Johansson. Also thanks for my pit crew in Landshut and Joseph for letting me go with him even though I hit him every time I see a yellow car. TRANQUILLE!

Jul 01 2016

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Ramadan Wrenching

Oh that glass of watermelon juice that Mrs Medjoubi brought over to test us looked so tasty but wasn’t touched.

Today we decided to take part in Ramadan here at the Medjoubi household. During the Muslim “celebration” I guess of Ramadan, no food, drink or fornication is allowed from sunrise to sunset. Well two of those actually mattered for us. Ramadan lasts for a month, but we aren’t here for a month, but got in the spirit and joined for a day. I think it’s crazy to choose to suffer for your beliefs but to each his own. However, it does make you appreciate the simple pleasure of eating and drinking once the sun goes down. Something many people don’t have regardless of the sun’s position.

We spent the day wrenching and preparing our equipment for the Euros. Tomorrow we take a day off (company work instead) and then Sunday we drive to Spain!

Jun 30 2016

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JQ Europe Tour, Travel Stories

Testing Done – Also Max

Wake up at 8, back from the track at 9. That's been the schedule for this week. Looks like this guy is just about done!

Wake up at 7:30, back from the track at 9. That’s been the schedule for this week. Looks like this guy is just about done!

Jun 27 2016

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#rcgypsy, #THETourist, JQ Europe Tour, rant, Travel Stories

Life & Death Decisions in the Mediterranean Sea

Today we left for the South of France. We drove through Southern Germ…Bavaria, through the model railway looking Swiss scenery, through Italy straight to the Mediterranean Sea. The view along the coast was so amazing that we just had to stop in one of the towns. We pulled off the motorway and drove down to the sea. We were hoping to sample some Italian pasta but 3pm isn’t a good time to get a bite to eat in Italy. We settled for some ice cream in a bun? Ice cream sandwich anyone?

Standing on rocks that went out a way into the sea, looking back at the beaches and people on each side, the playing children in rubber boats, and the idyllic vacation style existence, it just seemed so incredible to think that on the other side of the sea, just 1000km away or so, there are people making life and death decisions.

You know, somehow I think these people aren’t going through all that shit just in order to get some fucking benefits.

People are packing into boats, fleeing war and other forms of shitty existence, and in the last two years, about 500 000 people have arrived to Europe this way. And who knows how many don’t make it. In 2015 in just one month, April, over 1300 people died or went missing trying to make it to Europe. You know, somehow I think these people aren’t going through all that shit just in order to get some fucking benefits. Get real. Would you leave your home if you heard Alaska was offering free housing and a daily free massage? I doubt it.

Amazing feast at the Medjoubi family! This week we prepare for the Euros together!

Tagged mediterranean, medjoubi

Jun 26 2016

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JQ Europe Tour, Race Reports, RC Tracks

LA Speedway German Nationals Qualifier – Day 2

Today we had the last qualifier 1st up in the morning, which we decided to skip with Max as it was maximum muddy, and we already had two good results. Genius. The eCar class had semi finals, and I won mine, and Max was easily bumping to the main when his car ground to a halt. A loose motor wire was to blame :-(. I ended up winning the eCar class after double 10min mains. Bloody electric!

In nitro I definitely didn’t have the “flow” today. Things just didn’t go my way at all. In the semi I flamed out during my first pit stop. This meant that I started the main in 5th place. In the main after flipping on torn carpet, then getting accidentally taken out by someone re-entering the track, and finally getting stuck in traffic in the pit lane entry ramp, I eventually got going and drove up from 5th to 2nd right behind the leader, when it started raining. I don’t know if it was my tyre choice of super soft chainlink or my car, or what, but I was 2 seconds slower than the other guys it seemed, and I dropped like a stone to 4th. At the very end the rain eased and I got some traction again, but boy was it slippery there for a while!

So I won electric and 4th in Nitro. Max made the main in nitro as there is no soldering required. He finished 7th after a good showing! First time without his dad messing things up for him too! All on his own, great job!

After the Final

After cleaning the car! Back in business.

The Speedway track that we never had time to visit during their race 😦

Tomorrow we head to France! Let’s see if we manage to order some croissants this time! Where is that classic race report. I have to find it again. Danke Schön to the Grosch family for the hospitality, and watch out the Medjoubi’s! Tomorrow another nice 12h drive!

Jun 25 2016

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JQ Europe Tour, Race Reports, RC Tracks

LA Speedway German Nationals Qualifier – Day 1

Today we drove 45min to another track, LA Speedway, for a 2 day race. Today was practice and qualifying, and tomorrow we run the mains. The weather was great today, until right after qualifying for the day was done when a thunderstorm arrived. Hopefully we get to race tomorrow. Max and me are both in the A main in electric and semis in nitro, no idea really where but somewhere there. We don’t really have the right tyres here so we are saving the single sets we have for the main, but even so qualifying went well enough.

A note out of Degani’s playbook. Focus on what you have, and make the most of it! Not the ideal tyres above, but it’s what we had. I think a lot of people could do better if they adjusted their attitudes, and made an effort to maximise their performance in every aspect instead of worrying about what they wish they had, or what other people are doing.

The track is a real old school offroad track! Dusty as hell to begin with, but now a nice rough medium grip groove has formed. It has some good corner sections that are rewarding when you get them right. Hopefully the weather is good tomorrow, and we will get some video, and punch it in the mains!

Tagged Degani, germany, LA Speedway

Jun 24 2016

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It’s Bavaria – NOT Germany

Today we learned that even though we were pretty confident that we were in Germany, apparently we are in Bavaria. This is very different from Germany we were told. The dialect is different here, and probably the Bavarian sausages too. Bavaria is the place to be if you believe the locals. So far we can’t really complain. Had to do some work in the morning, then visited the local track for a rebuild and shake down for tomorrows race, and then finally took a couple of hours off chilling in the pool. Unfortunately it ended bad for Max who shot me first in the eye, and then in the balls with a water AK-47. The double take out resulted in some serious payback which ended with Max being traded with the local farmer for some sheep and a chicken.

In the evening we went to a Bavarian Beer Garden, for some magnificent Germa….Bavarian meat and potatoes, and of course the local village beer. They know how to enjoy life over here. Looking forward to racing tomorrow!