2008 Woodie Awards
Students stay after dark to race tiny cars
Paul Edison
Issue date: 6/9/08 Section: Features
It was half past ten. Headlights glared; engines revved. Passers by could hear the hurly burly, the bustling of the auto mechanics from a parking lot away.
Jason Oliver and Jerry Knapp stood beside their black truck while two cars bolted around Parking Lot C, leaving streaks of blue and yellow across the empty space.
The lights lapped, twirled, dashed and slalomed across the parking lot, until the yellow one twisted an unfortunate turn and toppled over with a little "crash." The wheels still turned for a few moments after.
Everything was silent when Oliver walked toward the yellow car. He bent over, picked up the remote control car, turned it over and the engine once again triumphed over the sound of crows and crickets.
Of course, there were other times when the car completely stopped and he had to bring it back to the truck and start it like a lawnmower.
But, "half of the fun is in fixing them," 24-year-old Oliver said. The two had just started this week, but Oliver says they are definitely going to bring their cars out more regularly. "Nobody seems to mind, and the police don't bug us. But probably it's just the matter of time until somebody gets annoyed by the noise and turns us in."
R/C cars can actually cost as much as their real-sized counterparts.
"I've probably spent more money on [my R/C cars] than what I need to get through college," Knapp says. He started playing with R/C when he was 10 years old.
The cars also run on gas. But they're a little lighter on the wallet than most. A gallon could easily last them a whole night's worth of runs, Knapp says.
Knapp has a habit of throwing his cars to a start because of his tournament experience.
"I throw them so when they hit the ground they're not starting from a dead stop," he said.
Then he pulled out his radio, a device that to a layman's eyes could only be described as a striking resemblance to the laser blaster in "Men In Black," and the car dashed on at 35 mph.
A few moments later, a police officer came. A complaint was filed. The police drove away with Knapp and Oliver packing up their stuff. They said they will be back next time, but probably before the residents of Cupertino are fast asleep.
Paul Edison is a staff reporter for La Voz. Contact him at pauledison@lavozdeanza.com
Jason Oliver and Jerry Knapp stood beside their black truck while two cars bolted around Parking Lot C, leaving streaks of blue and yellow across the empty space.
The lights lapped, twirled, dashed and slalomed across the parking lot, until the yellow one twisted an unfortunate turn and toppled over with a little "crash." The wheels still turned for a few moments after.
Everything was silent when Oliver walked toward the yellow car. He bent over, picked up the remote control car, turned it over and the engine once again triumphed over the sound of crows and crickets.
Of course, there were other times when the car completely stopped and he had to bring it back to the truck and start it like a lawnmower.
But, "half of the fun is in fixing them," 24-year-old Oliver said. The two had just started this week, but Oliver says they are definitely going to bring their cars out more regularly. "Nobody seems to mind, and the police don't bug us. But probably it's just the matter of time until somebody gets annoyed by the noise and turns us in."
R/C cars can actually cost as much as their real-sized counterparts.
"I've probably spent more money on [my R/C cars] than what I need to get through college," Knapp says. He started playing with R/C when he was 10 years old.
The cars also run on gas. But they're a little lighter on the wallet than most. A gallon could easily last them a whole night's worth of runs, Knapp says.
Knapp has a habit of throwing his cars to a start because of his tournament experience.
"I throw them so when they hit the ground they're not starting from a dead stop," he said.
Then he pulled out his radio, a device that to a layman's eyes could only be described as a striking resemblance to the laser blaster in "Men In Black," and the car dashed on at 35 mph.
A few moments later, a police officer came. A complaint was filed. The police drove away with Knapp and Oliver packing up their stuff. They said they will be back next time, but probably before the residents of Cupertino are fast asleep.
Paul Edison is a staff reporter for La Voz. Contact him at pauledison@lavozdeanza.com
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