The SST Pay & Play Day…
The Pay & Play day – PaddyRc’s Big Day Out…
It’s Saturday….6.30am….I’m gripping a piece of mostly burnt toast betwixt my teeth as I hastily grab my bags with a nervous excitement akin to a teenager getting his first car… It’s the SST PNP day, the RC trucks all seat-belted in….(still fresh with the scent of bovine manure of last weeks run I might add…) and off we go….!
So after the obligatory 3 point turn after missing the quarry turn off….I arrive, the air still crisp with morning chill and fog cresting the tree-line above off the steep quarry sidings… Dan’s already here! A mutual excitement belied by an ear to ear grin greets me as I pull up, shortly followed by Kevin in his funky leg attire….
Brew in hand we survey the scene, an empty quarry…a playground of lines…a plethora of terrain – the mind wanders to the hours of fun yet to come, but no time to procrastinate as hoardes of esteemed guests, rc veterans and hobby newbies will soon be upon us eager to enjoy all gurney slade has to offer!
It’s now 9 am ish, i’m wrangling my worldy goods from the deceptively awful boot of an ageing Mercedes, some of the team are setting up a few markers here. Kevin’s on his 18th litre of tea for the day, Neil’s parked his Chelsea tractor in its executive parking space – we are all set!
Soon enough, the quarry basin is alive with the sound of little tiny electric scale rc models navigating the scenery, eagerly followed by their owners keen to immerse themselves in the atmosphere, and after the living nightmare of the last year… I can’t blame them! I’m seeing every make, type and marque of rc there is to see, a veritable feast for the hobbyists eyes!
From Traxxas to CRX, portals to ifs, trucks to tanks…its all here! Half the fun is watching a truck take a line, then the inevitable approach question of “that’s cool – what is it” follows!
Many hours of rc trucking, filming and general chinwagging ensue, must stay focused though, there’s almost too much ground to cover and there’s yet more filming still to crack on with! I check my watch and 4 hours have flown by already!!!
You know the saying …”time flies when your having fun” …Well it’s certainly the case here!
Thankfully I’ve managed to browse all sections of the basin and woods, wwitnessed some amazing works of model art, collected almost 250gb of rc based video footage and drank enough coffee to sedate a large horse!!!
It’s late afternoon now and descending from atop a cliff siding, mind still buzzing and legs fatigued, I stop halfway down to enjoy the vista so I can spend a minute just taking in the day, and what a day it was. As I’m heading out the gate to leave, big smile on my face, my soul fulfilled, my brain frothing with anticipation that Septembers main SST event will be…well just EPIC!!!
See you in September ‘ya filthy animals!
Check Out PaddyRC’s Videos and Snaps from the day: