Tekno Team Driver Spotlight: David Hemenway

TH: How old are you and where are you from?
DH: I just started being able to race in the 40+ class, though haven’t done so yet.  I’m from, and back in, New England…though that happened by way of both Canada and California.

TH: Favorite Class in school and at the races?
DH: My favorite school class was probably AP Chemistry…the teacher was a pyro, and we were always lighting things on fire or blowing things up.  In college my favorite classes were my multimedia classes and jazz band (I’ve played trumpet since I was 5).  On the track, if it is 4wd I enjoy it, but my first class back into the hobby 8 or so years ago was 4wd SC, and it is still my favorite…though eTruggy is REALLY close.  The ability to make kids smile or adults go “Woah!  They can do that?” is just awesome!

TH: Best moment with the Tekno Team?
DH: There are so many, it is hard to choose, so I’ll bring up 3.

1) I had been in contact with Tekno long before becoming a team member, and had been trying to assist them with videos and media/hype but not letting the cat out of the bag too early, thanks to having the original EB48 being tested at my home track.  They were appreciative and the relationship started.  At some point, I actually got to race around them, and they asked me to join the team.  To say I was excited would be an understatement.

2) When I moved back to New England, I did so by way of driving from California to eNats in PA at the awesome LCRC (home of this upcoming year’s Fuel Nats), then up to New England after the race.  The team was amazing to work with there.  The way Danny, Matt, and Lutz were so welcoming to a lower ranking team driver, and bouncing ideas around with me, was amazing.  Then, Matt and Ryan stuck around for a day to test and tune afterwards, so I did too.  Swapping controllers several times was huge for me, in seeing just how incredibly unique setups are for each driver.  Ryan was a lot slower around the track with my vehicle than I was…but I usually couldn’t get his vehicle around the track without crashing, even while not trying to go fast.  It was fun, and an amazing eye opener.

3) Shortly after the above, the prior New England RTM moved out of the region.  Tekno contacted me and asked me if I wanted the position, saying that I’d been recommended, and that with my knowledge and desire to be involved, it seemed like a natural fit.  I agreed, and again, to say I was excited would’ve been a major understatement.

TH: What are your racing goals for 2020?
DH: My main hope is that this pandemic goes away so I actually get to race again!  Especially with just getting elected to the Select Board of my town, things are busy right now.  I think my big travel races will be Rumble In Roam (at CRCRC) and East Coast Race Against Cancer (at LCRC) this year.  8th eNats is always a possibility, and something I usually do, but that’s not a definite yet this year.  For Rumble I’d like to defend my 4wd SC title and make the A again in the other classes, and for the Race Against Cancer, I’d like to make the A in at least one of the 8th classes, though with the competition that normally shows up to that, that’s likely to be a large challenge.  Assuming I make it to eNats this year, I want back into the 4wd SC A Main like I managed previously, after “incidents” in each qual last year caused me to miss it by one spot and win the B Main from the BQ spot.  I also really look forward to getting the EB48v2.0 dialed in for my driving style.

TH: Favorite Tekno Upgrade Part?
DH: My favorite Tekno part is the Shock Tool, TKR1115.  I always find random uses for it beyond the shocks, and it makes them easy enough to rebuild that even I (the king of no maintenance) don’t really mind doing it.  As for a favorite actual upgrade part…the only one we ever truly need…TKR5253B – Aluminum Servo Horn.

TH: Event you look forward to the most in the next year?
DH: While I’ve not been able to make it each year, the East Coast Race Against Cancer is always one of the races I look forward to the most.  The competition is amazing, as is LCRC and the family behind it.  It also means a lot, having suddenly lost my dad to Cancer a few years ago and my Uncle many years prior.

TH: Anyone you would like to thank?
DH: Thank you for the interview!  Also a big thanks to all of the tracks in the area and my regional drivers.  I couldn’t do what I do without them!  Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t thank my sponsors: Tekno RC for the amazingly performant and durable vehicles; SMC for powering everything; Sanwa for the connected and flawless control; and NorCal Hobbies for living up to its name “The Race Place” and training folks like me who had no idea into formidable racers.  I’d also like to thank Kevin Jelich, who was a big part of that mentoring at NorCal, but has since gone to build many other tracks and be a big part of A Main Hobbies racing programs.  Of course, the biggest thanks come last…to my wife for pushing me to pursue my passion of racing, and to Jesus Christ for saving me and making me a better person than I otherwise would be.