Damascus College Year 9 student Jordan Isergin will represent Australia at the 1:10 Electric Off Road Buggy World Championships, in Slovakia on 14th to 22th September 2019.
With 24 competing countries, Jordan is one of only 10 Australian competitors that qualified for the World Championships; with five being from Victoria, he is the only competitor from Regional Victoria. Jordan currently aged 14 began remote control buggy racing six years ago, at the tender age of eight.
Jordan said that he wasn’t interested in the traditional sports, so his dad Michael looked on the internet and saw a Club Day at Keilor Park that they visited as spectators, and it ignited a real interest in the sport.
“My brother and I both got a remote control buggy, and I have loved the sport ever since,” said Jordan.
Since moving to Ballarat three years ago, Jordan continues to travel to Melbourne every Sunday to race or practise, and every month he travels to a regional location to race, so the time commitment and dedication are considerable. He is a member of the Keilor Electric Off Road Car Association Inc. There is no RC track currently in Ballarat and it is something that Jordan would love to see one day.
“I began in the junior class, then progressed to Stock Class (which is for 17.5 turn motors only), and I am now racing in the Modified Class which is the highest/elite level of racing. It is in this class where I have participated in four National and State competitions over a two year period. I have had to build up points over this time which enabled me to qualify for the World Championships. I am ranked 8th in Australia”.
“It means everything to me to represent my country. Racing remote control buggies is something I love doing and I do it every day whether it is practising, working on my cars or watching my favourite races on YouTube. I even have a racetrack in my backyard here in Ballarat,” he said.
As part of the experience, Jordan also has to build his own cars, which develops his technical skills, hand eye coordination and his confidence has really grown throughout the years. He has to buy a kit and put it together including the motor, esc, servo and battery.
“I am really looking forward to meeting the World Champions from across the globe, especially Spencer Rivkin who is my idol in RC racing, and I hope to also make it to the 2021 World Championships that will be held in USA. Travelling with my good friend Lachie will also be a lot of fun as we race together at every event. We are great mates”.
This will be Jordan’s first overseas trip with his dad, where they will also do some sight-seeing whilst in Europe. This sport is a great opportunity for those like-minded students that don’t fit into the mainstream sports.