Serpent's Barry Baker

Barry “The Fabulous One” Baker is a legendary American racer known for his accomplishments on the track and his skills tuning a car. Often very opinionated about all things in racing, he also has the cred to back it up, and has multiple ROAR National titles to his name along with a string of Reedy International Touring Car Race of Champions titles. He TQ’d and nearly won the 2002 IFMAR Championship in South Africa for touring cars, only to finish in second place—an amazing accomplishment for anyone else, but something that still haunts him. Now running for Serpent, we got a chance to ask him a few questions. Read on.

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RC Car Action: What’s your favorite class? 

Barry Baker: Always will be Electric 10th Touring Car.

What’s your favorite race? 

Any of the Reedy races, off-road or on-road. Always good racing and great format.

What are the biggest changes since you first started racing? 

I would have to say the biggest change is the amount of “sponsored” drivers. Back in the ’90s and early 2000s, there were a handful of fully sponsored racers. There were no 50 percent sponsored racers back then. Now every company has multiple levels of sponsorship, from 40 to 100 percent and everywhere in between. I have even heard of someone saying they get 53.5 percent off. Really, come on. To me, it’s a way for the companies to get a guaranteed customer. Another big change is online retailers, but that is the sign of the times with technology.