Beginners Guide to RC Racing - Equipment

If you are reading this then you are likely already interested in RC racing but might not know where to start. Hopefully this guide will help you. You can race RC cars at any age or with any level of experience. The most important thing to remember is to enjoy yourself and have fun.

The first thing you’ll need to decide is what scale and what class you want to start with.

RC Scale

Scale is the size of the vehicle compared to a real life version. 1:1 scale is a full size car, while 2:1 is a vehicle half the size. An 8^th scale vehicle is 8 times smaller than a full size vehicle and a 10^th is 10 times smaller. An 8^th scale vehicle is therefore larger than a 10^th scale vehicle.

RC Class

Off-road classes (racing on grass, astroturf, clay and indoor carpet) include Buggies (2wd & 4wd), Truggies, Stadium Trucks, Short Course Trucks, Rally Cross, Vintage.

On-road is another format available where you can run Touring Cards, GT10, GT12, Tamiya, Mardave Minis, Pan Cars, Formula 1, Bikes etc.

At HNMC we run a number of different scales and classes. Including 8^th Rallycross (Nitro buggy), 8^th E-buggy, 8^th Truggy, 10^th Buggy (2wd & 4wd), 10^th Vintage Buggy (2wd & 4wd). 10^th Short Couse Trucks and 10^th Stadium Trucks are less popular but are occasionally seen at the club.

Far and away the most popular classes at HNMC are 8^th Rallycross and 10^th 2wd Buggy.

Cost of RC racing?

Larger vehicles are generally more expensive to buy and repair compared to smaller vehicles which are less expensive. 10^th scale buggy tyres cost a fraction of what 5^th scale tyres cost.

Once the initial costs of the car and all the required gear have been addressed it is race fees and tyres (and Nitro, if racing IC (internal combustion) powered cars) that will probably be the most expensive aspects of RC racing. Yes - replacing broken parts can get expensive for an inexperienced driver, but the professional kits are very robust, and, as your driving improves, you won’t break things as often, if at all.

Things you will need to start RC Racing

You’re going to need some key items which include an RC vehicle, Radio, Servo, Electronic Speed Controller (ESC), Motor / Engine. We aren’t going to detail these here as there are so many options available which depend upon personal circumstances. If you want some help with these aspects it would be better to either visit Herts RC Model Shop, come chat to us at the track during a race event or email [email protected] (for 8^th scale) or [email protected] (for 10^th scale).

Aside the main items that you’ll need, there are some other items required to start racing:

Memberships & race fees, a transponder (for timing), pit box or hauler, tools, spares, ideally two or more battery packs, tyres and a way to charge batteries.

Memberships & Race Fees

In the UK you’ll need BRCA membership as the bare minimum. The British Radio Car Association includes your public liability insurance. brca.org/join

You can join HNMC as a club member if you wish. This is worthwhile if you plan to race here regularly. You get discounts off race fees plus many other benefits. Being a regular you’ll get to know lots of other members – many of whom will be able to help your RC journey. We pride ourselves on being a very friendly club.

We charge race fees to cover our rent and running costs. Running costs include race computers and software, lighting, electricity, compressor, maintenance and other facilities at the club.

Transponders

What is a transponder and what does it do?

A transponder is a tiny transmitter that plugs into a servo port on your receiver. A loop of cable is buried under the track and is linked to a receiver and the race computer. As the transponder passes over the loop – it signals to the receiver you have passed and the computer registers the lap. You’ll need one if you want to participate in races. Without one you’ll just be running untimed. Each transponder has a unique number and can be assigned to individual racers.

A Mylaps transponder with code number shown on the front. This is the number you’ll need to tell the race director before racing starts. Mylaps transponders are the premier option and what we recommend at HNMC.

You can purchase an RC4 version (which will only work with the newest receiver (which we have) or there’s a slightly more expensive RC4 hybrid version (which works with all receivers from new to old). MRT clone transponders are an alternative option and much cheaper. With the cheaper MRT clone, you don’t have a unique transponder number. The HNMC Mylaps receivers will work with all RC4 transponders and the newer MRT transponders. However our backup Mylaps receiver has been upgrade to the latest firmware which does NOT accept MRT transponders.

Pit box and Haulers

A pit box or hauler is a way to carry and store your racing gear (tools, spares etc) and will be invaluable if you are racing. One with wheels is also good, especially if you are racing at tracks where the car park is some distance from the pitting area. (Popular brands include Ogio, Fastrax, ProLine, Hudy – view here)

RC Racing Tools

Tools will be important to do maintenance and repairs on your RC vehicle. As you learn more about the hobby – much of this will be done at the track as you tune for different tracks and conditions.

At the very minimum, you’ll want nut drivers and hex/allen drivers to get started. These will allow you to make adjustments, change wheels and perform maintenance. Later you may also want some specialist tools such as a ‘ride height gauge’, ‘camber gauge’, ‘digital callipers’ etc, but these are not totally necessary for a beginner – once you learn more about tuning, you can look into getting these.

The professional RC vehicles usually include basic hex keys to build your kit. If you are taking RC racing up as a long term hobby, it is definitely recommended to invest in some good quality RC tools. Quality tools are quicker and easier to use, will put less strain on your hands, and your RC nuts and hex screws will last longer. High quality RC tools will last you a lifetime, and the ones that do wear can normally have the tips replaced. Herts RC Models have a great selection of these – view here

Spares

When you first start you are probably going to break a few parts from crashes on track. This is especially true with cheaper ready to run vehicles, because the parts are not so durable. In general, front wishbones/arms, front shock towers and front bulkheads are all commonly broken parts in off-road racing.

Batteries

You’ll need batteries if you race any RC at HNMC. Even 8^th Nitro Rallycross use batteries to power the electronics. If you are racing electric, then investing in two RC car batteries would be good to start with so you can have one on charge while using the other. Our club members will be able to give good advice on batteries. Link to batteries.

Tyres

Tyres are incredibly important to maximise your race pace and the better you become the more important they are.

The best thing you can do when starting out is ask other experienced racers what tyres they use.

The alternative option is to buy some different options and try them out. As a beginner you may not notice much difference, but, after enough practice, checking your consistent lap times will tell you what is better.

Grip conditions can change drastically from day to day, and even change throughout the day as the temperature or humidity change. Too little grip and you’ll be spinning out and much slower getting around the track. Too much grip and the car may roll over (grip or traction roll) which will also cost you lots of time.

Racing at HNMC (as we are an outdoor track) you’ll need a selection of tyres for racing in dry and wet conditions. If you plan to race at other tracks, you will benefit from keeping a selection of different tread patterns and different compounds in your pit box. Find out what the regular and best racers at the track use, and you probably won’t go far wrong. Shop 8^th tyres. Shop 10^th tyres.

Charge batteries at the track

HNMC offers power in the pitting area to charge your batteries. If however you are to visit other clubs you may require an alternative option; these include:

· 12v leisure battery

· petrol generator with inverter

· charge from your 12v car battery

· another alternative is to take enough batteries fully charged for the day. But this could be quite an expensive option.