First-timer tips for joining the racing scene

Each person’s first race experience is very different. I’ve been fortunate to have two first race days … let me explain. My son, who has been interested in RC almost since birth, decided he wanted to try racing after spending a few years driving around the yard or BMX track. Aside from a handful of laps at different local tracks, he had never raced before, so off we went to the local indoor track for his first official race. Because I’ve raced for a long time, we showed up with more equipment in hand than those going to a national event. At the track, my son was comfortable because he had hung around the pit area before and knew most of the racers. It was a very different experience than my first race day when my father took me over 20 years ago. My dad and I headed down to our local RC club, Bethel Off-Road Racing Association (BORRA), a few weeks before we planned to race, just to check it out. We didn’t have nearly enough stuff to race, nor did we have any idea how races were run. Thankfully, the local racers were more than happy to help us. Looking back, I know my local racetrack was a little different than what most people will experience today—it was a steep learning curve to say the least. This month, we’re going to take a look at what you’ll need to do to smoothly transition into racing. Racing can be fun and a great way to make friends—so let’s get you started.

1. EVALUATING YOUR EQUIPMENT

First things first, you’ll want to take an inventory of what RC gear you have, the condition it’s in, and most importantly, which vehicle you want to go tear the track up with. Take a good look at the condition of the vehicle and go through the basics. Are all the screws tight? Are the shocks and suspension working properly? Does the transmission need to be rebuilt? You will want the vehicle ready to race when you arrive at the track. It’s not much fun fixing parts or cleaning your car at the track when there is limited time to practice driving. Make sure your transmitter batteries are charged, and it’s also a good idea to charge your main battery packs the night before in order to cut down on idle time. My recommendation is to race one car the first time you go and focus on learning and keeping on top of your one car. This will make sure that you’re not taking on more than you can handle.

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