Why You Should Race RC Cars, and Not Just Bash
For those of you who have been racing your RC cars for years,and have a friend or two who you have been trying to get out to theRC tracks, this article is for you. Feel free to forward it tothem.
For those of you who are fanatical bashers, and have avoided racingyour rc cars at the local track, hear me out, because I have 5 greatreasons you should take a run at it.
1) Hanging out with other RC car enthusiasts- You will absorb newideas on how to keep your RC cars running at peak performance, justby hangin' out in the pits. Not all of them will be good, somecould even do more harm than good. but if you are careful who youlisten to, you can learn some terrific stuff that will make yourride handle better, run faster, and be more durable.
2) The game within the game- Its not just about racing, and beingfirst in the heats (altho, that is a huge thrill) but its alsoabout pushing the limits of your RC cars, and fighting agianst thetrack itself in a measureable way. When your bashing, you don'treally get a precise way of knowing how fast your vehicle is. Whenyou race, you will actually know to the millisecond what yourvehicle, limited by your driving skills, can do.
3) By being at the tracks, you get to see the latest RC technologyin action- You can go to the hobby stores and look at boxes of RCcars and buggies all you want. But if you really want to see whata Hot Bodies Lightning Pro or an XRAY T1'FK05 can do, there is nobetter, and cheaper, way to do it than hang out at the tracks. Youget an even better idea when you race against them.
4) Making new friends- Not that you need new friends, but it's greatto have a friend who knows RC cars tips and tricks. Someone you canask questions, or bounce ideas off of. Or catch rides to the trackwhen your full scale car is in the shop.
5) Just like when your bashing and you finally nail that jump youset up in your backyard, mastering a track is a total rush-Everyone will tell you when you first start racing rc cars, justtry to do crash free laps. Isn't that essentially what you aredoing in your backyard?
Why not take your Monster truck to the track, and do some racing,and see if you can handle the track's jumps and rhythm sections?I bet it will be months before you have a crash free lap. Howsethat for a challenge?
If you have put off racing rc cars because it looks intimidating,your worried you will make a fool of yourself, or smash up your caror buggy, or piss off someone by smashing THIER car up... well,your right!! All of that can happen!
In fact, when I first started racing my RC cars, I made everyracing mistake there is. I embarassed myself, I smashed my poorlittle car up, I was totally confused. Frankly, I didn't have muchfun.
But, I fought through it, learned from my mistakes, got some greatadvice, and now I enjoy every weekend at the track. I stronglysuggest you give racing a chance. I think it's the best way toenjoy your RC cars hobby.
J.P. Turner, is the author of "The RC Insider's Unfair Advantage Radio Controlled Car Secrets Guide", at http://www.rccarsecretsguide.com and also runs an RC blog, RC Smackdown, at http://www.rcsmackdown.com
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