 With so many cool looking cars to choose from, it can be a little bit confusing at first. Should you choose electric or nitro power? 1/12, 1/10 or 1/8 scale? Front wheel drive or 4wd? Build a kit or buy an RTR?
What about the racing class? Should you enter Spec Tamiya, Scale Spec, Touring Stock, Touring Mod, Formula 1, GT12 or Nitro Touring? They're all awesome but some are smarter choices than others when you are getting started What about the brand? ARC, Awesomatix, Axon, Iris, Mugen, Serpent, Schumacher, Tamiya, Xray, Xpress, Yokomo or something else? Here are my thoughts... Before You Buy Anything: Before you buy a car, I highly suggest you drop by one of the local tracks to watch some of the racing action and ask questions You should also follow the tracks/clubs that interest you on Facebook to see their schedules, class rules etc. I've linked to the various tracks and their respective websites/Facebook pages here: What Type of Car to Buy: In my opinion, the only chassis design/car type you should consider is a 1/10 scale, 4-wheel drive, electric touring car (EP Touring). EP Touring cars are by far the most common cars raced locally. If you purchase one of these, you're guaranteed to have a large number of friends to compete against all year long I could build a case why you may wish to consider a FWD car (easier setup, lower cost, etc.) but unfortunately, FWD isn't a popular racing class locally so just stick with a 1/10 scale, electric, 4-wheel drive, touring car. All of the other classes (GT12, F1, Mini, etc.) have very limited support so you should avoid them at this time What Class to Enter: Much like choosing a car, you'll also want to stick to one of the two most popular racing classes at our local tracks. These are Scale Spec and Touring Stock. Both are very popular at Ready to Run Raceway in the summer and Overgeared Racing in the winter. Scale Spec is a 1/10 scale, electric touring car class that is beginner friendly but is also highly competitive at the upper levels. If you have limited experience, start with the Scale Spec class. As your skills progress, you'll move up the ranks in Scale Spec and will enjoy some fierce competition and close racing. If you have some experience, you may also want to explore Touring Stock Touring Stock is another 1/10 scale, electric touring car class. It's not quite as beginner friendly as Scale Spec but if you have a little bit of experience, you should be okay to enter this class as well. I started racing in Touring Stock class simply because I didn't know any better...I thought stock class was the slowest class. Stock can be very competitive at the higher levels. If you are willing to spend a little extra time and money on your equipment to fight it out over a 10th of second per lap, Touring Stock may be the class for you Run Only One Class. Some people will argue with me on this point and most don't listen but, if you resist the temptation to run multiple classes, you will be able to focus your time and budget on one car, make the car better, improve your skills and ultimately, improve your results Take this advice if you'd like...or run two classes if you'd prefer. But, if you run more than one class, don't come to me in a panic and ask me to marshal for you when your races are back-to-back. You've been warned : ) Honourable Mention: Spec Tamiya. There is a fun and popular racing class at Overgeared Racing in the winter called Spec Tamiya. This isn't a serious racing class and it is very beginner friendly. My only concerns with this class is that it is not run in the summer time and the cost of getting one of these "cheap" cars to run competitively is nearly the same as a race grade EP Touring car What Brand(s) to Consider: My Number One Recommendation: Xray. Admittedly, I'm an Xray fan boy so I may be accused of being biased. The reason I recommend Xray brand cars is pretty straight forward though: 1. They are durable 2. They handle/drive very well 3. They are common so you can get help/parts from friends 4. Used Xray kits are available for sale from time-to-time 5. I stock Xray parts so you can buy parts and upgrades from me at the track if you need something to keep your race day going Xray kits and parts are expensive but, the fact that they are durable helps to mitigate this added expense because you won't need to buy parts as often. Additionally, the more we all run the same brand (Xray), the more we'll be able to help each other with setup tips and parts sharing Honourable Mentions:
What to Avoid: All Nitro Models. Nitro racing takes place in the summer time only. There is no nitro racing in the winter so if you purchase a nitro car, your racing season will be very short. If you purchase an electric car, you can race all year long. Additionally, you'll have a lot to learn as a newcomer to racing, adding the challenge of a nitro car is not a good idea. Lastly, you will need the approval of the race director before you can run your nitro car in a race class so if you don't already have adequate skills...you may not be permitted to use it RTR Cars like Kyosho Fazer, Team Associated Apex, HPI Flux etc. There isn't anything inherently wrong with these kits but we don't have a suitable racing class for them at our local tracks. If you already own one of these kits and would like to give racing a try, by all means, bring it out to the track and have some fun but, if you are looking to purchase something, do not buy one of these Online Only Brands like 3Racing. Although I do see these at the track from time-to-time, the low quality and difficult parts availability will detract from your enjoyment. The hassle isn't worth the small amount of money you may or may not save if you purchase one of these Uncommon Brands. Although some of these brands/cars are very good, they are not popular at our local tracks at the moment so if you choose one, you will not have as much support from your fellow racers for setup tips and more importantly, borrowing parts should you ever break your car. Some of these brands include:
Where to buy: I have access to virtually all of the touring car brands. It's not likely that I'll have a new kit in stock but should be able to order one for you. Your local hobby store may be able to get a kit for you as well. Please try to support those that support our hobby whenever possible If you're not able to buy from me or one of our local hobby stores, you can use this referral link to buy online from Amain Hobbies (I'll earn a small referral fee if you use that link) so you'll still be supporting McLeanRC New vs Used If purchasing a brand new kit isn't within your budget, you may wish to consider a well maintained, used kit. Preferably from a local racer so that you can look at the car before buying it (or ask a more experienced friend for advice). Be weary of anything that's too old, rare or poorly maintained. You don't want anything that will be too difficult to get parts for or in need of too many repairs. Try browsing our local Buy and Sell Facebook Page or even post a "wanted" ad to see what you can find Back to Getting Started Series > Comments are closed.
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