Radio Controlled And Nitro Powered - Saturday Nite At The Races

What's all the buzz about 1/10 scale nitro powered, radio
controlled cars and trucks? Well, let me ask you- Are you a dirt
track auto racing fan? Do you love the smell of alcohol fuel and
burning rubber? What about the sight of mega horsepower
propelling a race vehicle, rear tires throwing rooster tails of
clay, sideways through a banked turn while the driver counter
steers and feathers the throttle to keep the car on the track
and ahead of the other competitors? And the sounds! Engines
roaring, tires squealing, fans cheering!

Wow! I love Saturday night racing at the small dirt circle
tracks that are plentiful in most parts of the country. What
does this have to do with nitro (gas) powered RC trucks and
cars? Everything! These remote controlled 1/10 scale model
trucks and cars are a riot to operate and provide an extremely
rich and satisfying hobby experience. They are a lot of fun to
just romp around the back yard or driveway, but if you really
want to get that 'Saturday night at the races' feeling, build a
1/10 scale dirt oval track and modify your RC trucks and cars
for maximum performance and fun.

It's actually quite simple and inexpensive to perform most of
the mods that will make your radio control vehicle suitable for
this style of racing. If you are like most hobbyists, you look
forward to each improvement with a passion. Here is what our
small group of RC truck racers have done to make our hobby more
enjoyable.

We built a clay surfaced, oval shaped race track measuring
approximately 100 feet long and 30 feet wide. These dimensions
equate to approximately 1/10th of a real ½ mile race track. The
racing surface is about 8 feet wide on the straightaways and 10
feet wide in the turns. We banked the turns about 20 degrees to
simulate one of my favorite tracks. The infield is grass.

All six of the guys in our little club started with a popular
brand of RTR (ready to run) nitro powered 2 wheel drive stadium
trucks. They were fun right out of the box, but some
modifications made them incredibly competitive and much more fun
to operate. The factory supplied tires were the first items we
needed to upgrade. There are a bunch of suppliers of aftermarket
tires to choose from. We are currently using street tires
intended for asphalt or concrete, but they work great on our
hard clay surface without chewing it up too badly. Suspension
mods involved aluminum bodied shocks to replace the original
plastic ones. We installed o-rings on the shock shafts to limit
travel and lower the ride height. We have found that springs
with a softer rate work well.

For operation on a dirt track, premium engine intake air
filtration is critical to engine longevity. Shop around and get
yourself a good aftermarket air filter! You will more than
likely notice an increase in power with a quality air filter
also. An aftermarket exhaust will boost your RC trucks power
considerably and sound cool to boot.

Gearing is an area that has generated a lot of discussion
amongst the members of our group. Depending upon the other
modifications made to the vehicle, and individual driving
styles, opinion on the ideal final gear ratio for our trucks
varies. Some of the guys like higher gearing for maximum top
speed, while others prefer the quicker acceleration made
possible with lower gears. We have all added our personal touch
to our racers in the form of aluminum upgrade parts such as
shock towers, rear bulkheads, spindles, axles, and one guy has
even replaced the entire main chassis. Mods to this extent are
enjoyable to perform, but are certainly not required to allow
you to show up on race day. A wide variety of bodies are out
there so you can easily support your favorite make of automobile.

The ready availability of aftermarket performance parts and
accessories for 1/10 scale radio control trucks and cars makes
this a truly interesting and challenging hobby. I have tried to
give you just one idea how you can have a blast and keep
yourself off the streets. Now go do it in the dirt!

About the author:
Randy Rater spends his spare time modifying and racing his 1/10
scale nitro stadium truck. For more great info on this hobby
please visit http://www.RadioControlRC.com