Beginners Guide

Tips for your first race.

Firstly DONT PANIC!! It's all about having fun.
If you worry about every small thing you won't enjoy the racing.

The day before

Firstly make sure you charge you batteries the night before. There is nothing worse than not being ready when the buzzer sounds. Also make sure your car is all working. Check that everything is tight and give it a small run around the house as a bit of a "Systems Check.” You also need to have a place to mount the transponder. If you don’t already have a place, then we will help you make one on the car on the day. Pack everything up including your charger and any spares you have. Pack some sun screen, you can easily get burnt even on a cloudy day. Also you may like to bring a chair, your legs will be tired by the end of the day.

On the Day Pre-Race.

Track setup starts at 8.00 Aim to be at the track about that time. It’s a good time to introduce yourself to your fellow racers. And we all like meeting new people and sharing our passion. Once the track is setup get your "pits" set up. If you have folding table this helps or you can just work out of the back of the car. We have power available, however it may help to bring a extension cord to get it to your car. Once set up you will need to register yourself for the classes you want to run. You also need to register your radio frequency if using AM or FM radios. This is generally printed on the crystal set. If you’re not sure just ask a fellow racer to help you out.

Practice

Once everyone has registered, the track will be open for practice. This is a good time to grab your car and have a practice, to help learn the track. Be aware that there may be other cars on the track that will be faster than yours. An important thing to do is don’t try to get out of the way, you are better off keeping your line and letting them go around you.

Qualifying.

Once practice is over the grid listings will be printed and it’s time to start racing. You need to check your car number and corresponding transponder and color for your race. You also need to look at the order the races are in and be ready to race. There is a 5 min gap between each race so you need to be prepared. Once your race is called over the loud speaker, you need to collect your transponder, and get the car ready to race. Once the transponder is in, put the car in pit lane, and head up the drivers stand. Drive the car out of pit lane and make a final check that it’s driving straight, and make some effort to warm the tires a little. Once you have come around to the grid, park your car in the correct place, and get ready. The computer will call car numbers in the qualifying heats, so when you hear your car number take off and go for it. Qualifying is against the clock. You get 2 heats so don’t be worried if you stuff up. Once your heat is over, remove your transponder, and put it back in the rack. If you are organized enough, head back to your pit and put your battery on charge.

Marshaling

It is important that you marshal the race after yours. So you only have the 5 min gap to get back on the track and ready to marshal. There are set positions for each person, but you may be guided to a different one should the not be enough people to cover them. When marshaling is it important to keep eye on the whole track, as well as your area. You need to be aware of the other cars moving around the track and be sure not to get in their way. You also need to keep as low as possible when on the track, and move on and off as quickly as possible. Should you need to pick up a car, do so quickly, and put it as close to where you are as possible. If you happen to be marshaling a nitro race, ask one of the other racers for some extra instructions, as due to the heat and fuel you need to be a little more careful with these cars.

After you Marshal.

Now that you have done your marshaling, it’s time to give the car a quick check over. Check everything is still tight, remove any dirt and dust, or other foreign objects. If you haven’t done so put your battery on charge and get the car ready to go again. If you have done that you can go marshal again, as this is a good way to see how other drivers make it around the track.

Race start.

Now it’s time to get serious. There are 3 race rounds and you drop your worst round. So that means you need to have 2 good finishes at least. The cars now line up in grid position according to their qualifying positions, you need to check on the board as to where you need to start. It’s the same as earlier, grab your transponder and get ready. The difference now is that all cars start together, so you need to be ready to go on the buzzer. As all the cars start at once, there is a big rush to the first corner so keep an eye on the other cars, and do your best to not be a part of it. Its then every car for its self from there. The computer will call positions as the race goes on, so you need to keep your driving neat and finish the race. Once the race is over you need to get ready for the next round, and marshal the next race as before.

After Racing.

It’s now time to see where you finished and give yourself a pat on the back for making it through the day. Now the fun part comes and that’s packing everything up. So you know what they say “Many hands make light work” so the more people that stay to help the earlier we all get home.