1/10^th Electric Touring Cars

WRCC races electric touring cars at its Saturday evening meetings. WRCC features a very smooth, all-carpet, high grip racing surface that is perfect for this class of racing. Although a little smaller than average for this class, the WRCC circuit provides a challenge to drivers of any ability and will reward drivers who are smooth, accurate and consistent.

Motor sport comes in many different shapes and sizes, but it always involves fast vehicles, skilful drivers and a healthy dose of competition. Radio control model touring car racing is no different; a smaller scale alternative to the real thing, but a format where speeds remain excessive, cornering is performed on the limit, crashes are often spectacular, and each driver experiences an adrenalin buzz that sends them scurrying back to the track for more.

1:10th scale electric powered touring cars are the most popular radio control race class in the world. The scale looking, four-wheel drive cars can be purchased ready made or be built from kits in just a few hours and are powered by small electric motors and five or six rechargeable cells (depending on class). They are quiet, reliable and very, very fast. In race trim on outdoor circuits, the cars are capable of actual top speeds of 50mph and can be tuned to suit the particular configuration or grip level of the circuit. When waterproofed, the cars can even race in the rain.

Radio control touring car racing is a great hobby for people of any age and is an activity in which the whole family can become involved. With different tyre compounds, suspension settings and aerodynamics, racers quickly learn valuable technical skills that can also be applied to full sized racing cars. Artistic talents can also be applied to great effect to create unique colour schemes for the body shells. Racing the cars successfully requires concentration and finesse, with each movement made by the driver on the controller resulting in an immediate and precise response from the car. And just like full-size motor sport, the more you practice, the better you will get.

In Britain, 1/10th scale electric touring car racing is promoted by the British Radio Car Association (BRCA). There are BRCA affiliated clubs throughout the country (including WRCC) who run regular events and for a beginner, the local club is the best place to start. During the summer, the BRCA organises a four-round British Championship; a race series that takes drivers to some of the country’s best purpose-built circuits to compete for the British titles. The top drivers go on to represent the United Kingdom in the prestigious European and World Championship events.

As with any class, there are several different cars to choose from depending on a drivers experience, ability and budget. As a rough guide we have split the most popular kits/cars into groups, as detailed below;

Entry Level/Beginner

Most entry level cars come as RTR (Ready to Run) setups. This means that the car comes pre-built, and includes radio gear and electrics. This makes them ideal for beginners, and they are often just cheaper versions of the top line kits (the Hot Bodies Cyclone S RTR is an example). All of these cars are ideal for entry level or budget racing, or for those who have never raced model cars before

Hot Bodies Cyclone S RTR (RRP 199.99)

Team Associated TC4 RTR (RRP 199.99)

Team Losi E-Racer Rolling Chassis Kit (similar to Losi XXX-S)

The ‘Middle Ground’

These cars are a sort of ‘middle ground’ – they are equally suited to competition racing and less experienced drivers alike. However, the fact that they require partial or full assembly means they are better suited to drivers with some prior experience. All of the cars listed below are older models produced by the most popular manufacturers. Some of them can still be bought new, and they can all be found second hand from racers who have upgraded to the latest model. Shops can often still have spares for these cars, especially for the Xray and Schumacher models. The HPI Pro 4 shares many parts with the Hot-Bodies Cyclone, so spares are usually easy to get for this car. Bear in mind that most of these kits require additional items (such as batteries etc…) to enable them to be run.

Losi XXX-S Graphite

HPI Pro 4

Associated TC3 or TC4 Team/Factory Team

Yokomo MR4-TC SD

Xray T1 FK’05

Schumacher Mi2

National Level/Expert

These cars are better suited to more experienced drivers who compete in national competitions, or perhaps those with slightly larger racing budgets and a better technical understanding of model cars, hence their higher price (which does not include electrics etc…). These cars are the latest models offered by the major manufacturers from around the world. They represent the pinnacle of model car innovation and design.

·         Hot Bodies Cyclone Moorespeed World Champion Edition (RRP 349.99) – Current World and European Championship winning car.

·         Xray T2 ‘008 (RRP 294.99)

·         Team Associated Factory Team TC5 (RRP 299.99)

·         Yokomo MR4-BD Grainger Edition (RRP 299.99) – Current British Modified Class Championship winning car.

·         Schumacher Mi3 Pro (RRP 299.99) – Designed and Manufactured in England

·         Losi JRX-S Type R

·         Corally RDX Phi – Current British 19 Turn Championship Winning Car

·         Tamiya TRF 415 MSX-X or TRF 416

For more information on electric touring car racing, please visit www.centralbooking.org. This is also the website used for online entry for the BRCA nationals, BTCC and other popular regional championships.