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Starting out in RC racing: what you actually need

The short list of kit that gets you on track, and the upgrades worth ignoring until you have some races behind you.

Beginner2 min read

Most people spend too much on the car and not enough on everything around it. A mid-range car you can afford to run every weekend will make you faster than a top-end one you are afraid to crash.

Pick a class before you pick a car

Find your nearest club and ask what they actually run. A car with nobody to race against is an expensive shelf ornament. The common starting points are:

  • 2WD buggy — the traditional learner class. Cheap to run, hard to drive well, and the skills transfer everywhere.
  • Touring car — on-road, very fast, and unforgiving of a bad setup.
  • Short course truck — bodywork covers the wheels, so contact is less likely to end someone's race. Forgiving and sociable.
  • Crawler — not racing at all, but a good way to learn how a car goes together with no clock running.

The car

Ready-to-run gets you driving this weekend. A kit takes an evening or three to build, but you will know how every part goes together, which matters enormously the first time you break something at a meeting.

If you can face the build, build it. The first repair is much less daunting when you assembled the thing in the first place.

Everything else

This is the part that catches people out. Budget for:

  • A transmitter and receiver if the car does not include one you like. This is the part you keep longest — it will outlive several cars.
  • Two battery packs, so one charges while the other runs.
  • A decent charger with balance leads. Do not economise here; see the LiPo charging guide for why.
  • Quality hex drivers. Cheap drivers round off screw heads, and a rounded screw in a gearbox will ruin an afternoon.
  • A transponder, if your club's timing system needs a personal one.

What to skip at first

Carbon fibre chassis, aluminium hop-ups and exotic oils will not make you quicker than practice will. The one exception is tyres: the right compound for your track is worth more than every other upgrade combined. Ask what the fast drivers are running — most will happily tell you.

Before your first meeting

Go to a club practice night rather than a race. You will get more track time, nobody is waiting on you, and you can ask questions without holding up a programme.