faq
What does it all mean?
Even the top national drivers had to start somewhere and what a better place than your local club. NNRC has a variety of meetings to offer all levels of ability, but if you're new to the sport then you may find an open practice meeting a little less daunting, or just start with a club meeting, if you ask on the morning during booking in we will make sure you have the help throughout the day.
General Questions
We've put some common questions below which may help you:-
When can I drive my car / truck at the track?
The track is only open for a planned meeting, the track is closed at all other times, please see the calendar for scheduled meeting, open practice days are usually announced on the NNRC forum and the News section of this website.
What is the BRCA?
The British Radio Car Association (BRCA) is the UK's governing body for radio controlled model car racing. We oversee all aspects of the sport, from setting construction rules for the different classes, to organising British championship events, to selecting the British team for International competitions. The BRCA works closely with EFRA (the European governing body) and IFMAR (the World governing body) to ensure R/C racing is a sport that can be enjoyed by all nations. We have affiliated clubs all over the United Kingdom where drivers meet to compete in organized events.
All members of the BRCA receive:
- Copy of the BRCA Handbook
- Public Liability Insurance
- Regular "Circuit Chatter" magazine
- Reduced weekend rates at Jarvis Group Hotels
- Reduced R/C car magazine subscription rates
How much will it cost me to drive / race at NNRC?
For members it is £8 to race, Non-Members £10. Please also see the Membership / BRCA section of this website.
What time does the meeting start?
The gates to the club are open around 7:45am, Booking in opens 8:15am, Racing starts 9:00am.
What facilities does the club have?
The club has a Canteen serving Hot food & drinks, Cold snacks & Drinks, We also have a toilet on site, and a local pub 1 mile down the road for a nice drink after the race meeting.
MAKE YOUR FIRST RACE THE FUN IT SHOULD BE
If you've never raced before, you might feel a little intimidated showing up for your first time. There are some things to know that will make your first outing go more smoothly and help put your mind at ease. I often hear statements such as this, "I'm not good enough to race, I'll just embarrass myself." The fastest way to get better is to get out on the track and race. You have marshals to flip your car, and you get out there with people that know what they're doing and you can learn a lot real quick. To make you more familiar with the racing process we'll list some "quick hits" to get you off to a good start:
- Show up early to get signed up and practice
- Check the heats listings for your frequency, car number, etc.
- Wait for your race to be called Install your transponder
- Race
- Turn off your radio and RETURN THE TRANSPONDER
- Report for marshalling duties
- Repeat and enjoy
When you're at the races, there's an order to the madness. You'll want to show up early (at least an hour before the start time) so you can get signed up and also get some practice time on the track so you can get your motor tuned in and your car ready for the race.
Once everyone is signed up, the race director will print the heats listings and announce that they have been posted. Check the listing to make sure you're in the proper class with the correct frequency assigned. You'll also want to pay attention to your car number, transponder number, heat number, and the race or two that proceed your race. There will be number decals available and you should place your car number on your car. The transponder number will tell you which transponder you should have when your race rolls around (more on this later). You can keep track of the races by the heat number, when the heat before yours is running, you should start getting ready so you're not late for your start (don't turn on your radio yet!!). Most days there will be 3 heat races followed by the finals.
Before you get on the track, you need to install a transponder in your car so the computer will count your laps. Transponders are the means by which laps are counted during the race. There's a wire in the track (called the "loop") that picks up a signal from the transponder and sends it to the computer which recognises the unique signal from each transponder and registers another lap for your car every time it crosses the loop. The transponders will be referred to by the last number listed on them. You can mount the transponder on your car in a variety of ways, but we'll be discussing the two most common techniques. The transponder has a body post sized nub on it with a place for a body pin to pass through. On most nitro buggys and truggys you'll need to make a hole in your body, pass the transponder nub through (from the inside), and insert the body pin to keep it on the car. Mount it such that the transponder will not interfere with anything under the body, and where the transponder will be protected in the event of a crash (the windshield is a good place). On most 1/8 scale buggys a transponder mount is included that attaches to the radio tray. It's usually a piece of plastic with a hole in it that you pass the transponder nub through and pin it - simple as that. It is imperative that as soon as your race is complete you remove the rechargeable transponder and place it back in the rack so the next race will be able to start on time. There is also the Personal Transponder that you can purchase and permanently mount to your car. It is powered by your receiver pack and is lighter and much more convenient than the rechargeable transponders. If you plan on racing frequently, I'd highly recommend getting a personal transponder.
OK, so now they've called for your race and you've installed your transponder and are ready to go. There will be a short warm up session before the race starts (usually a couple of minutes). This will allow you to get your motor up to temp and get a last second feel for the track. The heat races are typically 5 minutes so you may need to top off your fuel tank after your warm up just prior to the start of the race. If you don't have someone who can do that for you (a pit person) it's generally pretty easy to find a friendly person willing to help you out. If you can't find anyone, just ask the race director and he'll likely find you a helping hand. Don't wait 'til the last minute though, try and find someone well in advance of your race.
After the warm up, the computer will count down until the race starts, the race will begin when you cross the loop, this is a rolling start for the heats, Try and drive smooth without crashing. If you can keep your car on all fours and without needing the help of the marshals you'll likely finish pretty well. If you stay in control and place the car where you want, you'll get faster and faster. After your race immediately pull your car off the track. Exit the driver's stand and kill the engine on your car. Turn off your receiver and transmitter and RETURN THE TRANSPONDER TO THE RACK!! Get your car put away quickly so you can get out on the track to perform your marshalling duties. After that race is done you can get back to the pits to perform any necessary repairs on your car to make it ready for the next race.
The nice thing about racing is that you'll have marshals for your race that will be on the track and their job is to right overturned cars, unstick stuck cars, etc. The marshals are the racers from the previous race, so after your race you'll be expected to take your turn at marshalling for the guys that are racing after you. For the first race, the racers from the last race will be the guys on the track taking care of the marshalling duties. Make sure you report for corner marshalling duties as soon as you return your transponder and make sure your radio is turned off, the next batch of racers will be counting on you during their warm up as well as during their race.
If in doubt ask, we at NNRC will provide you with a pit buddy for the day if you are new to racing to show you the ropes.