RC Cars Race Day

Make sure you’re ready for a long day, since there are usually long practice sessions before the racing begins. During this time you should sign up for the race and prepare your car. When you register, the race official will give you the frequency on which your car will run, and a frequency clip, pin or flag for your car’s antenna. This will make sure you don't accidentally run on someone else's frequency and prevents people from using your frequency.

When you are practicing, use the first run to get used to the track layout and slowly work your way to full speed as you get used to the track. Using the rest of your practice time to improve your time from there is one of the best ways to learn the track and your car. 

Also try and be aware of the other racers—keeping up to someone faster than you can be a great learning experience.  Often the pre-race tack will be crowded and unorganized, so take care while practicing not to run into others and risk wrecking your or someone else’s car before the race even begins.

When it’s time, the race director will announce that the qualifying heats are available for racers to see their car numbers and race numbers. These are very important! Get your car number decals and with a pen or marker mark your race number on one of the car numbers. This will make sure you remember when your race is coming up, you won’t miss one of your races.

A 'round' of races is one complete set of races, from race number one to the last race. Each round of races can last 30-45 minutes for a small track with just a few races, to an hour and a half or more at busy tracks. Most tracks will have at least two and sometimes three rounds of qualifying.

Qualifying is your chance to make your best run on the track, in preparation for the 'mains,' or the final races. Usually the top ten fastest racers in each class will be grouped in what is called the A Main or A Final, and the next ten fastest racers are in the B Main, and so on. Sometimes a class will have ten or less racers in it, so there is only an A Main and no B Main.

The novice class is usually the first class to race, so if this is your first race, make sure your batteries are charged up.  If the track uses transponders, ensure you have the correct one installed. There will usually be a track employee at the transponder area with whom you should register. Watch the race numbers coming up and select the right transponder with the correct color.

When you get ready for racing, be as relaxed as possible and just try to make it to the end of the race without hitting any barriers or other cars - that is what will slow you down the most. Don't worry about winning, going faster than other cars or making any passes—simply run your car as consistently and quickly as you can. After the race is over, make sure you follow any directions the race director gave everyone before the racing started. Sometimes your car and radio must be left on a table, sometimes you are able to take your car back to your pit area.

Either way, make sure you get back out to the track to do your turn marshaling duties. Every racer has to turn marshal the race immediately after theirs, this is the best way to make sure everyone does their marshal duty and everyone has an equal chance to get going the right way if they crash or make a mistake during their race. Turn marshaling is basically watching a specific part of the track and turning over any cars that crash in that area.  Failure to complete your marshalling duties could result in penalties to your score or disqualification from the round.

To give you an idea of what the rules are like, here's the way ROAR lays out the guidelines for turn marshalling:

5.5 TURN MARSHALING

5.5.5  Drivers must marshal for their designated race. Another qualified ROAR member may substitute with the approval of the Race Director. It is the driver’s responsibility to find a substitute marshal. The original marshal is responsible for the actions of the substitute.

5.5.6  Turn marshals are not permitted to repair vehicles. Marshals will take disabled vehicles to the closest outer edge of the racetrack as soon as possible.

5.5.7  A vehicle running on the track has the right-of-way over a vehicle that has gone off the track, turned over, or otherwise had problems.

5.5.8  When marshaling a vehicle, it should be returned to the point where it left the racing surface. Care must be exercised not to interfere with on-coming vehicles.

5.5.9  Only the designated marshals are permitted to handle vehicles on the racetrack during a race. No one else may enter the racetrack to repair or retrieve a vehicle.

5.5.10  Marshals for 1/5 scale classes can be a pit crew member. No one, Marshal or otherwise may enter the race track area until a Yellow Flag condition is called and all vehicles have slowed to a controlled pace.

Once you are done turn marshaling you can head back to your pit area to work on your car, get your next battery started charging, or whatever you need to do to get ready for your next race. When the qualifying races are over, the mains begin, normally after a short break in the schedule. Your car number may change, and also your race number may be different, so be sure to pay attention to the main event listing.

The main event is run just like the qualifying races, except that this time there's usually a real prize at stake! The top ten fastest drivers in each class are put in the A main for that class, the next fastest group in the B, the next ten fastest in the C, etc.  If you didn’t make the final group you wanted, take time out to watch those who ranked ahead of you.  Observing their steering and racing techniques may help you get better results next race.