Remember those childhood races?

[Hibernaculum]

G'day,

There's been a lot of technical subjects lately

Perhaps we could use a change of pace.

Who remembers some fun races they had with their RC cars when they were kids? Back in the days when life was simple and innocent...Maybe you got together with a friend and raced your Tyco Turbo Hoppers down the street in 1986. Maybe you challenged the kid across the road to a duel - your Sand Scorcher vs his Super Champ, back in 1980. Maybe it was Christmas morning, and you and a sibling raced your new toys in the backyard. Maybe you chased a cat up a tree with an Egress. Maybe you raced a hamster with a wire-controlled japanese toy in 1974. Maybe it was a time you'll never forget because you won or lost, or just because it was special somehow.

Whatever the toy, whatever the setting, whatever the speed, whatever the skill, anyone got some fun stories?

My very earliest race that I remember was at about age 8 in about 1986. My Dad and I had to gone to see a movie one day with a friend and her son, who was a couple of years older than me. The movie (this may evoke a flashback for Aussies) was "World Safari II" - an adventure documentary starring and directed by Alby Mangels (a self styled Aussie adventurer who shot to popularity in the mid 1980s, and helped inspire the likes of Crocodile Dundee soon after). World Safari II was really popular for a documentary, and watching it as a kid and seeing Alby trekking across foreign lands in his trusty old Land Rover (or was it a Land Cruiser?) it became entwined with my memories of loving Safari, rally cars, Paris Dakar races, and so on - which in turn links directly to my love of 1980s off-road RC cars.

Anyway. After the movie we all headed home, but along the way we stopped at a toy store. My friend was an only child and he seemed to only have to ask for a new toy, and he would get it. So when he pointed to a Shinsei DustRunner on the shelf at the toy store, his mum bought it for him on the spot - no special occasion required. I remember it being over AU$100.

Then we continued home to my house. The previous Christmas I'd received my only RC car, a Radio Shack Jeep Renegade, which I loved. But it had recently been sent back to Tandy for a bit of gear box repair (I must have driven it every day since Christmas). As one of those happy coincidences that thrill you as a kid, my Jeep had been returned home that afternoon, as good as new. And for the first time ever, I had a buddy visiting with his own new RC toy, and mine was ready to go. A race was inevitable.

So we raced - from the lounge room, through a couple of tight turns near the Bar, and then down the long carpeted hall way, left into my bedroom, before turning around and then going all the way back to the lounge. It was close with the Dust Runner taking an early lead, but the Jeep Renegade was leading on the return leg and won in the end.

It may have been humble, but I don't think that all the 1/10th world off road championships in the world could quite surpass the excitement of winning races like this as a kid.

Besides, RC cars of all kinds were simply better back in the 1980s.

cheers,

H.

[backtomyroots]

Great Topic !  My first real RC was the Tamiya Hornet when I was about 12 years old.  I had to save a long time for it too ! Anyway, my first "race" was in grade 8.  One of my teachers was always giving a few of us trouble for reading the Tamiya Guide Books and RCCA in class.  Finally he told us to do something about our fascination.  So, myself and a few other fellas made some posters for the hallway and organized a "race" for a lunch hour in the gymnasium.

People brought all sorts of vehicles from Tyco Turbo Hoppers to Tamiya and Kyosho.  As a 13 year old it was a challenge to manage the running as a lot of cars were on similar radios but we managed.  It was great fun and one of the teachers even made a video.  No real competition just a whole bunch of young fellas having fun - the way it should be today !

When I was 14 I entered a race at a fall fair with a new ride I purchased - the original Ultima and finished 1st in the B-main but it just wasn't as fun as general "bashing" with my friends []. 

Of course bashing meant each of us racing our cars up and over everything.  My all time favourites that I saw running were the blackfoot and wild one !

[3doorpete]

My first race I remember would have been about 1989ish when I got my first Tamiya - a Vanquish, and had a proper race with my friend who already had a Terra Scorcher....

Last proper race before I gave up RC when I was 15 when I discovered the money was better spent chasing women, was with my Schumacher Pro-cat with a Reedy Red Dot 17 double motor in it, in a local West Kent League in about 1992. Back then I was paying £40 for 1700mah batteries!!!

What got me back into the Tamiya scene was that my parents would never buy me a Midnight Pumpkin (that my friend with the Terra Scorcher had!)or a Monster beetle for bashing.... Then I found out about the re-re's and hey presto - I'm properly back into RC....

[rajicon]

Im liking these stories fellas.

One race I remember was with my Wild Willy M38. I was a member of a

local club out the back of a newly built shopping centre in Karingal.

It was always a great atmosphere amongst everybody. And being only

around 9 years of age, still felt very welcome.

The Wild Willy is not the best to race as you would guess, but was

definately the most fun. The particular race I remember so well I did

not win. I didnt even come in the top 3. I actually came 2nd last,

which was a great suprise to me, as I had only recently managed to

finish the full 3 laps.

Things got a little competetive and I bought an AYK Bobcat. I then

never finished a race, as the drive shafts kept falling out (didnt know

about o-rings in the cups yet).

I smile I had waking at Christmas to find the Willy at the bottom of my bed, and then building it mostly by myself.

Other times that come to mind are; putting a guinee pig in the back of

the Willy, getting told off for digging a track in the back garden,

taking my 959 out for its first time, and all the times that a car was

broken for the last time.

My teenage years were spent skateboarding (building a mini ramp in the

garden this time). My brother told me about this site a few years ago.

At the same time he also told me about eBay.  Curse him.....

I know have a fond memory of building the Wild Willy 2. There was a

sence of nostalgia as I completed it and took it out for a drive. I had

the biggest smile on my face that day. What a great, fun car.

[DJTheo]

Nice topics as always H., you can't forget the excitement of the first races.

Mine was when I got my Hornet there was a silly spoiled kid at school saying all the time that he would beat me with his toy car. Well we met for a race and you can imagine what happened []

Later he got for revenge a Marui Hunter with a Marui Black Motor as well a friend of him a Grasshoper with a Black Motor Endurance and we met at a grass hill to race. Only that they hadn't counted that my dad had brought a just released Technituned for my Hornet from a business trip in Germany. Ahh, those were the days... []

Cheers

[Petrolhead]

Man, great thread!

My first non-competitve race against a friend was when I was about 14. My friend had recently bought a Baja Champ, and he knew that I had a Fox. He kept asking me to race him with his Champ. He had a new Sport Tuned in his, and I had a very used 17t in mine. Therefore, his was faster in a straight line.

Anway, we had decided on a date for the race. The track would be a little course I'd made up in my street, consisting of a few jumps, some tight turns and a bit of grass. However, one day before the race, he managed to snap a part of his chassis, so he had to buy a new one, therefore race postponed!

A few days later, once he'd fixed his Champ, he finally came over for a race. It happened to be on the one day when the road was wet. Things were starting to favour him - A faster car in a straight line, and 4WD in the rain, not looking good for the old Fox! But, the one thing I was relying on was Driver Experience. I had been driving R/Cs for over 6 years, he had only just got into it.

Anyway, we lined them up on the start line... 3..2..1..Go! His was straight into the lead by the end of the home straight, but I caught and passed him by the first corner. He kept catching me on the straight parts, but lost out big time on the bends. He managed to pass me a couple of times, as he missed a couple of corners out, and I span it on the tightest bend, due to the atrocious track conditions! [] I took the second to last corner ahead of him and without incedent, but my friend went straight on at full speed instead of turning, and hit the kerb at full tilt... SNAP! There goes that chassis again, and there were bits of Baja all over the road. 

But, we knew who won it. Me, and my Fox! I was so pleased I could beat  my friend who thought he had the better car.[]

And this? This happened last week!

I've gotta say that these Foxes are a work of Art! It is by far the most fun Tamiya I've ever had, and their performance for such an old buggy is simply outstading!

Keep those great stories coming!

[DJTheo]

"My first non-competitve race against a friend was when I was about 14.

My friend had recently bought a Baja Champ, and he knew that I had a

Fox. He kept asking me to race him with his Champ. He had a new Sport

Tuned in his, and I had a very used 17t in mine. Therefore, his was

faster in a straight line."

Nice story Petrolhead, but shoudln't a 17T Fox be much faster on straight line then a 23T 4WD buggy???

Cheers

[Petrolhead]

I know Theo, I couldn;t quite understand it. But:

 It was raining, so the 4WD buggy got off the line better, therefore having a lead before top speeds were reached.

My 17t was a real cheapo, about £10/£15, and it was well, well used, not performing like it should. His Sport Tuned was brand new, only just run in.

They're the only possible reasons. It wasn't madly faster, but noticably faster.

Hope this helps!

[Martin71RS]

Must have been around '87 or so...me driving a hopped up Hornet (Technipower and ball bearings), a friend with a Hotshot 2 (which was very fast) and my brother with his Lunchbox.

We used to "race" a lot back then with friends, nothing too serious, but allways fun!

What our friend didn't know was we stacked another battery inside the Lunchbox so it ran on 14.4volts (or 12V, not 100% sure) We put it in front in the chassis to keep the nose on the ground.

When we started the sprint, my brother laid down some rubber stripes on the road and blew us both away.

Our friend could not understand what happened.....he picked up the Lunchbox and examined it.....all he saw was the stock motor (the car not even had bearings since they were so expensive back then)

We had a great laugh about it....

I can also tell from experience a 540 kit motor does not like running on higher voltages.....we completely fried it.

Martin

 

 

 

 

[LamboDave]

I remember looking forward to Wednesday evenings, as my father would come home early from work and take me to Billinghurst school (UK) for evening in-door racing in their large wooden floor hall. I had a Sand Scorcher and raced with Holiday Buggies, etc. I even remember a time where a White Tamiya Countach (58005 or 58008) was put in with us. I have no idea why but things got interesting to say the least. I remember sliding the SS into the main straight (with rear spong tires) and chasing down the countach (Countach driver was a young beginner). To my surprise, he looped it half way down the straight and I used it as a ramp and it launched my SS right over it - It was great fun back then.

[Z]

I have never raced competitively, and my first real race was last

summer (boy am I a newbie ; ). my friend was running a stock Traxxas

E-maxx (I don't understand why he had it in low gear), and I was

running my  Mad Bull with a 17t motor, ball bearings, and an ESC.

We didn't get to race for long, because I fried my motor plugs, and

accounts vary as to who was the faster car, but my dad and I are sure

that the Bull was faster. Ah, I wish it was summer!

[Badboy]

Great stories!!!

Lucky all you!!!

I didn´t have anyone to race with!!!

I had a Kyosho methanol 4wd rail buggy and chased my friends

with it!!!I actually managed to brake a friends leg when trying to get him!!! =) Don´t remember the name of the buggy, it was a

yello-ish railbuggy with 4WD chaindriven methanol thing =)

anyone knows what I´m talking´bout?

Got it from my dad.

He broke the chain and couldn´t find a chain lock so he bought

a new car as spare!!!

It cost me a fortune, so i stop use it.(methanol, batteries etc etc)

I bought a Sand Scorcher in -85 and run it down hill, up hill, left hill and right hill!!!

When i moved back to Stockholm I dumped it!!! (-91)

Two some years ago, i saw a dad and his kid at a footballfield driving a methanol, and it looked great fun...

Remembering my ol´SS, I started looking around for some thing fun to drive.

A friend introduced me to ebay (**** him)

There!!! Right there!!! I found one and bought it!!!

I have only tried it indoors, waiting for spring then my SS and Ford F-150 will race down hill, up hill, left hill and wrong hill?

So watch out neighbors!!!

Badboy

Great topic!!!

[Tamiya King]

On Jan 18th 1988, I received my first RC car. It was given to me by my brother for my 16th birthday. If I remember right, it was made by Aristocraft, and it was a RC of an ATV. It wasn't a bad kit. It came with a regular Tamiya 7.2V style battery pack. After about 2 days of playing with it, it broke. So we took it back to the local hobby shop and they sent it in to get repaired. Well, after getting it back, it broke again in same spot. (Can't remember exactly what broke.) Well, this time Gilbert's Hobby Shop gave me a new one. As the first one did, this one broke in the same spot. My brother now was mad as he spent close to $100 for this thing. So he walked with me down to the LHS and had words with them and made them give me credit. So I had a look around the shop and saw lots of Tamiya's I wanted like Blackfoot, Hornet, Grasshopper, and the one I chose, as it was cheaper in cost........was the Tamiya Striker.

I took it home and started building it right away. I spent 3 days building it as I have never done one of these myself and I was building it all by myself. A week later I had enough money to buy a Radio, Battery and Charger, and the rest is history.

3 months later I talked my friend Rick into buying a RC car. So we went to the LHS where he purchased a used Hornet that came with everything to run it. Our back yard bashing and racing days began. I had a ball with that Striker.

That is why there is a Striker in my collection now and always will be. I still think back to those days everytime I take her out for a spin. My first real 1/10th scale RC for my 8 year old was a Tamiya Sonic Fighter. So as her old man, she got the sister car to the Striker for her first Tamiya!

My second car was a Circus Hobbies Wheelies Jeep. It was just like the Marui CJ-7 Jeep. I bought that in 1990 when I came home from college and I was just getting ready to join the Navy. Boy, how the years fly by! [] I wish I could go back to those days and do a little backyard bashing with Rick again. Cheers!

P.S. Thanks to my 39 year old brother for getting this 34 year old man into RC's back 18 years ago. If it wasn't for him, I probably would have never even gotten into it! Thanks Bro!