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Why get into R/C?
R/C is the cheapest motor sport you can get into!
Its a great way to enjoy a hobby outside of the house, socialise and meet new friends.
Unlike computer games you get to hang out with your friends in real life and enjoy real physics!
If you’re a junior its a perfect hobby to learn motor skills, mechanics and its also one of the only hobbies you can compete against all age groups.
Racing happens all around the world and its easy to travel with. Some of our club members have raced all over the world with r/c. Its amazing where it can take you!
I want to get into R/C, where do I start?
It can be a bit overwhelming getting into r/c, the best place to start is to come along to one of our race days or practice days and have a chat. The committee and friendly members will be more then happy to explain everything you need!
We have also have a racing guide book which covers everything you need to know about racing, check it out here.
Also check out the two great local hobby shops CoastToCoastRC and SpeedyRC that stock everything racing related!
Where do I buy an r/c car? Local Hobby Shops?
We recommend you buy locally and focus on getting a race kit from CoastToCoastRC or SpeedyRC, they stock everything racing related!
We STRONGLY recommend you stick with a race brand! We mainly race 1/8th class at PHDR.
Everything you need to get into 1/8 Nitro Buggy
The below lists out everything you need to get into 1/8th Nitro Buggy Racing. Note you can sometimes get these second hand which brings the cost down a lot, keep an eye on club Facebook pages for good deals.
Nitro Buggy Kit – The kits comes as a “roller” which means there are no engine, servos etc. Its a bare bone kit and you need to buy the running gear separately. We recommend the main popular brands – Tekno, HBRacing, Team Associated etc.
Nitro Engine .21 – This class needs to have a .21 sized engine. We recommend and OS based engine as they are most reliable and easy to tune on the market. The B2104 is a great engine.
Pipe and header – This is the exhaust system for the engine, they sometimes come as a combo with the engine or are sold separately. Getting them in a combo deal is the cheapest way to buy both the engine and pipe. Pipe and headers are usually engine specific and the combo usually has the right pipe and header for the engine power delivery.
Two servos – One for the throttle and one for the steering, having good servos makes a huge difference to how easy your car is to drive, if you have slow servos the car will feel unresponsive. If you have a servo with low torque it will not be able to handle the steering or braking requirements the car needs. We recommend a good quality servo like the Protek 170SBL. They are expensive but you get what you pay for in R/C.
Receiver pack – This provides power to your car servos, most cars run a 7.4v lipo pack. Check what style of receiver pack your car needs, they typically come in a “Hump” or “Stick” style pack. We recommend the LRP
Alloy Servo Horn – It may be something small but having an alloy servo horn is very important. The kit will come with a plastic one but throw that straight in the bin. Make sure you get a servo horn that has the same number of teeth as your servo. For example futaba or protek servos are 25t. The horn will say how many tooth it is. The plastic horns strip the teeth and makes an alloy one mandatory.
Radio System – A radio system is the controller, it will transmit a signal to a receiver in the car that controls the servos. The radio system will usually come with a transmitter and receiver. We recommend Futaba or Sanwa brand, there are multiple levels of radios, all radios will do the job so purchase what is in your budget range. If you have the budget the Futaba 10px is a great system.
Start Box – To start the engine you will need a starter box, we recommend the Ultimate or Hudy Starter box.
Starter Box Battery – You will need a 14volt Lipo 4 cell pack to power the starterbox.
Glow Warmer – You need the glow warmer to heat the glow plug when you start the engine.
Charger – You need a charger to charge your receiver pack, radio, glow warmer and starter box battery. There are a lot of good chargers on the market, the isdt D2 is a nice compact charger.
Hex Drivers – The final thing you need is a good set of tools to work on your kit! Having a set of hex drivers 3mm, 2.5mm, 2mm, 1.5mm, 5mm nut driver make working on your car soooo much easier! Grab a tool set!
Everything you need to get into 1/8 Electric Buggy
The below lists out everything you need to get into 1/8th Electric Buggy Racing. Note you can sometimes get these second hand which brings the cost down a lot, keep an eye on club Facebook pages for good deals.
1/8 Electric Buggy Kit – The kits comes as a “roller” which means there are no engine, servos etc. Its a bare bone kit and you need to buy the running gear separately. We recommend the main popular brands – Tekno, HBRacing, Team Associated etc.
Speed Control and Motor Combo – The best way to buy your speed control and motor is in a combo deal, that way you buy the same brand speed control and motor. We recommend a 1900kv motor for EP buggy.
Battery – There are a lot of batteries on the market, most of them are reasonable quality, our local hobby shops can hook you up with the latest batteries on the market, you will be looking for something above 6400Mah 120c HV series – 14.8-15.2v.
One servo – One for the steering, having good servos makes a huge difference to how easy your car is to drive, if you have slow servos the car will feel unresponsive. If you have a servo with low torque it will not be able to handle the steering requirements the car needs. We recommend a good quality servo like the Protek 170SBL. They are expensive but you get what you pay for in R/C.
Radio System – A radio system is the controller, it will transmit a signal to a receiver in the car that controls the servos. The radio system will usually come with a transmitter and receiver. We recommend Futaba or Sanwa brand, there are multiple levels of radios, all radios will do the job so purchase what is in your budget range. If you have the budget the Futaba 10px is a great system.
Charger – You need a charger to charge your receiver pack, radio, glow warmer and starter box battery. There are a lot of good chargers on the market, the isdt D2 is a nice compact charger.
Plugs – to plug your battery into your speed control its important to use good plugs, we recommend the XT90.
Wire – To link up your batteries and speed control you need to have good wire, we recommend you get some good quality 12 Gauge. Deans 12awg is what you are looking for.
Alloy Servo Horn – It may be something small but having an alloy servo horn is very important. The kit will come with a plastic one but throw that straight in the bin. Make sure you get a servo horn that has the same number of teeth as your servo. For example futaba or protek servos are 25t. The horn will say how many tooth it is. The plastic horns strip the teeth and makes an alloy one mandatory.
Hex Drivers – The final thing you need is a good set of tools to work on your kit! Having a set of hex drivers 3mm, 2.5mm, 2mm, 1.5mm, 5mm nut driver make working on your car soooo much easier! Grab a tool set!
When is racing? How Much?
How do I get access to the track?
We run a code lock to open up access to our members! Sign up as a member here.
The deal is:
1. Become a financial member you get the first months access code
2. After one month the code will expire at the club day.
3. Attend the club day to get the next months code.
4. If you can’t attend the club day, attend a working bee to help keep the track in a suitable condition.
5. Members get free practice sessions even on the Wednesdays
6. We will still maintain our regular weekly practice sessions with committee attendance to help new people.
7. Non members can still access the track when opened for practice, this is usually every Wednesday 4pm-8pm for $10.
How are the laps counted?
Your laps are counted using an electronic device called a “Transponder”. The brand you need is a “MYLAPS” Transponder. Speedy and Coast to Coast RC will stock these.
What do I need to bring to a race day?
We have undercover pit areas and chairs, for a normal club day you can just bring all your car equipment.
If its a big race meeting you may need to bring your own shade tent and table because the undercover pit area will fill up.
What's most important when starting out?
It’s your own expectations that will determine the level of enjoyment or performance. PHDR has some of the fastest drivers in Australia, it takes a few years to develop your racing to their level and it’s up to you to realise that they will make you look slow, we all started like that.
What is important is that you enjoy yourself and give yourself time to develop the various skills, equipment and track time to get the entire package right. Going to the race shop and buying the latest and greatest car isn’t where we started, take your time and make good compromises.
Is there an age restriction?
We have a lot of junior members racing from as young as 10 years old.
We recommend if you have a junior wanting to get into r/c, come and talk to a committee member. Usually if the junior is new to the hobby we request the parent marshals the car to reduce the risk of injury.