It was a dry start and the YMCC team arrived promptly and without orchestration got to work on the preparation. Just before 10am it started to rain (only lightly I might add) but luckily we had just finished putting up the 2nd gazebo. Guests started arriving in unison with the rain but the team re-assured them we would continue with the day unless it became a down-pour. Everybody was happy with this decision. Luckily it soon stopped raining and those small showers we had later were not even noticed, as everybody (including the Mums and Dads) was having far too much fun.

So onto the day itself. Following an introduction to the club, brief history and general welcome Ian Finch, the club chairman handed over to me to kick the days proceedings off. The new Tamiya Mini’s were then brought out and lined up on the pit tables, transponders were installed and a race number placed on the windscreen – They looked awesome with their vibrantly coloured bodies. We started with a track walk for all the Junior Racers where I talked them through the basics of RC Racing and gave some hints and tips about the tracks more difficult off-camber corners. We finished up walking the best line, hitting the ‘apex’ on every corner. While this was going on the YMMC team made final tweaks and prepped the cars ready for their first outings. Meanwhile Race control was frantically busy with the computer being set-up to accommodate this unique event and a battery station created whereby all the stick packs would be charged. Everybody was now ready!

Then it was time for teams and practice runs. There were 3 teams in total which consisted of either 4 or 5 racers. Once in their teams and given an overview of the car and controller by the team managers and engineers (YMCC Team) each racer was then taken to the rostrum to have a practice run of 2 laps. This gave everybody a chance to try the car and get the feel of RC Racing before the all important heats and even more important finals. From the off a few drivers caught the eye of many and it was clear that racing was going to very competitive. Not only that, but the cars looked in great shape being very robust and quick/easy to work on.

So then it was time for the first of 2 rounds of 3 heats. The best of the two heats would be used to determine the grids for the finals. There was some great driving throughout the qualifiers and we saw over two thirds of the drivers improve in their second run. It was great to see the progress being made especially by those that had never even driven an RC car before.

Next it was time for another track walk, but this time we stopped at the start/finish line and looked back at the grid. We talked about how and when to start and what cars would be on what position. I was then bombarded with some of the toughest RC related questions I had ever been asked – one thing was clear, they were all competitive and all wanted to get back on the sticks!

Then after a short break so the team could clean and prep the cars for the finals we were ready to go again. Everybody drove brilliantly in the finals and the gathered crowds snapped away on cameras or filmed the action whilst encouraging the drivers on. Every driver finished every race and we got to see some great close racing. The smiles on everybody’s faces (including the YMCC team) as they came down the rostrum stairs were the evidence that a good time was had by all. After the last driver was down and all the drivers had received their stickers and raffle ticket we then showcased a 1/10th scale electric touring car driven by one of our most experienced drivers Ashley. Seeing jaws drop as the car literally flew around the track was great and everybody thoroughly enjoyed the demonstration.

Ian Finch then presented the first 3 drivers in each final with a great prize while ‘Blink’ captured the moments. Next up was the raffle and some awesome prizes were given out including a brand new RC car. Final words were then shared and we closed with the YMCC team receiving a round of applause from the parents and racers.

Oh and I almost forgot to say – Thanks to all the Mums & Dads and YMCC Members for helping out with the marshalling on the day – you all did a great job…!

YMCC wishes to thanks the sponsors for this great event: Apex Models, Gamespod, MuchMore UK.

Click here to take a look at all the photos from the day
Click here to see the results

The sun was shining and I had the whole afternoon available as Ellie was up the yard, riding out on Lilly. I took the short drive over to Yateley School about 12:00 and found one of the founder members Matt, he was happy to take some time and chat to me about the format of the racing, the types of cars used at the club and the recent improvements that have been made the the track. I must admit, the track and facilities look great!

After hanging about for a while I got talking to a few of the other racers there, Dan, Steve and Richard. I had a look over their cars and thought that Dan’s ‘Cam Car’ was great, the footage looked awesome! Take a look at the videos from the day on YouTube.

The 10th scale touring cars are awesome! So different from the cars I used to race. After taking a look at the 12th scale Phantom chassis, it was much more familiar to me, seeing as I’ve got a bunch of old kit from a few years ago some of it I can use to get one of these kit’s going. It’s not too expensive to get started, the kit costs about £100, I have more or less everything else, maybe a new motor will be required or something.

I think I’ll head on down to OneTenRacing at some point this week and get hold of a kit.