Big Hopes Ride on Tiny Cars
The engines will roar again this week from a back lot in a dusty corner of Saugus.
No, it’s not a revival of the Saugus Speedway, but the roar of tiny engines of radio-controlled cars.
The “drivers” of so-called R/C vehicles will be competing in one of the most prestigious events of their class in the nation--the 16th annual Reedy Invitational--honoring R/C pioneer Mike Reedy of Costa Mesa.
A series of races pitting the nation’s top 26 drivers--as well as 160 serious hobbyists--will be held Saturday and Sunday at an off-road dirt track behind commercial buildings at 25845 San Fernando Road.
Like their full-size counterparts, these trucks and buggies will careen and crash. But no lives are in jeopardy.
“No one has ever died from an R/C car injury,” said race manager Jimmy Babcock of Canyon Country.
That says a lot about a sport that is captivating thousands of enthusiasts around the world--mostly men and boys who crave the adrenaline-pumping thrill of guiding a 3-pound, 18-inch speeding vehicle over bumps and around curves--without risk to life and limb.
While a few women and girls are among competitors, it’s basically a “guy thing,” according to Babcock, who at age 26 is among the top competitors. “Guys like racing. They like cars. They like speed.
“It’s obviously not the same as being inside the car, but the same things do happen,” said Babcock, describing the sensation of clutching a palm-sized steering wheel on a transmitter while watching his vehicle hurdle through the air at up to 30 mph.
Warmups for the weekend events will begin Friday as competitors arrive from across the Southland and the nation. One of only half a dozen R/C tracks in Southern California, the maze behind Hot Rod Hobbies will mark the first time the Reedy Invitational is held outdoors. The venue was changed after an indoor track in Corona--as well as two other Southern California tracks--closed within the last two years.
“The biggest enemy to the hobby is the cost of property, particularly in California,” said Reedy, manager of Associated Electrics, a leading manufacturer of race engines and kits. The Reedy Invitational is held to celebrate Reedy’s birthday. He turns 60 on Jan. 22.
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Called “the grandfather of radio-controlled cars,” Reedy, who competed for four years, has for the last 22 years earned his living from the hobby. He calls competitive racing “a young man’s sport” because of the quick reactions required to maneuver vehicles.
“You can’t imagine how hard it is to drive in a race,” Reedy said. “It is a definite challenge.”
Much of the hobby’s draw lies in the fine-tuning of vehicles to improve competitive edge, such as switching or softening tires to deal with track conditions.
Indeed, hobbyists spend 95% of their time fiddling with vehicles, enthusiasts say. And a popular pastime is “bench racing”--the camaraderie that goes on at local “club races” held in backyards and parking lots all over the country.
Reedy said sales figures indicate there are about 7,000 serious hobbyists in the nation who participate in local competitions, with about 1,200 of them in Southern California. Serious hobbyists can spend $10,000 or more on their vehicles and may travel around the country and the world to compete.
The most prestigious race is the World Championship, held every other year by the International Federation for Model Auto Racing. This year’s race will be in South Africa. Previous sites included Pomona, Finland, Japan and England.
The majority of hobbyists--estimated at nearly 100,000 in the U.S.--spend about $350 for a beginning kit, Reedy and others said.
While the hobby peaked in the early 1990s, it picked up momentum again in the last few years, insiders say. Santa Clarita-based Hi Torque Publications, the largest specialty publishing house in the nation, added R/C Car magazine three years ago to its seven other racing periodicals.
“The pendulum has been swinging upward over the last several years,” said Brian Roberts, advertising manager for R/C Car.
Hot Rod Hobbies conducts three racing events every week at the Saugus track, with off-road racing at 7 p.m. Tuesdays and 2 p.m. Saturdays and dirt oval racing on Fridays at 8 p.m. From 20 to 70 racers compete each day, paying $10 per race.
The 10-year-old shop, owned by Rod Weisbaum, drew 380 vehicle entries at its annual Hot Rod Shootout last July, a near national record. Because of that turnout, entries in this weekend’s event were limited to the first 160 open competitors--all those who have not placed in the top 10 at a national event--in addition to the 26 top drivers invited by Reedy.
Unlike traditional auto racing, in which drivers are required to complete a predetermined number of laps, R/C races are timed events, usually four or five minutes.
Computers record the laps of each vehicle, which then race to the finish line when time is up. Usually seven to 10 drivers compete in each race, standing on an elevated platform overlooking the track.
“Turn marshals” stationed throughout the course quickly upright vehicles that crash and put them back on course.
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Races are divided into classes of vehicles, with gas-powered and electric-powered separated.
Winners generally receive a trophy or a title and an ego boost. The top competitors can win sponsors who supply vehicles and parts and help pay the cost of participating in other contests.
Winners in the open races this weekend will be eligible to compete in the Reedy Invitational next year. One confident hobbyist is Todd Tanner, 29, of Canyon Country, a veteran R/C racer.
What’s his secret?
“I just got prescription glasses for nearsightedness,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the race.”
