These are my 'very' retro memories

[maineyak]

As a schoolboy my first RC car was a Tamiya Renault F2 car back in 1979 but its low ground clearance and having little flat area to run in meant it was superceded by a Holiday Buggy the following year. A move to Gloucester in 1981 meant my first competitive races at the Gloucester YMCA racing 1/12th cars indoor on carpet on Friday nights. I started racing with a Gemini SLX then Associated RC12E but in 1982 purchased a Schumacher C car, which was the car of choice in the UK at the time, and began club racing at Gloucester, Stafford and Watford while also following the BRCA national series around the country.

Off road racing was not big at the time but buggies were receiving more and more press through Model Cars and RRC and the first ever off-road race I witnessed was at a model show in 1983, the location of which I can’t remember, but I believe it was towards London. There were a lot of recognisable names from the 1/12th circus taking part including Pete Winton who was commentating.

Cars were a mixture of Kyosho Scorpions, Tamiya Frogs and slightly less competitive, and now outdated, Rough Riders and Super Champs. We didn’t stay for the finals but I remember the Bolink Digger driven by no other than Robin Schumacher was probably the fastest car on the circuit. Tracks at the time were usually fairly high grip flat grass tracks which suited the Digger. It was almost like racing on carpet again - apart from the rain. The Digger was basically a 1/10th scale C car. See here for details http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/inde...howtopic=23876

Having a stock of GRP and being pretty handy with a file I constructed my own Digger creating my own chassis and wishbones and purchasing the plastic parts from Schumacher. I ran this car and then bought a 2nd hand Scorpion for mucking about but didn’t really get involved in racing then as I was living and breathing 1/12th scale, sometimes racings 5 nights a week! At the time (1983) I don’t believe there was an official BRCA off road race series anyway. (first in 84?)

During ’84 and ’85 the off road craze was grew rapidly and a new outdoor purpose built buggy track was built near Gloucester. That and the fact that a lot of people were putting their carpet cars away and joining the buggy ranks persuaded me to join in. At the time 2WD and 4WD classes were still being run together and it was the technological showcase that was the Kyosho Progress that was my weapon of choice. Unfortunately it was not progress at all

The Gloucester track was a ‘proper’ off road track with bumps and jumps and multiple surfaces including concrete and dirt and the ¾ inch suspension travel on Progress could just not cope. Should have bought a Hot Shot, even with its weight, inefficient drive train and sloppy suspension it looked unbeatable at the time. At the tracks opening event Rory Cull and his Hot Shot ran away with the win. Little was I to know at the time that Rory was to go on to be a good friend and personal nemesis in the years to follow.

Even with this set back I was bitten by the off road bug. Almost at the point of joining the Hotshot clan until news broke of the first Associated buggy from the U.S. – the RC10. It was only 2WD but national results declared it a winner and my friend and I ordered ours from Ted Longshaw Racing, much to the amusement of the Hot Shot Clan. Due to low stocks they didn’t arrive until early 1985 but when building them up you realised these were the first serious off-road racing machines. To be continued…

Great times. Would love to hear anyone else's memories from the very early days.

[john333]

Some good memories there and very similar to mine as it was exactly the same time I started racing, I got into 1/12th scale in 87 though and did the nationals for 2 or 3 seasons.

I went down the hotshot and rc10 route when they came out, but much preferred the hotshot and got some good results with it (don't think I ever beat Rory cull though!)

They were the good old days as far as racing club nights was concerned, we raced derby on Tuesday night, rolls Royce on wed night, Kimberley on a Friday and then an outdoor or national etc on a Sunday, if no big meeting was on a Sunday rolls Royce was on that day too!

Agree with you about the progress, my mate had one and it was a turd of a car, unlike the optima which is one of my favourite all time cars

[Naushad]

When I was younger I always scanned the catalogue magazines to look at the remote control cars. I would also see the occasional races on tv (remember those Saturday morning kids shows) and in Hyde park, London. I had several when I was younger including a radio shack porsche 959 (I think). However I was fascinated about the tamiya cars. At that time I wondered why they were sooooo expensive! I like the grasshopper but loved the rugged looks of the hotshot! I would show my parents so often but they said it was far too much. It was only later I realized they were kits and not complete cars. The magazines sold them for more anyhow and I remember phoning around shops (e.g. Beatties and Antics) to find cheaper deals but my parents were still refusing.

Anyway, when I was ten my parents bought me a turbo blaster...I would consider it my first 4wd. It had a black body with a few decals and on back of the rear gearbox had a switch to change from low to high gear and vice versa. It took 8 AA batteries. The remote was a stick affair but had trim control...so at the time this was no cheap and basic package!! However, it broke down twice for reasons unclear to me. My father took it back for repairs but by the second occasion it was beyond repair. After that I forgot about it and we moved to Gloucester. My interests then changed to computer gaming.

In the last 3-4 years I have come back into it and not looked back. I bought that hotshot I always wanted. It was a pleasure to build and since then I've caught the building and renovating bug! The racing aspect is something I want to get more into though.

[Kelk]

Well I'm 3 weeks into a return to RC racing after a 20 year hiatus.

At school a few friends and I got together to bought our respective cars - my first non-Toys'r'US RC car was a Tamiya Thunder Dragon. Compared to what else I'd had before this felt like proper engineering and my now dear departed uncle helped me build it over a weekend.

I loved this thing - it was quicker than I dare believe and had that heavy feeling of quality rather than the cheapo plastic junk I'd played with before. So we started racing at a nearby club and at one point I even won a race or two. Many a day I would wander into JS RAcing in Wolverhampton and stare at all the new shiny racing kits - Schumacher Cat XLS's, Yokomo and Losi JRX2's never mind the myriad of parts bags that hung on the little spline arms like baubles on a christmas tree.

2 years later on Xmas day I got my Procat - now this was fantastic for me - composite-esque chassis, belt drives and grip till Tuesday.

So I went racing for another year or so but University beckoned and the ways of RC cars went by the by - I simply couldnt afford to stay racing.




I always looked in on stuff from time to time - browse the odd copy of Radio Race Car in WH Smiths or poke around in Modelzone but never did anythnig about it.

Last year my uncle died and the nostalgia and thoughts of the time he spent helping me build the cars and take me racing came flooding back and for the last year or so I've been hankering with getting back into it. I did a lot fo internet research, I bought magazines and posted up on here.

So I got a Losi 22, spent a weekend building it, reminisced a bit and with help from people at SHRCCC I'm up and racing, well steering round a track and hoping to finish each race.

[john333]

I love threads like this, keep the stories coming

[Stretch]

My first car was a Tamiya Rough Rider, bought for £55 new in 1981. My parents bought me the radio gear as a Birthday prezzy. This car never raced, but the body and rear cage were quickly broken (heartbreaking as I'd painted it up exactly like the box art...)

Next I had a Kyosho Skorpion. This also never raced, and barely got driven as it was building them that I really enjoyed.

Next was a Tamiya Toyota Hilux. This raced. Against Skorpions. Indoors. Thankfully only once, but then I was hooked.

Next came a Hotshot, an AYK, an Optima, an RC10 (original gold/white), a CAT (I finished 3rd in the C at the 1st BRCA Modified meeting of the year - I was the 3rd highest place CAT at the meeting, which had 10 cars per final, and A to O Finals...), CAT XLS, Yokomo YZ870C, and the rest just get boring...

[cjm_2008]

I reckon new racers should be forced to race with brushed motors and 1200mah sc packs just so they know how good they've got it nowadays!

[dirt track date]

Wow what a cool thread....................................
I remember going to thee Eastor model show with my parents in 1982 ?? maybe 83 and watchng the boats and planes, but being totally obsessed with the buggies, I loved it when they wheelied off the line!! I was so exciting because unlike real motor racing you could see the whole track. We went every year after that, me and my brother used to choose a car that we liked the look of at the start of each race and see who came in first, we begged and begged for our own car but my dad used to say 'they're not toys' and 'they're too expensive etc....'. I used to look forward to Eastnor all year just to watch the buggies and see 'whos' car would come in first every race. In mid /late 1986 my dad heard about racing at the TA centre in Hereford so we used to go and watch the racing (I think it was on tuesday night) still dreaming that one day I'd be able to have my own car. I remember the fast drivers were driving SWB Cats and PB Mini Mustangs, Dave Rogers and Clive Hall ruled supreme in Hereford back then. In early 1987 after 5 years of begging and nagging my parents finally conceded and my dad swapped his prized model boat for a Marui Samurai. That car was so bad, the diff gears used to strip every other race. Me and my brother race alternate weeks. I used to practice at home in the garden after mowing a track into the front lawn but the Samurai was really no fun and the majority of the time it was in bits, I remember frantically trying to change those stupid diff gears in the back hall of the TA centre. Christmas 87 was the best year ever my parents bought us a Mardave Meteor to share between us. I remember building it on the kitchen table with my dad. It took 2 days to build!! I think my dad let me and my brother do most of it and at 12 and 11 respectively i don't think we had a clue!! For my birthday we got a new body shell (I'll post some pics because i would love to try and identify it so that I can rebuild that car) and painted it british racing green with some white stripes, our Meteor now looked like the fast cars. Some time late 87 we got another Meteor so we could both race at the same time, loads of other kids had Meteors so we had our own little Meteor pitting area. Racing by this time had moved to the Shire Hall and the Meteor was now long wheel base with long wishbones, MG Orange Dot with a Speedmaster Silver Star speed control. I got that car in the A final one time, soooo proud, but spent most of the time getting out of the way of the fast boys ha ha ha!! During the summer we raced behind the Bulls Head Pub in Hereford, various other school fetes, steam rallies and Eastnor Model Show. Some time in 89 I sold one of the Meteors and got a 2nd hand Top Cat, I remember racing this outside at the Bulls Head and racing at Eastnor with a Trinity 19 double which I bought from a team driver (so he said) managed the C final and was the highest placed 2WD. I sold the Top Cat in early 1990 and bought Clive Halls old PB Mini Mustang which I remembered from the TA Centre days of watching and dreaming. The Mustang was a little out of date but at least it was 4wd and I could win the B final from time to time at club level. I think I had the Mustang for 4-5 months before I sold that and got a second hand worn out Lwb Optima Mid with a red anodised tana plan chassis. I really loved that car and regularly used to win the B final. This car was great indoors and outside on grass. Sadly this was sold in early 1991 and I bought a Swb cat for £20 (Oh how I wish I'd kept it) and sort of converted it to a Pro Cat, well it had a Pro Cat Body and Chassis, I hated this car, it was horrible to drive, but by this time girls and music were taking over and nothing puts off teenage girls more than 'going to play with toy cars'. So in the summer of 1992 aged 17 I took my 'Pro Cat' to Eastnor Model Show and sold it for £35. I've still got my original Meteor although it needs a new chassis because the endless modifications finally cause it to snap. Occasionally I'd go and watch the racing at Hereford but soon I was playing in bands and that was the end of that....... Until May 2010 when I got a Mardave Cobra off ebay and bashed around the garden for a bit of fun. I liked it A LOT. September 2010 I started racing an Associated B4 at Stoke Model Car Club and tried to collect all the cars I owned as a kid. So far I've got all of them except a SWB Cat, but these are rare and expensive now. Any way thats my memories of the happiest times growing up and the best time I ever had with my dad.

[Dave 1975]

Love the old days...

My first car was a kyosho optima..loved it... complete with mechanical speed control and 540 motor lol.. had quite a few hop ups too like the belt conversion and ball race kit.

Then went on a Cat XLS and a JRX2 !

[Dave 1975]

Don't miss the old batteries though.. and skimming motors

[Teaboy]

I will have raced with / against you in the TA Center days, i use to love it there with my Hotshot, we as the Bromyard bunch always use to pit together in those days. I went past the old Bulls Head track a few weeks ago and was shocked to see nothing there at all now.

Those names ring a bell, i seem to remember a James Bond (really) with a PB and also Chris something with a Gold and white Cat.

From my Hotshot i went to a PB Mini Mustang which i have just restored to run in the Vintage class at Caldicott.

When Hereford moved from the TA Centre i raced at Kidderminster and Worcester.

Cheers

Rich

Originally Posted by dirt track date

Wow what a cool thread....................................
I remember going to thee Eastor model show with my parents in 1982 ?? maybe 83 and watchng the boats and planes, but being totally obsessed with the buggies, I loved it when they wheelied off the line!! I was so exciting because unlike real motor racing you could see the whole track. We went every year after that, me and my brother used to choose a car that we liked the look of at the start of each race and see who came in first, we begged and begged for our own car but my dad used to say 'they're not toys' and 'they're too expensive etc....'. I used to look forward to Eastnor all year just to watch the buggies and see 'whos' car would come in first every race. In mid /late 1986 my dad heard about racing at the TA centre in Hereford so we used to go and watch the racing (I think it was on tuesday night) still dreaming that one day I'd be able to have my own car. I remember the fast drivers were driving SWB Cats and PB Mini Mustangs, Dave Rogers and Clive Hall ruled supreme in Hereford back then. In early 1987 after 5 years of begging and nagging my parents finally conceded and my dad swapped his prized model boat for a Marui Samurai. That car was so bad, the diff gears used to strip every other race. Me and my brother race alternate weeks. I used to practice at home in the garden after mowing a track into the front lawn but the Samurai was really no fun and the majority of the time it was in bits, I remember frantically trying to change those stupid diff gears in the back hall of the TA centre. Christmas 87 was the best year ever my parents bought us a Mardave Meteor to share between us. I remember building it on the kitchen table with my dad. It took 2 days to build!! I think my dad let me and my brother do most of it and at 12 and 11 respectively i don't think we had a clue!! For my birthday we got a new body shell (I'll post some pics because i would love to try and identify it so that I can rebuild that car) and painted it british racing green with some white stripes, our Meteor now looked like the fast cars. Some time late 87 we got another Meteor so we could both race at the same time, loads of other kids had Meteors so we had our own little Meteor pitting area. Racing by this time had moved to the Shire Hall and the Meteor was now long wheel base with long wishbones, MG Orange Dot with a Speedmaster Silver Star speed control. I got that car in the A final one time, soooo proud, but spent most of the time getting out of the way of the fast boys ha ha ha!! During the summer we raced behind the Bulls Head Pub in Hereford, various other school fetes, steam rallies and Eastnor Model Show. Some time in 89 I sold one of the Meteors and got a 2nd hand Top Cat, I remember racing this outside at the Bulls Head and racing at Eastnor with a Trinity 19 double which I bought from a team driver (so he said) managed the C final and was the highest placed 2WD. I sold the Top Cat in early 1990 and bought Clive Halls old PB Mini Mustang which I remembered from the TA Centre days of watching and dreaming. The Mustang was a little out of date but at least it was 4wd and I could win the B final from time to time at club level. I think I had the Mustang for 4-5 months before I sold that and got a second hand worn out Lwb Optima Mid with a red anodised tana plan chassis. I really loved that car and regularly used to win the B final. This car was great indoors and outside on grass. Sadly this was sold in early 1991 and I bought a Swb cat for £20 (Oh how I wish I'd kept it) and sort of converted it to a Pro Cat, well it had a Pro Cat Body and Chassis, I hated this car, it was horrible to drive, but by this time girls and music were taking over and nothing puts off teenage girls more than 'going to play with toy cars'. So in the summer of 1992 aged 17 I took my 'Pro Cat' to Eastnor Model Show and sold it for £35. I've still got my original Meteor although it needs a new chassis because the endless modifications finally cause it to snap. Occasionally I'd go and watch the racing at Hereford but soon I was playing in bands and that was the end of that....... Until May 2010 when I got a Mardave Cobra off ebay and bashed around the garden for a bit of fun. I liked it A LOT. September 2010 I started racing an Associated B4 at Stoke Model Car Club and tried to collect all the cars I owned as a kid. So far I've got all of them except a SWB Cat, but these are rare and expensive now. Any way thats my memories of the happiest times growing up and the best time I ever had with my dad.