So you want to start racing, huh? Well, the first thing you're going to have to do is decide whether you want to race on dirt or pavement. If you want to run your car between race weekends and you don't have access to a perfectly smooth patch of asphalt, then offroad is pretty much going to be your only bet. Offroad cars can also be run at the onroad races in certain classes (such as the novice class) depending on the chassis type. If speed is your thing and you can go between race weekends without bashing your car about (..or you have access to smooth, clean pavement), then you might want to give onroad racing a try.

R/C vehicles can be powered by one of two methods - nitro engines or electric motors. The debate will go on forever over which is faster than the other, but all of the speed records for an R/C car are held by electric cars. Being louder doesn't make a car faster. There - that's out of the way. The costs involved with each type of power source can vary depending on the size of the vehicle and the type of motors/batteries used. The old racing adage applies here - "Speed cost money.. how fast do you want to go?" Here's a breakdown of what it would cost to get started in each class using two of the popular onroad classes. Keep in mind that this just involves power sources. The vehicle and radio system are not included in these comparisons -

As you can see, it can be cheaper to start out with an electric car. However, when you look at the cost of maintinence for each type of vehicle, the numbers actually change quite a bit. Here's a three month breakdown of estimated maintinence costs for the same setups. Keep in mind that these are estimates only, and do not take into account the cost of broken parts, tires, etc.. -

As you can see, the costs start to balance out between the two types of power sources, with the exception being the brushless powered electric car. The initial high cost of the brushless quickly makes up for itself in maintinence savings. These estimates were calculated using just the bare neccessities needed to race on our racing schedule. Costs will be higher or lower if you do not race often, or if you decided to run your vehicle between race weekends. Another thing to take into account is that these comparisons are made using equipment made for a beginner. Higher-end racing equipment such as matched batteries and tuned motors will increase both initial and maintinence costs. However, the setups shown should be more than adequate to get a beginner into racing.

Another important thing to consider besides cost when deciding on a power source is your mechanical skill. Electric vehicles are "plug and play" for the most part, whereas nitro vehicles will require some tuning and mechanical skills to keep the motor and car running smoothly.

There are Hobbytown USA locations in both Mobile and Daphne. Either shop should be able to help you out on choosing a vehicle for the type of racing that you want to do. Although the prices may be slightly cheaper at online shops, keep in mind that if you buy your first vehicle online, there won't be a shop full of knowledgeable hobbyist to help you with things such as motor break-in, radio problems, or any other issues that may arise. The local shops also are there to hold races at both the offroad track and in the parkinglot. The $10 you saved online will come back to bite you when you get in a pinch with no one to ask for help. Also, if you plan on racing more than bashing, you may want to avoid a RTR vehicle and go for the more racing-oriented kits. You'll end up spending more than the money you thought you saved by buying the RTR trying to upgrade it to the "team" level cars that most dedicated racers run. Most RTR cars while durable for backyard bashing, don't seem to hold up quite as well on the track under heavy racing conditions. Also, buying the kit version of your vehicle will help you to learn the way the car is built and how it works. The knowledge that you learn from building your own car is priceless when it comes time to figure out why something isn't working the way it should.