650 mph racing for a grand a year!
JASON PLATO, PETTER SOLBERG OR COLIN McRAE RACING AT 650MPH? - 20,000 UK RACERS CAN SHOW THEM HOW IT'S DONE.
They'll reach 650mph, they'll out-accelerate virtually any road car and they'll cost around £1,000 to race for a full season - they may be small-scale, but they're big thrills.
Radio controlled cars is a hobby and a sport that has more than doubled in size in the past three years. And at the heart of it is Derbyshire-based Mirage Racing, which is now distributing more than 15,000 radio controlled (RC) HPI 1/10th scale Touring Cars and 1/8th scale "Monster Trucks" a year.
"They'll do 45mph - a scale speed of 450 mph - ready-to-run, straight out of the box. But with some small modifications, radio controlled nitro-methane powered Touring Cars will hit 65mph - that's a scale speed of 650mph," said Jason Dearden, Managing Director of Mirage Racing.
"What's the attraction? Well, the cars look like the real thing - in photos some are so detailed that you have to look hard to spot they're models. The Monster Trucks are huge and dramatic. No matter what type of model, they each have all the characteristics of full-sized vehicles but few of the pitfalls: they don't cost a fortune to buy, they don't cost a fortune to run - but you can modify and improve them every bit as much as a full-sized car.
"The Monster Trucks are virtually unstoppable, with all the capabilities and more of the best full-sized off roaders. They're two feet long, 1/8th scale, four wheel drive and they are capable of some amazing feats.
"These are not the £19.99 radio controlled toy cars that run at 5mph for 20 minutes and break after a fortnight - RC models are £175-£450 miniature cars and four-wheel-drives which virtually match full-sized cars component for component: disc brakes, adjustable suspension, tuneable engines," said Jason, a former European RC racing champion.
In experienced hands, the trucks can jump up to 60 feet - a scale distance of an eighth of a mile - and land from a height of 25 feet and drive off completely undamaged. That's the equivalent of a full-sized car landing unscathed from 200 feet.
"But 450mph for £275? Now that's a real grabber. Racing the real thing will get you maybe as far as 140mph - and land you with an annual bill of more like £275,000," said Jason.
