Top racers from radio

Jul 23, 2023

Two radio-controlled cars get airborne after entering a jump during the 2023 ROAR Fuel Offroad 1:8 Scale Nationals at the Silver Dollar RC Raceway in Chico, California, Saturday, June 3, 2023. Pit crews watch the action in the background. (Ed Booth/Enterprise-Record)

The drivers platform shows participants' intense concentration during the 2023 ROAR Fuel Offroad 1:8 Scale Nationals at the Silver Dollar RC Raceway in Chico, California, Saturday, June 3, 2023. (Ed Booth/Enterprise-Record)

CHICO — Tucked into a few acres between Costco and the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds stands a venue hosting a prestigious national racing event this weekend. A nice benefit is the fact it generates a lot of revenue for the local economy.

Radio-controlled cars may be small — a little bigger than a large shoebox and weighing a little more than eight pounds — but they carry a real punch, both in terms of speed and agility, along with visitors to Chico.

The 2023 ROAR Fuel Offroad 1:8 Scale Nationals completed its third day of competition Saturday at the Silver Dollar RC Raceway at 101 Silver Dollar Way in south Chico. ROAR — the hobby's common name for the Remotely Operated Auto Racers organization, North America's governing body — is holding its national championships in Chico, a four-day affair that began Thursday and concludes today.

It's the organization's fourth national title competition; it has held two of them in Chico, at the impressive facility on fairgrounds property, the last in 2015.

Radio-controlled car racer Spencer Rivkin of Surprise, Arizona, performs maintenance on his car at the 2023 ROAR Fuel Offroad 1:8 Scale Nationals at the Silver Dollar RC Raceway in Chico, California, Saturday, June 3, 2023. (Ed Booth/Enterprise-Record)

Ty Tessmann of Medicine Hat, Alberta, rebuilds his X-Ray XT8 "truggy" car at the 2023 ROAR Fuel Offroad 1:8 Scale Nationals at the Silver Dollar RC Raceway in Chico, California, Saturday, June 3, 2023. Tessmann is the seventh-seeded driver for today's final round. (Ed Booth/Enterprise-Record)

What's at stake? For the 300 or so entrants, it's also a qualifying meet for radio-controlled ("RC") car racing 2024 World Cup, scheduled to be held in Brazil. Today's top 30 will qualify to represent the combined region of the United States and Canada at next year's big event.

There's no prize money at this weekend's get-together, said Troy Hanson, one of the event's directors who's also the brand developer at AMain Hobbies, a Chico-based supplier of radio-controlled cars and accessories.

"The top ‘elites’ here can make some money through sponsorships from tire manufacturers, chassis and engine manufacturers," Hanson said, adding that some heavily sponsored drivers can earn as much as $10,000 for winning this event.

Chico businesses — and the tax base — benefit as well. While many competitors have brought their travel trailers to the grounds and parked them near the track, many others — plus friends and family — stay in hotels and eat in restaurants, Hanson said.

The championships feature two competitions — "truggy" (nitro truck) and "buggy" (nitro buggy). Vehicles use a combination of alcohol and methanol for fuel. As they zip around the curve-filled track, the cars emit a sound somewhere between that of a small chainsaw and a flock of hungry, agitated mosquitoes — though much louder, of course.

AMain, which has a retail outlet at 2065 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, a short distance from the track, is the nation's largest online distributor of RC cars and parts, Hanson said. In addition to operating the Silver Dollar RC facility, it operates an indoor facility at 2860 Fair St.

Hanson said events of this magnitude attract a "who's-who" of RC racing. Competing this weekend are several former world champions, including Ryan Maifield and Spencer Rivkin from Arizona, Ty Tessmann from Canada, Ryan Cavalieri from Southern California and Dakota Phend from Indiana.

Don't be fooled by the small competition vehicles. The skill level — and associated intense concentration during the races — match what a person might see during a race of full-sized cars, such as in the Indy Racing League and NASCAR.

Ryan Mayfield, of Phoenix, performs maintenance on his radio-controlled car at the 2023 ROAR Fuel Offroad 1:8 Scale Nationals at the Silver Dollar RC Raceway in Chico, California, Saturday, June 3, 2023. Mayfield will compete in finals in both the truggy and buggy divisions today. (Ed Booth/Enterprise-Record)

A radio-controlled race car belonging to Kendall Bennett belches smoke as it warms up prior to a qualifying race at the 2023 ROAR Fuel Offroad 1:8 Scale Nationals at the Silver Dollar RC Raceway in Chico, California, Saturday, June 3, 2023. (Ed Booth/Enterprise-Record)

Chico's facility has a two-level main building that houses a repair and maintenance room on the ground floor and an elevated drivers platform — the place from which drivers operate their cars during competition. A large covered area with work stations provide plenty of space for teams to repair and maintain their cars. Lights at the track allow for nighttime competition.

This weekend's 1:8-scale cars are one of two industry standards, with 1:10 scale — slightly smaller — being the other. Only gas-powered cars are competing this weekend; there are battery-powered cars that compete in other divisions.

Hanson said the RC car's battery-operated heritage has served as the inspiration for battery designs in battery-powered passenger cars such as the Tesla brand.

The drivers Hanson described as "elite" are true professionals — people who race nearly every weekend and can actually earn a living at racing these cars. However, Hanson said, this is an event that allows open registration, meaning anyone can pay the entry fee and race.

"There are some drivers who are really fast locally," Hanson explained. "Ones from Chico, Yuba City — they get to see how they stack up.

"The goal for some guys is to finish in the top 100, or the top 50. For the elite, they’re disappointed if they don't finish in the top five or even the top three."

Today's national championships will show the mental discipline a driver needs to succeed. The "truggy" division will last 45 minutes, and the "buggy" event lasts 60 — no time for breaks, trips to the restroom or any other interruptions. It's all business for those spans of time. The only stops in the competition are approximately every eight to nine minutes when cars must visit the pit area to get a fresh dose of fuel.

Kendall Bennett, an Australian national who founded AMain Hobbies as an eBay store in 2004, is a pretty good racer himself. He was warming up his car prior to a race Saturday; he revved his engine as it belched smoke intermittently — a good sign that showed everything seemed to be in race-ready condition. Bennett displayed a bottle of the alcohol/methanol fuel, a clear mixture he pours into the tank when needed.

Hanson said RC racing is expanding throughout the world. Last year's world champ came from Europe, he said. It's getting bigger domestically, as well: "Southern California, the Midwest and East are all seeing growth," he said.

The cost to enter the hobby is modest — around $200 for a good car, Hanson said. The people racing this weekend have invested closer to $2,000 for their vehicles and associated equipment.

Chico's track is one of the industry standards, Hanson added: "It's definitely a ‘bucket list’ facility."

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