How to Drive an RC Car

When you first take your RC car out of the box, you might be tempted to hit the local track right away. Ideally, before trying to drive on a track, you'd practice your driving skills, read through the manual and learn how to tweak your car. That's unlikely, so here are a few ways to make the most of your track experiences.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Realize that your controller works just like the steering wheel on your regular car. When you move it to the left, your RC car moves to the left and when you push the controller to the right, your car moves to the right.

2. Drive as fast as you can the first few times you take your RC car onto a new track. This will help you get a feel for the track without worrying too much about making a mistake.

3. Stick to the middle of the track instead of trying to hug the edges. Your lap times might not be as good, but at least you won't drive your RC car right into one of the track barriers.

4. Look for lines or the areas of the track where more experienced racers drive their cars. This should give you an idea on how to lower your lap times.

5. Draft with other cars just as you would if you were racing NASCAR instead of driving an RC car. Not only can you increase your speed, but you can also see where other cars are running and what spots drivers are avoiding.

6. Be consistent any time you drive your RC car. The more time you spend racing and practicing, the better you'll get.

Tips & Warnings

• Carefully observe the rules of your local RC track. You can damage your car or yourself by ignoring the posted rules.
• Watch out for cars traveling at different speeds. A faster car may run right over you, while you may run over a slower car. In either scenario, you can cause serious damage to your car.
• Don't expect to become an expert overnight. Some of the people racing at your local track practice for years before they were able to drive well.