How Does Your RC Club Celebrate the Festive Season?
The festive season is a favourite time of year for many, even for RC racers. Though outdoor racers might feel differently depending on the weather! Surprisingly, even the most competitive racers enjoy the lighter side of the sport, making festive fun races a popular tradition in the RC racing world. But what are the best festive races out there?
Over the years, I’ve seen and been part of some fantastic festive RC events. I’ve also had the privilege of sharing some brilliant ideas suggested by our followers on social media, I’ll share a mix of my favourites and some top suggestions from the RC community. Let’s dive into the festive spirit!
Sheffield RC Racing Eckington, UK - Mince Pie Mayhem
Sheffield RC Racing Eckington is a club known for its love of fun racing, and over the Christmas period, they go all out with their festive feature meeting. One year, they introduced a balloon race where balloons were attached to the back of the cars. It was a big hit, bringing lots of laughs and a touch of chaos to the track!
For the past two years, they’ve named their event "Mince Pie Mayhem," buying plenty of mince pies to share with everyone attending. Last year’s event featured a Team Race of Champions format, where racers were grouped into evenly balanced teams of four. Teams competed for points over 16 thrilling finals, making for an exciting evening.
This year, they’re mixing things up again. The event will include four special fun races, such as the ever-popular balloon race and a reverse race, promising more festive hilarity.
Want to know more about this year’s Mince Pie Mayhem? Head over to their Facebook page for all the details! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1112318016048182
Manor RC Model Car Club, Mansfield UK - Christmas Meetings
Manor RC, a well-loved buggy club in Mansfield, has a rich history of festive racing events. One of their standout Christmas meetings for me was popular caravan race. While caravans are usually seen in oval and banger racing, Manor RC brought them to the world of buggy racing! Club members went all out, designing 1/10th scale caravan rigs that could handle the high speeds and jumps of their track.
Last year, Manor RC hosted a team relay race with a twist. Teams shared tyres and a transponder, but each racer used their own buggy, adding a layer of strategy and excitement. This year, the club promises more festive fun with a meeting of Christmas races and games on Sunday, 22nd December. It’s sure to be a fantastic day filled with laughter and great racing action!
For more information about the event and the club, visit their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ManorRCmodelcarclub.
Swifts Test Track, Sheffield UK - Racing Truck Endurance
Although Swift’s Test Track is no longer running, it remains a fond memory for many RC racers, especially for its creative and fun Christmas meetings. One of their standout events was the Fast and Furious-themed night, featuring unique challenges like head-to-head races and even a police chase. The event had a fun atmosphere, and the local pizza they brought in was a huge hit with everyone!
My personal favourite, however, was the Racing Truck Endurance event in 2018. All the trucks had to remain stock, even down to the bouncy friction shocks. Watching the trucks bounce and wobble their way around the track was absolutely hilarious. The racing action was incredibly close, and the event had everyone laughing from start to finish. It was a true gem of a Christmas meeting and one that’s still talked about today.
Swift’s Test Track may be gone, but the memories of their fantastic festive events live on!
RAMS RC Club, Calfornia USA - Holiday Toy Drive
RAMS Club in California has a brilliant idea for the festive season, one that’s quite popular across America. Many clubs run “Race for Tots” events, and after RAMS responded to our Reddit post, we wanted to highlight their fantastic contribution.
Their Holiday Toy Drive is a charity meeting where the entry fee is a $20 toy. All the toys collected are donated to children for Christmas, spreading joy and making a real difference. This year’s event took place on 8th December, with 60 racers coming together to collect over 70 toys!
The meeting itself was full of festive fun, featuring a variety of nitro racing classes that kept the action exciting. It’s such a meaningful and fun idea, and it’s definitely something I’ll be suggesting to my local club for next year.
Hats off to RAMS Club for combining racing with giving back in such a special way! For more information about the club and their Holiday Toy Drive visit their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ramsrcclub.
Southport Radio Car Club - 3 Days of Christmas at Banks
Southport Radio Car Club makes the most of the Christmas period by hosting an exciting 3-day meeting! This year, the festivities kick off on Friday 27th December and run through to Sunday, finishing with their traditional fun buggy endurance.
The 3-day event has been a beloved tradition for many years, bringing racers together for some festive fun and friendly competition. A quick look at their Facebook group shows just how much excitement there is from club members. It’s clear this tradition is a favourite among racers and one that continues to grow in popularity.
If you’re in the area, this is definitely an event worth checking out. Southport Buggy always knows how to bring the Christmas spirit to the track! For more information about the 3 day event visit: https://www.facebook.com/southportradiocarclub.
Sheffield RC Racing Killamarsh - GT5 Endurance
Sheffield RC Racing Killamarsh always brings something special to the festive season, and their GT5 Endurance is a perfect example. The 2019 event combined fun and teamwork with a touch of friendly competition.
The GT5 Endurance featured teams racing budget Tamiya cars for a 5 hour race, testing not only the cars' reliability but also the racers' skills and strategies. Drivers took turns at the wheel, ensuring everyone got a chance to race. The atmosphere at the event was fantastic, with plenty of laughs, festive cheer, and close racing action. It’s the kind of event that captures the true spirit of the RC community and its love of racing.
To read the full race report visit the clubs website here: https://www.sheffieldrcracing.co.uk/index.php/events/archived-events/22-gt5-2019-race-report
THP Crews, Massachusetts - Light Up the Trails Christmas Crawl
One of the most spectacular festive RC events has to be from THP Crews in Massachusetts. Their crawler group took to the woods with their vehicles decorated in fairy lights, creating a magical scene. With over 15 crawlers cruising through the woods, it must have been an incredible sight to see.
The images from the event are absolutely epic, capturing the festive spirit and the beauty of the glowing crawlers against the dark woods. Instead of the usual crawling challenges, the club hosted a festive concourse competition, where creativity and holiday cheer took centre stage.
This is definitely an idea I’ll be suggesting to my local club next year. For all the pictures of the event please visit their Facebook post here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/423310688024467/permalink/2254134634942054/
So, that’s all the festive meetings we’ve found this year. We hope this shows just how fun and festive RC racing can be during the holiday season. Whether your club already has a Christmas tradition or decides to use some of these examples in the future, we hope it’s a time filled with joy and great racing. Wishing you and your club a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Next weeks Hot Topic will be:
What’s Your 2025 New Year’s Resolution to Improve Your RC Racing?
The New Year is just around the corner, and it’s the perfect time to set some RC racing goals! Whether it’s upgrading your setup, mastering new techniques, or just having more fun at the track, we want to know:
What is your RC Racing goal for 2025?
How do you plan to improve on 2024?Setting goals helps us all succeed, and by sharing your resolutions, you might inspire others to achieve better results too!
Drop your resolutions our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/rcclubhub. Let’s start 2025 with big ambitions and even better racing!
RC Pit Talk:
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RC World News:
Elliot Harper Dominates at MICC Round 2
Round 2 of the MICC series took place over the weekend at Telford, UK, and it was a fantastic showcase of top-level RC racing. With over 130 racers booked in, the event promised close and thrilling competition on a massive, wide, and flowing track. The track size even led organisers to run 12-car races, adding to the excitement.
The event featured three classes: 2WD TC FWD, 17.5 STOCK TC, and TC MOD. The support classes were dominated by two standout racers: Ben Cosgrove in FWD and Zac Finley in STOCK. Both racers were untouchable, delivering incredible performances throughout the day.
In TC MOD, the competition was much closer. Early on, Alex Thurston (Mugen) set the pace, but Elliot Harper (Schumacher) took control from Round 2, securing overall TQ with three straight TQ runs.
The finals provided plenty of action:
2WD FWD: A lights-to-flag victory for Cosgrove (XRAY), with Ricky Copsey and Matthew Lax completing a full XRAY podium.
17.5 STOCK TC: Finley (Schumacher) dominated again, with James Hart and Finley Whitelock making it an all-Schumacher top three.
TC MOD: Harper secured a commanding win despite Thurston's strong pressure, while Harley Eldridge (XRAY) held on for third.
With these results, Harper, Cosgrove, and Finley now take the overall titles for their respective classes.
For more information and updates, visit the MICC Facebook page: Midland Indoor Carpet Championship.
Photo Credit: Elliott Harper RC
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Tom Berry - Blue Bug
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Verdict: A shell so good it makes you question whether the Impreza only looked cool because of it's iconic racing livery. This a fantastic job Kenny, definitely worthy of the Cool Wall.
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