British Radio Car Association
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The British Radio Car Association (or BRCA) is an organisation to promote the construction and racing of all types of radio controlled cars in the United Kingdom. They coordinate BRCA affiliated clubs in the UK, and offer insurance for any accidents that might occur. They also organise regional and national racing events for various classes. Each year the BRCA produces a rules booklet for every UK racing class, such as 1:10th Electric touring cars, with specific rules as regard to maximum and minimum dimensions, and homoglated motors and cells. It is recommended (and at some clubs compulsory) to become a BRCA member due to its insurance and health + safety benefits.
The BRCA is a member of EFRA (European Federation Of Radio Operated Model Automobiles). The BRCA follows EFRA rules and uses their lists of approved equipment used in model racing.
The BRCA is also affiliated with the Motor Sports Association who deal with motorsport in the UK, although deal primarily with full sized car racing rather than model racing.
From the BRCA website:
"Hello and welcome to the world of radio controlled model car racing. This section is designed to give you a brief insight into what RC car racing is and where to do it. It’s by no means exhaustive, but we hope it gives a good idea of where to start and where to get further information.
What do we do? Essentially we race radio controlled model racing cars, however this isn’t as simple a statement as it might seem, for instance: - · There are now approximately 15,000 racers in the UK. · There are 10 different classes of car (detailed in this booklet) ranging from small electric powered cars that do about 30mph through to cars powered by 3.5cc internal combustion engines that do over 80 mph · The racing caters for people from all backgrounds and doesn’t discriminate on sex, age, or disability. · It does provide a challenging sporting environment where the skill required to drive and build the cars can be tested against other like-minded competitors.
Where do we do it? The short answer is everywhere. It’s quite likely that there’s a club somewhere near where you live. Included in this publication is a guide to some of the clubs, but it’s by no means an exhaustive list. The best method of finding your local club is by contacting your local model shops, five minutes spent on the phone can open up a whole new dimension in fun model motorsport.
Who are we? This booklet has been produced by the British Radio Car Association, and an introduction from our Chairman is on the next page. But what we are is a group of RC car racing enthusiasts whose aims are best summed up by objective No. 1 in our handbook:
‘To promote the construction and racing of radio controlled cars’
In this section you won’t find an application form selling you BRCA membership, what you will find is enthusiasm for our sport and the information you need to join in. Then when you come racing we hope you’ll want to join us.
Where should you start? We would always recommend that you start at your local club. Either find it in the list printed in this booklet, or have a ring around your local hobby shops, get yourself down to their track and have a look at what’s going on. It’s very rare for a racer to actually bite anybody, so ask plenty of questions and decide if what they’re doing is for you. If not, shop around as there are plenty of clubs out there, one near you will race the cars you’re interested in.
Model shops Check out your local hobby stores. Following your visit to the local clubs you’ll probably have a good idea which ones the other drivers use. Go along and have a chat, see if they stock spares for the make of car you’re thinking of buying. Do they stock a good range? Are they knowledgeable about the products?
Go slow and survive Remember that when you’re starting out in this sport it will take a while for your performance to come up to that of the car, even the simple ones are quite tricky to drive initially. Be realistic about your level of competence before investing in something really fast. You can have more fun with something a bit slower that will survive the odd accident in one piece, than a quick car that you’re constantly fixing because you’ve crashed it!
Further reading and surfing The one thing you’ll always be short of when starting out into the RC racing world is the right information. There can at times appear to be mountains of technical gobbledygook when all you want to know is where the ‘on’ switch is!
RC car magazines There are several good quality magazines available that give both a technical insight into what new products are about and where and how to go racing. Two of them have adverts in this publication, and both make excellent reading.
On-line The Internet is a mine of information from sources such as the excellent(!) On this website you’ll find links to the majority of manufacturers, loads of clubs and section specific websites. Also there are several discussion forums on the web, one example is www.rcracechat.com but there are several more.
Friendly advice However we still recommend the shout across the pits, or the quiet word with one of the experienced racers at the local track as being the best beginners’ advice."
