Toys They are Not!

Motorsport is coming to the Wallacetown Community Centre on Friday 22nd and Saturday 23rd September when the Invercargill RC Racers Club hold their Southland Indoor Championships for radio-controlled racers at the venue.

The action will begin from 3.00pm on Friday 22 September with timed free practice for the three Offroad Classes followed by their qualifying from 6.45pm until 9.00pm.

The following day sees a full day of action with the first activity as early as 7.15am. The finals of the Offroad Classes follow and from 10.45am the many other classes on the programme hold their free practice and qualifying with finals scheduled from 3.30pm to find the respective champions.

A fantastic entry of close to 80 cars has been received with entrants coming south from Wellington, Marlborough, Canterbury and Otago with multiple New Zealand Champions among that number. Of course, there will also be a strong contingent of locals.

Competitors range in age from 7 to 70-years-old and the sport is one that has no barriers as anyone of any age or gender can race at the same level. The cars are spectacular, extremely quick and sophisticated. Competitors come from all walks of life with former New Zealand Kart Champions, circuit racers and former Speedway drivers among those who have fallen in love with radio-controlled racing.

“Toy’s they are not, serious racing it is”, says David Beck the Race Director for the event.

The top competitors can spend up to $3000 on a car and they are highly technical, utilising materials such as carbon fibre and fully adjustable suspension, front-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive configurations, oil filled shocks, different tyre compounds and more. However, someone entering the sport can spend a lot less to get a standard chassis to get started.

This is the eighth running of the event, which is the biggest radio-controlled race meeting in Southland, at the venue. The carpet track is the widest and fastest indoor track in New Zealand.

The Invercargill RC Racers Club welcome spectators to the event throughout the weekend. There is no entry charge to drop by and enjoy the action. The club also welcome anyone interested to join them on one of their club nights, held on the first Friday of the month (barring October), at the YMCA Stadium in Invercargill.