18.07.2025 Category: Site news
THE 1:8 NITRO GT3 CLUB RACER CLASS HAS ARRIVED!
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Some time ago I got involved in a Facebook group discussion about nitro on-road racing and what could re-vitalize this exciting class of radio controlled car racing. I came up with a 'controversial' idea which was very much based on my initial Serpent Impact concept from the early nineties: a simple 2WD chassis with a restricted power engine, with a very attractive and appealing body on it. The body should be licensed to just one manufacturer to stay away from an 'aerodynamics' race. And preferably also the engine not to end up in a 'power' race. It should be easy and relatively cheap to race that club level racing class, with the option to gradually upgrade the car to one of the serious racing classes.
I was quite enthusiastic about the whole idea although I do realize all the commercial implications of such a concept. As I have full control over these things in VRC Pro, I got to work with it to find out how feasible such a class would be, especially from a driving point of view. This resulted in the 1:8 nitro GT3 Club Racer. This car is top-speed limited to 91 km/h and has very restricted power. In VRC this is easy to realize as I can apply a 'rev limiter' which is just one of the 80+ parameters which configures the nitro engine. I also fiddled with engine parameters to lower the torque curve to make the acceleration a lot smoother. I used the 4WD Intercept chassis and took all the 4-WD drive stuff out to end up with simple 2-WD with a rear diff. When I started testing the GT3 Club Racer I was immediately impressed with how easy the car is to drive. It's a totally different driving experience, in my opinion exactly what a Club Racer should be.
Well, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. After beta testing and reconfiguring the car classes and components to enable this new 1:8 nitro class (made a mess of it to be honest, very complex stuff...) the GT3 Club Racer class was launched with a new bi-weekly series: The 'GT3 Club Racer Challenge'.
I was anxious to check out the racing, and if it would be as close and relaxed as I expected and hoped it would be. And it was. It is really a different kind of r/c racing when cars race a the same controlled speed! For me feels like MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
I captured some racing footage and created this promo. Well, see for yourself... I look forward to read what you think of this new concept in the Comments section.
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