“The sport also really helps people with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). “We’ve got a guy who was barely able to walk but he was able to come here and race quite competitively which is amazing. “It’s just such an accessible sport because we’ve got so many different people from all backgrounds,” said Mark. With around 20 members aged from five upwards, Mark says the beauty of the sport is that it’s accessible to absolutely everyone. “During the weeks in the lead up to the race, you’re focused on modifying your car and getting it ready for the race, so instead of having a busy mind, you’re focused on the task at hand whether that is changing the tyres or the motor or oiling the car up.” Pit stop: Mark carries out essential maintenance on his car ahead of the race. “It’s just such an exciting sport and it really helps to improve your focus, not just on the track but in life in general,” said Mark It’s no surprise that radio car racing is where it all began for British F1 legend Lewis Hamilton and judging by Mark’s post-race adrenalin rush, it’s clear that there’s no buzz quite like it. Lewis HamiltonĪnd in the blink of an eye, the race is over and the cars are back in their mini pit stops – tables dotted around the leisure centre -undergoing post-race maintenance. On track: There’s plenty of twists and turns for the cars and their owners to negotiate. Like a scene from the film Fast and Furious, albeit on a much smaller scale, cars crash, collide, flip and roll, as the fast-footed safety team sprint on to the track, jumping over the speeding miniature cars, to lend some emergency trackside assistance. Whirring like the sound of a swarm of angry bees, the colourful cars whizz round the 25-metre homemade track at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour as competitors, lined up on a raised platform, use joysticks to negotiate every twist and turn in a high-octane race against the clock. “The races are only five minutes long each but you’ve got qualifying races, finals, championship points and trophies at the end of the year.” In the zone: Deep focus is etched across the faces of the competitors as they race their cars around the track. “It’s an invigorating sport as it’s like a mini F1. “It will be considered by quite a few people as all a bit nerdy, and to be honest I kind of embrace that,” said Mark, 36, a dad-of-one from Westhill. “Invigorating” is the word chairman Mark Knowles uses to describe the niche sport he fell in love with at the age of 14. Grampian Radio Car Clubįor the leisure centre is where wannabe Max Verstappens and Lewis Hamiltons put their focus, drive and engineering skills to the test at the Grampian Radio Car Club’s winter championships. On your marks: The remote controlled cars line up, ready to battle it out on the track. No need to jet out to Monaco though as this exhilarating Formula One action can be found a bit closer to home in Newtonhill.Īnd although the temperatures – and the mini remote controlled electric cars – can’t rival that of the country known as the “billionaire’s playground”, things are certainly heating up trackside at the town’s Bettridge Centre. Tension mounts as cars line up on the grid, engines revving and safety crews braced for impact as the countdown begins on an “off-the-scale” grand prix. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left.
Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching.
Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background.
Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across.