Southern Indiana RC car racers challenge in Independence Day Bash in Clarksville
Radio managed race car drivers go after and pilot their remotely from a stand at Southern Indiana RC Speedway in Clarksville on Saturday. Several groups competed in the speedway’s Scale Reproductions Independence Day On-road Bash. Staff Photos By Josh Hicks
Von Perry, far right, keeps an eye on his racecar, a Serpent FS Two, during the Independence Day race.
Braden Branham, Five, sees intently as cars pass him at Southern Indiana RC Speedway on Saturday.
Southern Indiana RC Speedway has a track that covers most of its floor.
Brad Branham pulls a car out from under a guard rail during a race on Saturday.
Trophies are lined up on a table at Southern Indiana RC Speedway on Saturday.
A driver who goes by Battman spins a fresh axel inbetween his fingers before repairing his car that sits on a mat in his pit area.
Cars get into position at Southern Indiana RC Speedway before a race.
CLARKSVILLE – While many like to grill out, shoot off fireworks and drink for the Fourth of July, a group of Southern Indiana hobbyists got together to feast in a different way: by racing radio-controlled cars.
Southern Indiana RC Speedway, six hundred fifty eight Eastern Blvd. in Clarksville, hosted its very first Independence Day Bash on Saturday.
Once you step inwards the facility, tucked away in an unassuming disrobe mall, it sounds just like any other race track just on a smaller scale. The sound of little engines working hard rises and falls as the cars zip around the indoor track.
Five to six cars race on the carpeted track at a time. Racers, never taking their eyes off their car, stand on a raised platform overlooking the track with controllers in forearm.
The winner is determined by who completes the most number of laps in the shortest amount of time.
“It’s just good, clean joy,” Chris Cobb, co-owner of the speedway, said of the hobby.
Brad Ervin, other holder of the track and a Jeffersonville firefighter, has been racing RC cars since 1998.
A background in motorcycle racing led Ervin to the hobby, not an uncommon thing.
“Most of the guys here have some type of racing background outside of this,” he said.
A decent hobby grade radio-controlled car costs a minimum of $250, according to Cobb. Higher end models and after market modifications can increase a car’s value and its odds at winning.
The car is violated down into three components; the chassis, the electrical and the shell. Each offers an chance for the hobbyist to customize their vehicle and make switches.
“I get to be the sponsor, the driver and the mechanic,” said one racer, Brock Ecevit.