Radio Controlled Racing in 1983

Its what the word "carnage" was invented for!
In the early 1980's the Weston Off Road Model Club (WORM) was founded in Weston-Super-Mare UK. A great bunch of people as you can see in this video. A Video camera was quite a novelty in 1983, so its great that these recordings still survive.
If you were there let me know in the comments. Great memories.

[@mikehansen9898]

Imagine all the confused radio and receivers. And the stuck mechanical speed controls.

[@bunjy814]

Awesome vintage footage! The casual atmosphere, camaraderie between the racers, and delightful laughs from children just add to what appears to have been a very enjoyable race outing.

[@paulblack3608]

This is old school for sure. I started in about '85. A row of everyone's real cars lined up with their hoods up to charge the nicads, No driver's stand, just stand anywhere around the track you thought you could see from. Somebody's wife or girlfriend was the lap counter and score keeper and 4 minute races because the nicads would be dead after that. All the neighborhood kids come out to watch in amazement at these adults racing toy cars. So much fun in those days. My first car was a tamiya falcon. It was junk but completely owned the older hornets, brats and frogs that many had due to having at least a functional suspension. Then someone would show up with an rc10 and it was all over at that point. Total dominance and the writing was on the wall. Huge advancements came in just a few years and soon you needed a rc10 or ultima to have any chance of winning. Of course if you can't beat em, join em. I ditched the falcon which was shot anyway at the time and I still have my original vintage rc10 and ultima cars and they both still work flawlessly with modern electronics of course. Those early days however were ultimately the most fun. I think I won a small trophy on my very first time out with the falcon so of course I was hooked. Still playing with them to this day. (not racing though. It's far too competitive now and I can't get into this idea of 'off road' racing on a carpet. Off road needs DIRT.) cheers.

[@BlackSeaRC]

I also started in the RC hobby back in the 1980's with a Tamiya Holiday Buggy. This wasn't fast enough to compete with the Rough Rider or Sand Scorcher, unless the race lasted more than 6 minutes! What a great time it was. RC cars had character, people had decent haircuts and even ambulances had proper sirens.

[@wheelie642]

They probably all had mechanical speed control. SLO - med - and HOLD on !

[@webreakforsquirrel4201]

I couldn't get a battery past 4 minutes in that era. 15 minutes to charge and 4 minutes of driving. Then it went to the brake light bulbs to finish it off.

[@BlackSeaRC]

@@webreakforsquirrel4201 I used the Tamiya 6V 1200mAh battery in my Holiday Buggy but I was also running the stock 380 motor so run time was usually around 15-20 minutes. Amazingly, I charged the battery the other day and it still works after 40 years!

[@chrismiksovsky5871]

Wonderful footage. The Sand Scorcher was my first R/C car back in about '83. I remember going to a first "run what you brung" race in rural Michigan. The track had a big jump over a water feature or an alternate bypass. Then we found a local guy in Lansing who had built an actual track in his backyard and would host races with his buddies and I got to join. I was so hooked. I remember being so excited to get a "Leisure Electronics" 15 minute car battery charger - it put the painfully slow multi-hour charger to shame. Then came the Tekin with "peak detection". Speed control on the Scorcher was a mechanical wiper arm that you'd have to clean off every few runs. I loved driving the car through puddles - the waterproof radio box did a pretty good job at keep all the muck out. Many years later I went on to work at the Ranch Pit Shop (right when Losi launched the JRX2) and then later still at Serpent MRC in The Netherlands. RC has been a joy for many years of my life. Thank you for sharing this footage.

[@JUSTLIKEAMANUWANNABE]

The 3-speed controller was very severe and difficult to steer. But I remember having a lot of fun. I had the most fun during this time.

[@fabianmcgale_9160]

Sherpa vans, 3 tone polyester coats, Benson and Hedges and 18 hours charging for 5 minutes runtime. We didn't know then how good we had it. My pocket money went on a Sand Rover, followed by a Super Champ. Happy days indeed. Thanks for the upload. 😊👍🏼 H

[@4D_Recovery]

A blast from the past !!!! Wow RC has truly evolved

[@ahawk1968]

A year away from the RC10! I had a Tamiya grasshopper way back then! Fun times.. Anyone else notice, NO CURSING!!

[@Charlie_Prinz]

My first RC was a Tamiya Frog. I really wanted a Rough Rider or Sand Scorcher though........... Awesome time for RC cars. 👍👍👍👍😎😎❤❤❤❤👌👌

[@fortboy66]

The early eighties living in East London, with my tamiya xr311 ? Think that was its name? At that time I had about 5 local model shops I could visit, then came along those damm computer games and consols, all the shops slowly disappeared, god, I miss radio active model shop in Hornchurch!

[@thudtheace]

Tamiya Rough Riders, Super Champs, and Sand Scorchers? Still have mine (Rough Rider) from that era... Great video! Cheers!

[@dveater]

Thanks for watching.

[@franco992]

Thanks for sharing this. Great to see times when the cars had a bit of character and the performance was a bit more scale if you see what I mean. Loved it.

[@but531]

This hobby needs more than one people to play together, or else it's not so fun. You can have fun alone of course, but it's different when you play together with other people.

[@tarantula-man]

Atleast we have crawlers now, i think they're perfect for a lonely hobbyist. i live in a remote area where nobody is into RC and the closest RC community is a 5 hours drive. So i just pack my crawlers and hit the trails, it's so immersive i totally forget i'm alone.

[@but531]

@Frank-fq5vw me too I always play alone. Some people see my rc cars, but none tell me if they have rc or if I want to play with them. It's OK I will continue to play alone as I always do.

[@zipzip8239]

or get a dog that likes to chase rc cars

[@Dat_Sun]

This was more enjoyable than today's rtr's.

[@chrishorst1318]

Wish ppl still were into this n bmx n skateboarding in organized competition as in the 80s.

[@JustPlaneNutzRC]

This video is fantastic, the golden era of RC cars. It's a little before my time, had a few years to go "88" before my start in the hobby with a Hornet. 😁

[@2010Hammy]

This is what I like to see! Having fun and laughing not trying to dominate! Yeah you wanna win but I bet those guys were very happy back in 1983…😊😊😊 Today it’s about how much money you have. I started the hobby in 1988 at a concrete oval called Lake Whippoorwill in Orlando, Fl. Then went to off road, since the Whip shut down a LONG time ago!!!

[@steveblackbird]

Awesome vintage video!!! RC's were a lot simpler back then...Even I didn't get my first hobby grade RC till 85 with a Tamiya Hornet. At nearly 49 years old and still heavily into RC.. have like 20 odd cars...mostly modern land missiles with Traxxas and Arrma featuring strongly. Those old mechanical 3 step speed controllers made handling a little bit of a handful that's for sure lol. Great memories.

[@eekrc]

The hobby has come a long way since then, but this makes me feel good. Seeing this brings back memories of my old cars and friends. Thanks for sharing!

[@romanfyler3932]

Very great footage; thanks for sharing! I, too, miss those days.

[@LowVoltage_FPV]

I belonged to a club in Edmonton, Alberta, canada around this time and was running a RC-10. We had a great track with jumps and banked corners, etc. I haven't kept up with the hobby so I have no idea what things are like now. I got out of the hobby because it got to be like a second job. I had a sponsor and was expected to race every week and go to regional competitions. Took all the fun out of things and I no longer had a home life.

[@ronniethelimodriver6971]

I remember those days and unlike where the hobby has come with over priced buggies and trucks and must have go fast everything peddled by you tube those days were glorious. I had so much fun . Couldn't wait for the weekend to meet up at the local club . Thank you for the footage

[@imonlyhereforthecomments4267]

Rc is cheaper now than it was then by a mile........

[@mankind8088]

Cheaper and mind blowing

[@hanscombe72]

This is precious footage! This was when the hobby was still a little niche! In Australia it didn’t really take off until 1985. There was a store called uncle Pete’s toys. They began selling battery/charger/controller deals of the hornet hotshot and frog. After that the hobby really took off! Everyone had a hornet and if you had money you had a hotshot!

[@steveblackbird]

Awesome... Got my first RC The Hornet from Uncle Pete's in Aug 85.. The memories!!

[@hanscombe72]

@@steveblackbird yes! The hornet on its own was 99 dollars. And 250 with a techniplus radio and bettery and charger. Then they bought out the frog and hotshot. They even made a big deal of releasing the military fast attack vehicle. Whenever the ad came on TV I was transfixed. I ended up with a wild one my first big purchase ever!

[@steveblackbird]

@@hanscombe72 I remember that!! OMG...I also was reminded today from a work colleague that "Franklins" also sold a few cars and super cheap. I got a Fox that way.. was under $200 from memory. Completely forgot that one!

[@Titus-q5b]

Oh my God! What an absolutely priceless Tamiya time-capsule . The Sand Scorcher, Rough Rider and Superchamp putting on a great show. Very nostalgic, especially for a Gen Xer who got a Sand Scorcher himself back in this very year!

[@dveater]

Ah the good old days 😋 Thanks for the comment.

[@pcplayermalc]

Wow! I have the Ranger XLT on this chassis. I got the re-re Sand Scorcher during lockdown. It's amazing just how much RC has improved. But I would love Tamiya to release the Ranger again. Thanks for sharing this footage! 😊

[@lcpeterbilt379]

imagine those guys see the stuff we using now.. modern mid motor buggies, stadium trucks, or lmao our modified "wheelers" 4 wd buggies.. or even the modern tracks with triple jumps, or step up jumps.

[@154Jamesp]

I was active in the hobby when this video was made and I'm still active in it. This is a new golden age for RC.

[@friktionrc]

Imagine what they’d make of lipo batteries and brushless motors 😂 the power and run time would literally blow their minds hahahaha

[@simplymentalOG]

Ambulance 🚑 ❤ Hair cuts ❤ RC's ❤ Fantastic old school flavour through and through ❤

[@dveater]

All of the above. 👍

[@criscrum66]

Great video, I started rc car racing in 82 or 83 , not sure exactly when , with a rough rider , this brought back some great memories of racing in the uk

[@Stewpkiddable]

oh how far weve come. great video thanks for sharing.

[@raymondborkowski4290]

I enjoyed the comments as much as the video!!

[@rexrcs]

Wow, this footage is gold 😍

[@wadeskelton7585]

The robotic bird flipping was epic!!! This was awesome 😄

[@davidmartin1093]

I used to race my Rough Rider against a couple of Sand Scorchers back around 1983 on a dusty farm track, great times and we got pretty good with them. I only took my old model to the tip a few years ago. I can't believe that was 40 years ago...👍

[@bradbrown8759]

This is the biggest grin! A vintage Tamyia showcase! Seems just before the FROG.

[@Titus-q5b]

Yes apparently the Frog was released in the winter of '83. The Audi Quatro with the longer Wild Willy chassis was available from July 1983 onwards.

[@Traxxbandit]

brings back fond memories. of when i first tried an r/c car/ now i have a small fleet aboiut 20 plus. and they would stomp these cars out today. i miss them

[@ianlister6554]

Good times going down to my local Beatties and saving up for the aftermarket differential!

[@garygallant5390]

Yes my grasshopper survived the jumps. My mechanical speed controller was protected by the included black rubber. Those early 80s my every friend of mine enjoyed the hobby. Every street you’d the familiar sound.

[@IowaBudgetRCBashers]

Such a great blast from the past. Thanks for posting

[@pdtech4524]

Happy days! My wife bought me a Tamiya Super Sabre for christmas around 1987. I'd seen a colleague at work racing the Tamiya Frog around the carpark and I had a quick go, I was hooked. Those long 27mhz antennas ⚠️😳😲 and the really short nicad running times! I recently found my super sabre in my garage after 30 odd years of not running it, tried it out recently, some short videos on my channel.😁👍

[@dveater]

I like the Daimlers on your channel too. I have a 1926 Hudson, .. think I should put up a video of that ;o)

[@pdtech4524]

@@dveater Oh nice one, you should definitely put up some videos of your Hudson! I enjoy driving those classic Daimlers, I feel very privileged for the opportunity to drive them regularly, they are an absolute pleasure to drive.

[@PurpleTT99]

Couldn't wait to return home from honeymoon in Sept '84, my new RC10 should have been delivered whilst away.

[@Land-Shark]

I was rocking a Tamiya Blazing Blazer in '83. Lots of good memories...

[@superbrit3845]

Wow................This is amazing, crystal clear footage given that it's 40 years old now, I started racing in 86 with a Tamiya Frog so certainly can resonate back to this type of racing when if you had a 540 motor installed you were quick before it all got super serious and very expensive.

[@Mouc-RC]

Great document! Video quality is great, by the way. Thanks for sharing!

[@dveater]

Thanks, I appreciate that. 🙂

[@jonesrccrawlers2300]

That's awesome. Takes me back to childhood.

[@VINTAGEBACKYARDRC]

Amazing video! Thanks so much for posting.

[@transistor754]

Good Stuff.... I've got an RMR up in my rafters somewhere... it was when cars were real... not supersonic ...

[@dveater]

Mine are all up there somewhere... buried ;o(

[@CrazyQuadBrothersP3]

I remember the long antennas, lol!

[@mikellewis2346]

Was born in 83. They were different times then.

[@TailSpinRCSpain]

Brushed motors, rheostat throttle, NiCad batteries, 27MHz transmitter for planes, LOL I remember that nonsense.

[@kyrieeleison1905]

this vid made me smile

[@davidrueda1617]

This is pretty bad ass

[@holgerfach6084]

what is an astonishing picture quality. Which video camera took such good videos.

[@therctutor8100]

Ah the good ol days when no one complained about the conditions of the track or what mods everybody was using.

[@BIGBaNANaBender]

Great footage

[@anthonyborg4399]

Tamiya SRB period, Sand Scorcher, Rough rider and Super Champ.

[@Toebaksworld]

Nostalgia...

[@Niglo2Mort]

👍👍👍👍 souvenir

[@wheelie642]

Before there was A-main drivers there was THIS………….

[@robbrcnstuff4220]

Vintage 😎👍👍

[@iangriffiths9943]

5 minutes race 2 hours to decide who did the best laps and who came 1st 2nd 3rd lol 😂

[@alankowalski8781]

Wasn’t very fast back the. But still looked fun

[@МАРМОНРАМЗЭСОВИЧ]

🤝👍👍👍🎉

[@dalejohn3233]

I forgot how bad the fashion and hair cuts where.😂

[@nsbob70]

And that's exactly why when I got in to the hobby, I got a nitro car! lol Is one of those guys Kevin Talbots Dad? ;)

[@NoName-dn8nv]

Good old days before the segmented market ruined the sport

[@rcgeneration824]

Such a beautiful Hobby. Back when R/C cars were normal, simple, nothing complex unlike today's modern R/C's.Too bad some turned this great hobby into a hectic career for selfish gain and attention. I hate competition in every sense of the word!

[@radiocontrolled9181]

Agreed, apart from that the cars' speed was quite scale back then, which imho looks cooler. Today's cars, a 'cheap' RTR 1/10 rc car goes 50km/h out of the box which is 500km/h scale speed lol. Then nevermind the competition model cars which reach much higher top speeds than 50. I hate competition too. That's why I was never interested in taking part in bicycle races although I love riding them as a hobby and for fitness purposes.

[@rcgeneration824]

@@radiocontrolled9181 Amen to that bro.

[@robertruiz9466]

rc. Is so much better today more brands more options and choices the folks back then we're snooty didn't want to share tricks or improvement s for racing team associated folks crapped on the regulars at tracks if you weren't a pro or running their products

[@fredbloggs6342]

Haha, i thought i recognised this road - between weston and sand bay… its a bmx track now. Good times and great to see those early SRB’s in action….