Meet Kochi’s growing community of RC car racers

It is a Sunday afternoon and a thick crowd has gathered at the atrium of Lulu Mall in Kochi. A race is about to begin and the curious onlookers jostle for vantage spots around the mini race track. The competing drivers, standing on a raised platform overlooking the course, expertly manouvre their cars using their remote controls, amid cheering from the crowd. 

It is the finale of RC Masters, a radio-controlled (RC) car race organised by Torque-7 Racing, a collective of RC car enthusiasts in Kochi, along with Lulu Mall. The first of its kind indoor RC car race in the State, the event received 150 registrations on the qualifiaction round on day one, out of which eight finalists were chosen for the final round. Eric Samuel, a 10-year-old student from Mumbai, emerged the winner, completing 25 laps in 5 minutes 53 seconds. Each player had six minutes to complete maximum laps. And the winner was adjudged based on the lap count, best lap time and race competition time.

Eric and his father Edison Samuel are avid RC racers. Eric, a regular at events in India and abroad, has his heart set on becoming an international champion. His favourite car, according to Edison, is a Traxxas X-Maxx 8S monster truck, which weighs about 8.6 kg (1:6 scale).

RC car race at Lulu Mall | Photo Credit: R KNithin

RC car craze

RC car racing has emerged as a popular hobby in Kochi, especially in the past two years. Popularised by collectives such as Torque-7 Racing, hobbyists are now pursuing their love for RC cars. What started as a group of seven people, united by the love for RC cars and mountain biking, gradually grew into Torque-7 Racing, a community that explores, learns and shares the joys of RC car racing, says Mahinsha Nazeer, one of the founding members of Torque-7.

RC car race at Lulu Mall | Photo Credit: R K Nithin

“When we started in 2018, radio-operated auto models were still a novelty in Kerala. Those who had the cars had brought them from abroad. We decided to stick together to promote RC cars as a meaningful hobby that will help strengthen a sense of community,” says Mahinsha.  

The collective, which has individuals from various academic and professional backgrounds, now has over 45 active hobbyists (within an age group of 10 years to 45 years and above). They have networks with similar communities across India and abroad as well.

An offroad track

Torque-7 Racing recently built an off-road RC car track at Edathala in Aluva. “The land was lying unused and a few people were dumping waste there. We sought permission from the Panchayat to clean up the space and prepare a track and after a few months’ work, it is now operational,” adds Mahinsha, who works as a software engineer at Accenture, in Kakkanad. The hobbyists meet here most weekends to race their RC cars and the space is open to others as well. 

Radio-cars are not to be confused with toys. They are hobby grade cars, which are scaled down versions of original cars. They come in a variety of models across segments including rally cars and crawlers. Some of them can go up to a speed of 100 kilometres per hour. These cars come with electric as well as nitro-powered engines. Nitro fuel is a blend of methanol, nitromethane and oil in a particular ratio, which is preferred by racers for off roading expeditions, says Mahinsha, adding that these cars need regular maintenance – much like real cars. 

Shopping for RC cars

Seeing the growing demand for RC cars, Abdul Razak, a blogger from Kasaragod, set up a shop in Kadavanthra. “It has been only five months since we opened and the response has been overwhelming,” says Razak. While he sources from distributors from Mumbai and abroad, his shop has cars starting from ₹900 (a 1:64 Hotwheels model) to those that go up to ₹25,000. “Though RC car racing is big in the UAE and other parts of the world, it is still at a nascent stage in India. However, today, hobby centres have opened in Mumbai and Bengaluru are thriving,” he adds. The cars that are most in demand, according to Razak, are the crawlers.  “People love off-roading with their crawlers while they go on trekking expeditions,” he adds.

Abin Joseph with an RC plane built by him