What is “Quarter Scale”
Quarter Scale racecars are radio controlled car models, ¼ the size of a full-size racecar. They weigh about 30 pounds, and are powered by a 23cc engine. On a large track, they can reach speeds up to 80mph. The gear ratio on the car can be adjusted as needed for racing on large or small tracks. The driver controls the car by means of a hand-held radio transmitter, which usually has a steering wheel for directional control, and a “trigger” to control the throttle and brakes. The car contains a radio receiver, and devices called “servos” which control the steering, the throttle, and the brake, according to what the driver does on his radio transmitter. These cars are scaled-down version of many of the cars you see in a typical racing event shown on television or in magazines. They include Sprint Cup Stock Cars, Nationwide Series Stock Cars, Craftsman Truck Series, World of Outlaw Sprint Cars, Outlaw Late Models, etc. Organized Quarter Scale Racing events take place at the local, Regional, National, and international Levels.
Driving a Quarter Scale
A person “moving-up” from a smaller scale car will have no problem driving a quarter scale car. When set up properly, quarter scale cars are easier to drive than the smaller cars. With time and practice, comes experience and skill. The thrill of controlling a well setup quarter scale car is possibly the ultimate experience in radio control car racing.
Quarter-Scale Differences
Quarter scale cars are different from smaller radio control cars mainly
in size, true-scale appearance, set-up adjustability, and realism Quarter Scale emphasizes optimizing the competitor’s set-up, as well as driving skills. Sharing with, and helping other competitors is the rule, rather than the exception in Quarter Scale. This results in better competition, not only making the racing more fun for the competitors, but also a better “show” for the spectators. Another important difference from racing in other scales is the engine specs. The national organization “QSAC” mandates that only one specific brand of 23cc two-stroke engine is allowed, and it must be stock. At major events QSAC utilizes a pre- and post-race Technical Inspection procedure, impounding the top four cars in each class, and performing a comprehensive external and internal inspection of the car including weight, width, height, tire-size, and spoiler, as well as engine tear-down inspection.
Racing in Quarter Scale
Race formats in Quarter Scale closely follow their full-scale counterparts. The races are computer-scored utilizing car-mounted transponders. When these transponders pass over the start/finish line,
a computer scores the lap for that car. The computer keeps track of lap-times, track position and number of laps automatically. Up to ten cars can race at a time. Qualifying heats (of which there are two rounds, varying in length from 20 to 50 laps) are used to determine the car’s positions in the “main events”. These races are usually limited to six competitors. The number of “mains” is dependent on the number of cars entered in a particular class. Each main is populated with cars in whatever positions earned from the heats. Every competitor will run at least one “main”. While the smaller scales limit race lengths by time, (perhaps a 5-minute race), Quarter Scale races are oriented to numbers of laps, like their full-size counterparts. Races can be 100, 200, or even 500 laps long.
What does it cost?
Buying a new quarter scale car can cost between $1,000 and $1,500. Once you’ve got the car, expenses are minimal - the cars can be run on ordinary pump gasoline, mixed with two-cycle oil. Fuel costs are negligible. Tires are a major expense in many of the other scales of r/c car racing. In quarter scale, one set of tires can last the racer for a whole season. The parts for these cars are reasonably priced, and last for a long time. Many racers have found racing quarter scale cars to be far less expensive than racing smaller scale cars, which cost less to begin with, but use expensive fuel and tires (or in the case of electric cars, batteries motors, and speed controls).