"Now Entering the Ring": The Music of RC Racing.

    Radio control car racing is a "hobby" by definition. It's a leisure activity for 99% of its participants, yet the competition aspect of it brings the excitement and adrenaline to a much higher level than that of a standard hobby. It's that very excitement that sometimes makes us treat this pastime as more that it really was meant to be. This is where things get a bit rowdy. "Rubbing is Racing" is the term made famous by the movie "Days of Thunder", and applies itself very accurately with our toy car battles... sometimes, almost TOO well. More often than not, RC racing at a club day/night can feel more like professional wrestling than an organized competition.

    So, in the spirit of those times where we all tend go a bit "buck-wild" on the track, I thought, what would be appropriate "entrance music" for RC racing? Kind of like our favorite wrestlers from our childhood, or baseball players coming up to bat, there's a tune for just about any situation or class in RC racing. There's some obvious ones, like "Welcome to the Jungle", "Kickstart My Heart", etc., but there's also some that may not immediately come to mind. Of course this is all up to the musical taste of the racer, so by all means, add your own tunes in a comment.

Here's a few of my picks:

• "Gimme Some Lovin" - The Spencer Davis Group

To me, no song (or movie scene) epitomizes RC spec racing more than this. I don't care if you race On-Road, Off-Road, or anything in between, if you've raced a "spec" or "controlled" class, chances are you've encountered a racer doing his best "Cole Trickle" imitation. Maybe you've done it yourself.....

• "Lowrider" - WAR

There really isn't anything that "Lowrider" doesn't go with. Slow classes.... Hell, even fast classes. It's the universal song for all situations.

• "So Fresh, So Clean" - Outkast

For those race nights when you just can't be touched. Maybe you've got a a freshly painted lid, or maybe just feel on point in general. Either way, race night's gonna be lit, fam.

• "Sweet Emotion" - Aerosmith

Another universal tune for any situation. Best used just before race time, when you forget that you're a nerd racing toy cars, and pretend you're a damn rockstar.

• "2 Minutes to Midnight" - Iron Maiden

For those races that seem gnarly and potentially doomed before they even begin. Maybe you're stuck in a lower qualifying sort, or maybe you're in a "take no prisoners" state of mind.... A little Maiden will do the trick every time.

• "Wicked Garden" - Stone Temple Pilots

Another heavy guitar-laced tune to get you "right" before your "Battle Royale" D-Final.
It's wild in the lower Mains, better come armed.

• "Tick Tick Boom" - The Hives

A guitar-heavy garage-style song that reminds me of Mod racing with it's fast, relentless riffs. Even modified racing gets physical from time to time, but with added speed comes added consequences....Boom.

• "Everyone Else Is an Asshole" - Reel Big Fish

If there was ever a song that captured the feeling of being hacked in a Main, or really anything else negative on a race track, this is it. it also works surprisingly well for work environments and most facets of adult life outside RC racing.

• "God Save the Queen" - Sex Pistols

I race a Schumacher, so a hard-hitting English ditty must be included. Plus, it's the Sex Pistols... I mean, come on, another easy choice.

• "One Fine Day" - The Offspring

This song really just reminds me of all that's good with RC racing. Hanging with friends, questionable language and questionable decisions, all the while thinking we're much cooler than we really are. The title says it all. Any day at the track is a fine day.



But, alas, there can be only one entrance tune for me...... (drum roll)

"Now entering the ring...... Jesse "Loctite" Anderson!!" (Insert crowd going wild here.)

• "The Creeps" - Social Distortion

A little unstable and maybe a screw loose, much like my driving. The perfect tune for my 2018 season.



What's your go-to music for race day? What gets you going and gets you pumped to race your toy car? Leave a comment below.


Thanks again to everyone who reads and enjoys the blog, and thanks to those who support my racing adventures.
I'm pumped now. Let's go racing!

-JRoy