Club Rules

To ensure we can encourage close racing there will be a series of rules relating to both the cars and how we race which the Bedfordshire Model Car Club wish to uphold. We are very aware that we want everyone to enjoy race meetings and that costs can spiral out of control if not carefully managed. Therefore our rules, especially those relating to the construction of the BedsMCC, are aimed to make racing cost effective for everyone from beginners to those with many years of racing experience.

Our general club rules

In order to remain protected under the insurance of the BRCA organisation, Guests can only race at any 3 BRCA club meetings before having to join the Club and provide proof that they have a valid BRCA membership. BRCA membership can be purchased through their website https://www.brca.org/

Week night race fees for Club Members is £8 for adults and £6 for children under 16, race fees for other events held on weekends will vary and will be published in advance of any event being held.

There is a strict no smoking policy at Bromham Village Hall, if you wish to smoke, please do so at the designated area outside the building and dispose of cigarettes in bins provided. The use of E-Cigarettes or any other electronic smoking device is banned inside the Village Hall and must be used at the designated area outside the building.

Members under the age of 16 must be accompanied at all times by a parent or guardian.

If a member has a complaint to raise please speak directly with a committee member or send the complaint in writing by email to [email protected] or letter to be handed to a committee member. Ideally the complaint should be raised on the night so that the Chairman or race director can deal with the matter immediately if applicable.

Please only raise complaints or concerns to the club chairman or committee, any complaints raised elsewhere are less likely to be seen and therefore handled correctly.

Charging

12V car batteries used as a source for charging cells must be contained within a sealed box to prevent accidental spillage.

For everyone’s safety, all LiPo batteries, when being charged inside the Bromham Hall premises, MUST be contained in a LiPo charging sack or box. If you are found to be charging in the hall without a sack you will not be permitted to continue racing that evening.

In case of LiPo fire, SMOTHER CELLS WITH SAND from the fire buckets provided by the Club and report it to the chairman or a committee member immediately – DO NOT use other extinguishers located in the Hall.

You are not permitted to race your model cars anywhere outside the Village Hall.

For insurance purposes and due to the noise issues with local residents, no Nitro RC models are permitted inside or outside the building during a race meeting.

No other RC vehicle/toy is permitted to be used during a race evening, either inside or outside the Hall facilities unless with the prior consent of the Chairman and the clubs committee.

Code of Conduct

Racing radio controlled model cars in your back garden or at the local park is great fun. Club racing can also be great fun too, however racing on your own is very different to racing with others on a defined race track. It is with that in mind that the club created the code of conduct that all members and their guests must follow at all times. They have been created to ensure everyone can enjoy a great evening of racing their RC model cars.

Our Code of Conduct:

  • Treat everyone how you would like to be treated. Never deliberately upset fellow racers or guests, even if they have made a mistake on track
  • Always listen carefully during pre-race briefings, particularly when issues of safety are raised
  • Always compete within the rules and respect committee members and their decisions
  • Always respect opponents both on and off track and applaud good performances from other racers
  • Never use bad language on the rostrum, in the pits or in front of younger members
  • If you injure yourself, please speak to one of our committee members as the Club has a first-aid kit available at all times
  • If anything happens that you are concerned about, whether it relates to you or to someone else at the Club, please contact a committee member

Marshalling

We all love to go RC racing but we often forget that everyone who races also needs to marshal. Just as with racing, marshalling is a skill that takes time to learn and it’s not always as easy as you think, especially when you see the speed of the cars on track! So we’ve put together some useful rules and tips to make you a better marshal.

  • Your safety comes first
  • Whatever actions you decide to take, think of yourself first and the car last
  • When marshalling a car DO NOT RUN or jump onto the carpet (this causes the carpet to become stretched), walk to the scene of the incident safely
  • When crossing the track, try to walk alongside the barriers and not cross the lanes
  • Where you have to cross the lanes make sure you know which direction the cars are coming from!
  • When you reach the scene of the ‘accident’, stand behind the barrier so any on-coming car doesn’t hit you, it hits the barrier first
  • When you replace the car on the track, make sure that the driver can see their car
  • Do not put the car back on the track in a place where the driver cannot see it because it is behind a barrier or (most likely) behind you, the marshal. (it is not your place to make sure there are no cars coming, it is the drivers responsibility
  • The marshal must not put a car back down on the racing line, but there is no need to hold on to it until the marshal thinks the track is clear
  • Get clear of the track as quickly as possible, even if that means going off on the opposite side and walking round the edge back to your marshal point
  • Anything you can do to minimise crossing the ‘lanes’ in getting to a car, or away from it, is to be recommended.

At the end of the day you can make marshalling as complicated or as simple as you want! However the three golden rules for every RC marshal are..

  • RULE 1 – Your safety comes first
  • RULE 2 – Rescuing the car comes second
  • RULE 3 – When it is difficult to rescue the car, refer to Rule 1!

Racing Rules

The club have come up with a series of rules for the cars which are based around those set out by the BRCA and also racing rules for our club members and guest RC racers to ensure we can all enjoy a race meeting and to make the club attractive to those who may not have raced before.

Our general racing rules:

Racing will usually consist of 3 x 5 minute heats, followed by 1 x 5 minute final. Where time permits the race director may increase the length of the heats and/or finals.

Heats will be organised first by car class, then by ability. If there are not enough cars of a single class to allow for an individual heat, classes may be mixed together to ensure that the race meeting runs smoothly.

Damaged cars, be that a wheel missing, or loose body shell must be removed from the race track by a marshal.

All drivers must be on the rostrum before the start of the race.

Drivers are requested to use the steps at all times to access/leave the rostrum and not to jump onto the track at the end of a race.

All drivers must make themselves available to marshal the race following the one they have raced in, even if their car did not finish or they did not start the race. If you’re unavailable to marshal yourself then you must select a volunteer to marshal on your behalf. If your designated marshal does not marshal on your behalf, you will still receive penalties where applicable

If you are fixing a damaged car you must select another driver to marshal on your behalf and notify the race director.

When necessary you should make yourself available to marshal other races.

Transmitters operating with a frequency of 27MHz or 40MHz must be switched off in the pits at all times.

Races will be controlled by an AMB automatic lap counting computer-based system which uses Personal Transponders. We recommend all members to purchase their own Personal Transponder when you join the Club, as the club does not have any spare transponders to lend out to guests.

The role of the marshal is to ensure cars remain on the track and to position cars back on the track in the correct direction. You can only marshal a race if you are a fully paid up member of the club as a driver or have a family associate membership. Guests and other non-members are NOT permitted to marshal cars.

The marshal is not a mechanic and is not to spend time trying to fix a broken car on the side of the track – however simple fixes such as reconnecting batteries, loose body shells etc. are permitted.

If a car is damaged beyond repair during a race the marshal must remove it from the track and if possible switch it off.

Any foul language from either marshals or drivers on the rostrum is not encouraged and if excessive use of foul language is used you will be disqualified from racing and maybe asked to leave the race meeting.

If you are racing and your car breaks down, you must remain on the rostrum until the end of the race.

If you crash during a race you MUST take your finger off the throttle, marshals will be instructed not to marshal your car if the wheels are spinning or the car is still moving against the track edging.

The Club will make available racing numbers which must be used at all times during Club Championships. Only 1 number is required on the car and must be clearly visible either from the front or the rear of the car.

The Club photographs Championship winners with their trophies and on occasions other group shots which will be used across the Club’s online sites and other promotional activities. If you would prefer not to have your photo taken, please advise a committee member in advance.

Pit towels are now mandatory when using tables supplied at the Bromham Village Hall to reduce marking and damage to the tables. If you do not have a pit towel, you will be asked to provide your own table. Please ensure your table is cleaned before being packed away at the end of the evening.

Continued violation of any club rules will result in the member being banned from racing at the club. Depending on the severity of the offense the member maybe given a verbal or written warning first, however any offense that puts the safety of other members and guests as risk will result in an instant and permanent ban from our Club

Tyre Additive

In line with other clubs, as from 2014 we are banning the use of oil-based tyre additives for all classes of cars raced at the club. We will only accept water-based tyre additives from the list below. We will be checking all tyre additive containers before you will be permitted to race on the carpet.

Tyre additive allowed at our club includes..

  • Spider Green – Part No SGSX-125
  • Spider Blue – Part No SGBS-125
  • Schumacher SXT3 – Part No SXT00030

Please note that the club’s committee reserve the right to refuse entry to any member, their family or guests if they do not respect our rules. Membership or race fee refunds will not be given to members who are asked to permanently leave the club for failing to follow these rules.