Wall-to-wall R/C racing

GLEN BURNIE, Md. (Map, News) - The corners are tight and the straightaways deadly.

But that’s how the racers in the After Thoughts Car Club like it.

Don’t get the wrong idea, though. These guys aren’t a rowdy group of street racers. Top speeds are only 30 mph.

But that’s smokin’ when you’re behind the controls of an R/C (radio-controlled) speedster.

Races are held indoors on carpeted tracks, using battery-powered R/C cars that are only inches tall and up to a foot in length.

“The cars are what is known as 1/18th scale,” said Jim Dodge, vice president of After Thoughts Car Club in Glen Burnie. “They are 1/18th the size of an actual car. An average race is five-minutes long, and people with the fastest and highest number of laps move on to the next round.”

Dodge’s son Robbie, 20, and daughter Amanda, 17, usually advance.

“Robbie just got back from a national race in Florida, where he took sixth place,” said Tim Getchell, as cars sped through the S-turn behind him.

Although Amanda hasn’t raced as long as her nationally ranked brother, she still managed to beat him — once. “I was really proud of myself for winning. But it was a long ride home, because Robbie wouldn’t talk to me after the race,” she said.

He recovered.

Robbie Dodge’s success has earned him a sponsorship from Express Motor Sport. “You’re not allowed to win money for competing,” Dodge said, while shaving down his tires with a razor blade. “But Express does give me a budget for parts.”

This kind of R/C racing isn’t just a controller and a toy car.

“Serious racers pretty much build their own cars,” Getchell said. “They use carbon-fiber frames to reduce weight, different springs and shocks for greater stability, and they program their controllers for speed and responsiveness. A car out of the box can cost a couple hundred dollars, but a fully modified car can cost thousands.”

It’s always fun, but once a year, the club gets serious for a great cause. “On July 7, we are holding a fundraiser race for RAACE [Race Against Abuse for Children Everywhere],” Dodge said.

IF YOU GO

What: After Thoughts Care Club

Where: Hobby Town USA, 6714 Ritchie Highway, Glen Burnie

Info: 410-590-4950

To race (seasonal registration required): $10 per person, $15 family

Track fee: $12 to $15 per race day

gsmith@baltimoreexaminer.com