Off-road racing is a long-standing favorite among hobbyists, and for good reason. Between the trucks and buggies getting airborne off the jumps and the dirt flying, the action is just sick. This racing style takes place on purpose-built dirt tracks, and the tracks do vary from location to location. Most are outdoors, but not all. The biggest difference in off-road tracks is the surface. But dirt is dirt, right? Wrong. Some tracks have loose, loamy dirt and others are made of hard-packed clay. Off-road tracks also vary quite a bit in size.

These huge 4WD buggies are propelled down the track with some serious big-block power. Although the AWD system makes them somewhat easier to pilot than some of the other vehicles, these do require a driving method unlike most other vehicles found on the dirt track because 1/8-scale nitro buggies like to be muscled pretty hard around the track. Like nitro stadium trucks, 1/8-scale buggies often run short qualifying races and up to hour-long Mains. Both the machines and drivers are thoroughly tested before the race is over.

These 4WD cross over between 1/8 buggy and Monster trucks are propelled down the track with some serious big-block power. Because they sit lower to the ground then Monster trucks, they are more stable, and because of the larger tires, then 1/8 buggy, they are easier to handle, making them very popular.  You get all the power of 1/8, on a frame easier to handle. Like nitro stadium trucks, 1/8-scale truggy often run short qualifying races and up to hour-long Mains. Both the machines and drivers are thoroughly tested before the race is over.

Electric-powered stadium trucks have the same basic platform as 2WD buggies, but compared with buggies, trucks usually have a longer chassis (for an increased wheelbase), longer suspension arms (for a wider stance) and larger tires. Because of those features, most racers find stadium trucks easier to drive. They corner well, jump with ease and are less sensitive to suspension tweaks than their buggy counterparts. All of this makes them the most popular off-road racing class each weekend. The races are usually 5 minutes long, with classes for stock and modified trucks. By far, the stock class is the most popular and the most beginner-friendly.

On-road racing takes place on a variety of surfaces from carpet to purpose-built paved tracks to empty parking lots. Regardless of the racing surface, the tracks–with the obvious exception of oval racing–consist of a series of turns in all sorts of shapes. Some turns are tight hairpins; others are high-speed sweepers. On-road racing draws large numbers because people like speed and can relate to the cars on the track. This type of racing is very accessible to many enthusiasts because all you need–at the bare minimum–is an empty parking lot.

The touring car class has almost single-handedly propelled on-road racing past off-road in popularity. These cars can be extremely fast, especially with modified power, but because of the stable handling characteristics of 4WD, many new racers find them easy enough to pilot around the track. As with all the other electric classes, if you’re a beginner, stick with stock power until you get better behind the wheel. Since this class is so popular with racers, it has also become very popular with manufacturers. You’ll find a huge variety of cars to choose from. There are 3-belt, 2-belt, single-belt and shaft-drive cars out winning races. With so many good choices, we can’t possibly list them all here.

The nitro touring car class has everything that the electric touring car class does, but it adds even more speed and, of course, the beloved noise of a nitro engine. Like the nitro off-road classes, nitro touring car races often have extended Mains and pit stops. Because these cars are extremely fast and require engine-tuning skills, this class is best for those who already have nitro experience. Reflecting its wide-scale appeal, there are far too many manufacturers represented in this category for us to be able to cover them all.

In the early days of RC racing, everyone raced 1/12-scale electric, but when dirt racing took off, this class lost some of its popularity. Although these vehicles aren’t very complex, 1/12-scale electric cars absolutely rip up a roadcourse. You’ll build up impressive driving skills as you become proficient driving one of these small racing machines. Race lengths in this class vary; most are 5 or 7 minutes, but some events run up to 9-minute races.

You can find oval races on carpet, pavement, concrete and even dirt (hey, does that make it off-road?). These days, most electric oval racing mimics the highly popular full-size NASCAR stock cars, so if you’re a big Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Jeff Gordon fan, this might be the type of racing for you. In design, these cars are similar to 1/12-scale electric on-road cars. There are 1/12-scale oval cars, but most are 1/10-scale. Oval racing is very fast and exciting, but it is another one of those classes that requires quite a bit of tuning to stay out front, so if you’re a beginner and want to run oval, hook up with one of the fast guys.

Often called the F1 of RC, these cars are simply ballistic! As in the other nitro classes, the 1/8-scale nitro beasts can have hour-long Mains with pit stops, but they take it a step further and often add a tire change to the pit crew’s refueling duties. These cars are serious racing machines and aren’t for the faint of heart, but if you have racing experience and are ready to get serious, then the 1/8-scale nitro on-road class might be right for you.