On May 9th, 2013, Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School hosted its first ever R/C (remote controlled) car races. It was a great day for motor car racing. The sky was blue and the temperature was holding study at about 20 degrees. There was an impressive turn out of about 18 cars and approximately 75 spectators. The cars were divided up into 3 different classes, Monster Truck, Stock, and Mod. To wrap-up the day, a no-holds-barred race named “Top Dawg” was held where all the drivers raced at once.
It was an afternoon full of thrills, spills, and speed as racers participated in a total of 16 different heat races. In the end, four winners crowned. In the Monster truck Class, student Liam Mitchel came out on top and student Zander Fortier topped the field in Stock. In the Mod class, teacher Paul Mailloux prevailed and finally in Top Dawg, student James Roque beat out all the other competitors to claim first place. When the dust settled at the end of the day, all of the drivers (students and teachers alike) did an awesome job of keeping the crowd entertained and the cars running strong all afternoon. A special thanks goes out to all the spotters (people who flip the cars back on their wheels after a crash), lap counters, announcers, grillers, and spectators. Without your help and support, none of this could have happened!
BAC R/C club didn’t pop up over night. It actually began way back in September 2012, when a group of teachers (Kirk Mckee, Serge Remillard, and Paul Mailloux) thought it would be great if there could be a club that would interest the schools large population of “Gearheads”. I was decided that R/C car racing would be the perfect club because it’s very hands on, students learn about how cars work, safe, and it’s affordable. Anther bonus is that the racing ties into curriculum nicely. The Manufacturing and Wood Working classes were crucial in the actual fabrication of the track. The Gr. 9-10 Workplace Math class was put in charge of measuring and dividing the track into 10 equal sized chunks. The Specialist High Skills Major class recorded the event from an array of different angles and are currently editing the footage. Numerous teachers are incorporating the cars into physics and math questions. In the future, the club plans on further expanding its membership and possibly team up with some community clubs. While the members aren’t racing, the teachers are showing the students how to maintain and tune-up their machines.
Brand new “Traxxas” R/C cars start off at $200 for a ready to go package which includes the car, battery, charger and radio. Also, all the parts to repair the cars are available at Best Buy and Future Shop. Lots of people think of the old, slow, clumsy R/C cars that they had when they were a kid. Don’t get confused, these aren’t toys. Out of the box, these electric 1/10 scale cars can go anywhere from 35-70mph!
There are all kinds of ways to get involved with R/C club at BAC. Maybe the most obvious way is to buy a car and race, but that isn’t the only way. The club is always looking for members who want to be involved in track maintenance, spotting, lap counting, marshalling, and so on. Without members doing these important jobs, the races are very hard to put on. The club will be hosting several other races this spring. Spectators and new members are always welcome, and remember, no car is needed!
