What organizations promote RC car racing?
One national organization, ROAR (Remotely Operated Auto Racers), serves as an organization sponsoring races for radio-controlled vehicles. It is a national, non-profit corporation that promotes the sport of radio-controlled car racing.
This corporation is comprised of 12 regions in the United States and includes Canada. Then a Director leads each region. Members participating in ROAR racing within each region nominate and elect their directors. This way region members have access to someone “close to home” to discuss issues in their own regions. Not only that, each of these regional directors have a column on the ROAR website so they can communicate regularly and openly with their members.
In addition to regional leadership, an Executive Committee leads the national organization. Committee positions include an elected President and Vice President. The committee also consists of five appointed members and two Section Chairpersons.
ROAR racing facts
ROAR’S contributions to the radio-controlled car racing world include the following:
- Its rules have served as official guidelines for RC car racing for 39 years. These rules are aimed at promoting safety, fair competition and specifying the types of equipment drivers are permitted to use in ROAR competitions.
- ROAR racing begins at the club level where individuals can compete weekly. Here drivers can practice and hone their skills at racing radio-controlled vehicles so they can move ahead to racing at the State, Regional and National levels.
ROAR provides two basic options for memberships that include:
- Individual or family participation in regional/national championships
- A club or commercial track where you would like to host ROAR-sponsored events
Although ROAR does not manage competitions below the National levels, it is responsible for sanctioning races starting at the club level to Multi-regional Championships.
Not only is ROAR a national U.S./Canada racing organization in its own right, it also represents North America in the International Federation of Model Car Racing (IFMAR).
The International Federation of Model Car Racing
This international non-profit organization is the worldwide regulating authority for World Class radio-controlled vehicle racing events as well as limited World Championships recognized by other worldwide RC racing organizations.
IFMAR was officially established in 1979 as an official governing body for worldwide radio-controlled vehicle racing. Ted Longshaw from Great Britain served as the driving force that led to establishing IFMAR, and he became its first president.
Although IFMAR originally established its headquarters in Great Britain, the organization eventually moved its headquarters to Australia.
Here are a few of IFMAR’s original significant events:
- First racing event in Pomona, CA – 1977
- Second event in Geneva, Switzerland -1979 (Both 1:8 IC track)
- Third event in 1982 – first for 1:12 electric World Championship
Active Members for IFMAR include the following organizations:
- European Federation of Radio-Operated Model Automobiles (EFRA) – This covers most European countries as well as Turkey and Russia
- Far East Model Car Association (FEMCA) – This organization includes Australia, Indonesia, Brunei, Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Indonesia, Kuwait, Philippines, New Zealand, Macao, Malaysia, Korea, Singapore
- ROAR
- Fourth Association of Model Auto Racing (FAMAR) – Represents Israel, Chile, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, Columbia, Venezuela, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil
IFMAR manages regular racing events throughout the world.
Photo credits:
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