how to
Make Lightning-Fast
Pit Stops
WORDS MICHAEL WORTEL PHOTOS JOSEPH ARTHUR
WHEN I GOT STARTED IN RC about 15 years ago, racing was simple. 2WD electric RC was the premier class,
and all I had to worry about was whether my 1400mAh
pack would dump before the 4-minute Main ended. Times
have changed. Nitro is now king; and races have been
extended well past four minutes and can be as long as an
hour. Long Mains are great. They offer realistic, competitive
racing, but they bring a new factor into play—pit stops. Even
though over recent times races have gotten longer, RC cars still
need to be refueled every eight minutes or so. If you aren’t pitting
quickly and efficiently, you’re losing valuable time and probably positions. Read on, and learn the tricks to lightning-fast pit stops.
MAKING THE STOP
In this article, I refer to the term “pit man,” but if the race director allows it, send two team members into the pit
instead of one. This will allow your pit team to work together. While one guy is pulling your car off the track and
opening the fuel cap, the other can be responsible for fueling. Also, having an extra guy can be an advantage if
one needs to head out and grab something unexpected, like a new spur gear.
COME IN HARD
Don’t be afraid to come hard into the pits.
Being tentative and dilly-dallying your way
into the pits wastes time, so come in hard
(but in control), and expect your pit man to
catch your car. Don’t roll in super slow to stop the car
in front of him. That tactic usually leads to stopping
three feet short of your pit man, which wastes time
and makes you look like, well, a fool.
1
REFUEL
Speed and efficiency are of the utmost
importance, so buy your pit man a fuel
gun. It allows him to rapidly refuel your
tank with the perfect amount of fuel—
without the risk of overfilling or inadvertently siphoning out fuel—a common occurrence with squeeze bottles. After your pit man has grabbed the car with both
hands, he should quickly grab the fuel-tank loop and
open it as he is picking up his fuel gun, if it isn’t
already in his hand. As soon as the tank’s lid is open,
he should stab the gun
into position and
unload. If you’re using
a standard fuel bottle,
make sure the nozzle
is just inside the fuel
tank (not too deep),
squeeze, and then
don’t release the fuel
bottle until you’ve
removed the nozzle
from the tank. We recommend only filling the
fuel bottle with the precise amount of fuel
needed to refill. Keep
your gallon of fuel at
your feet to refill the
bottle.
2
As a driver, you
only need two
things: the car
and the transmitter. Your pit
crew needs a
few more essential items. To
ensure you finish
the race, have
these items on
pit road:
❯❯ Fully charged
glow igniter
❯❯ Body clips
❯❯ Charged
starter box
ESSENTIALS
❯❯ Wheel nuts
❯❯ Glow plugs
❯❯ Glow-plug wrench
❯❯ Full fuel bottle or
fuel gun
❯❯ Tuning screwdriver
❯❯ Pliers
❯❯ Gloves
❯❯ A pit guy who is
paying attention
Come in the pits fast but under control. Your pit man will
catch your vehicle and fuel it up.
A fuel gun really speeds up
pit stops. It fills the tank
much faster than a fuel
bottle and stops the flow
of fuel when it reaches the
top of the tank.
