You can buy new from any local hobby shop or from internet RC stores (refer to our Links section)
You can buy second hand from club members or from Internet forums (refer to our Links section)
Come down to the track on a club day and ask around. Have a look at the different cars and get an idea of what they look like, what people think of them and how they perform on the track
For your first car it's always a good idea to get the same model of car that others are using so that you can obtain advice. For a list of RC car manufacturers refer to our Links section.
It's also a good idea to check on the availability of spare parts. We all break things!

What do I need to bring?

Before you race you will need a car and a few critical accessories. For the sake of this introduction we will assume that you will be racing in our racing class for beginners called 540 Novice. You should consider the following a beginners checklist of what you should take to a race meeting:

One, or preferably two, batteries that will last a 6 minute race. If your car came with a battery of less than 3000 mAh capacity then it probably won't last the race
A charger capable of recharging your battery between races. Charging at 5A is the norm but charging at a lower amperage is fine - it will simply take longer. There is usually 50-55 minutes between races and you will want to have a fully charged battery for your next race. If your battery has a capacity of 4200 mAh and you charge at 4.2 Amps (which is 4200 mAh) then as a guide it should take approximately 1 hour to charge from completely drained.
A second set of radio frequency crystals (discussed further under Your First Race Meeting).
Racing slick tyres (cars are often sold with treaded tyres which provide insufficient grip for racing) - sometimes the more experienced racers have old tyres floating around that no longer provide sufficient grip for the faster classes but still have plenty of life in them for 540 Novice. A good reason to introduce yourself as a first timer J
A long extension cord (length depends on where in the pits you decide to set up). You could share power with someone else using a short extension cord. A common length for longer cords is about 10m
For safety reasons no open toed shoes are allowed. The cars are fast and when they crash they hit hard. While it is not common for cars to crash into people this rule exists for your safety

At your first race meeting set up your gear in the pit area and introduce yourself to the people you're pitting next to. Tell them it's your first meeting and ask for advice. Everyone is friendly and will be happy to give you some tips.

We have quite a number of families that enjoy racing at the club.
family friendly

To read about other new users experiences check out the TFTR Blog.

For further information load our Tech Info > Setup Links page and scroll down to "Beginners".