Small wonders: Seattle's racing league for radio-controlled cars is big fun

Seattle RC Racers members take their radio-controlled cars out on the course recently at a club race at Hangar 30 at Magnuson Park. (Cody Ellerd Bay)

From the outside, there is little that feels welcoming about the drafty old airplane hangars at Magnuson Park. But inside Hangar 30 on a recent Wednesday night, dozens of men (and the occasional woman) sat tinkering away under the glow of craft lamps at long rows of tables.

(Cody Ellerd Bay)

In the center of the hangar lay a large tract of carpet with a maze-like course plotted out across its surface. For the rest of the night, that course would be abuzz with fast and agile radio-controlled (RC) model cars.

Seattle has long been a hotbed of RC racing because of its wealth of Boeing engineering types, says Todd Mason, founder and president of the Seattle RC Racers.

But while the club's growing membership (about 50-60 at any given event) does include its share of engineers and auto mechanics, there are also accountants, lawyers, architects and racers of all ages, from kids to grandfathers.

"We all have this sense of common purpose," Mason says.

Seattle RC Racers member Grant Stuart works on his car prior to a recent club race at Magnuson Park. (Cody Ellerd Bay)

That purpose, technically speaking, is to build and program the slickest radio-controlled car possible and maneuver it through a race course with superior speed and skill. The nonprofit club, which Mason founded in 2009 after the last of the region's commercial RC tracks closed, holds practices year-round. They are open to anyone who wants to drop in and give it a try.

The club also holds up to 24 races throughout its September-April racing season, and there are regional and national bouts sponsored by ROAR (Remotely Operated Auto Racers), the sport's governing body.

For most of the Seattle RC Racers, it's more about camaraderie than about winning competitions. "I've done just about every hobby there is," says club member Ron Knott, of Renton. "And this is by far the most open and friendly I've ever done."

Even though they're competing against one another, the guys are always willing to share their knowledge, tools and extra parts with other members, Knott says.

Mason -- a lawyer, former mountain biker and father of two young children -- says RC racing is an activity that provides an adrenaline boost without risking your neck. After his son was born, he says, "I needed a competitive outlet that was a little more low-key than the stuff I had done as a younger man."

Mason says it's a common misconception that RC racers are just guys who wish they could be racing full-size cars. "You build the cars; they're fun to work on," he says. "You learn a lot about the physics of things, why one thing works and another doesn't."

Much of race day is spent under the work lamps between the six-minute bouts making adjustments to the car. Minor tweaks to everything from the steering and throttle speed to the type of shock oil used can make a significant difference.

Some racers painstakingly hand-paint the cars' flimsy plastic bodies, only to see them inevitably ruined on the track in a collision with the 3-inch-tall guardrail or another car. That's OK, though -- there's bound to be someone willing to lend a spare part.