CACTUS: A tour of Hobbytown SRS, Phoenix Indoor Karting, and the racetrack

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By Aaron Waldron
LiveRC.com

When Adam Crippen took over the Scottsdale R/C Speedway in early 2012, he already had big plans for where he wanted to take the local Arizona racing scene - including the Cactus Classic, one of the longest-running races in RC history. Crippen, who already owned the Hobbytown USA location in Tucson, immediately started working on moving the track, and race, to a large indoor location in the heart of Arizona’s largest city. Not only would the move bring weekly club racing into the comfort and climate control of an indoor facility (a huge plus in the middle of the desert), but provide plenty of room for other amenities as well.

In June 2014, Crippen opened the new Hobbytown USA/SRS Raceway on the north edge of Phoenix less than a mile from Interstate 17. The hobby shop and racetrack share a 100,000 sq. ft. space with Phoenix Indoor Karting, which pulls non-RC fans through the doors.

Visitors are first greeted by a front desk area where racers can sign up to either drive go-karts or rent a Traxxas Slash 4x4. There is an touch-screen monitor for the go-kart racers to review their times.

The kart track is 1/3 of a mile long, winding and weaving its way across the concrete surface. Youth and adult racers are welcome for both single races as well as weekly leagues.

The karts are powered by 20-horsepower electric motors fed with 48 bolts of power, capable of reaching speeds up to 45 mph. Drivers under age 14 can race at the “Junior” level, which limits the karts to about 25 mph hour, until they complete a minimum of four races and receive approval from a track marshal to drive at full power.

The wall adjacent to the kart track is lined with arcade games, from racing simulators to other favorites like an air hockey table, Dance Dance Revolution, and Deer Hunter.

Four dart boards and two full-size pool tables complete the recreational area.

Phoenix Indoor Karting is built to host groups, making it perfect for corporate events, birthday parties, and more. The large dining area is a great place to unwind with food from the full-service kitchen, which serves handmade pizza, burgers, sandwiches, and even a few breakfast options. Soda and energy drinks are available, and the establishment has filed for a liquor license to be able to serve beer and wine as well.

The 7,000 square foot Hobbytown USA store inside the building carries a large assortment of RC and other hobby equipment typical for the franchise.

There are two high-tech slot car tracks on site as well, giving racing fans yet another avenue for releasing their competitive urges. There’s a windy road course that can run up to eight cars at one time.

The Slot Car 1320 Raceway is a scaled-down quarter-mile drag strip, complete with Christmas tree lights that signal the start - and pillows to catch the cars at the end.

Even the largest RC races can be accommodated with 90 seated pit areas stationed trackside, surrounded by TVs to show either scoring information or cable programming.

And plenty of covered overflow space can be found just outside, which is where the large teams are pitting this week. This area will also be used as an on-road track, and you can see the drivers’ stand is already in place in the background. Hobbytown SRS is planning to build a rock crawling course on-site as well.

The drivers’ stand is large enough to comfortably fit 15 drivers and give the announcer a wide view of the racing surface. The stand lifts the drivers about 8 feet above the clay, making for ideal visibility even with large elevation changes.

The racing surface is made of sticky clay, which is watered and swept throughout the day to maintain an incredible amount of grip - and all drivers are using slicks. The track measures 60’ x 100’ and most of the 2WD drivers are turning 19-second laps (only Lee Martin pulled off an 18.9), while the 4WD Modified class is in the mid- to low-18 second range. This panorama doesn’t quite do the track’s many features justice.

1- Straightaway

The straightaway is relatively smooth, with a racing line just under 100 feet - but because the entrance and exit are rather difficult, it’s a key track feature where racers (especially in the spec 17.5 and 13.5 classes) can make up time. Turn too late at the end and you scrub too much speed, but if you turn too early you run the risk of getting off-line for the next section.

2 - Downhill jump

It’s difficult to judge just how far the cars are jumping down the hill on the left side of the track without seeing it in person from track level - it’s deceiving from the drivers’ stand. The lip of the jump may only be a few inches tall, but the cars drop about three feet in elevation from end of the back straightaway to the next 90-degree left. The next jump is a double spanning about 12 feet.

3 - Off-camber

After negotiating the double jump and the decreasing radius double-apex left, with a small roller in the final section, racers encounter one of the most technical sections of the track. It’s a sweeping right-hander that falls drastically off-camber, with barely a car-width of even ground along the pipe before sloping downward about one foot by the outside of the lane. Most drivers are trying to trace along the inside pipe, but approaching too quickly forces the car to push all the way down to the bottom.

4 - Double-triple

The track’s biggest jump section runs parallel to the straightaway in the opposite direction, comprised of a 10-ft. double jump and a 20-ft. triple. For the Modified class drivers, neither jump is an issue to clear - but landing on the downslope of both landing ramps is important to keep the car under control. For the spec classes it’s a whole different story: while the 17.5 2WD buggy class can clear the triple for the first few minutes of the race, they’ve got to nail the landing of the double to have a chance. The 17.5 stadium and short course trucks aren’t even close. For the 13.5 class drivers, the 2WD buggies have an easier time, but 4WD struggles, only a handful of stadium trucks attempted it early on Wednesday, and the short course trucks risk blowing over.

5 - Island

Another of the track’s technical features sits right in front of the drivers’ stand. There’s a four-foot gap jump onto the plateau, on which the cars most turn 90 degrees to the left, and accelerate to jump about 8 feet to clear the landing ramp. All classes have the speed to complete the section, but maintaining momentum has proved difficult on Day One of practice.

6 - Twin sweepers and double onto straight

While the left side and middle of the track are littered with jumps and elevation changes, the right side is relatively flat. After landing off the island, the drivers must navigate a sweeping left-hand turn, a quick 180 to the right, and another sweeping left. There’s one final double leading onto the straightaway, but it’s situated at a serious angle - at the inside of the lane, the gap is about 6 feet, but jump too far to the outside and it’s almost 9 feet. Landing this double straight with all four tires on the ground makes all the difference in getting a clear shot down the straightaway to start another lap.

If you can't make it to Phoenix this weekend to check it out for yourself, don't miss a lap of practice or racing - tune in to our live streaming broadcast brought to you by Pro-Line!