IIC turns ten: A history

“It’s not a race. It’s an event.”

Over a decade ago, Scotty Ernst began formulating ideas for an indoor on-road event with a truly international flair. He knew that location was everything, of course, and tried to determine which city would best attract racers from all over the globe and give racers of all skill levels - from the world’s top pros to hobby-level racers who would be spending their time off and hard-earned salaries - a reason to attend. He needed to choose somewhere they could make the race into a vacation, potentially inviting their wives and families.

At the 2003 IFMAR Worlds for 1/8-scale on-road, Scotty went out for dinner with notable on-road racers Josh Cyrul, Ralph Burch Jr., and others, and pitched the idea of holding an indoor carpet race in a hotel in one of the world’s most exciting cities:

Las Vegas.

The annual event has endured its ups and downs throughout the last decade, but has never wavered in its support from both the industry and the racers - and now running for the tenth time, the IIC is as strong as ever. In fact, registration had to be closed early this year, as too many entries makes for an inefficient schedule and goes against the vacation-type atmosphere for which the IIC is known. Still, 219 individual racers from more than ten countries make up a total of 441 entries celebrating the IIC’s tenth anniversary

The first International Indoor Championships was held in 2005 at the Stardust hotel to rave reviews from both attendees and RC media. Unfortunately, right after the event, Scotty’s trailer was stolen - luckily, it hadn’t yet been packed full of the equipment from the race. To make matters worse, the Stardust was torn down just a few months later in the most Vegas-way possible.

In 2006, the race moved to a hotel at the other end of the Las Vegas Strip. The night after the event finished, Scotty’s new trailer was once again the target of thieves - this time, they left the trailer but instead gutted everything from the inside, seizing over $50K in computers, PA systems, decoder boxes, tech equipment, everything. The race returned to this southern location for one more year before the relationship with the host facility crumbled.

Every year since 2008 the IIC has been held at the Riviera, which Scotty thinks is the ideal location for this race for many reasons. Not only has the business proved to be an accommodating and welcoming host, but the hotel itself provides affordable accommodations for the average racer and family to attend.

Because it’s the first race of the indoor carpet season, Scotty and his crew - which includes his brother Jeff “Boomer” Ernst, Craig O’Brien, Charlie Suangka, and the IIC tech team, have had to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to policing new technology. The race has endured the change from brushed motors and Nickel-based batteries to what’s now available, enforcing simple and easily followed rules that make for a stress-free environment while still making for fair racing.

The formula for the race is simple: focus more on the “Joes” than the pros. Sure, it’s great to have some of the industry’s biggest stars in attendance, but Scotty and his crew spend extra effort to accommodate the average hobby-level racer who took a week off of work and spent his own cash to make it here. That’s why all practice and heat races are held to a strict time schedule, so that the racers know exactly when their heats will be up and can plan accordingly. Want to head out for some shopping? Go right ahead. Planning on hitting the pool? Grab your towel. Think you can win back the money you spent coming here at the blackjack table? Give it a shot! Each day at the end of racing, the track is closed and racers are asked to leave the pit area - no camping out all night wrenching. That’s not why the race is in Vegas!

The race starts with a drivers meeting and buffet banquet, presenting a much more enticing ritual of listening to rule changes and race procedures rather than a pre-qualifying monologue. The sponsor meet-and-greet, an informal hobby show arranged in the breakout rooms across the hall on Tuesday night, gives manufacturers a casual environment away from the racetrack to catch up with long-time users and meet potential new customers away from the stresses of racing.
The racers are given all of the tacos and beer they can handle, making for a unique environment where everyone can sit and talk about RC racing - and it’s one of the yearly highlights everyone looks forward to.


Two days of practice give everyone ample time to learn the track, and the second day is used to seed the qualifying heats. “Rocket round” qualifying lasts for four rounds over two days to determine the main events, and the top 9 are seeded into the “A” for each class. The tenth spot on the grid goes to the driver that turns the fastest finishing time in any lower main - which means that the winner of the “C” or “D” can bump straight to the show! The winner of each “A” final is given a unique trophy, modeled after the championship belts of professional wrestling.

There are plenty of other races in RC that offer their own unique reason for racers to attend. Some have been around longer, some carry more historical prestige, some have even higher attendance. But none can match the opportunity to take the fun of the hobby to one of the most fun cities in the world. As Scotty says, “that’s what IIC is all about.”