Monday , April 22 2024

What is the UF1?

About UF1

“RC Racing is something that most people will never understand. It's not just a hobby or something to do on a weekend afternoon, it's a way of life! The moment you finish your first race, you can't stop, it’s in your blood! The track becomes a home away from home; the racers an extension of your family. The smell of the race fuel or the scream of the electric motors ... it's like music to your ears.”

The UF1 Series started back in July 2009 when 7 local, SoCal drivers showed up to Bending Corners Raceway in Orange County with their F1 RC cars. As it turned out we all had F1 cars and had a F1-only day. We had such a blast that we all agreed to do it again. Tim Ruwe started a thread on RC Tech that weekend entitled "F1 is alive and well in SoCal!".

It soon evolved into a large one time race at the Tamiya track in 2010 with 40 drivers. It was one of the rare times Tamiya allowed non-Tamiya cars on their track.

The thought was that this class might soon disappear like all the other "flavor of the month" classes. Tim then suggested that we make it more then a once a year event and back in 2010, we had our first race series. This Series ONLY exists because nobody else is doing it and it's basically a selfish way for us to participate in an event I wish already existed. As long as we get 5 guys a race to show up, then the UF1 Series will live.

One of the goals of the UF1 Series is to keep things simple with few changes year after year. There is NO reason to have to buy new equipment every few months to compete. Keeping the rules simple can only make the Series stronger. In addition to performance, the Series also emphasizes scale looks. The UF1 Series has nothing to do with making money or selling tires, but has everything to do with getting together with a great group of people who are all addicted to RC and love Formula 1 racing.

The Series has had its ups and downs, but with the strong RC backgrounds of the entire committee, it has seen huge growth in the past couple years. One notable item is that multiple RC sanctioning bodies have adopted the UF1 rules for use at major races.

UF1 Credo
"It was the other drivers fault..."

If it was anybody's fault it was mine for being where I can get collected; getting angry at another driver is pointless.

You need to watch the other drivers around you, understand their skill, aggression and driving levels, and drive with them accordingly.

These are open-wheel cars that require some skill to drive. Know who is driving next to you. Any problems that occur have ultimately been caused by you because you are responsible for where you are and what you are doing there.