Originally Posted by SPN

Hey tech this may be a redundant post...

However through the magical search box I did not come across a thread like this.

Please share your backyard track builds and experiences here for others to be informed and motivated to build their own.

This is what we experienced on our track build:

Let me first say think outside of the box...
We do not have the room to build a track on our property. Our neighbors did however. They had a wooded back lot that they weren't using so we discussed it with them and they gave us permission to build there.

It is a lot of work. You will end up looking and feeling like this..., but the end result is worth it






SAFETY: Before working on your project check weather forecast. Have plenty of water, sun screen, bug spray, food for your army of help, hats, sunglasses, and gloves. If you have asthma or allergy problems plan in advance. Bring a mask if need be. Wear work clothes as you'll be getting dirty. The last thing you want to do is ruin that favorite shirt your wife bought you on your honey moon.

Digging - A phone call to utility provider will allow them to come out to your track and mark water and electrical areas. This is a preventative measure. It is better to be safe then sorry.


Cost - YTD expenses are approximately $1250 (tree removal, bob cat Thanks Pete!, dingy rental, lap counting system, lumber, pipe, tools, drivers stand, astro turf)


Build time - Our overall track build was about a weeks worth of preparation. Most people are fortunate enough to have a clear area to work with. We unfortunately had to remove 14 small/medium trees, clear poison ivy, lots of brush, smaller trees, roots, take care of ground hogs, and so on). We rented a dingo a small bobcat that you stand behind with a 3ft bucket. It was great, but didn't allow us to do everything we needed. We had to remove many stumps and this was just too weak for the task. We still had a lot of roots!


Thanks to Pete aka Pswag115 he came through with a bobcat and made life a lot easier. Having equipment to help move dirt and rip stumps out of the ground is a huge time/energy saver. If you have access to equipment take advantage. Once the area for the track was cleared building the track was another week's worth of work.



Materials used - Dirt (obviously), Logs from the trees we cut for building the jumps, some astroturf (currently being added), Black Flexible piping, 10 inch nails to hold the pipes down, stakes, misc lumber, mini ramp dissassembled from an apartment I had it in back in the day lol. Inverted paint cans to mark a lay out


Driver's stand Used half of the mini ramp as a driver stand (temporary) building one (currently)

Lighting Harbor Freight plug ins when necessary 2 sets on poles.


neighbors Hate Nitro and any noise. Make sure you communicate with your neighbors if you have some close by. If you communicate ahead of time and explain the purpose of what you're doing they typically will be cool with it. If you're running nitro let them know what it sounds like and let them know in advance when you're having your friends over. Be courteous when kids are sleeping. All of our neighbors have dogs and do not like nitro. If you have great neighbors going in...it's a lot easier! Some of you are fortunate to not have neighbors 20ft away on both sides...LUCKY!

noise Addressed above. When you think about others first in regards to making noise they're normally more then cool with you having fun running your cars. Be courteous and it will be returned. Most of the time

timing system AMB was just out of the question for budget reasons. I lap and robitronic both make systems along with other single car systems. Do your research and make a decision. If you can afford to buy the best you can. We found a used I lap system on here and should be receiving it this week.


Dirt/clay Find out what kind of soil you're working with. Clay works a lot better then dirt in regards to packing and retaining moisture. Some yards have clay naturally. Some soil is mixed. We unfortunately do not have any clay in our soil content and plan on getting some delivered. This was another reason we were fortunate enough to have a bob cat. We were able to pack the dirt very well with the equipment.


Scope PLAN PLAN PLAN - Assemble your army and thank them in advance! This is no easy task. Have a lay out that you want to do. You can draw it out on graph paper for scale, use google sketchup, borrow a design or ideas online, or copy your local tracks. The key is to not have your plan set in stone! After moving dirt, digging, watering, and having a bunch of help you may discover natural terrain that will give you new ideas for your track. Keep in mind who's driving on it and what you will be driving.

The stock short course trucks had a tough time clearing it not to mention not being able to adjust the truck in the air.






Drainage from rain: Out track is covered enough that we are able to run cars while raining. The track doesn't get wet unless there is a huge storm. Try to allow water to drain off jumps and avoid puddles. Our track also is on a grade so water flows down hill.

Electric and water: If you want to limit running back and forth from your house plan on having water and electric. We are planning on running both this year.

lay outs This was an idea I had originally, but did terrible with. We had a lot of new rc drivers going to be on our track. Flow was important and keeping it fun for all skill levels. I forgot about this idea as we started building. You want the track to be challenging...and car friendly. If you're running 1/10 and 1/8 be aware of both vehicles. You don't want to be replacing parts every few laps b/c you cased a jump and broke a shock tower, arm, etc...





Plan marshall areas that do not affect view of difficult sections of the track. Allow the track to be safe for everyone. Avoid putting two big jumps right next to each other lane to lane in order to avoid car to car hits or serious injury to the marshalls.

pics Take pics and load them on photobucket and direct link them here. Give other's ideas and keep it fun!

Here are photos of the build and of people driving.









videos Upload building process, race and practice days, and any other information you'd like to share about your track.
and anything else you can add/share please do!

We will be uploading videos of our new build as these photos are all from last year