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How to Build an RC Nitro Track

After building the RC car of your choice, you'll likely want to take it out for a bit of rugged racing action. While a flat concrete surface can give you some experience with your car, the true test of your nitro's abilities lies off-road. However, while you want a test of the car's abilities and durability, a controlled surface is still the best option to ensure your car will survive the experience. Building your own track gives you the control you need by allowing you to set up the curves and jumps to your own specifications. The only limitations on your design are the size of the land available and your imagination in covering that land.

Things You'll Need

Tape measure
Graph paper
Landscaping paint
Spade
Tiller
Plate compactor
Landscaping fabric
Soil
Water hose
PVC pipes
Sand

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the space you have available for your track using measuring tape. Mark out the measured area and the shape of your work area onto a piece of graph paper to scale.
- 2
  Draw the design of your track onto the graph paper keeping within the measured area. Make the track lanes at least four to seven feet wide to provide room for passing cars. Include all elements of the track with details in your design including curves and ramps.
- 3
  Mark the track design onto the ground using landscaping paint to create the outlines of the lanes.
- 4
  Remove the grass and other groundcover from the marked area with a spade.
- 5
  Go over the ground within the lanes with a tiller, breaking apart the dirt to a depth of two inches. Remove the dirt and set it to the side of the track.
- 6
  Compress the track using a plate compactor to create a stable base without any shifting dirt. Place a layer of landscaping fabric over the compressed dirt so that it overlaps the edges of the track by three inches. The fabric will prevent plant growth through the surface of the dirt along the track. Cut the fabric to fit using a utility knife. Replace the dirt over the fabric and then compress it using the plate compactor. The compressed layer of the track will be slightly lower than the surface of the surrounding ground.
- 7
  Build up the surface of your track using a fine grade of soil. Cover the track with the soil until it's the same level as the surrounding surface, compact it, then add more as needed to fill the hole created by compacting the original soil of the track. Build up angled track lengths by mounding the soil higher on one side of the track. Wet down the built-up soil with a water hose to help hold its shape, and then compact it into place. Build jump areas using the same method of creating a compacted mound with a slope on each end across the track.
- 8
  Line the track, if desired, by burying PVC pipes filled with sand along the track edges over the landscaping fabric. Bury the PVC halfway into the soil at the edges atop the fabric to serve as a rail for the cars on the track.

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