Who we are

Built for the line.

Orbital RC exists because the RC hobby deserved a proper home in St Albans. Not a shop-floor demo track. Not a car park event. A real indoor circuit — purpose-built, maintained, and open every week — where drift and crawl can both thrive alongside each other.

We are a community operation, not a competition series. There are no heats, no rankings, no pressure. Friday night is for anyone with a charged battery and a desire to improve. Sunday morning is for anyone who wants to see what their crawler can handle. The Big Meet is for everyone.

If you have never run an RC car before, that is fine. If you have been running them for twenty years, even better. Orbital RC is built for both.

The name

Why Orbital.

Three things. First — orbita. The Latin word for the groove worn into the ground by Roman chariot wheels racing around a circuit. The path they found. Their line.

Second — the M25. Britain's orbital motorway. St Albans sits at Junction 21A. Look at the logo: the dot at 11 o'clock marks exactly where we are on that ring road.

Third — the racing line itself. In any circuit discipline, the optimal path through a corner is not the obvious one. You have to find it. Earn it. That is your orbit. That is your line.

Three ideas. One word. Find yours.

On the schedule

Three ways to get on track.

Every Friday · 7–10pm · £8

Drift Night

1/10 scale RWD on RCP P-tile. Spec tyre: Yokomo DRA. No booking. Pay on the door.

Last Sunday · 9am–1pm · £6

Crawler Morning

1/18–1/24 scale modular course rebuilt every session. Rock faces, ridges, water, bridges.

Quarterly · Full day · Ticketed

Big Meet

Both disciplines under one roof. Guest brands, community showcase, and raffle. Numbers strictly limited.

How we operate

What Orbital RC stands for.

01

Community first

Sessions exist to bring people together. Experienced drivers help newcomers. Everyone is welcome, regardless of budget or skill level.

02

Skill over spending

You do not need the most expensive car to have the most fun. A Tamiya TT-02D and a few charged packs is all it takes to get started and genuinely enjoy a Friday night.

03

Show up and drive

No booking, no membership, no prerequisites. Just turn up, pay on the door, and get on track. That is the entire barrier to entry.

04

Both disciplines

Drift and crawl are different hobbies with different communities. Orbital RC is one of the few places where both are genuinely celebrated side by side.

More than a hobby

RC & mental wellbeing.

Getting outside, focusing on something you enjoy, and spending time with a good group of people — it turns out that is genuinely good for you. We did not set out to build a wellbeing community, but that is what Orbital RC has become.

We use the Talk Club "how are you out of 10?" check-in ourselves and we know it works. Putting a number on how you feel forces you to actually check in with yourself rather than defaulting to fine on autopilot.

We are proud to support The OLLIE Foundation — a St Albans suicide prevention charity doing vital work on our doorstep — and we actively signpost our community to Talk Club for anyone who wants a structured space to talk.

Crawler Walk

Join us outside.

Fresh air, real terrain, and good company. Our outdoor crawler sessions are open to everyone — no experience needed, no pressure to perform. Just turn up, get your rig out, and enjoy being outside with people who get it.

If the numbers are low, come on a walk with us. The woods have a way of helping.

Come and meet us

Find your line.

The easiest way to understand what Orbital RC is about is to come to a session. Turn up on a Friday evening or a Sunday morning. Say hello. Get your car out. We will take it from there.