As a kid, Lewisport native Adam Hunt tinkered with RC Racing from time to time, but never seriously competed. Fast forward to now, and his 13-year-old son Nolan has followed in his father’s footsteps, recently winning the 2025 U.S. ROAR National Championship.
“It’s pretty rewarding,” Adam said. “We never dreamed that when he first started, it would turn into him competing for a National Championship. It is really rewarding seeing him be a lot faster and succeed.”
Competing for four years now, Nolan’s love for RC Racing originally started as a hobby.
“I had a couple of RC cars at home, some cheaper ones,” Nolan said. “Then we saw there was a track that opened up in Louisville and we went one day for practice. I realized then it was really fun.”
Nolan competes in five-minute remote-controlled races, and the winner is decided by whoever completes the most laps in the allotted time. The season is year long and people sign up via the website for any race that they want to compete in. There are also weekly club races he competes in.
Despite around 170 people competing for the National Championship in New Albany, Indiana, Nolan entered with high hopes, but he acknowledged he was unsure how on how he would do.
“It feels pretty good to win,” Nolan said. “Hopefully, I can get a few sponsorships and compete in a few more National races.”
Still hungry to prove himself, Nolan has his eyes set on competing at the World Tournament, which is being held in the U.S. in a few years. To prepare, he plans to practice and compete at different courses, so he has a better understanding of what adjustments to add to his car.
“The adjustments I make on the car are based on the track layout,” Nolan said. “At the National Championship I used a different type of differential.”
For Adam, RC Racing has become a family affair, with everyone attending the different events to cheer on and support Nolan.
“When we buy him a new kit to race, he does most of the work here at the house when I work my Monday-Friday job,” Adam said. “But when we go to the track, it is a lot of time to be his mechanic. He does all of the racing, and he gives me feedback. I try to prepare his cars, make changes, or get tires ready, or whatever it is. It’s a lot of fun to be able to do something that I enjoy, and that we can do it as a team.”
