ARK Flathau enjoyed playing with “big-kid toys” during an outing with his 6-year-old son, Markiss, to the radio-controlled car track in Kunia.

Father and son bonded over the speeding cars on the track. “We’ve been here a couple of times,” said Flathau, a Pearl City resident. “It’s fun playing and driving the cars. They go pretty fast.”

This time the pair rented an off-road vehicle at the Race World Hawaii facility, formerly known as the ABCRI Box Car Track. Entry-level cars are available for a rental fee of $15 per hour.

The complex has four different tracks: the championship road course, drift track, rookie oval and family off-road track (grass track).

To build your own beginner-hobby-level remote-controlled car, expect to spend between $400 and $500. “People can spend anywhere from $150 to $1,500,” said BC Cowling, executive director of Race World.

Although RC racing at the track is not as popular as the box car racing, Cowling says it’s catching on. “It’s much harder than the box car racing. It requires lots of eye-hand coordination. Kids do have sharp reflexes from video games, but on the track a high level of skill is required,” he said.

Kids younger than 12 must have parental supervision, he said. “Children under 9 share a controller with their parent. One can control the steering while the other controls the throttle.”

Markiss summed up the experience in a few words: “It’s super fun!”