There is a growing squad of remote-controlled car enthusiasts in Bermuda and they are not your average toy operators.

The cars get to speeds of 60 or 70 miles an hour.

Bermuda’s RC (interchangeably, remote-controlled or radio-controlled) geeks are into “hobby-grade” vehicles.

You can find them racing under the auspices of several clubs at a handful of East End locations.

Some travel around the world to professional racing circuits, where the winners are pulling in huge money. Bermudians actually compete.

TQ Hobbyz & Sports Apparel is Bermuda’s main store for the supply and support of hobby-grade remote-controlled vehicles.

It specialises in 1/10 and 1/8 scale off-road and on-road products.

TQ stands for Top Qualifier and the aim is to help off and on-road hobby enthusiasts get the right products.

The part-time business, operated since 2019 by the former footballer and health and physical education teacher Quincy Aberdeen, has just been moved around the corner from Union Street to Dundonald Street.

Mr Aberdeen specialises in parts and accessories for remote-controlled cars, bikes, boats, planes and drones.

He said: “We supply and support hobby-grade RC vehicles, accessories and anything else you need.

“Specialising in one-tenth and one-eighth scale off-road and on-road products, the aim was for a hobby store founded by RC consumers for RC consumers, built by racers for racers.

“We have some models in the store but technology is moving so fast and people want the latest and greatest. So mostly, we supply customers with any models they want through special order.”

“There is a huge market overseas for putting these models together and racing them and we probably have about ten to 15 guys in Bermuda who travel yearly to different races all over the world.”

But these are not just boys with toys.

Mr Aberdeen is a racer, himself. “The top RC drivers on the circuit make six figures, because that’s all they do, drive model cars,” he said.

“There is an April race I compete in that draws as many as a thousand competitors. It’s the Psycho Nitro Blast in Tennessee, where some people show up in huge rigs. It’s like a football game.”

Outside of hobby grade, there are cheaper RC toy-grade products on the market but there are no replacement parts, upgrades and accessories for these products. They also lack the performance, handling, power and speed of hobby-grade RCs.

Hobby-grade vehicles absorb the impact of crashes better and remain functional. If something does break, you can use replacement parts and get back on the track.

The RC hobby market attracts interest from all ages. Mr Aberdeen has been passionate about his hobby since he was five and believes the attraction is basic.

Consumers with the largest budget for everything RC-related are between the ages of 20 and 50.

They spend hours a week pursuing their hobby, building a model, modifying the design, upgrading parts, going to the racetrack and continuously improving and pushing their vehicle to the limit.

Mr Aberdeen said: “The world has an educational push towards Stem — science, technology, engineering and maths. With this hobby, you get all of that. It is actually what these RCs are all about. This is not just play time. These are enthusiasts who are into hobbies. This is something that you build, maintain and race.

“When you are building out kits, it requires measurements, gear ratios and so on. It is all hands on. They are built to scale.

“With a pro kit, you can really build them out. There are different engine manufacturers, different gearings, different parts, carbon fibre parts. An eight-scale car can be two feet long.

“There is also a lot of detail that goes into the racing aspect but for someone who just wants to have fun, you can get something right off the shelf and go and play with it.”

He first tried to start the business when he graduated and returned home from the University of South Carolina in 2000.

Even in school, he kept his passion alive: “I was on a soccer scholarship but I still had RC cars throughout my university days.”

He said: “Getting the business started didn’t happen for me when I first came back. So I put it on the back burner until I was ready.”

This week’s move to the new location provides TQ Hobbyz & Sports Apparel more space for the various accessories.