Inside Line Racing

We are SO GLAD that Inside Line Racing has already reopened — just in time for our Staycation Spring Break! My son and I had fun racing the short term rental cars while chatting with Niki the manager about their plans for the new location. I have to say — the move seems seamless to us and the fun was there as usual — we had a really fun race! Now that they are in a shopping center with more going on, I know we’ll be in even more often. Our son is also doing his research for possibly buying a little race car, and it is so helpful for him to have real people to ask, instead of us stumbling through internet reviews and ending up buying stuff that isn’t right for us. Thank you, Inside Line Racing, and congratulations on all your hard work to reopen so quickly!

Let me just say first: it’s pretty difficult to find mini-​Z in the United States. And it’s even more difficult to find a place to race them. Fortunately for us in the South Bay there is this wonderful place. If you area die-​hard mini-​RC enthusiast, this is a godsend. Not only do you have a very nice track to race on as well as actual spare and hop-​up parts, but you also have an extremely knowledgeable and friendly staff. Special kudos to Nikki who knows mini-​z inside and out. Last time I visited I noticed they have the latest products such as the mini-​z mr-​03 VE brushless chassis as well as the hard to find perfex EX-​5UR transmitter. A great selection of auto scale bodies too. FANTASTIC place.

Niki was extremely helpful on my first trip here. I got so much out of my $ 6 track day pass. Lots of help setting up a car I bought from someone and wasn’t getting any traction. She figured out the issue and loaned me some spare tires to try which fixed the problem, and I was able to buy a set right from them which worked perfectly. She also generously trued my wheels and gave me a hard to find replacement part. It felt very welcoming to be a first time driver and be given so much help despite it being a busy day for them. I was lucky to catch a window when nobody was on the club track, so I was able to practice a long time without feeling bad about getting in the way of more experienced drivers, which was great for a newcomer.
Both tracks were really enjoyable and different from each other. Can’t wait to go back.

I had always seen this before and thought this was kind of lame, but my boyfriend and I had time to kill, so we tried it out and it was so much fun!!!
The price is very good as well– it was $ 3 for 5 minutes, and cheaper as you go for more time. We raced for 5 minutes, and time goes by very quickly! My boyfriend’s car was a little slower, but she swapped it out and gave us extra time as well. We had a lot of fun racing, going backwards, and playing around. And the fact that we were surrounded by other kids racing didn’t make a difference!
If you’re with friends, you should definitely get your own cars and race– it’s very fun! Definitely recommend, trying it out!

I frequently bring our 4 year old kids here. The staff are friendly and helpful and the kids have a great time. The especially like the juniors track right inside the window

I came here since 2^nd grade! It’s fun, fast, and awesome! I found the remote kind of confusing though

From my experiences there, Inside Line Racing is a very fun place for all ages. We started racing on the rental car track just like everybody else. Now my son owns his own car and has been racing for about 4 and a half years. The rental cars may be a little slow for adults but are very entertaining for the younger crowd. All in all, Inside Line Racing is a fun-​filled attraction for all ages.

This is a great place to take your family. Kids 3 years to 80 years have a great time.
The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. We will keep going back. Wish there was one closer to us.

We hosted my son’s 8^th birthday party at Inside Line Racing. All the kids had a lot of fun. The party cost about $ 299. Not bad for a party for 12 kids. But I was completely caught off guard when they asked me to pay tips to the party host. I never had a birthday party place asking for tips. Besides, the host did not do much, compared to those who ran with the kids at some Gym locations. The kids were basically on their own.

Love coming here to race free every Wednesday 7−9pm. The members in the pit area are extremely helpful and sometimes they’ll give you free parts for your car if they have extras. Great rc community compared to off-​road & on-​road guys at Nor Cal Hobbies.
Nykki is very helpful employee and Bin is a great and entertaining race announcer.

Went here on a whim with my 5 year old son and rented a car for 15 minutes. Had a lot of fun. The rental cars are pretty slow for an adult who spent his formative years playing video games, but was a challenge for the 5 year old. In any case, we had a fun time. 15 minutes went by pretty fast.
The employee who helped us said not to touch any of the knobs (one of which was the steering trim) but when we got the car it was pulling to the left. I adjusted the trim nob against orders and it ran fine after that.
All that said, it was a lot of fun and will definitely do again next time I’m in the worst mall in America. One suggestion to the owners: it’d be cool if there was an option to rent faster cars (for more $$$ obviously) and use it on the big boys track (maybe there is but I didn’t see a sign indicating as much).

Be careful before bringing kids here. My 9 year old raced for under an hour. He went through two cars that did not work properly and had to be replaced. After racing his third car the employee came to me and said my son had steered too hard and broken the remote control and charged me $ 50. Given that the equipment is shoddy to begin with, I can’t believe i was charged for it. Save your money. Buy your own remote control car and take it to the park. It’s a nice idea but we were ripped off.

The cars they rent out are old and battered, the wheels are misaligned, and they run extremely slowly. There is no option for faster cars for more daring drivers. You will be jealous of the advanced racers with $ 150 cards zipping around the track 4 – 5 times in the time it takes your beat up loaner to complete a single lap. You will probably get bored within 5 – 10 minutes when you realize the car is holding you back.
The concept is amazing, and I love RC cars, but the people and the atmosphere are extremely unfriendly to casual visitors. It is much more geared towards the mini rc racing community who clearly love this place. You must purchase a particular brand and type of car in order to race on their track, which is an annoyance.
DISCLAIMER: If you are less than 10 years old, ignore the above because you will have the time of your life.

We had a great 8 year old birthday party here with about 20 kids who all had a blast. There was room for us to have a couple other activities at the picnic tables for the kids who didn’t want to race for 2 hours. We also brought food in. Binh (the owner) was welcoming and helpful. The person who was party host (Trinh?) was very attentive, helping the kids take turns, learn how to use the remotes, even helping get a couple races started once they figure out how to drive. I would totally recommend it as a party venue. The bathrooms are the mall ones — so having an extra adult host to make bathroom runs with the kids is definitely helpful if you have a big group of kids.
We also came here as a family on a random Sunday afternoon and my 6 & 8 yr old boys really enjoyed it. The 15 minutes went by super fast. We’ll be back.

I definitely recommend checking this place out if you want to have some fun and talk to some friendly faces. I’ve been a regular customer at Inside Line Racing since their original store location in Santa Clara about 4 – 5 years ago and I still get excited for the weekly club races. The owner and staff here are probably the most genuine people I’ve met and really care about their customers having a good experience in their store.
I highly recommend trying out one of their rental cars with your friends and family to see what they are all about. You might find yourself getting into a new hobby like I did =)

I went to Inside Line Racing this weekend with my husband and two kids (ages 3.5 and 7.5). I would say this probably isn’t the easiest place to take a 3.5 year old, but I really have to give staff credit. They were so nice, accommodating and friendly with us. We tried the big track with both boys and it took a bit of work for them trying to work the remotes. They have a great little oval-​shaped continuous track that smaller kids can use that require less control. In order to switch between tracks, staff need to change settings on the remotes. Both of my sons switched between both tracks a few times and never did the staff waiver. They changed settings with a smile and were extremely approachable. We all had a great time and left feeling very positive about our experience. I could even see this being a fun date night for me and my husband sans kids!
My son was so excited to learn that they host birthday parties here, too. There is a secondary track that is reserved just for the 2-​hour party and you can bring your own food and cake in. I’m impressed because so many places don’t let you bring in your own food and require you to purchase from them. We’re definitely looking forward to having a race car party here in a few months :)

I’m hesitant to write up this place and give it away to more people, but since I found it, I really like. ILR is a fun and kid-​oriented place!
I used to go to a racing spot and hobby shop where the hobbyists were middle-​aged men, snooty, and oblivious to kids. OK, those guys can keep to themselves. I will spend time and money at a place that actually cares about customers and wants kids to have a good time while learning a new hobby.

At the races it is all business! But when it is play time it all fun! Owner really nice. Doesn’t cost arm and a leg. Good indoor fun.

Wow what a great place!!! My son started to go here to rent their rc cars and now has his own to race. The owners are super nice and helpful. Never a bad experience there. And all the people that race there are super chill and nice.
Great place for all ages!!!

I was an RC hobbyist when I was in college and this store brings me back to those days except they use smaller RCs here.
I’ve been here twice and it’s always been fairly busy considering that Vallco is a dead mall. It’s a cool place to hang out and watch other people race. Wednesday and Saturday nights are the times to come for the serious races. Not sure who the owner is, but the the times I’ve been there it’s been the same guy and he’s very helpful and friendly. If you’re new to this he’ll break it down on what you need to start off in this hobby. I’ve heard him talk to other customers and he’s pretty honest and straight forward about things. There’s a decent amount of RC merchandise and he doesn’t try to sell them to you.
The whole rental idea is smart. You can rent and race a mini RC starting at $ 8 for 30 minutes and it is definitely worth it. You can even celebrate your birthday here with a private party that includes rental for 12 RC cars, a birthday trophy and invitations.