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Is the hobby really going down?

Is the hobby really going down?

Old 08-08-2007, 12:04 AM
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Something better is mentioning the word FREE. It always gets new guys and girls involved in the racing seen. Our club always lets new drivers race the first night free and also lets them know that that they can continue to race as a non-member for as long as they like.

Last summer we saw a huge influx of new drivers both male and female. And while on the subject I think this is something that lets this hobby down in a huge way, the lack of female involvement. My missus enjoys racing just as much as I do and even more so after winning a trophy in her first ever novice event for the equal best consistancy, she's now hooked.

The best thing about having my missus involved is that I dont have to hide anything when I want something new, I just have to buy two of them so she also has the latest and greatest.
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Old 08-08-2007, 12:13 AM
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Originally Posted by shawn17
I don't think electric is dieing at all, look at all the new technology there coming out with.
No, I mean elec racing.....
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Old 08-08-2007, 12:14 AM
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Originally Posted by annie_himself
Thats a good idea but the "margin of profit" is already low enough at most LHS/tracks, do you think they could afford it?
Even if a few of the local drivers could pass out flyers or put on demonstrations on a volunteer basis such as at city fairs and such the track could have a table or sumthin showing off whats available now.

Believe it or not, most people believe that RC cars are only what you find at walmart or radio shack!

Also, most people dont even know about the tracks either!

Word of mouth is good but it only goes so far!

IMHO
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Old 08-08-2007, 02:12 AM
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thats exacticaly what i was saying.
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Old 08-08-2007, 02:27 AM
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you can lead a horse to water..... we have up to 50 passer-bys watch the races here every week. the number of them that actually take up the hobby may be 1 in 1000. unless the kid has a parent willing to spend $500+ and drive them weekly to the races then forget about it.

yes this hobby is dying a slow death, yeah it has its ups and downs, but over a 20 year period, the general trend has been downwards.

these days kids have so much more things to do, computers namely. and parents wont encourage kids into driving toy cars, with virtually zero career prospects, they want thier kids to play football or tennis, and why not when if you become a pro there you could make millions
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Old 08-08-2007, 04:31 AM
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The hobby isn't dying, but the racing aspect is getting spread so thin it can barely be seen anymore. To many types of classes to race these days. When the hobby was at its strongest there were essentially 4 classes to run, 1/12 and 1/10th on-road, 1/10 buggy and truck off-road (4wd instead of truck outside the US). Then you had stock and modified of each of those.

Now you have stock, 19 turn, and modified of 1/10th electric on and off road. You have all the different mini 1/18th scale classes, and then you have all the different 1/8th and monster truck classes.

The hobby shops are a bit to blame. They lost control by letting customers race with anything and by letting the phrase "get four racers and we will run the class" get out of hand. Poor advertising in a hobby shop's local area is also a problem, throwing trophy races to attract racers from other hobby shops is a poor solution at best. Hobby shops really are not doing enough to promote beginner classes and encourage novice racing and growth.

What funny is that there are guys like Craps on this website who are pushing his Lipo Pro truck class saying that its the future and that it will save the hobby and such. I hardly think a class that requires a near $250 brushless system and $140 battery just to make finish a 20 minute main event (only about half the racers finish the whole 20 minutes) is going to save the hobby. Thats $390 without a truck or anything else, I can buy a whole RTR setup for a newb for less than that! People like Craps (there are hundreds like him on this forum alone) are merely an experienced racer pushing his personal agenda under the misconception that its in the best intrest for the hobby.

Tracks need to do their job and increase their individual customer base by offering racing classes that promote and increase new racers, and they need to continue promoting and increasing new customers despite the baised and self serving suggestions from experienced local racers who are more likely travelling to other tracks and buying their equpiment online. Novice racers are much more loyal customers, untill they become experienced racers, thats why there needs to be constant focus on new racers.
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Old 08-08-2007, 05:04 AM
  #22  
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Originally Posted by BlackedOutREVO
I also think elec is dieing....

I just hope RC racing makes a come back, or more people at club races...Thats all I want
eletric is not dieing .. just look at the eletric forum and the nitro ... and you see how many people looking at each forum...
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Old 08-08-2007, 05:17 AM
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Well from my side of the world (Sydney Australia), I'm happy to say our club has had a resurgence over the last 2 years. Then, there was no 4WD at all. Last Sunday there were two heats as we had 14 cars all up.

Nitro is strong too.

Many people are running multiple classes, we even have 1/18th.
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Old 08-08-2007, 05:58 AM
  #24  
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Originally Posted by Scrubb
What funny is that there are guys like Craps on this website who are pushing his Lipo Pro truck class saying that its the future and that it will save the hobby and such. I hardly think a class that requires a near $250 brushless system and $140 battery just to make finish a 20 minute main event (only about half the racers finish the whole 20 minutes) is going to save the hobby. Thats $390 without a truck or anything else, I can buy a whole RTR setup for a newb for less than that! People like Craps (there are hundreds like him on this forum alone) are merely an experienced racer pushing his personal agenda under the misconception that its in the best intrest for the hobby.
What is funny is guys like you who inflate prices too. You can race a XXX-T Sport Brushless RTR from Losi for $380. This includes the radio and a Novak brushless system. Come on dude, be fair with your pricing. You can buy a 5000mah lipo from maxamps for $80 and a lipo charger costing $40-70 and that is all you need, ever. This is enough to do the 20 minute lipo class too.

If you want to upgrade your brushless system, you can race stock with a brushless Novak XBR w/ 13.5t motor for $180.

If you want cheap lipo batteries, a 3000mah LIPO from maxamps for $50, and lipo chargers from $40-80. And you will be fast too.
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Old 08-08-2007, 07:00 AM
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The hobby is going through one of its low ebbs on the economic cycle. With the price of gas affecting consumer prices of other goods, this is to be expected. Many people out there have less in the disposable income pocket to spend on this "luxury". Then there is the attitudes of the new people coming in which is if I can't win right now (instant gratification), I am going to do something else (the way most in today's society are). Also, most tracks are outdoors and with the heat of the summer months, many choose to sit in the A/C and play their PS3, X-Box 360, etc. There are many other issues causing the decline but like anything else, the up-turn will happen when people have more realized disposable income.
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Old 08-08-2007, 07:08 AM
  #26  
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I was fair with my pricing, At Tower Hobbies the Novak GTB is $244, at Maxamps the 8000mah lipo is $140, and thats internet prices. At the trackI goto, another new racer was recently sold a RTR AE T4 with 2 3800mah batteries and a peak charger, and double "a" batteries for the radio for $380.

That still beats your $380 dollar Losi Brushless, $80 dollar battery, and $40 charger.

$380 or your $500 package? Which one do you think is going to save the hobby?
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Old 08-08-2007, 07:54 AM
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When I tell people about the R/C hobby, they say you race those noisy cars. I tell them about electric racing, how easy it is to start. We started with nitro and almost quit this hobby. What a pain keeping them running. I got my son a old t3 off ebay and he hasn't stop since. Now he has a t4 and b4, he's now a top racer at large events. I know many people who gave up because of nitro, stores don't care about the long term. We're ready for nitro now because of the experience we have and the support we'll get from nitro racers. Also many new racers start with a mod motor, why? A mod motor can faster than nitro and they break parts alot(turn-off). I support our local motor builders, brushless will drive them out of business. Cry babies hate cutting comms, it's so easy. It gives us something to do between the heats.
LiPos still has a lot of growing to do, we'll stick our sub-c cell for now. At our local track, they are not allowed. Some racers use them trying to beat us but can't because going faster isn't faster if you can't control them. We still them beat with an old motor and old packs. Remember, we need to spread the word about our hobby and support our local track.
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Old 08-08-2007, 07:58 AM
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I have to agree with socalbomber. I got into the sport just over a year ago with the 100% intent of racing, it took me almost 2 months to find my local indoor electric track. This track has been open for 20 years and if you don't already know about it it is almost imposable to find!!!

The other problem I see is the RTR kits, not that they are a bad thing, in fact I think they are GREAT!!! I bought the LOSI XXX-T RTR practiced for about a month then went to my first race. I show up with what I thought was a ready to race kit and found out instantly that the 19T motor that was in the kit put me in the MOD class...I was instantly tariffed, I was watching two of our local sponsored guys running there trucks and though now way, I have not chance. So I had to purchase a new motor. RTR kits need to come with either a stock motor or the option to send into horizon or what ever company you want and get a stock motor with a proof of purchase for FREE!!! This and some well place advertising from LHS and the racing side will grow some!!
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Old 08-08-2007, 08:47 AM
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Originally Posted by SkeeryJones
These days kids have so much more things to do, computers namely. and parents wont encourage kids into driving toy cars, with virtually zero career prospects, they want thier kids to play football or tennis, and why not when if you become a pro there you could make millions
I'm not really sure KIDS should be the target market. $500 cost of entry minimum (vehicle, radio, charger, batteries,..), and the need to travel to race, and the need to tinker and repair. I don't think this is a kids' hobby. (By the way, my 12 year old son and I are in this hobby together, but if I wasn't interested, he sure wouldn't be allowed to spend my money and time on it the way we do).

Maybe instead of having demonstrations at shopping malls, we all have demonstrations at the local (full size) dirt track, or the local car show, Jeep rally, etc.
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Old 08-08-2007, 11:39 AM
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Originally Posted by Scrubb
What funny is that there are guys like Craps on this website who are pushing his Lipo Pro truck class saying that its the future and that it will save the hobby and such. I hardly think a class that requires a near $250 brushless system and $140 battery just to make finish a 20 minute main event (only about half the racers finish the whole 20 minutes) is going to save the hobby. Thats $390 without a truck or anything else, I can buy a whole RTR setup for a newb for less than that! People like Craps (there are hundreds like him on this forum alone) are merely an experienced racer pushing his personal agenda under the misconception that its in the best intrest for the hobby.
What is really sad is you had to go and make it personal!

You left out the fact once you buy that RTR with a brushed motor and the nickel batteries, you have to buy at least 4 $80 each hand picked quality packs a couple times a year if they last that long along with the comm cutter with a diamond bit at around $250 and the Turbo 35 GTX charger at around $450 to run the brushed motors in and get those nickel batteries like you have to have to be competitive with everybody else that has them. Then you have all the brushes and and special cooling fans with a setup that constantly needs maintence and can only give 5 to 10 minutes of run time at time. No wonder so many went to gas!!!!

http://www.teamtrinity.com/shop/maintenance/motor.html
http://www.competitionelectronics.com/pages/GFX.html

Now compare the Pro Truck cost to a top notch 1/8th scale buggy with all the trick parts and modified motor for Around $2,000 that goes through servos every 8 to 10 races. Alot of racers left electric for nitro to get away from the short run times and battery wars/maintence along with the constant comm cutting maintence of brushed motors. Pro Truck is very cheap when you compare the most bang for the buck!!!

Say what you want to about Pro Truck, but since the Farm II racetrack and ROAR added the class at the Nats, Pro Truck is growing as fast as any class around during a time when traditional electric racing has been shrinking everywhere.
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