US INDOOR CHAMPS 2009
11-27-2009, 09:03 PM
#316
The largest reason for the down turn at the Champs is the fact that the race and its' promoters haven't grown with the hobby. Unfortunately, it's been in a downward spiral for several years. Most racers have had enough of "It will be better next year".
* You can go to the Snowbirds or Vegas for the same or even LESS money.
* Race with tons of competition, all the Mfg's and International racers.
* Much nicer Hotels with lots of stuff to do and places to eat.
* Walk "The Strip" @ IIC, Go to Disney @ the Birds, dine at Denny’s @ the Champs.
* All the magazines attend, so you might even see your name in print
* Manufacturers tend to show off new stuff at these races
* The race directors keep the show on schedule and FUN
It's unfortunate that the promoters didn't take some profit and put it back into the race over the years.
Just look at what a great job Chicky and the Gate Crew have done with the Halloween Race. Better run race, better competition, nicer hotel, just a couple of days away from school, and again....more FUN.
Obviously the economy isn't helping the situation, but the fact is, if Ernst or Boylan or even the Gate Crew were running the Champs for the past several years, the parking lot would be full right now.
* You can go to the Snowbirds or Vegas for the same or even LESS money.
* Race with tons of competition, all the Mfg's and International racers.
* Much nicer Hotels with lots of stuff to do and places to eat.
* Walk "The Strip" @ IIC, Go to Disney @ the Birds, dine at Denny’s @ the Champs.
* All the magazines attend, so you might even see your name in print
* Manufacturers tend to show off new stuff at these races
* The race directors keep the show on schedule and FUN
It's unfortunate that the promoters didn't take some profit and put it back into the race over the years.
Just look at what a great job Chicky and the Gate Crew have done with the Halloween Race. Better run race, better competition, nicer hotel, just a couple of days away from school, and again....more FUN.
Obviously the economy isn't helping the situation, but the fact is, if Ernst or Boylan or even the Gate Crew were running the Champs for the past several years, the parking lot would be full right now.
11-27-2009, 09:31 PM
#317
The largest reason for the down turn at the Champs is the fact that the race and its' promoters haven't grown with the hobby. Unfortunately, it's been in a downward spiral for several years. Most racers have had enough of "It will be better next year".
* You can go to the Snowbirds or Vegas for the same or even LESS money.
* Race with tons of competition, all the Mfg's and International racers.
* Much nicer Hotels with lots of stuff to do and places to eat.
* Walk "The Strip" @ IIC, Go to Disney @ the Birds, dine at Denny’s @ the Champs.
* All the magazines attend, so you might even see your name in print
* Manufacturers tend to show off new stuff at these races
* The race directors keep the show on schedule and FUN
It's unfortunate that the promoters didn't take some profit and put it back into the race over the years.
Just look at what a great job Chicky and the Gate Crew have done with the Halloween Race. Better run race, better competition, nicer hotel, just a couple of days away from school, and again....more FUN.
Obviously the economy isn't helping the situation, but the fact is, if Ernst or Boylan or even the Gate Crew were running the Champs for the past several years, the parking lot would be full right now.
* You can go to the Snowbirds or Vegas for the same or even LESS money.
* Race with tons of competition, all the Mfg's and International racers.
* Much nicer Hotels with lots of stuff to do and places to eat.
* Walk "The Strip" @ IIC, Go to Disney @ the Birds, dine at Denny’s @ the Champs.
* All the magazines attend, so you might even see your name in print
* Manufacturers tend to show off new stuff at these races
* The race directors keep the show on schedule and FUN
It's unfortunate that the promoters didn't take some profit and put it back into the race over the years.
Just look at what a great job Chicky and the Gate Crew have done with the Halloween Race. Better run race, better competition, nicer hotel, just a couple of days away from school, and again....more FUN.
Obviously the economy isn't helping the situation, but the fact is, if Ernst or Boylan or even the Gate Crew were running the Champs for the past several years, the parking lot would be full right now.
11-28-2009, 08:24 AM
#319
Just my 2 cents...The race almost died in 1996 when there were only about 200 entries, all 1/12th scale. I went for the next 8 years and it kept getting better, but it was only running stock and mod 1/12th and touring.
I was looking to get back into it but i could not believe how much the cars were costing. Touring cars going for $480-$500, and 1/12th going for $200+ is a little hard to swallow. I know high end r/c racing has always been pricey, but this is getting nuts.
I am not sure how much the race cost this year but it just seemed to go up every year. And you seemed to get less. I have not been able to go to some of the newer "big" races like Snowbirds or IIC, I could not afford the travel expense, and entry fees.
I agree with what someone else posted that racing got in cycles. It does. I have been racing for 23 years, and it came and went.
Jeff
I was looking to get back into it but i could not believe how much the cars were costing. Touring cars going for $480-$500, and 1/12th going for $200+ is a little hard to swallow. I know high end r/c racing has always been pricey, but this is getting nuts.
I am not sure how much the race cost this year but it just seemed to go up every year. And you seemed to get less. I have not been able to go to some of the newer "big" races like Snowbirds or IIC, I could not afford the travel expense, and entry fees.
I agree with what someone else posted that racing got in cycles. It does. I have been racing for 23 years, and it came and went.
Jeff
11-28-2009, 09:23 AM
#320
Race #'s are down globally guys.
This hobby runs in cycle's or laps if you will.
Once we figure out how to settle on less classes with better racing we will see #'s come back I think.
Mod seems to be dying.
Seems to me like the focus is to put food on the table not laps on the track.
Imho.
Dave.
This hobby runs in cycle's or laps if you will.
Once we figure out how to settle on less classes with better racing we will see #'s come back I think.
Mod seems to be dying.
Seems to me like the focus is to put food on the table not laps on the track.
Imho.
Dave.
Our weekly club races get 50-60 year round.
I believe that races/race events are a literal 'product' now. Races/events that don't offer a good 'product' are suffering, while the races/events that are offering a good product are not. The days of 'build it and they will come' are gone. Today, race promoters must provide the racers with a great product.
Scotty Ernst raised the bar for everyone with his first IIC, and has become the standard to which all other events are compared. Reason? He offers the best product.
11-28-2009, 02:26 PM
#321
Tech Fanatic
iTrader: (23)
Todd, I always knew you were a wise man. 
I think you hit the nail on the head. If the event is a good value and everyone knows that they will have a good time, they will figure out a way to get the money to go. I talked to a number of people that had been going to Cleveland for years that all said that it just wasn't that great of a race any more and have chosen to go to others. I have not been there since 2003 so I cannot say why it has gone down hill, but I can assure you that if it were considered one of the best, more people would be there.
The Halloween race was in the same city and only a month apart, but everyone I talked to that attended said that it was a great race and will definitly go again.
530 entries for a dirt oval race????? That's just crazy!
I think you hit the nail on the head. If the event is a good value and everyone knows that they will have a good time, they will figure out a way to get the money to go. I talked to a number of people that had been going to Cleveland for years that all said that it just wasn't that great of a race any more and have chosen to go to others. I have not been there since 2003 so I cannot say why it has gone down hill, but I can assure you that if it were considered one of the best, more people would be there.The Halloween race was in the same city and only a month apart, but everyone I talked to that attended said that it was a great race and will definitly go again.
530 entries for a dirt oval race????? That's just crazy!
11-28-2009, 04:28 PM
#323
is anyone even running them in tc? i'm under the impression they only have an advantage in 1s applications. to be honest after watching the racing for the past few days i would say everything is pretty equal. there were only a few cars that looked like they were faster than the rest and that was from power and skill.
11-28-2009, 04:31 PM
#324
is anyone even running them in tc? i'm under the impression they only have an advantage in 1s applications. to be honest after watching the racing for the past few days i would say everything is pretty equal. there were only a few cars that looked like they were faster than the rest and that was from power and skill.
Trying to figure out if its just a 1s speedo.
11-28-2009, 04:37 PM
#325
i do know there were a few black diamond esc's available at the race but they were bought up in a blink of an eye maybe even to guys who pre-ordered them.
11-28-2009, 05:49 PM
#327
dont understand why the entry is higher when u dont get handout motors,tires or anything so why are the entries higher?
i can understand vegas, duh your in vegas or florida, but cleveland cold cold no five star hotel so why the higher cost.
also to many classes.
i can understand vegas, duh your in vegas or florida, but cleveland cold cold no five star hotel so why the higher cost.
also to many classes.
11-28-2009, 06:13 PM
#328
next year classes should be...
FOAM STOCK AND MOD
RUBBER STOCK AND MOD
12TH SCALE STOCK AND MOD
WGT 13.5 AND 10.5
TRANS AM FOR THE FUNSTERS,
thats 9 classes vs this years 11, now lets get rid of the classes that did not get run which was mod foam, and that takes you down to 8. in the stock classes allow 17.5 and 13.5, cause with driving styles, speed controls, they can and are very close in speeds, im running 13.5 rubber, getting my ass kicked, i think if i had ran a 17.5 instead, i may have been able to control my car better and not break out so much. However, only 4 of us wanted to run rubber stock. So what option did that leave me?
Maybe throw in some feel good awards for youngest driver etc etc.
thats my 1 cent.
FOAM STOCK AND MOD
RUBBER STOCK AND MOD
12TH SCALE STOCK AND MOD
WGT 13.5 AND 10.5
TRANS AM FOR THE FUNSTERS,
thats 9 classes vs this years 11, now lets get rid of the classes that did not get run which was mod foam, and that takes you down to 8. in the stock classes allow 17.5 and 13.5, cause with driving styles, speed controls, they can and are very close in speeds, im running 13.5 rubber, getting my ass kicked, i think if i had ran a 17.5 instead, i may have been able to control my car better and not break out so much. However, only 4 of us wanted to run rubber stock. So what option did that leave me?
Maybe throw in some feel good awards for youngest driver etc etc.
thats my 1 cent.
11-28-2009, 06:16 PM
#329
+1. Like someone else before said, the race was growing with just stock and mod classes, and IMo the sport will grow better if stock and mod is universally adopted as the set of classes for all scales
11-28-2009, 06:18 PM
#330
you can kick out 10.5 wgt also and run the class as intended with a 13.5.
not sure the difference in rules for vta and rcgt but make them the same and run the two classes together as one. then you'd have a variety of body styles instead of only a couple.
not sure the difference in rules for vta and rcgt but make them the same and run the two classes together as one. then you'd have a variety of body styles instead of only a couple.