dreadwing

Has anyone mention VTA yet?!
A lot of great posts on here. I think it’s a combination of many factors.

1. RTR low cost kits to get new people hooked and to Segway into the more advanced kits. But $200.00 to start would surely help.

2. Advertisement. RC Magazines seem to be almost completely geared to Off-road. If they covered more on-road events, it would help spark interest.

3. Local Hobby shops/Race Tracks: Are essential to educating newbies into the hobby. Providing RC Clinics, to training and educating people on what to buy and how to race.

4. Mentoring: Season Racers, when you see a new face, make them feel welcomed and perhaps take them under your wing and help get their feet.

5. VTA / GT class

Evoracer

iTrader: (24)

2nd that. How on earth does ANYONE expect to enjoy any form of racing if setup is considered non essential. There isn't a vehicle out there, real or in rc , that can perform well without some form of set up.

Evoracer

iTrader: (24)

Good point. I've often used TCS as a model for what works and I'm glad you specified that it doesn't need to be a all Tamiya based program to work. There are some chassis that beg for their own class. The M chassis tamiya (or any mini chassis)is a great entry level car but it can only work as it's own class. The problem with adopting a much more basic chassis like the TT01 as a standard is that they are quite limited out of the box. To get them to a reasonable level of performance BEYOND a pure novice class situation, you have to invest in parts that end up making it a cost issue. When I can buy a used TC4 or a XXXS and have a car that can perform at the most basic level and can follow my growth into higher performing classes, I'll do it.
This get's back to the "trying to make one car do it all" problem. It's not that easy. ALL the factors need to be considered and there's no such thing as a car you buy, stick a battery in and run. That lasts right up until the new driver gets frustrated with peformance, angry at extreme tire wear, and downright pissed when they find out a more reasonable chassis could have been purchased for the same or less money.

SC8E

iTrader: (1)

Traxxas rally class. DONE.

fox88gt

iTrader: (5)

Good thread and great responses. I would like to throw my $0.02 into the mix however.

On-road racing is definately playing second-fiddle to Off road right now (big surprise I know). Its not just short course trucks that are causing this, from what I have seen, 2wd buggy, Stadium Truck, and 1/8 buggy are back from the dead. The RC racing hobby has ebbs & flows, the day will come when the new racers that Short Course brought to the hobby will want to advance to a more technical type of racing that doesn't include the pile-driving wrecks.

VTA hasn't been the answer, the rules have changed WAY too often. Our VTA class went from 20+ drivers when 21.5 was legal, to approximately 4-5 when it was banned. No one wanted to spend the money to go slower. Having a steady set of rules is CRUCIAL to the success of a class. No one wants to spend hard earned cash when their "legal" car suddenly becomes "illegal". The racers will move to another class or simply stop racing. It drove me away from VTA, which was sad because I loved the class. But I have now found a home in stock TC.

Our club started a Cup Racer/Tamiya Mini class and it has been the spotlight of our on road program. Scale looks, good speed (not too fast, but not slow) and reasonably priced cars made it work. It started as a way to find homes for our un-used 21.5's. A silver-can powered Mini is a perfect match to a 21.5 (zero timing) cup racer. The rules are simple, gearing is open (another VTA downfall) and the racing is superb. Fact is, you can get a Tamiya Mini chassis with a silver can & esc for well under $150, build it, race it, and have fun. This class is the only one I can say has drawn new racers in this year. The tire rules are open so people can run what they already have.

The revival of On-road racing lies in the clubs (and racers) hands. Invite some friends to the track. Have TC classes for the experienced guys. Have slower, less expensive classes for the new-comers to try out. Have enough rules to keep people honest, but not so many that a potential racer is scared off because of overly complex rules. Complex rules are hard to tech (try teching VTA gearing rules, you'll get the picture) Encourage driver etiquette. Above all, have fun and remember its a hobby and is supposed to be FUN.

Jeff

InspGadgt

Bringing the cost down may help...but cost isn't the issue or the answer either. When RC was still big...when pan cars were the only thing racing on-road and TC was just around the corner...the cost was just as high is it is now and today we get much more for our money. Back then I was a part time employee and part time student and I still found ways to race. I would even take the city bus to the track and back on race days. A good pan car cost about what it does today, ESCs cost about the same and the only adjustment they had was a torque limiter, race batteries cost about the same as LiPo batteries do now and didn't last a whole season, and tires were about double what they are now. If people are having fun they are not going to let cost get in the way. The same thing applied when TCs started coming out and getting popular. No cost is not the issue...it is an excuse.

Evoracer

iTrader: (24)

I don't mean to keep blowing the VTA whistle and I won't argue whether it's for everyone BUT you're a bit misinformed. VTA has had only limited rule changes and gave a year for them to go into effect. Gearing is now open so your comments about tech and simple rules is wrong. VTA may be the answer to some of the problems but not all. We may always have the "gotta go faster" crowd. We may always have the "unlimited budget is speed" crowd. The facts are that we have some of the best classes available NOW !! We need to stop bringing up what happened yesterday. And we need to stop trying to find the miracle cure 'one car,one motor,one esc' package that will do it all.
Concentrate on what we have to offer new drivers, stop playing footsies with the current guys who keep bitching because they want 1 set of electronics to do it all and get on with it.
The one thing we've spent the least time saying is that "It's our fault!". It is ! Everytime we show someone our pride and joy and say "well, this car cost me a $1000" it's our fault ! Everytime somebody say's "You can't be competitive unless you buy such and such chassis" It's our fault. Don't even get me started on the "unless you have this type of esc/motor and battery you're waisting your time" !!!
We need to stop treating this HOBBY like we're a bunch of pro's who get paid to race and start treating it like the play time it is !!

fox88gt

iTrader: (5)

I'm not hating on VTA. But all those changes you mentioned really hurt the class in terms of driver numbers.

303slowdown

iTrader: (24)

I never said anything about set up not being essential i spend most of my time trying to help others with set up. Its just every thread like this on end up being about vta. I think vta is a fun class but it isnt popular everywhere. Im in colorado and we have a very nice perminent place to race and where getting only 6-7 people to show up, everyone is very helpful and knowledgeable about set up and has no problem taking people under their wing, im just saying we tried the vta thing and it didnt work for us ,not much interest. We have racked our brains for quite some time and have tried a number of things to get people to come race and our numbers are still declining.

Xpress

iTrader: (3)

Has anybody mentioned to quit crying on the internet and show up at the track?

hairy

iTrader: (1)

You guys can debate this subject to death BUT one truth remains a fact that won't change......You will NOT get anyone to start racing R/C unless they want to. Having a special class or car or what ever won't make it happen. The individual that starts racing is because they want to. plain and simple. You won't get them to race saying this the best or cheapest car to get.
The best thing you can do is what My buddy and I do at every race we go to and that is when spectators come and look at what you are doing is BE FREINDLY and ask "Do you have any questions that I could answer for you", and then put on a big smile. Tell the truth and don't brag about your "stuff".This hobby has been around for many decades and the ebb and flow of the intrest is allways the same. In the South Oval racing was the giant in the 90's and now dirt is the giant. The only thing that remains the same is the racers they will do what makes them happy.
jmtcw

shutes

iTrader: (1)

our local track had all but died to the point we had 1-3 guys showing weekly but with the 1/18 scale stuff we are up and running again by keeping rules simple mini late models can run 4200 brushless no modifications to motor plate and durability upgraqdes allowed this way box dtock can still run with us great class as far as on road again 1/18 scale box stock cars vendetta tc $115 or 18r $150 legends cars using legend rules and a run what ya brung class which is dieing out cause guys are running the set core classes we now have 25-30 guys every race night running mostly 1/18 scale stuff

pcar951

iTrader: (23)

On road racing is alive and well in our area. We also run a Tamiya mini class loosely based on TCS rules. It's been a perfect feeder to the faster classes for many racers. In fact there are lots of veteran drivers at our club that still run mini as a second class for fun and close competition. If I had to put my finger on one class that's kept our club vibrant and growing it would be...Mini.

Our average club race night looks like:

- Tamiya Mini (silver can) / 15 to 30 entries
- TC superstock (boosted 13.5-17.5) / 8 to 12 entries
- TC stock (17.5 un-boosted) / 12 to 20 entries
- occasional 1/12 (17.5 boosted) / 6 to 8 entries

Probably half of our current TC and pan car racers started with Mini!

nitronutzzz

iTrader: (22)

I dont know who u represent or claim to. But onroad is dead here in Louisville, Ky...and it's not coming back. We never ran hardly any electric tc anyways..It was all about nitro which 99% of us regulars ran..and the problem wasnt the rules cuz we were very informal and ran whatever..it was ppl not wanting to do the damn work and help setup the track..of course now all of our track equipment got stolen it put the nail in the coffin...but If u have information that rest of us racers dont know please share it. Maybe u'll save onroad by building us a new onroad track. hahaha...hope ur rich!

viperbill1963

we just had a race in mobile at the cancer society chili cook off if front of 125k people that attended this event so we had flyers for the local hobby shop and race events for the local club we had a lot of questions and the tv coverage was great too..look for community events and see if ya can get a few racers to put on a race and get the exposure ,the race is a lot of fun