jamescam

iTrader: (10)

This was originally posted in another thread but I am hoping in a new thread it will gain more exposure and possibly happen! I encourage anyone to take this idea, run with it, and make it happen (of course I should get a discount!).

Summary:
If you are a fan of poker you may know one of the most popular newer ideas is a poker camp hosted by the world's best poker players over a week long period. I would love to see this adapted to the RC Racing! One of the nicer tracks should team up with a couple top drivers and host it, here is my thinking:

Camp runs 9am to 5pm, Monday thru Friday
Optional Race for Camp Attendees on Saturday
Cost up to $75 a day ($375 a week)
Additional $25 to participate in race
Each day is filled with seminars, practice, and drills

Seminar Topics could include battery car, gearing, controller settings, car set up, cornering, etc.

Practice would include one hour of open practice and two hours of racing each day. One or Two Pro drivers would wander the room during the practice sessions and spend time with each driver individually.

Another hour of each day could include drills such as cones, cornering, etc.

Not sure how feasible of an idea this would be for a track but as a RC consumer this is something I would definately pay for!

Superkarter

iTrader: (2)

That’s awesome idea . I hope someone can get it up and running. It would help guys like us improve our dirving and setup skills and great from a social stand point.

dsrbltoys

iTrader: (1)

I agree, this great idea. I would love to help if there is anyway I can. I know some people who are thinking of something like this, but going about it a bit different.

jamescam

iTrader: (10)

I go to Seattle quite a bit so Seattle Indoor Raceway is just as good as place as any

BlackKat

Just take a day or two off work (you said you''d spend $375 for help right? LOL) Go on a practice day and practice different setup stuff. Try different front drives, different caster blocks, adjust shims, wheelbases, camber & other stuff. After you've put together a knoledge base and a close setup just practice your driving.

Bottom line: Practice like a motherfXXker!

jamescam

iTrader: (10)

I never said I would spend $375 for help, I said I would spend up to $375 for an experience. Do you really think you would learn in one or two days on your own what a pro driver could teach you over the course of a week?

I don't expect everyone to jump on the band wagon but responses like "why don't you just practice" show little innovation.

Superkarter

iTrader: (2)

jamescan has it right a pro driver could teach u things in a week that you would take a month or more to figure out and how often do you get to talk with pro drivers about this stuff. Also practising on your own can get very boring real quick

mistercrash

iTrader: (5)

Just to clarify here, no intentions to be a pain in the buttt What was started by the good people of FastCats is RC Camp. It gets people into the hobby and brings them the basic knowledge they need to start racing if they want to. How it works is a brand new kit is supplied by paying the RC Camp fee. What people learn in RC Camp is how to assemble and maintain their new kit. How to run them, fix them and basic stuff like that. It brings people into the hobby and helps make them stay into the hobby.

Now that this is clarified, the idea of ''RC Race Camp'' is great. That could be the next step for people coming out of RC Camp and teach them everything that RC racing is about. Setting up the car, tips and tricks to be faster, how to behave during race days and things like that. Would be beneficial for people who have been racing for a while also. It's all good.

jamescam

iTrader: (10)

Wasn't aware of Fastcats but that does sound like a great idea for beginners. Something like this could be more for someone who is a little further along, perhaps already put their kit together and bashed it around the block or have even for racers who want to get to the next level but no amount of reading is helping them get there.

BlackKat

You can get told something as many times as you want but you don't truly learn what it does until you try it for yourself.

jamescam

iTrader: (10)

Apparently you missed the part of the agenda that featured 4 hours of drills, practice, and racing each day of the camp.

Hawk6

iTrader: (52)

As a novice with touring cars, this sounds like a great idea.

But, I don't think this needs to be something offered ONE place in the country. I think almost any local track could offer something like this, maybe for 3 hours a night one night a week for 4 weeks??

I spent about 3 hours at Trackside in Milwaukee a couple weeks ago and learned more from other drivers and employees of the place than I would have learned in MONTHS on my own. They gave me advice on things like droop and caster that I figured were advanced tuning options that on my own, I never would have messed with. (I never would have changed caster blocks on my own, for example.)

Their advice made my car much more driveable, which meant I got much more out of practice. I could practice DRIVING rather than just keeping it off the boards.

So, if you own a track and want to grow your customer base, I'd say do something like this.

My 2 cents.

pyrosian

I personally think that although the idea of a R/C Race Camp is great, in reality it would fail in its objectives.

The reason for this is because everybody is at their own level in the hobby. I like to think that i'm an approachable (sp?) guy down at my local track and i help people out wherever possible. Now if newbie comes up to me at the track having troubles with his car the last thing i am going to do is teach him about droop and caster. There is simply no need for it, all it will do is confuse the bloke even more. I'm sure everyone has either seen or been the newb who can't get the car around the track so throws out his 540 and straps in a mod and adds a bit more bling to the car hoping/thinking it will make him a faster, better driver. The same thing happens with setup tips, the kid may be running a TB-02 with a mechanical speedy and $5 treaded pre-mounted tyres and when somebody tells him he needs to add anti-squat he thinks that it is the answer to all his problems.

In all honesty i personally would attend an R/C camp simply because i'm an info nut and an R/C die hard , but to the average racer who this sort of thing would be aimed unless it was completely one on one where a driver is personally helped to progress i personally can see no benefit in it.

Just my 2c

Hawk6

iTrader: (52)

How 'bout a "sportsman"/newbie only practice night. Charge $15 for practice instead of $5-7. The extra practice fee goes to a couple extra employees or regular drivers to sit down with the newbies one-on-one (or maybe 2 or 3) and help them work through the set-up of their cars: tires, shock oil weight, shock position, toe, camber, ride height. Maybe by week 2 or 3 or 4 they start talking about droop and other more advanced topics.

pyrosian

Hawk6: That to me seems far more workable as the driver gets to experience the change in the car.

Another idea would be to run a class on days in between race meets (saturdays if you race sundays for example) and have one on one treatment there. Then the Class members would be able to put what they leanrt on Saturday into practice against a full racing feild on sunday.