billwilliams217

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With the motorcycles gone and final track and facilities expansion ongoing we are going to unify the phone to 422-RACE to contact the store or track.

I can't thank all of our customers and supporters enough. We are about one month away from one-year of operation when we first tried the TRI-OVAL! There have been many adjustments and today we are beginning to hit our stride. With your patronage we should have one of the premiere R/C racing facilities in the country.

Our final track expansion will widen the track to 50-feet on the north, almost 70-feet on the south end and we are 84-feel long. The purpose of the width expansion is to accommodate a wider oval and allow a large infield for off-road, the extra width on the south end is to have a wall turn where the cars can drive 15-feet up the wall.

Our racers are almost all home grown, we have not diminished or spoken badly of any other track. Our mission has always been to introduce R/C racing and get new people involved. Of course everyone is welcome to come and drive.

This month will be hectic but worth the effort.

www.shawneeraceway.com and www.facebook.com/shawneeraceway

Our old phone will still be direct to the track too.

Thank You all, Bill Williams

RCmayor

iTrader: (9)

Country???

Vegatron75

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1

billwilliams217

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I've been steady at the wheel for a while, growing this place. There are some things which have changed since we did the oval and off-road successfully years ago. I believe I have identified a good deal of them.

In reality the best the track can do as off-road only is break even or perhaps a little more than break even. It's too big of a risk to hang your hat on off-road only. It would be different if I were in a lesser facility, but this area is growing and is already overrun by kids, thousands a week go to the 3&2 just two blocks away.

I believe that playing with and racing R/C is inherently fun for most everyone who tries it.

Here's another thing, the more successful we are at Shawnee, the better for Tim, Skip, Hobby Haven, and Fastlane. Because of location differences, there are only a very few people who choose between the two places. Chuck server a large area on the east, and we are growing well on the west, without fishing in his backyard.

You can't expect the small number of off-roaders alone to participate enough to make it on just them. You must get new racers, and grow the number of oval participants. I work with other tracks and I have a good relationship with both Skip and Tim. None of them participate in rumor, and I put everything out on the table for civil discourse.

The KC area is huge by number, but the weekly participants for anyone is too small. We are not reaching thousands upon thousands of kids, and there are many middle age guys who have raced before, and some who have started later.

I LOVE to have established racers come, but the established racers are a little fickle sometimes and building new racers and hobbyists is what will allow me to keep the doors open. Plus, I LIKE oval racing and the characters who are racing now and I look forward to teaching a new batch of them to race oval.

There really is not a better path to racing R/C than through the oval. Not everybody is a super serious racer, I've had to learn that some, because when I left the hobby in 1991, there was nothing like a Slash. I can have someone who has never driven a car walk in the door, we hand them a demo car and send them out on the oval and they can "get it" they can go around. But not so for and off-road track.

I'm betting that the OVAL works, and I will also have a good off-road. It's about fun and we are having fun. The vast majority of the guys racing with us are learning, competing, and having fun.

Next time I will say SOLAR SYSTEM!

Thanks for taking the time to comment, I enjoy them, remember them and factor them in to many decisions. I've tried by best to explain the "why" to the decision to run some oval. It may not work, but I think people will give it a chance. One thing is I am done making predictions after this dismal summer!

David Alberico

iTrader: (13)

Keep in mind bill that this is the down time for indoor tracks. So if you are breaking even you are doing a good job. This fall and winter will be a different story

Flynrace rc

Given the turnout at Skips and especially Checkered Flag, oval is growing. Done right, Bill can make both work and work well. A two track solution would be ideal, but a wide track area that allows the oval to stay in place with an off road track in the infield is he next best compromise solution. Oval guys from Topeka and the west/south side will enjoy a track at Bill's location. I am not nocking any other track here, but when we "get rough" winter weather, a track on-closer to major highways is a plus. Fastlane on the east, Shawnee on the west, and Skips up north. Racing is racing, whether oval or offroad. Both are challenging and fun.

David Alberico

iTrader: (13)

Oval has been steady, but mostly at checker flag, it is like nothing I have ever seen before. For oval to get to prime time I think ROAR needs to come back into the picture over dodc.

None the less I will be there for off-road this fall winter.

RCmayor

iTrader: (9)

My prediction of running oval and offroad on the same track is you are gonna lose more in offroad than you will gain in oval. Offroad track built around an oval just sucks and is way too much work changing things around all the time. Plus every time you change the dirt around, the first week always kinda sucks cause things aren't settled down from watering. So on top of the layouts being to tight and poorly designed, every week the track will also be falling apart because of the newness.

Your damn right racers are fickle. Whats the point of buying a fast setup when you can only putt around the track at 1/4 the speed a car is capable of. Sure you want the new kids at your track, cause they don't know the difference. If you were to take a group of new kids or customers to your track for some laps, then take the same group to Fastlane for some laps, I guarantee if you took a survey they would prefer the indoor track at Fastlane. Even if the carpet in the pit area smells like piss. lol

What will keep the doors open is cool fast track layouts, not pissing off potential customers by calling them fickle. If there is anyone in this that is fickle it is you. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fickle

Jspfeiss

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Subscribed!

billwilliams217

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David,

I agree with you ROAR needs a refreshed presence in oval. Tim has kept oval alive in this area, big time. He runs a good program and is only hurt by weather.

If you notice there seems to be a divide or differentiation between the oval guys and off-roaders. Why? It makes no sense to be bickering between which style is better, oval or off-road.

In my book racers are racers and ALL racing is good, fun, and above all respectable. There are some people who get really setup on one track or style and never change, and that is fine. It's when that type person insists that their way is the best or only way that they become foolish.

The widened track will allow a nice oval, and with a little imagination an off-road integration which is cool, fun, and a good racetrack.

Look what they are doing tonight at Kansas Speedway. Same thing, bigger scale.

As far as ROAR, I'm dipping my feet with them. I have a gentle reservation with ROAR because they failed to mention they are not too active in OVAL but I'm going to get behind them and see if there can be some unifying of DODC and ROAR in some degree.

I have done it already, I have written permission from ROAR to use DODC body, class, and add my own classes too for the Region 8 Oval Championships. So so far, I think ROAR is exhibiting the necessary flexibility to make a comeback in OVAL.

Rules need to promote, SAFE, FAIR, and FUN. Beyond that why have rules, just for the sake of having rules? That should be the test of a rule...

Anyway have to go to the track shortly.

Thanks, for the comment.

billwilliams217

iTrader: (1)

Wow, how much anger do you have?

Is your point if I don't do it exactly like you think, it will fail?

To answer your rhetorical question above... "What is the point..." Here is the point of buying a R/C car or truck, HAVE FUN, and for many fun is the side by side race, the driving the car next to friends, laughing at overpowered bashers, not to wipe our smiles, put on a monks robe, light a candle and pay homage to a particular style track.

I was at Fastlane racing last Wednesday and I did not smell piss on the carpet. I had fun, I was a little confused about the railing and elbow height rules and standing on elevated wood, so I am looking for Elton John shoes so I can be taller, but I had fun at Fastlane too, and I had fun without even winning, I competed the best I could with the time I had. I race for fun and I don't care what I race on when I'm having fun.

I understand, it may not be fun for you to compete on something different, or the first week of loose dirt may not be your thing, that's okay. But condemning something because you don't like it is difficult to respect. If you don't like something ignore it, but pecking at it makes you look bad and like a person with nothing to do.

Your statement that I want kids on the track because "they don't know the difference..." demonstrates a irrational dislike beyond any discussion of the track styles.

I could go on and on, but I think you would be happier if you just raced where the track was perfect for you, as you are doing now, but wait, maybe I am wrong. I wrote about egos in an post a couple back, If I called you King instead of Mayor would it be OKAY with you if we raced Oval and Off-Road?

Vegatron75

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1

RCmayor

iTrader: (9)

Ok it smells like old piss... No anger here. Just telling it like it is... As far as I have seen there isn't any side by side racing, there has never been space in one lane for it. So that cant be too fun. I actually like oval when it is done right. My preference generally is not in loose dirt oval, but I have done it and loose dirt isn't too bad.

You are mistaking anger for frustration, we all want the place to be great, but time and time again it is a disappointment. It has nothing to do with Letko taking up half the space or the pit area not being done. It is about the track layout, it's the only product you have. It's gotta be perfect. Anytime it isn't perfect it gives potential racers an excuse to say f it I'm not wasting time driving out there. If you were buying a new car and something wasn't perfect about it would you buy it still? I wouldn't.

Calling your potential paying customers fickle can't be good for business. Maybe they are fickle because they don't like your product. They want better for their money and you aren't capable of supplying it as far as I have seen. So in a desperate attempt to get your entry numbers up you are going to try running oval... This fall you know what will happen? The nights/days you have oval setup you will be losing revenue from guys that want to come practice on a well built offroad track. This is on top of what you will lose if you have a half assed oval and a half assed offroad in one space.

I'm out, time to go race on a layout laid down by Spencer...

billwilliams217

iTrader: (1)

Sorry, I will now owe Chuck an apology! LOL

David Alberico

iTrader: (13)

Racers are pretty loyal to checker flag and tim, so far I cant explain it. Many go out there and also go out to lakeside on friday then race sunday so one thing to consider for scheuduling. Also many like the race fees and just go to have a fun day out. It all depends on what racing you want to do. I like both but the racing for oval needs to evolve from the 90s, losing a single main in one turn sucks, rocket round qualifing sucks when the track swings faster or slower by 3 laps.... I think could do it but they need to get back in the game or dodc needs to get with the times.

I think the concern is how well will offroad be with oval, I think omaha is successfull but that is a huge track with a lot of resouuces. I would hate to see you break your back making the track profitable when if you break even with offroad now I think come october you will be looking good, but if you are able to makemboth work, then that is better, I just know it is a lot of work.

I do miss steve hales layouts. Specncer does good work but I think overworks himself doing it himself or almost himself. But does do good working none the less.