packer96

I bought my 8 yr old son a 2wd slash 2.4GHz version last year for his birthday. We went to Victory R/C Hobbies & Speedway just to watch and he and I are both hooked. He has been wanting to race but I've been holding off til he got better at controlling the truck. Well he's spent all winter and spring bashing around in the backyard and has gotten pretty good. He's even learned to tear it down pretty far and put it back together.
I am not to familiar with the sport etiquette. I was wondering if people tend to get annoyed with younger kids running on the track and possibly running into them once in a while and causing a few accidents.
I don't plan on letting him run an actual race right away, just gonna let him run around the track during practice sessions til I feel more confident in his ability.
We are from Two Rivers, WI and mainly plan on going to Victory Hobbies in Green Bay or Revolution Raceway in Appleton. Just wondering if anyone had any advice for gettin him started and which tracks they perfer. Thanks in advance for your help and can't wait to start another fun hobby with my son.

blis

Find out if track is open for practice on the off weekends, take him down a few times and you might meet up with the regulars and get an idea of where he can slot in.

Some get annoyed when they bump into adults, others with more experience will give him some berth and he'll learn from the better drivers on how to hold line and let them through. Key is to race the clock and not the others in the early years

As a father and son hobby, it's as good as it gets

h

Dadic 78

iTrader: (11)

It's great that you guys can enjoy the hobby together, that's what it's all about. As for racing at your track, maybe check it out, and see what classes they're running. If there is an "A" and "B" class for your son's slash, then he'd likely be running in "B" with other drivers of a similar skill level. If it's all one class, then he's likely to run into some hotheads that race there every weekend, and treat it like there's a $1,000,000 cheque, and a playboy bunny waiting for them at the finish line. But hey, that's just my personal experience.

As long as he races clean, and races the clock instead of the other cars, he'll be good to go! It's all about having a good time.

porterdog

iTrader: (3)

Excellent question; subscribed.

Dave H

If he has decent control go to a practice day or two like you mention, and then go for it. Everybody was a noob when they started out.

Just explain to him to be careful following drivers into corners, the most common rookie mistake is not slowing down as well as the more experienced drivers going into the corner, usually right after getting passed. But there is only one way to get experience and learn.

Awesome father and son hobby, enjoy!

packer96

Thanks everybody for the advice. We went to Revolution Raceway in Appleton. We both had a blast and I even bought myself a Losi xxx-sct. The one thing I learned is one charger and 2 batteries are not enough to keep an overly excited 8 year happy. He still had to wait about 5-10 minutes between runs. Thanks again.

blis

Train him from a young age that after each run you take out the battery, clean and brush down the car. Check the screws are tight and wheels nut are firm. Maintenance is part of the hobby that extends the enjoyment of RC beyond performance alone and also makes for a better time with less breakage when performing.

Cant go wrong with LOSI products, good buy

racer1812

iTrader: (31)

Nice facility and very "newbie" friendly, and courteous staff.

Mercenary

Welcome to the hobby Pack...my son just turned 12, and im an old racer, so i found this an excellent excuse to jump back into the hobby.....im in the same boat, he's a totally newbie driver, so thats what practice nites at the track are for......let him gain the basics in the yard or in the street at home, once he's got the basics down head up to the track on practice nite......as far as other drivers tolerance.....it's ''practice nite''.....they'll have to deal with it....lol. honestly, ppl are mostly good sports and get it...he's young and he'll need time, soon he'll be whippin their asses.......enjoy!!!

justpoet

iTrader: (16)

A couple of my friends are trying to get their kids into it to join as father son too, and we have a few father son combos that race at my local track, NorCal Hobbies. There is a rookie/novice class specifically for the kids to learn in at NorCal, and many tracks also have that, or a Slash Spec class (though those are dying off).

As for race etiquette, yes some will get mad if you touch them. But, if you're the one getting hit, instead of the one running into them, that just means they need better control (unless you cut across the wrong way or something).

Probably the best thing to do is to take a pack or two of practice letting people by without slowing down much. This lets you be nice during a race, and then pull in behind the faster person and start to follow them to learn their lines and patterns...making you faster in the process.

Above all though, as most have said, have fun!

porterdog

iTrader: (3)

That's a gem, that is.

jose19

So true about teaching him to go over his car..

rizzo389

+1

BigDaddyC

iTrader: (5)

I started my son at 7 in the rookie class. He is 9 now. We have only had one issue with an adult racer, but that same guy alot of people have had issues with. He got really mad and packed up because my son bumped him in a corner. I say let your son start. We had a rough start with breaking parts, but after a year of racing, once or twice a month, my son has settled in and is starting to put it together. Our local track, on slow nights, have made a class where it is just him and I, which is alot of fun. Just make sure to bring a milk crate or something for your son to stand on, on the drivers stand.

packer96

We ran our first race on Sunday and had a blast. We made some rookie mistakes like using reverse and grabbing the wrong transponder but everyone there was quick to help us. My son ran the stock slash class. He stared the main in 6th any quickly took the lead. Then he got excited, crashed and finished 5th. I ran the stock short course with my xxx-sct and my motor blew on the way to the starting line for the first heat. I immediately had multiple people ask me if I wanted to borrow their spare trucks. I replaced the motor after the 2nd heat and finished 4th in the main.
All I can say is WOW! So far my experiences at the track have all been outstanding. The poeple are so eager to help and answer any questions. Its people like this that make me and my son want to keep racing and help out future newbies.
Thanks to everyone for your replies and support.