Originally Posted by Dasmopar

They didn't have anymore fun than they are right now. They just remember it being more fun is all. Kinda like the older we get the faster we use to be. Back then they had to show up and set up the track, spray the track, make a chalk outline on the track to mark the infeild, set up the scoring table, then set up the pit table made of mostly cardboard with a yellow steel frame work. Now they are ready for some practice. Walk up to the frequency board and see if their freq. pin is available. (We'll assume it was) Walk to the support vehicle with car in hand. Get the bump starter hooked up to the battery of the car. Start trying to hit the flywheel while its not on a compression stroke. The engine won't start now because it won't prime its self. Now you'd need to get the attention of someone to put their finger over the stinger on the muffler while they once again bump start their car since you had to hold the car with one hand and the starter with the other. At last the car is fired up and running. Now they can run and get some practice in to learn the fresh new layout for this week. Plus you needed to run in your tires you stayed up late glueing up on a set of wheels. You still have the rubbery glue on your fingers to prove it too. You know if you run them a good amount in practice they should be good for the main. Heavin forbid you chunk one!

Practice is over.

Now we are ready for the fun part. You run your car and put in the run of your life but some how your scored as being three laps off the pace because Lon brought his kid to the races and he doesn't pay much attention when scoring someone elses car. Never mind that for now because you have to go marshal now.

While walking out to marshal you notice some airplane tires cut in half are out of place so you now have to move those back into place. With your area in good order you are ready! You marshaled much the same as we do today except you didn't get to use a chair. You have to be on the ready at all times! I also seem to recall people being in a much bigger hurry for the marshals to get their car back on track and in the race than they do these days. I think it was because if the car flamed out getting it refired was a pain. Now that you have stood in the 100º f heat and marshaled while being yelled at by driver's you get to go sit at the scoring table.

You sit down and figure out which car you are scoring. Once the race starts you have to click this little clicker and write down the number on the clicker for each lap. However the race can't start because the race director who might be you this week over looked two guys are on the same freq. in the same heat. So now someone needs to change crystals in their transmiter and receiver and off course re start his car with a bump starter.

So now you have run your three rounds of qaulifing and run your mains which might have been 30 minutes in 100º F heat.and you are ready to go home. WRONG!!! Now you have to tear down the track and stack it all perfectly into the trailer. If the bottom few boards are wrong then you have to unpack the whole thing again and start from scratch. Also remember no one had a EZ up or anything like it. Even the scoring table offered you zero protection from the beaming sun.

Thats how I recall the good ole days. Thank god for 2.4 radios, personal transponders, starter boxes, EZ ups, permanent canopies, pre-mounted tires, hudy tire truers, and most of all a Permanent track!! (Oh and SHOCKS!!!) lol

Originally Posted by aarcobra

OK. Now explain why there were so many more racers, clubs, and manufacturers (U.S.) involved..........

Originally Posted by Dasmopar

How many racers are you really talking about? We have 120 people coming to the GLC next week. 120 people at a race in the 80's would have been the worlds or something. As for Clubs, property has become harder to come by. With the boom in law suits from the 80's and 90's everyone is scared to let anyone use their property for anything now. With less available sites to pick from one local club that has a permanent track draws the serious racers (the guys willing to spend 60 bucks in gas) to that track for the reasons listed above. Now the few guys left in that one club with a portable track have no one to help them set up and tear down and it becomes more work than fun. Now we have a good group of die hards gathering at the same place and racing which in turn makes everyone try harder and get faster.

As for Manufacturers we are not talking about cars from the 80's anymore. These are very sophisticated luxury cars these days. If you have a lathe and a mill in your shop your still not even close to being able to build a car that compares to the modern 1:8 scale car not to mention the cost. Back in the old days a guy like Ned could design, build and compete with his very own car because the cars where so basic so all the little guys got pushed out as the manufacturing became so sophisticated. With that said if you wanted to go 1:8 scale racing you could pick from
Xray
Mugen
Serpent
Shepherd
Motonica
Kyosho
Plus others and none of them are a bad car.

I guess my point is we are in the golden era of rc racing right this second. Look around and enjoy it because these are they days we will look back on and say man we really had it figured it then!

Originally Posted by Dasmopar

Joe don't get me wrong. I'm all for the pan car class and I hope it catches on! I think its a better option than the GT cars to get a new person's feet wet in the on-road hobby.

Originally Posted by 5italkart

just picked up my car from the post office all set for my vacation build

Originally Posted by Taylorm

hurry up..i wanna see it run Sunday so can i block you all day.........

Originally Posted by 5italkart

running or at least participating in masters this week. not many parts in the motonica box mine is a nova rossi engine heard some were picco. making the track width 6'' wider too keep matt behind

Originally Posted by Taylorm

you better make it 6 ' wide......im gunna come thru like a freight train.........,,,,,,,if my donuts stay on this week....

Originally Posted by Dasmopar

How many racers are you really talking about? We have 120 people coming to the GLC next week. 120 people at a race in the 80's would have been the worlds or something. As for Clubs, property has become harder to come by. With the boom in law suits from the 80's and 90's everyone is scared to let anyone use their property for anything now. With less available sites to pick from one local club that has a permanent track draws the serious racers (the guys willing to spend 60 bucks in gas) to that track for the reasons listed above. Now the few guys left in that one club with a portable track have no one to help them set up and tear down and it becomes more work than fun. Now we have a good group of die hards gathering at the same place and racing which in turn makes everyone try harder and get faster.

As for Manufacturers we are not talking about cars from the 80's anymore. These are very sophisticated luxury cars these days. If you have a lathe and a mill in your shop your still not even close to being able to build a car that compares to the modern 1:8 scale car not to mention the cost. Back in the old days a guy like Ned could design, build and compete with his very own car because the cars where so basic so all the little guys got pushed out as the manufacturing became so sophisticated. With that said if you wanted to go 1:8 scale racing you could pick from
Xray
Mugen
Serpent
Shepherd
Motonica
Kyosho
Plus others and none of them are a bad car.

I guess my point is we are in the golden era of rc racing right this second. Look around and enjoy it because these are they days we will look back on and say man we really had it figured it then!

Originally Posted by 5italkart

wow you said a mouthfull. i'm just hoping our simple class can stir up some new faces so we can keep the club going. too me it's more than worth the border crossing too race with you guys. my wife liked the more realistic cars in the old pics maybe we could try for more of that with the pans.

Originally Posted by romain_f

In France abaout 5 or 6 years ago, pan cars were almost extinguished... 1/10 TC were all over. But 1/10 got more complicated and costly... and now many drivers are back in 1/8th, some go to pan cars and some to 4wd.
I think that pan cars are easier for beginners than 1/10th TC. And like it was said earlier some are just here to compete while having fun! Even if they never win.
And in France like in the USA we need those kind of guys, that helps keep going the business... and helps clubs surviving!
The guy who wants to win every race and if he can't after two years of racing and quites, well too bad for him... But those guys won't help out our hobby

Originally Posted by romain_f

In France abaout 5 or 6 years ago, pan cars were almost extinguished... 1/10 TC were all over. But 1/10 got more complicated and costly... and now many drivers are back in 1/8th, some go to pan cars and some to 4wd.
I think that pan cars are easier for beginners than 1/10th TC. And like it was said earlier some are just here to compete while having fun! Even if they never win.
And in France like in the USA we need those kind of guys, that helps keep going the business... and helps clubs surviving!
The guy who wants to win every race and if he can't after two years of racing and quites, well too bad for him... But those guys won't help out our hobby