tc3team

Thanks Paulie, the more input that comes along.... the more it becomes an understanding to some! And others like you, agreeing

Next time you blow a hub on turn 1, just laugh with it... That's my philosophy.... You gotta be philosophical about racing even if that lap record attempt turns to dust

Or let it bite you in the ass... Thats why the chequered flag is black or white... its all or nothing (but don't tell the serious guy next to you on the rostrum that )

timmay70

iTrader: (5)

All y'alls across the pond have some serious problems if you have a hostile pit atmosphere. Not that it doesn't exist here stateside... I have seen it first hand. In an economy like the world has now, RC racing cannot afford people that have a clique or exclusive group... This is when racers have to band together and help one another out. A strong supportive core group of racers will only serve to promote the hobby better to those that are on the fringe wondering if it is for them..

tc3team

Well said

Speaking as one guy, I don't know how much of a situation it is as a whole in the UK, but obviously I can relay my experiences to help others, and maybe myself in the process

I am happy to see where racing takes me in general anyway though now this has happened, as i've previously said.

I know racing is for me, it has been for 13 years. That wont change, but the people I race with... Well, I will happily change that if I can for the better guys, if needs must feed my racing.

Can't let a few idiots spoil the broth....

Fred_B

iTrader: (1)

Not all of the classes are suffering from new technology.

I raced Sunday with the same Orion LiPo and Novak 13.5 that I ran last season. Any time you can run a pack and motor for over a year and do well that's helping more than it's hurting.

Beginners can buy really good radios and chargers today at very good prices and some of the time they're actually cheaper than what we had back in the day when you look at the features. An Orion 3200 LiPo is about $70 and you can use one pack for the entire day if you need to. LiPo chargers can be fairly inexpensive as well.

It's the cars and number of tires that we're using that have changed in onroad. My first Yokomo YR4 cost a couple hundred dollars and didn't need many hop-ups to work in mod. We ran some crappy treaded rubber tire for a month of racing and still practiced with them. Today, cars can cost around$500 or more and need a ton of hop-ups or spares. Sedan foams (hell, even 12th) can last for one to two weeks for most of us running compeditively. Some races are one run tires because they come apart during the 2nd run. Lame...

Dirt has some tire issues, but the kits are very reasonable and you won't find a $10 castor block any time soon for a B4. My first RC10 CE (team kit) cost about $175 or so back in the day and a current B4 team kit costs about the same maybe even a little less. That's a big price difference compared to sedan for most people.

tc3team

Nice story there Fred, keep it up

joe of loath

iTrader: (1)

i can say, at my track i see very few newcomers. i can count maybe 2 or three since i first went racing in december.

there was one kid (about the same age as me) who was so slow even i could beat him, and i was hoping there would be someone to give him some advice. if i had a bit more experience i would have. but no, no one did. see, i was lucky, in that i emailed the club first and one of the members gave me a little bit of advice over email. that kid didn't come back again.

last time i was up at the track i saw two. one was a middle aged guy with a nitro 4 tec, but he left halfway through. not sure why.

finally there was another middle aged guy with his TC. i was slightly faster than him, but i was driving with a chassis that literally twisted through 30 degrees when i accelerated, and it was incredibly hard to stay on track. all that damn grass pollen didn't help either, and it stuck to your tyres if you left the track. this guy seemed to be doing ok, so i guess he's going to be more regular.

see, from 4 new racers in 5 months, only two have stuck with it. and i'm feeling the financial strain. i was hoping to be able to just about compete with my el-cheapo chassis and motley collection of scavenged, home made, repaired, 2nd hand and sport parts. not really. actually, the chassis is the weak link. but a new one is going to put a strain on my pocket. considering no one wants someone pre-GCSE for a job. they all want you to have finished your exams. great. 18 months...

so, i'm going to request a spec class. draft specs;


chassis: HPI E10 (RTR ~£75)
electronics: stock (radio upgrades allowed)
motor: ansmann clash 21t (£5)
batteries: any 2400-4500mah sport pack, stick or side/side (up to £25 i guess)
wheels/tyres: stock
body: stock (skyline, murcielago (i think) and mustang GTR) or other HPI body.
gearing: anything allowed by stock (20-35t pinion, 65t spur)
misc: ballraces allowed (£14), metal driveshaft allowed (one in the works by HPI) (i used some 5mm steel bar i nicked from school. it's for educational purposes isn't it?) any chassis modifications provided they're home made.

what do you think? a racer for less than £150? easily affordable, cheaper than an Xbox, and promotes making your own stuffs (chassis modifications )

tc3team

I like your ideas Joe, they sound like a good entry level point for the beginner. A diet budget and just minimal upgrades allowed

However- the chosen chassis may not be ideal for the newcomer, also as with any spec class, although this is to attract new blood, most of them already have a car before they have seen the club.....

And usually it doesn't comply to the spec rules a given club chooses to go along with The "bricks and cement" of the situation is that the club can't always catch the newcomer before their car purchase unfortunately.

I have been part of a discussion on a forum about newcomer classes and what kit should be allowed, various options were considered, (the ta05 being one of them, no carbon fibre chassis/"hot-ups" on any car being another), but in the end it was a no brainer.

The fact is, the "new rules" to the newcomer would have to be regulated- which is a daunting thing for a newcomer to go though, (early into your racing and told your car is not race eligable... thats harsh) as well as a time consuming process the club officials have to partake in.

It's good that this topic has people thinking and talking though

~McSmooth~

Hey...you promised not to tell.

Jerk-head!

tc3team

All im saying is some clubs won't survive, or expand because of how the club is run and the ideas people think will make the club work, or the attitude of (usually a small minority of) the racers within it.

Some clubs will "get by" because they do not have many overheads of running the club... so they can keep it going.

I have also seen how "clicky" you have to be with a clubs rep's to be "in with the crowd"... if you're not part of the crowd you're not welcome at the club, but the newcomers are welcome because they are an "easy target" to beat.

Once the newcomers/inexperienced leave... it just leaves the experienced racers to battle it out. No new blood, and if there is they are beaten hands down by 5 or 10 laps

cherokee

iTrader: (1)

Back when I started racing there where two on road sized cars 1/12 pan and 1/10 pan, those had two classes, stock and mod. Batts where 1400's. Thats it.

Now with 2 different types of batts, stock and mod brushed motors, two different kinds of brushless motors, sensor, sensorless, then chargers lipo ballancers.....the list goes on. Yes it is hurting itself, that is why when/if I start racing again it will be in a mini with pretty strict rules, no 5000 lipo batts and so forth.

People still like cars, like racing but money is tight and clubs need an cost effective class, even more cost effective then trans am. Basic cars, basic radios, basic motors. Everything will last longer, parts will not get broken as fast and as long as the racing is close everyone will have a good time.

tc3team

I honestly think that some people have got to a point where they are too self centered and blinkered to actually look around them and see touring cars dying a slow death in some areas...

The hardcore racer will live on, but slowly there will become a time where its not for them and/or other factors will usually make them throw the towel in.

Gas prices continue to rise... and our "little cars" will see us spending more too on keeping up with the field LOL.

The technology has made things easier in some aspects to look after the car as a whole and even sometimes more cost efficient in the long term, but the high initial cost will always deter a lot more people than if it was in a cheaper playing field.

Things are happening too quickly in TC, ever changing lipo and brushless ranges, and 5 or 6 cell configurations.... Far too quickly. Survival of the fittest springs to mind....

Fewer racers in each class and easier victory? Or just the elite staying in the game?.... Time tells a good story

Syber Serulean

iTrader: (28)

everybody keeps talking about how TC is dying, and although i noticed a near dead TC scene in San Antonio, Texas, my brother and cousin helped turn a 3 car class into a 9 or 10 car class, though nitro onroad (and offroad) is huge out there. Still not a spectacular improvement, but i see where you're coming from...

but i guess the "TC die out" was avoided here in SoCal because its still king for us. Nitro onroad? Get out lol. Maybe one or two heats at local club races, the other 15 heats are electric.

tc3team

Every area has its own story to tell I guess, your's is a good story SS

Syber Serulean

iTrader: (28)

yeah we dodged that pesky TC die out....


but not that mortgage crisis! lol

tc3team

It's not looking too rosy this side of the pond either, at this rate my son will inherit a garden shed if he's lucky... Still, I guess he's gotta keep his dad's r/c stuff somewhere,right?