Charlie O

I went to so cal raceway this weekend for some offroad racing. I learned they now use transponders for offroad (great) till I learned they jacked the price up to $12.00 per class + $3.00 to (rent a transponder per class) ! this is the first i have heard of renting a transponder, it is supposed to be part of the entry!. $15.00 per entry. no thanks! ill go race onroad parkinglots where the entry is $7-10 and you get to use a free transponder! and kids race free also!.

Gped0124

Dude, every track I've been to has a 15 or more entry fee. They probably use the 3 dollar trans so people that own one can get a break, since they already spent 70 on a transponder. Get over it...

amusicwiz

I was also at So Cal this weekend. Didn't race. Was just watching this time. I see no problem with their fee structure. To support a facility of this quality is the responsibility of the racer. Many tracks are starting to charge a fee (or at least a deposit) for use of personal transponders. Transponders that disappear are very costly.

I see So Cal as a super facility and hope it prospers long!

Bob

KINGZJ

iTrader: (4)

every track I race at is $15. Buy a transponder you will need one sooner or later anyways and then take advantage of the $12 fee cause that is cheap as hell.

vanguard

12 bucks to race seems reasonable. but renting transponders sounds silly. if you pay extra can you get the "good" spot on the drivers stand. next they will lock the bathroom door and charge rent for the key. tracks charge what they charge nothing can be done about that, but your doing the right thing, you don't like it so your taking your business (money) elsewhere thats all you/we can do. starting a thread complaining about it doesn't solve your problem, maybe a better thread would have been, "track prices" so you can compare what everyone else is paying around the country.

Gped0124

Your just ungrateful. A majority of tracks I've been to don't even have transponders period, for a good reason, because everytime someone walks away with one of theirs, it is very costly...

fraz

You really need to reevaluate whether or not racing is for you. If you are worried about $3 then you need to take up another sport. The $3 is "optional" for those who don't own transponders and you should just cough up the money now and buy a personal transponder because 99% of track are using them around the world. There are nothing but benefits here. You benefit by owning a PT because you don't have to scurry to pickup/drop off house transponders and you don't have to worry about somebody lagging and not bringing it back. The other benefit is to the shop/track because house transponders DO walk away sometimes and they are $100 a piece now. Would you like to have to eat that cost?[rhetorical]

Bubblestc3

Hey Charlie, they have had the transponder rental fee for some time now, this is not a new thing at SoCal, next time when you sign up, pick up the clip board and look at what it says on the counter...

From(some date in october) on, we will be using personal transponders for the racing, and yadda yadda yadda. They might have taken out that large pink piece of paper, but it has been there for some time before that.

Parking lots have an advantage...
They don't have to pay for rent, or power, or stock a hobby shop. But SoCal does...

As I have heard from friends and such, they are charged between $15 and $20 to race, in parking lots!!! So I guess it is a privlage to race indoors with power and a hobby shop...

You make the choice

speedydave

Here, it's $15 for the first entry, $10 for second, third is free. $12 is hardly unreasonable. The track I race at is starting to require personal transponders for regulars(basically, non out-of-towners, and novices don't need PT's). They still have their normal transponders, but they really appreciate the fact that a lot of people are using PT's now. It helps speed up the races(don't need to find the people that forget to bring transponders back), and it helps cut down on/eliminate people accidentally taking transponders home. That issue was so bad at one point, that when you sign up for a race, you were required to give your phone number so they could call you if you did take it home, so they could get it back, because transponders are very expensive. If the extra $5-8 is "too much" for you, maybe this is the wrong hobby for you. And if it's not, I guess you don't believe in "support your hobby shop."

vanguard

gped.... without checking your profile i'm gonna guess your about 10 or 12 years old, its obvious you can read, but you don't yet have the ability to understand what your reading. there was nothing ungrateful about what i posted. if you need me to i can go over it line by line with you. just let me know. but heres an example to help you understand how grown ups think. i want to buy i new car, i want a viper, i can't afford a viper, (now the big question, because i can't afford a viper does that mean chysler sucks, or i don't make enough money) it means i don't make enough money, so i will make the choice to take my business (money) elsewhere. besides geo's aren't really that bad a car.

rod_b

$15 is basically the going rate. I guess there would be a lot less fuss if they had just charged $15 straight and not even mentioned that $3 was going to the rental of the transponder. Then you wouldn't have even known and wouldn't have even cared.

Ususally, a race fee covers the cost of maintenance to the track, any equipment (like transponders) and/or facilities. Transponders are not cheap and considering the fact that they get lost, stolen or even busted up during a race warrants the $3 anytime. I've raced at places that do manual scoring and most racers that have never had to deal with that agony don't realize what a benefit it is to have transponders. I'm guessing that if anyone in general is racing at SoCal that they've spent a small fortune in their equipment. Fork out the $3 for a transponder. Either that or save $3 a race and spend up to $70 for a personal transponder.

rod_b

In addition to this, whether you get a Viper or Geo, you have to pay registration. You don't want to but you have to for the privelege of driving on paved roads, having working street lights, fixing pot holes, etc. My point is when you own a car and want to drive it, there is a cost involved. When you want to race at SoCal and don't own your own transponder, there is a cost involved.

Roger

iTrader: (10)

you should be happy enough that they have a track in that area to race. there are alot of people that don't have that luxery to go out and attend an organized race.

Peter Busch

That is so true. Having a full service track is something too many people take for granted. A few extra bucks per entry may be the difference between staying open or locking the doors. Our track only charges $10.00 per entry which I think is a bargain and would have no problem paying more.

If its that bad, open up your own track.

TambokGT

Charlie O,
This hobby is expensive....if you race...it will get more expensive.

If you can't afford to race......you have all the freedom to just practice and bash.