SteveB

I wish that someone would do a novice thing in my area. I'm fairly new to this hobby and am almost ready to have an I Quit sale in the For Sale section. Most of the people at my LHS are seasoned drivers and while some are willing to offer advice, the advice often means nothing to me since I still don't understand most of the lingo.
Last time I was at the track I couldn't keep my car off the boards no matter how slow I tried to drive. Some things that you guys know simply don't always work for newbies. Give us some help but it would also help to explain the why and how. What may be common knowledge to an advance driver may be way over the head of a novice.
I really don't mean for this to come across as being negative. driving these cars at speed isn't a real easy thing to learn, well apparently for me anyway. To spend as much money as one has to to get into this hobby and then not have fun when you go is very frustating.

T6Y5

Hey SteveB.. I see you live in Atlanta.. I live in Marietta.. so I assume you go to TFB Raceway in Kennesaw?

Hyper1

I've been running oval for about 13 years now,and I remember the early years like they were yesterday,if it hadn't been for a mentor I wouldn't have stayed in the hobby for long.The funny thing is he's still mentoring me to this day,it's just that I call him a good friend now, not a mentor.Like was said earlier,be patient and it will come with a LOT and I mean a LOT of practice.

Big Daddy Boomer

iTrader: (2)

This is a great idea! I did this with my daughter and let her run it until the wheels just about fell off. It is fairly inexpensive and the beginner gets use to what it take to stay off the boards. If they like it then they can move up and get a larger car. If they dont like it then they get out of the hobby without spending a boatload of $$$

Chances are they will get hooked and have fun with it.

My problem is now my daughter wants to try my 1/8 scale

SoCalLosiRacer

The best advice I can offer is go slow until you feel completely comfortable, do your research, and ask other racers if you have a question (just don't ask when they look busy). I'm sure most guys would be more than happy to help.
Read as much as you can online. RC Tech is a great resource.
Don't give up, and try to have some kind of practice and mainenance routine. Before you know it, you'll feel much more natural at the track.