FroBoy

iTrader: (7)

At the HobbyTown USA Hobbyplex in Omaha, NE, I run all my offroad electric qualifiers and mains for 6 minutes. I've had no complaints. We could probably go even longer, but we have nine classes and 60 or so entries, so the day would get pretty long. I think it's help to spark interest in electric. We also have a great beginner class, so the parents race nitro, and bring the kids to race electric.

We also run our brushless touring car mains by laps...first to 30 laps wins. It usually ends up being six and a half minutes.

www.hobbyplexraceway.com

MXer92

Its alright in Vegas considering only 1 electric track. I think it will get way more popular when it goes lipo brushless. When the electric guys can run gas long mains I think it will be dialed again.

Scrubb

I don't think lipo and longer mains is going to really help electric racing too too much. We could have had quick change battery systems in our cars all this time if longer mains is the only missing piece to popularity. Nitro is just what is popular right now, it will change again. At least 1/3 (if not more) of the nitro racers I talk to would rather run electric, but the turn out is low, so they race in the popular nitro classes.

WYLDTHING

iTrader: (159)

Here in Iowa/Missouri, it seems to sway back and forth quite a bit. During the summer months, most everyone is running nitro, with the exception of a few. Then, during the winter when it's colder than a well-diggers chicken, everyone moves indoors and races electric.
The funny thing is.....by the time spring is about here, most people are talking about how they can't wait to get outside and run nitro, and then once the summer is about over, the same people are talking about how they can't wait to get inside and run some electric...lol. Myself included!!!!!
I guess this way it keeps things moving along and everyone happy....at least for a little while(about a season)....

Manning

iTrader: (3)

6 minute heats and mains for both off and on road in Enid, Oklahoma... Very fun.

http://www.enidrcracing.com/

Supposed to have 5 min heats and 6 min mains this weekend in off road here in Arkansas....

4 minute electric races are so '90's.....

Hawk6

iTrader: (52)

Run electrics in the nitro classes, even if you're the only one and can't finish the mains. Other racers will see how easy and hassle free electric is, and eventually more people will run electric. My electric stock motor stadium truck is as fast as the nitro stadium trucks, it just doesn't SOUND as fact (baecause you can't hear it). And I'm only running a stock motor with 3300 and 3700 packs. Brushless will definitely help. LiPo will help, but may be a year or two off.

jbrow1

iTrader: (28)

Wyldthing, that is too funny. I find myself saying the same things every year. The beginning of summer I'm all geeked about running nitro. Towards the end of summer I start racing more electric and am looking forward to indoor 1/12 scale. I like having both nitro and electric so I can change it up every now and then. Electric truly is less hassle than nitro, even more so now that I've went with brushless for offroad. But I love the noise, the tracks we run em on, and working on the nitro engines so I will always be a gasshole. But I will also always have an electric for the times I want to punt my noisemakers because there will always be some of those days!!

nichocgn

iTrader: (2)

It is only dead because people want to make it that way. I run nitro because it is more popular. Well people should run both if they have them. Once you get about 7 to 8 people in the class it takes off. They are different driving styles and people will always find them fun if they like RC.

Biggest problem with electric seems to be getting new people to try it. They come to the track and see the nitro's do monster jumps and flip 1,000 times downt the straight then they rinse and repeat. Wrecks look cool. If you are going to start you want to do what looks cool. Then you start getting the racing itch and it changes. Wrecks aint quite so cool.

We are currently running 7 min mains. It works fine for most people. If someone complains we drop it down. All of the motors now days can make 7. You just have to adjust your gearing. For those not running 7's you need to try it. You have enough time to actualy drive through the pack and not have to force items. In stock 3300's can make it. Mod you need the the 4000+ but even 3800's normally will not dump on our track. I am not sure I want more than 7 - 10. We tried a 12 min once and the race was decided well before 12. Then it became who could not break their equipment.

Mr. Shookie

iTrader: (9)

Here is the real problem about longer races.

Once you start running that length of race your batteries change their discharge curve. If you race 5 minutes your batteries usally let out most of the power over that 5 minutes. If you start changing that curve your batteries may start to feel flat. That is why alot of the guys don't want longer mains.
I think once Lipo/Limg gets going than it will be a mute point. than you can race till the voltage drops to 6V. And with them kicking out 8000mah 7.4V packs that fit in the off road battery pack slot, there is goign to be longer races comign soon. Just need Roar and Battery manufactures to really start the push in that direction.
As I feel that Lipo is safe as NiMh as long as you have the proper charger. There is alwasys someone who will burn down there garage because of stupidity, but that shouldn't make people turn their backs on Lipo...

Let the future begin...
-SHookie <><

Revoguy

iTrader: (3)

here in kansas city electric off road racing is died too the owner had issues theres a carpet place like 26 mins away but its carpet yuck. o well i sold all my stuff and bought a revo just to have to play with and the only other indoor electric off road track is like 21/2 hours away from me that sucks.
nitro is to play with electric for me is to race

Aaron P

iTrader: (3)

That can't be right. It only take me two hours on the dot to get to Chilli from Topeka, not speeding...and you're in KC?

We run electric at our outdoor track here in Topeka. It's not a real big class, but we usually have a heat. There's nowhere to run locally during the winter though, so it's Chilli or bust! I'm not big on carpet either, but after a month or two of driving two hours one way to Chilli, the KC carpet track looks mighty good.

It's too bad that the KC indoor offroad track closed. That last year, they were averaging 50-70 each Sat. night. I'm surprised a city the size of KC can't support and indoor track. From the results on the website...it's barely supporting the outdoor track.

Nitro everything is popular right now for many reasons, but I think that the sound, and the smell of burning nitro have a lot to do with it, as well as being easier to drive. As far as low electric turnouts all over the country, I don't know that the length of heats or mains has a lot to do with it. Outdoor tracks have much less overhead to them. More outdoor tracks equal more people running nitro. Outdoor tracks that get well used, also get highly blown out, and that makes it tough on the electric cars and deters some people from running electric. Indoor tracks, which are usually the preferred venue for any electric racing, generally aren't money makers, and are often lucky to break even, and in the summer, when people don't want to be inside after being cooped up all winter, it's even tougher to pay the bills. With no good place to run electric, some people jump over to nitro.

I hope that emerging motor and battery technology can somewhat revive the country's interest in running electric, but I'm not holding my breath.

nitro man

"nitro is to play with electric for me is to race" revo guy you say that because you can't handle the speed add power of nitro electric is like driving a pink car nitro is the only way plus i do believe your revo got ran over by a 4 year old that was driving another revo , oh yeah that was my boy that ran you over

Speedracer19

iTrader: (2)

"WOW"

Revoguy

iTrader: (3)

WheelNut

iTrader: (5)

That must have been the best post I've ever seen on this board! Gosh darn kids wasting RCtech's bandwidth.