EbbTide

iTrader: (39)

One thing I really like about our local track is that they started doing Rookie Bootcamps every tuesday to teach the new kids and adults how to behave at the track as well as how to make setup changes, tires choices etc. From the race videos I've seen, it's helped clean up the rookie and sportsman races quite a bit. You get less clueless marshalls on track this way lol

Jason B

iTrader: (13)

THIS! Or watching a 6 year drive an R/C for the first time... oh look, dad just handed junior a Losi 8IGHT-E with 2200kv and 8000mah pack! Maybe dad turned the throttle endpoint down. Nope, he's too busy with his own new toy, and now we have a new hole in that cinder block wall over there.

True story.

bubbaslash

iTrader: (1)

Yep. Start em off with something they can control.

anthonyscardina

iTrader: (12)

Rookie boot camp sounds like an awesome idea (I'd like to attend a class on setup myself!)

Had some people at the local track last weekend that would walk on the track without looking to see if cars were coming, and got hit several times (luckily only 1/10) and would just stand in the middle of the lane watching cars go around the track. One guy had a 4wd SC and would hammer the throttle to clear one table top, and usually land in the straightaway instead. We've all been at that point in the hobby, and would have appreciated the know how from those more experienced.

Jason B

iTrader: (13)

If you race long enough, it's only a matter of time before you have your 2WD buggy "marshaled" (spiked) by an overzealous 8 year old

JoeW

iTrader: (6)

Down here it's the 1/8 Truggies and Nitro Truggies that you take your life in your own hands if you marshall. Just downright nuts.

slodsm

iTrader: (33)

Those aren't bad here, most of the guys that run 1/8 have enough experience to either be fast and not wreck or at least be smooth and not wreck. Same with 1/10 scale. I've sat an entire 10th scale buggy heat on my bucket and never flipped a car. 4wd 10th scale is coming back pretty good lately and it's similar, a few more wrecks but for the most part good racing.

Oh well, eventually they'll all tire of crappy sounding death machines and sell them on ebay and get real race cars and learn to drive

bubbaslash

iTrader: (1)

Haven't had the funds for messing with real cars since the kids were born. RC racing gives me an outlet for my creativity in building and tuning stuff. Toy cars help fill a gap for me.

lowspark

iTrader: (7)

Short Course is alive and well in Dallas !!!

Friday night racing is a blast. We have a good core of racers that race well together. Yes there are always new comers that need to learn race etiquette, after a couple of Fridays and a little guidance they are racing clean.
And yes, a little rub and bump with your buddy... Hey... Weekly bragging rights are on the line... sometimes you just gotta take that inside line.... heheheh

bubbaslash

iTrader: (1)

Ya, a little rubbing is OK between friends as long as nobody's getting taken out. As far as newcomers go, all the tracks around here have a novice class so they can get their feet wet before venturing into the SCT and buggy classes. Seems like most of the noobs go straight into e-buggies or 4wd SCT once they get a feel for racing. Most of the 17.5 SCT and 2wd Mod SCT drivers tend to be older and more experienced. Same goes for Stadium Truck and 1/10 buggy.

olds45512

iTrader: (5)

SC is still pretty popular in western PA but not as much as a few years ago, there was a time when having 3-4 heats of sc wasn't uncommon. I remember when the sc10 came out and just about every body at the track had one and it was a fun class to race since you could rub a little, the laughter on the driver's stand faded away after about 2 months and the class became the most competitive one at the track.

mvrk28

iTrader: (2)

At the end of the day the whole point of the hobby is about having fun, at the end of the day these are toy cars.

Racers should be happy that there are SC guys still running and generating some revenue to help keep their local track open. I'm sure every bit helps.

billdelong

iTrader: (33)

This elitist attitude is a shame, no different than the fools who claim nitro is better than electric... the reality is that we are grown men playing with toy cars... there is no way you can justify that one class is any "better" than another, they each present different challenges to overcome and it does nobody any good if you have to rationalize some lame excuse that you can't handle the challenges presented from a class that might not be for you if you are not skilled enough to face those challenges. My 4WD SC lap times are roughly 4% slower than my eBug (hardly an elephant), but I will say that the plethora of challenges presented by 4WD SC make it my most favorite class to run. Perhaps one can argue that 4% slower = 4% more fun to drive than eBug

2 ways to look at this, and while this statement is fairly accurate, I see more drivers who appreciate the aspect of "rubbing is racing"... it takes a more experienced racer to navigate around the field cleanly and know when to time their passing right. Not saying I'm the best 4WD SC driver ( I do okay), but running this class has definitely sharpened my skills for the open wheel classes. Plus this kinda levels the field a bit as there have been times where I've won a race or two against more experienced drivers who got tangled with lap traffic and I was able to break free.


100% agree with this... I can only wonder if I can make up that extra 4% slowness if I was running heavier 4S electronics... ROAR has it all wrong... should be 2S limit for 2WD and 4S limit for 4WD and then I believe that 4WD SC will become far more popular.

Amen brotha!

Here in Austin (Thornhill Racing Circuit) both the 2WD Spec Slash class and 4WD Mod SC classes will often see a B or C main on the 1/10 track. Depending on the track layout, we will sometimes get a full class of 9-10 drivers on the 1/8 track if they don't get too crazy with the big air. Joey "The Dirt" Christensen did a really good job for this weekend's ProLine Lonestar Challenge and made the 1/8 track very technical and will likely be perfect for the 4WD SC class, he even added a "Joker Lane" into the mix... which will more than likely draw in more new blood into the 4WD SC class

Jason B

iTrader: (13)

Nowhere did I say anything was "better" than anything else, nor was what I said "elitist"; My statements were simply observations of reality, and clearly I'm hardly alone in those observations.

Fact: SC is easier to drive than anything else.

Fact: The fact that it's easier makes it a GREAT beginner's glass (one that my own son continues to drive, and I drove for quite some time simply because I enjoyed it - I guess you missed that part). Hell, I literally just got done selling a brand new SCT 3.0 to someone here only because there's not enough racer support for the class at my track, the reality of which was the motivation behind much of what I posted

Fact: A class loaded up with beginners/novices is going to have a much higher degree of randomness and chaos than other classes.

Fact: Many people jump the SC ship once they gain a certain level of competency and get a taste for something quicker, more nimble, and more challenging. Racer said it best: To be on point with the thread topic, that's where your SC drivers have gone..Stock 2wd and 13.5 4wd buggy..

Fact (or maybe a corollary to the previous fact ): As racers get better, they tend to prefer cleaner racing.

You might not like the reality of it, or even like to hear the reality of it all spelled out with words like novice, competency, cleaner racing, but that doesn't make any of it untrue or offensive... unless one is looking to be offended.

symmetricon

iTrader: (27)

Yeah, I didn't take that as being elitist. Some people like driving big trucks, some people like driving German cars. One is not better than the other yet they both work better in specific conditions.