jakethedriver

I went in my first "big" competition recently. I'm a newbie with only part of a season under my belt. My best laps at the track are a couple behind the fastest guy, who always wins, and usually by a couple of laps over the rest. Best case scenario I'm a bottom quarter of the pack runner at this point in my skilz and experience. I try my best not to mess him up and give him and anyone else faster an opportunity to pass. In six rounds of qualifying I never managed to get in my usual best times. I got hit so many times by impatient drivers that I was always being marshalled or running on chunked tires. They'd overshoot the first turn, crash, be marshalled, then run me off the road trying to get back to where they think they belong after they are a lap down. For the final race I qualified next to last out of a small field. During that race I was battered and hammered by cars jumping the rails, pushing me into oncoming lanes, basically trashing my car. It seems to me that if you are not the leader, no one gives a shit what others do to you on the track. Everyone thinks they are the fastest and they just need to drive right through the pack to prove it. Desparate drivers overdriving their abilities predominate and create a negative environment. I spent a lot of money, days of time, travelled a good distance to have a lousy time. I have no problem with running last if everyone is faster than me, but not being able to run one clean race becasuse others can't take one second to find the right time to pass means there's no point even running unless I want to throw away a $400 car and waste $100 worth of entry fee and tires to have a lousy time. To be honest, I'm considering not even returning to the competitive part of the hobby. There's no room for beginners when guys that have been at this for years can't show some cooth and allow for a fair run on the track. You'd be pretty desparate to spend $2000 to buy all the stuff you need to run competitively to face that kind of senario. Are there no gentlemen at the track?

smojoe

iTrader: (2)

yeah. they drive 12th scale

protc3

iTrader: (13)

unfortunately buddy this happens alot.the track owner needs to setup a beginner class in order to keep the different skill levels together.it is not fun being lapped and constantly yelled at to get out of the way.we all pay for entry fees and it sucks if your not given a chance to win or do well.if i were you i would talk to your track owner and see if he could seperate the class and if it is a beginner class you are running,see if he can enforce some rules to move the real fast guys into a higher ranked class.alot of guys get caught up in the competition and dont realize that they are killing it for the slower guys when they get bullied on the track.the new guys and future new guys are the future of the hobby.they need to get the respect they deserve and a class they can race in with a hope and chance of winning.it kinda takes the fun out of it if you go into a race without a chance of winning or being in contention.we all want to win.you need to be with a group of guys that you will have a shot at it.it would be like playing lotto if they were never gonna pick a winner.what the hell is the point.

dogenia

Jake I totally feel your pain man.

However, giving up after all that investment is a shame. I'd hang in there and keep trying to hang with the bunch. There's only one way to gain respect and thats to actually race. If you don't race, then complaining is not an option.

Now about rookie drivers on the track, while I personally take my time to sit behind them and wait for a chance to go bye, usually people just wanna run over them or push em aside. Of course this is not beneficial to the image that the person takes home from the race.

Not all racers are jerks bud, hang in there and just show em what yr made of. Pretty soon after you start raking in them trophies everybody will be pulling aside to let you bye.

Oh and there are penalties where I run.

Don

or8ital

iTrader: (38)

Sounds like it wasnt a large amount of racers. Where I raced this weekend there were 3 heats of TC and the track did a very good job of grouping the qualifiers based on past performance. As frustrating as it is for you it is equally frustrating for a fast racer to get caught up with a beginning racer (sometimes you come up so fast on people you dont know they are there until it is too late). Im a middle of the pack racer so I experience it on both sides. I would just remember that I dont think anyone (for the most part) is intentionally trying to hurt your car (because undoubtly their car is hurt as well). If you keep your line (and go wide on a turn every once in a while for them to pass) and people keep taking you out then just talk to the race director about it and see what they can do.

jakethedriver

U know, I've got no problem with being the young guy at the track and not winning. I have to pay my dues. But I notice where are the other guys just starting out? There arent' any? I've seen a couple come and go this winter and its just me left, so I'm thrown to the dogs. Lord help anyne else who want to join us. My parents think I'm crazie to spend so much time and money on this, and now I'm really discourage. Thinking I'm better off playing hockey and if some guy gives me a cheap shot I'll let him have it back. Ever seen a fight at an RC tourney?

civiceg

where do you race at?

Anthony.L

iTrader: (41)

A couple ideas. One find a track and/or class that has more participation. Sounds like there is a huge gap in lap times in the same heat of racing. That's never going to make for good racing/learning for all drivers fast and slow.

Next it's the race director's duty to call these types of racing on the track and penalize if needed for overly aggressive driving.

Stick in there, your skills will come with time. Nobody stepped in day 1 and was Masami, not even Masami himself.

muahdib4

It is frustrating. If it persists and the track director won't or can't help...then buy a Traxxas 4-tec and start taking folks out....just kidding...then you're no better then they are. This is a problem with racing. No beginner classes or few options. You have guys who could be racing 19T, 4300, or Mod who insist on staying in the Stock ranks so that they can rack up wins at the cost of new racers. If a guy is beating the field by 2-3 laps and wins EVERY week...time for that guy to move up. He may cry about the money he'll have to spend on tires or having to buy new motors but what about what the new guys just spent to get started...they don't care. Eventually these kind of people will drive the rest of us out of the hobby and be left with no place to race once the tracks close down due to lack of attendence. In the end...it hurts everybody.

sliprip

Sounds like a typical foam tire race

jakethedriver

I never really thought of it that way. He's a hell of a nice guy, and doesn't cause the trouble. Is everyone falling all over themselves to try to beat him? And he does run several classes.

dogenia

Well yes yr starting to sound like a wrestling superstar there Jake, easy tiger violence wont get you anywhere.

Now back to the racing, hmmmmmmmmmmm race direction needs to toughen up I think. Try talking to them, see if that resolves anything.

Any chance you can get some quality time on the track without all those raving maniacs foaming at the mouth? Like I said before, you need to practice and you gots to pay yr dues brotha. Learn the lines, makes you faster. Only way to get better at racing though is to race. Nothing like a lil side by side action. Hang in there, in a bout a month you'll be writing here about that rookie you just ran over.

I remember that first time I scooped a car on the straightaway when my car hit the second speed, ah yes fond memories... Of course after that I got all the respect I needed. I mean not to get anything in your head or anything......

Don

Anthony.L

iTrader: (41)

Wow someone got rubbed the wrong way and is a little bitter now.

That is a horrible generalization. Not every carpet race is like that.

or8ital

iTrader: (38)

There is some truth to it. Carpet tracks are generally smaller so there are more opportunities for a beginner to get tied up with the fast racers due to the smaller lanes and more laps.

RJ5

which one isn't?