DavidAlford

iTrader: (32)

The problem with regionals is our director doesn't care about electric racing or care to try and get tracks involved in Roar. A bunch of us emailed about regionals and he said "I asked for bids but none were sent". Then I asked what he was doing to get tracks interested in Roar and telling them why they should want to hold a regional. I'm still waiting on that email to be returned. But I figured after two weeks it isn't coming.

Mason

once cars come with adjustments-o-plenty then people start getting disinterested. the guys who can setup a car do so and start wiping the guys who cant set up a car off the track. laziness ends up being the problem. most dont want to learn. This is why r/c has been a geek haven for the most part. then you try to design a scale to have limited settings such as 18th, which reminds you of 12th. not much to it but when things get competitive if you aren't on the mark, you are way off.

we had this issue with the mini coopers. it was a spec class. silver can, 3000mah stick packs. the only thing you had control over was speed control and using bearings. didnt take long for somebody to glue the tires (as most werent at the time), slap a lil grease in the diffs and some really heavy stuff on the shock shafts and drive-a-way.. then there was always the one guy who had to cheat (illegal tires, souped up hop up parts and motor) yet it still wouldn't help him. basically the point is we end up being our own enemy.

it is up to the racers to decide how to have their fun. get a couple of cars and cycle them between weekends.

the best way to grow the sport is talk the lhs customers into coming out on a practice night and give it a go. if they decide to come out on race day to watch or to race, great. keep the novice class heat sizes relative to the track size and type. for some reason the novice have magnets in their cars that attract to each other and once they start tangling it usually gets worse from there lol. ah memories.

keep the regulars from getting bored, toss a couple bucks on the race to anyone who can beat the tq or whatever. get the new guys interested by keeping it simple.

Phroz

iTrader: (1)

I think we need more open classes. In another thread some one poked fun at the "run-what-cha-bring, back water, we dont need no stinkin rules" clubs. Well in my area this is the only race club that is still going strong. Reason? we all turn up to have fun. no one counts laps.. no one enforces rules.. we have 2 classes, stocks and mods and its up to you which one you race in. At the end of the night there is a smile on every face. why? because we had fun.

This is the only way i can see to get the numbers up for clubs. A few guys have moved on to bigger better racing but they started small.. with cheap setups... having fun with friends. Thats what our hobby should be about. Competitive racing used to represent a fraction of RC'ers but now everyones trying to be top dog.

blast

iTrader: (28)

AMEN!!

Greg Sharpe

iTrader: (15)

I was reffering to Tower and Horizon, but you bring up good examples of stores who are likely to survive. It's not fair to assume that every closed track in the NYC area charged too much and offered poor services. Most had an indoor race facility which demands a premium for rent, and nearly all knew the difficulty they were going to have with our industries retail market. But alas, they didn't make it? They tried, I can vouch for them, knew some of the businesses and owners quite well.

All I am saying is that the racers money is best spent in the hobby shop at the track. Discounts are great, but not if the closest track is two states away because all the local ones closed up.

Leodis

iTrader: (16)

It's more important now than ever to support the lhs/racetrack. I buy all my kits and consumables from the lhs/racetrack and buy other stuff if the owner can make money off ordering it for me. I could probably get that stuff cheaper with a coupon from Tower, but I sleep a little better at night knowing I helped to pay the light bill that month.

xtrememadness

iTrader: (2)

i agree. i buy everything at my lhs which has been in business for 33 years. we race 18th scale offroad in the backyard every fri night. even though i race touring and 12th scale we have so much fun running those little cars in the backyard. 3.99 for both shock towers its all about fun and hangin with your friends and ENJOYING your hobby. thats exactly why i run the tamiya tcs races. pure fun, free, mini cooper and a 540 motor all day long. god i miss my hornet. my point is support your local hobby shop and get involved in making changes. i think spec classes are the best idea since sliced bread. not sure how i feel about brushless motors yet. but im all for controlled tires and handout motors and stick packs and things like that.. just my 2 cents.

Greg Sharpe

iTrader: (15)

Bingo! You don't feel like the LHS/track is ripping you off. You understand that your hard earned cash is being used to pay bills at the LHS/track. Ideally, the "extra" profit you provide the LHS/track would be saved for future renovations and upgrades. Unfortunitely, most tracks don't live long enough to require renovations. But imagine how costly a carpet re-lay would be if there was a car fire!

Turbo Joe

iTrader: (41)

I don't understand this collectivist thing...most hobby store customers will never step foot on a track. Why should they pay higher prices just to subsidize a track they'll never use?

I know that locating a track in Manhattan is going to be a dicey situation due to the exorbitant property values, but it's not like we have them on Wilshire Blvd here either...they're in the 'burbs, 30-60 miles out where land is cheaper.

Generally, the track/shop combos here can pay the rent so they don't have to charge crazy prices. For example, Rev used to have stuff at full list...then Dana sub-let the shop to a different guy. It went from a vacant half-empty ghost town with bare walls, to knocking down walls to expand and always having to wait in line...with lower prices. They don't have to beg for business or twist arms and whine. They act like any other serious business and act like they want your business. Meanwhile, Dana just runs the track...he's upped the fees and put in a bigger, better track and the crowds are huge...even maybe too big.

If the track can't pay the rent, then it needs to move to a place where it can pay the rent...period. If the racers don't support the TRACK, then the TRACK needs to address that issue.

Maybe you guys should all pitch in and do a track as a club. If you can't afford to pay the bills that way yourselves, then you shouldn't expect the rest of the customers at any given hobby shop to pay them for you.

Oh yeah...Horizon has good prices??????? Every time I've ever loked at anything, it was at full list.

Jeff Werner

iTrader: (30)

Sedans and their cost has driven many from the ranks. When I first got into sedans you could compete with kits that were under $200. The Yokomo MR4TC was like $159 with a body. TC3 team car was $199. The first sedan I paid over $200 for was the xxx-s g-plus. I was a die hard on road guy. Raced at the 2004 On Road Nats in Portland with that G+. But now I cannot spend $400 on a new kit and have it be "old" in 6 months. It is a total cost effect with on road. High kit prices, need for top end batts and motors and the tire game all add up to big $$$ and less fun factor/per cost. I am looking at getting a sedan again. Not going to be the newest but a good one and am going to try to race some again. This time I am going to do it for the fun of driving a sedan. Heck maybe I should get that old G+ out again....lol

Jeff

adamge

iTrader: (1)

This thread is an eye-opener for me. Not because it has made me realize I should support my LHS, but because it sounds like the LHS runs the race track in many areas. I did not know that. Around here, there are no tracks run/owned by the LHS. They are all (onroad asphalt, onroad carpet, offroad) run by clubs, and located wherever the club can find adequate space to rent. The LHS is used to a varying degree (frequently in offroad, less frequently in onroad), but never relied on or seen as the vital hub of racing.

It seems to work, but as I said, I don't know anything about the other system. Maybe the racers who have lost their LHS's local track should form a non-profit club. It could be my socialist heritage shining through here, but that seems like the better method to me. Of course, it requires initiative, volunteer effort, and occasionally personal investment.

Adam Glatt
president of local onroad club, www.sarcarclub.com

vtl1180ny

There is no real "Club Racing" anymore... We go give our money to the LHS to run on their track.... It's good because there's a permanent place to run and bad because when they go out of business we are screwed....

jiml

iTrader: (3)

There are no clubs in the northeast anymore because all the racers got lazy. No one wants to put in the work necessary to keep a club going.

vtl1180ny

Which is why I finally got off my lazy ass... Was getting tired of watching this hobby go the route it has been going and not being part of getting it back on track...

F. Mendoza

iTrader: (79)

Jeff Werner, I think you are very accurate with your post. I've been reading all the post and was wondering when that was going to be posted. I have two Xray T2s ('06) and around $700 spent in spare parts. I wouldn't do this again though. I can't see a newcomer spending $500 plus hard earned dollars to buy a TC just to see if he likes the racing. Kits are too expensive and only those of us that are addicted to this hobby will continue throwing money into it. I race at SoCal Raceway that is on the verge of closing in the near future. Another local racer and I will take our spare cars and radios to the track to loan out. This is just to get folks to try them out. Hopefully it will help get new blood into the hobby. We are trying to get other racers to do the same.

Take your old car to the track with that body you were going to toss. Breakdown your old race packs into 4 cell packs. Put a bigger pinion on the car to help it compensate for the 4 cell pack. The car is much easier to drive because it doesn't take off like a out of control rocket. Tire and motor wear is minimal on 4 cells plus the cars are almost undestructable. The racer pays only the race fee. You spend no time tuning because the car will be dialed in when it has less voltage going through the drivetrain. Nothing to loose, possible friendship to gain. It may help bring in new blood to the hobby. More revenue for owners may keep more facilities from going under.

We all know that the RTRs on the market are for bashing more than competitive racing. Your old car will be easier for a beginner especially when it is already setup for the track. With your help the newbie will enjoy racing under someone guidence for the night rather than trying to figure it out on his/her own. So many options make it difficult. We can all make a difference.