Rock'sTC3

iTrader: (5)

well you should not say this to a newbie. You just turned away a potential racer.
There are ready to run kits that can get people racing for much less. There are Mini classes that can get you on the track and competative for less than 200.00$ Granted its not the "stock touring car class" or the mod class. I try to tell people to get a Mini or something to run in a Novice class. Its still great fun, its relatively cheap compared to TC. The maintance is much less and you will learn the basics, learn some tricks and learn to drive. Once you are good at Mini/Novice and you feel like you want to move to something faster then buy a used TC of someone for 100-150$ and get a hard core racer to hook you up with some old electrics and old batterey packs. AS you move along you can get the better stuff.

I am pretty new to RC racing. Only been serious for about a month. I tried it for one race in 2003 and left because I didnt like going to the track not knowing a single person, getting my ass handed to me and not knowing what I could do to be faster. I knew I could drive but the car was all over the place spinning out left and right and pulling to the left. It was fast but really hard to drive. If some experianced racer would have come over and been like "let me help you a little" I would have probably been very happy and gone back. This time around thats basically what happened. I met a guy who was helpful and told me what to do and what not to do. Which tires to use, which batteries to buy, which charger to buy, etc etc.. This makes a huge difference. When a new guy comes to your track. Pay attention to him and help him out. The guys that are there week in and week out all know who the new guy is. Lets face it club races are fun but they really dont mean much. I mean there is no 10,000$ prize for winning so spending 10 mins helping a new guy out wont hurt you too much. Most guys I talk to say they are open to helping a newbie and lending people parts or whatever. ITs true most of them will do those things. BUT a new guy does not know that if they dont tell him. The experianced racers have to be the ones to go up to the new guy and welcome him, check out his eqiupment watch him run his practice laps and offer some advice. If you see him walk of the driver stand pissed off then you need to help him. If he walks of with a smile on his face then he is probably okay.

bxpitbull

iTrader: (6)

I dont blame you. Too many times, some people ask questions that are too dumb to answer. No one wants to be a pompous ass, but give me a break. Its obvious (to most folks anyway) that this isnt a hobby for the squeamish. If someone wants to get into this, now we are talking a person with average intelligence that is at least 16, and isnt able to research enough to get started, then chances are great, he wont be around long enough have an impact.

Rock'sTC3

iTrader: (5)

the question might seem dumb. That guy might never have even heard of RC racing. Was driving past saw the track and the racing stopped and came over. Watched for 30 mins and then decided it looked like fun and wanted to know what it might cost to get going. You tell him and grand and he is off in his car to play golf. You tell him well the beginners classes/cars you can get going for a couple hundred or more. Then point him to the hobby shop. Much more likely to see that guy racing the next time your out.

jsl6v8

iTrader: (3)

Correct me if I'm wrong but I seem to remember throughout my schooling career people telling me that there are no stupid questions. And how is it obvious that this isn't a hobby for the squeamish and isn't expensive. I mean last time I went into a toysrus back in the early 90s they had nice little RC cars for 50 bucks, why should I assume that a fancy motor and a couple little electronics and a hopped up cellphone battery and charger are going to cost me 1000 bucks? Forgive me for saying but discouraging people from asking questions is about the most asadine thing you can do, you are raping their mind.

And really it doesn't take a 1000 bucks to get into the hobby if you could get some experienced people to help out, I'm not talking about free motors or anything, when you set up the the table let him share your battery charger/discharger I am fairly certain most of you "expert" racers carry around 3 or 4 of them with you. My car(t2 with a novak GTB 5.5 system and otherwise simple electronics) cost me 300 bucks, even with the charger some replacemetn parts ect I'm no where near the 1000 mark, doubt I've hit the $600 mark.

Ed237

iTrader: (11)

I actually think fringe/fashion type vehicles like the Recoil are doing harm than good.

The manufacturers have caused this problem themselves. Every month another manufacturer attempts to create its own monopoly by bringing a specific and narrow racing class type vehicle to the market (1/14 On Road? 1/12 Truggy? 1/18 Oval?)

All these classes do is make race days even longer and more difficult to fill the mains. Instead of 30 entries into 4 A-B-C-D mains, we have 30 entries into 8 A mains.

Once that class goes out of fashion, the customer is stuck with $750 of stuff that no one wants because none of the electronics/escs/motors/wheels or tires work on anything else.

The other downside is that all the guys taking novelty vehicles to the track makes it impossible for experience racers to help them out. It's already practically an insurrmountable taks to help anyone these days because they probably are not running remotely similar equipment that you are.

But human nature prevents most new racers from getting the same vehicle or esc or motor or tires as experience racers because most beleive that they need this other brand 'Y' to beat you because you already have brand 'X'.

bxpitbull

iTrader: (6)

You dudes are taking it way too serious. No one said it costs $1000, he said he just says it with a chuckle and walks away. I agree with him to that regard. If one approaches and his only worry is cost, then the sticker shock should scare him if he isnt serious. If he or she really wants to participate, then they will inquire fully. When they discover that it doesnt cost that much, then they will make it their mission to make mince meat out of the joker. THAT builds competitiveness. And contrary to popular belief, there are stupid questions. Thats why us guys dont ask for directions when we are lost.....for fear of looking STUPID.

rcguy2477

iTrader: (4)

I think a major part of the problem is the number of sponsored drivers. In the past few years, the number of sponsored drivers has skyrocketed. What this translates to is higher costs for the person that actually pays for their racing equiptment. Not to mention this equipment is of inferior quality since the best has already been picked out by the "elite". These sponsored drivers also tend to form their group and build up a wall. You walk into a track and you see guys sponsored by company x in one corner, company y in the other, and then theres the small group of non-sponsored drivers with no conversation between the groups. Having a large quantity of sponsored drivers also means that less will be bought from the hobby shop. Back a couple years ago when I was racing full time, I got everything through my sponsor and only payed the track the entry fee.

At one time I had a friend who I brought to the track to try out racing. He had purchased around a thousand dollars worth of equiptment to prepare for it. When he got there, I was the only one who talked to him. In the races several racers yelled at him for "getting in their way". The worst part of this is that these were sponsored drivers who were doing the yelling. This scared him away from the hobby and he soon sold everything.


An opportunity to attract new racers occured to me when attending a local autox event. These people obviously have the money, time, and desire to race. Why not set up a race to run alongside the real cars?

jsl6v8

iTrader: (3)

There may not be stupid questions, but there are stupid answers. "If one approaches and his only worry is cost, then the sticker shock should scare him if he isnt serious" this is the most stupid statement I have yet to read today. You like a porche you go into the dealship he says well thats going to run you about $250,000, no they really don't, but you are going to walk away, why? A. this person is suppose to know what they are talking about, B. if they lied to you well I really don't want to do business there away, C. I have a serious question, and no doubt about it money is about as serious as it gets in america, I want a serious answer, I don't know you well enough nor you me for you to go pulling "jokes" although if its a joke I missed the punchline, and I'm pretty sure an element of a joke is it being funny. And there aren't stupid questions.

Ed237

iTrader: (11)

I agree also bxpitbull - new racers are better off knowing what the true committment is going to be up front than finding out 6 months later.

Rock'sTC3

iTrader: (5)

I disagree with you. While I see what he is saying and what you are saying I disagree. If a casual onlooker comes over and his only question is cost. Spurting out a grand approx to "see if he is serious" is a ridiculos approach. That first little interest he has you just squashed. You have no idea what he is thinking or how serious he is. Maybe his son is crazy about it and wants a RC race car for his birthday. Dad is out and sees the racing so he figures these guys will know what I should buy. Stops to ask and first question is. "So about how much does it cost to get into racing these things?" You tell him a grand and he is off to buy that PS3 his son was also talking about for 600$ plus a couple games. Tell him a beginner car and equipment prob about 2-500$. He might then ask well what should he buy for his son so that he can come race? Once you got him talking you can then tell him that eventually if he or his son want to be competative with the big guns it will probably cost over a grand to get the right equipment. BUt for now just to get into the sport and have some fun buy something cheaper and enjoy it.

jsl6v8

iTrader: (3)

THANK YOU. Well said, Bravo.

bxpitbull

iTrader: (6)

You might want to lower your tone. Anybody that walks into a Porsche dealership and asks the price obviously cant afford it regardless of what the salesman says. If someone asks me, I just say "it's expensive". I agreed with dude, get off my back. His experiences are his own and sometimes, one doesnt want to answer questions THEY deem are stupid. Now give it a rest.

Now, if someone asks and you give them a ridiculous answer, again, a person of average intelligence will usually inquire with more than one source. If he gets a court jester that says something waayyy out there and he is genuinely interested, chances are great he'll ask someone else that doest give an answer that sounds unrealistic.

jsl6v8, you must be one of those "lead me to water and provide me with the instructions on how to drink it" dudes. if I struck a chord.....get over it. This is for opinions. Please point your opinions away from me just because I agreed with someone who says he makes a comment in jest.

Unregistered

This is the exact problem with having very compeditive and sponsored drivers in your lowest class. If you take away the prestige of the "stock" class you'll see the sponsors pull out of it. In a perfect world, they would move up into 19 turn and mod.

jsl6v8

iTrader: (3)

I'm cool with where my tone is, but thanks for offering a hand. And just to bust your balls, having worked as a car salesman, everyone asks what the price is for every car, oh they have already looked online, they already know the answer, they can see the sticker price, but thats not the real price everyone knows that what you see in car magazines and whats posted online is not the price the car sells for, if you go in and pay the sticker price then you sir are in fact an idiot.

If you deem a question stupid and aren't intelligable enough to give a good answer, refer them to someone else no need to make an ass of yourself.

I'm sure making comments in jest is all good and fun when you know the other party knows what you are talking about but like I said previously someone who is just looking to get into the hobby has no reason to fully expect that its going to cost him 1000, 600 or ever 400 bucks. For the same reason that someone who knows jack about cars has just seen a car has no reason to expect that a porche would cost them 10x as much as a taurus, after all everything inside is basically the same just a little greedified.

bxpitbull

iTrader: (6)

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsl6v8

I'm cool with where my tone is, but thanks for offering a hand. And just to bust your balls, having worked as a car salesman, everyone asks what the price is for every car, oh they have already looked online, they already know the answer, they can see the sticker price, but thats not the real price everyone knows that what you see in car magazines and whats posted online is not the price the car sells for, if you go in and pay the sticker price then you sir are in fact an idiot.

If you deem a question stupid and aren't intelligable enough to give a good answer, refer them to someone else no need to make an ass of yourself.

I'm sure making comments in jest is all good and fun when you know the other party knows what you are talking about but like I said previously someone who is just looking to get into the hobby has no reason to fully expect that its going to cost him 1000, 600 or ever 400 bucks. For the same reason that someone who knows jack about cars has just seen a car has no reason to expect that a porche would cost them 10x as much as a taurus, after all everything inside is basically the same just a little greedified.

Man, who pissed in your coffee this morning? Did you not read where I said that I answer expensive. I dont give anyone a dollar amount because what i see as expensive might be chump change to the next guy. I agree with dude and you are in my butt like a hemorrhoid. And when I buy a car, I dont ask how much, I walk in with an amount I am looking to spend and let the sales person know to save the pitch. I am a Sales Executive and know the routine as well. slick.