Is On-Road racing dead?
05-27-2011, 07:37 AM
#46
here is my take.
on road & oval verses off road.
on road, nitro or electric and or carpet or dirt oval are suffering because it simply takes the latest greatest and most expensive equipment to be fast and win.
Many Off-road kits come RTR and the real race is between you and your car. not your wallet verse anothers. Just making one lap without being marshaled is a a win for you. it doesn't matter which motor, car, battery speed controller or nitro fuel you use.
in off road you can bash it in the back yards when your buddies come over making them want one too. Your not worried about hurting it! i hear people are worried about getting on road cars dirty
those two simple factors is why off road is king and will continue to dominate now and into the future!
on road & oval verses off road.
on road, nitro or electric and or carpet or dirt oval are suffering because it simply takes the latest greatest and most expensive equipment to be fast and win.
Many Off-road kits come RTR and the real race is between you and your car. not your wallet verse anothers. Just making one lap without being marshaled is a a win for you. it doesn't matter which motor, car, battery speed controller or nitro fuel you use.
in off road you can bash it in the back yards when your buddies come over making them want one too. Your not worried about hurting it! i hear people are worried about getting on road cars dirty
those two simple factors is why off road is king and will continue to dominate now and into the future!
05-27-2011, 08:14 AM
#47
very few if any under the age of 23 local in onroad.
where are the 10-18 year olds at?
damn video games.
05-27-2011, 08:34 AM
#48
1/8 onroad kind of piques my interest. The speed, at least.. BUT, I have 2 LST2 MT's, an Associated SC8, and now an Ofna DM-1 GT car. Here in Germany, at least where I live, my problem is actually the opposite of most peoples' - I have a great world-class onroad track just up the road, and another an hour away - where I can run in winter even!.. I was all invested in 1/8 offroad, but got really annoyed because, due to bad weather, there were like one to two local races max a year. The local offroad track is closed half the year outright, and in '08-'10 it seemed like the track was closed half the rest of the year due to bad weather or whatever other reasons.. Anyway, I have too many other RC's right now to get involved in 1/8 onroad. Another big issue is the reputation it has for being complicated. With work, family, other commitments, etc.., I have to admit I'm less into extensive wrenching and set-up searching than just showing up and running... That's why - for now - I really like this 1/8 GT thing. I see lots of ads for new 1/8 onroad cars all the time, so it's obviously far from dead. There are just easier classes to get involved in. IMO it's less about money(offroaders spend fortunes too..) and more about complexity.. I can imagine 1/8 onroad is more for the real RC hobbyists - guys who are in it for the long term. More like airplane guys. You see guys dropping out of RC offroad altogether all the time..
05-27-2011, 08:40 AM
#49
We have 2 local Racing scenes....Off-road and On-road.....Ofcourse with the big city population it is easy to maintain 3 LHS,and two racing venues......
In most cases the Area supports whatever Venue is avalible.......
Thats what will thrive in a given area.....
check out or On-Road web site and up coming Events....BTH Xray Race,Tamiya Championships,Fall Brawl......
www.msra-racing.com
Have FUN Racing..........................even if its Lawnmowers!!..LOL!
In most cases the Area supports whatever Venue is avalible.......
Thats what will thrive in a given area.....
check out or On-Road web site and up coming Events....BTH Xray Race,Tamiya Championships,Fall Brawl......
www.msra-racing.com
Have FUN Racing..........................even if its Lawnmowers!!..LOL!
05-27-2011, 08:47 AM
#50
Tech Regular
I live in a relatively small city, Ottawa,(1 million people within 50 miles) Canada.
Currently our On-road racing is more popular than the offroad racing. We achieve this because we run the TCS series with entry level classes and easy ways to get racing.
Love it.
rcottawa.com
Currently our On-road racing is more popular than the offroad racing. We achieve this because we run the TCS series with entry level classes and easy ways to get racing.
Love it.
rcottawa.com
05-27-2011, 02:49 PM
#51
Tech Addict
At first,I was a little angry about this thread,but after reading all the interesting posts, I feel a little better. Everyone makes some good points,so here is more of my two cents. Lets be real for a minute. Money "is" a big factor in R/C, but this is true for most hobbies. Its a matter of how serious one is about it that makes it expensive. Some can afford it and some can'nt, its as simple as that. Its easy to introduce a teenager to offroad because it is not as complicated as onroad.Its easier to get a RTR an practice in the back yard. Thats why there are very few young people in 1/8 scale. I can remember being at an onroad race, and being asked questions about my 1/8th scale by this young kid. When his mother joined in the conversation, her only concern was price. As I started to run down the list, I quickly began to realize that this kid was not going to be getting a car any time soon. As much as some people would like to think so,These things are not toys. They require a certain amount of engineering skill and money to maintain them.Theres a reason why onroad nitro is considered the"formular one" of R/C. Aside from the fun of the speed, one must be serious to compete. Now do'nt you offroaders get offended, because I know some of you guys take them very serious as well, but they are just two different animals. Offroad is like "pop music", Onroad is like "Jazz". Personally, I like Jazz!! On-road is not dead, just sometimes ignored because mass appeal is steared toward the more economical of the two. Its more easy to tap mom or dad for something you can bash around then a precision onroad car. If you do'nt believe me go buy the latest issue of Radio Car Action magzine. Almost every article and advertisment is geared toward offroad. They gave The 1/8th Worlds in Miami two paragraphs. I could go on but I won'nt instead I'm just going to go work on my 1/8th Onroad car and prepare to have fun with all the dedicated guys and girls who keep onroad alive!!
05-27-2011, 03:07 PM
#52
At first,I was a little angry about this thread,but after reading all the interesting posts, I feel a little better. Everyone makes some good points,so here is more of my two cents. Lets be real for a minute. Money "is" a big factor in R/C, but this is true for most hobbies. Its a matter of how serious one is about it that makes it expensive. Some can afford it and some can'nt, its as simple as that. Its easy to introduce a teenager to offroad because it is not as complicated as onroad.Its easier to get a RTR an practice in the back yard. Thats why there are very few young people in 1/8 scale. I can remember being at an onroad race, and being asked questions about my 1/8th scale by this young kid. When his mother joined in the conversation, her only concern was price. As I started to run down the list, I quickly began to realize that this kid was not going to be getting a car any time soon. As much as some people would like to think so,These things are not toys. They require a certain amount of engineering skill and money to maintain them.Theres a reason why onroad nitro is considered the"formular one" of R/C. Aside from the fun of the speed, one must be serious to compete. Now do'nt you offroaders get offended, because I know some of you guys take them very serious as well, but they are just two different animals. Offroad is like "pop music", Onroad is like "Jazz". Personally, I like Jazz!! On-road is not dead, just sometimes ignored because mass appeal is steared toward the more economical of the two. Its more easy to tap mom or dad for something you can bash around then a precision onroad car. If you do'nt believe me go buy the latest issue of Radio Car Action magzine. Almost every article and advertisment is geared toward offroad. They gave The 1/8th Worlds in Miami two paragraphs. I could go on but I won'nt instead I'm just going to go work on my 1/8th Onroad car and prepare to have fun with all the dedicated guys and girls who keep onroad alive!!
05-27-2011, 03:26 PM
#53
Is On-Road racing dead?
No.
No.
05-27-2011, 05:49 PM
#54
Scale and durability
One other aspect is the Scale, an 1:8 scale offroad compared to 1:8 onroad are very different. A 1:8 scale buggy is robust, easy to work on and takes some serious knocks. We dont hear much about 1:10 off road, like it's on road counterpart the tourer it is more intricate, fragile and the scale and tolerances of components need to be up to spec.
Engines are mounted at 90deg in off and onroad as well, starter boxes need adapting etc etc. It['s not a seamless transition in NItro as it is in EP hence EP off roaders would more easily cross to EP on-road than Nitro racers
I started with an 1:8 buggy, didnt take me long to buy road tyres and play, then I found the on-road track and havent touched my 1:8 buggy since.
Expense wise, apart from the benefits of a larger scale, I dont think we'd spend much less off road than on road, it's entirely up to one's personal expectations.
We've raced 1:10 ep off road and you have to spend a few $$ on tyres to make grip etc, it is cheaper in a lot of ways and there's chance attrition gives you a lucky break and a good finish is "FUN" .
The intricacy of on-road, all that power to ground, perfect lines, perfect rounds with no errors, the tuning, clutches, engines, transmissions and chassis and suspension makes the difference for me.
"it's all good..."
Engines are mounted at 90deg in off and onroad as well, starter boxes need adapting etc etc. It['s not a seamless transition in NItro as it is in EP hence EP off roaders would more easily cross to EP on-road than Nitro racers
I started with an 1:8 buggy, didnt take me long to buy road tyres and play, then I found the on-road track and havent touched my 1:8 buggy since.
Expense wise, apart from the benefits of a larger scale, I dont think we'd spend much less off road than on road, it's entirely up to one's personal expectations.
We've raced 1:10 ep off road and you have to spend a few $$ on tyres to make grip etc, it is cheaper in a lot of ways and there's chance attrition gives you a lucky break and a good finish is "FUN" .
The intricacy of on-road, all that power to ground, perfect lines, perfect rounds with no errors, the tuning, clutches, engines, transmissions and chassis and suspension makes the difference for me.
"it's all good..."
05-27-2011, 06:55 PM
#55
At first,I was a little angry about this thread,but after reading all the interesting posts, I feel a little better. Everyone makes some good points,so here is more of my two cents. Lets be real for a minute. Money "is" a big factor in R/C, but this is true for most hobbies. Its a matter of how serious one is about it that makes it expensive. Some can afford it and some can'nt, its as simple as that. Its easy to introduce a teenager to offroad because it is not as complicated as onroad.Its easier to get a RTR an practice in the back yard. Thats why there are very few young people in 1/8 scale. I can remember being at an onroad race, and being asked questions about my 1/8th scale by this young kid. When his mother joined in the conversation, her only concern was price. As I started to run down the list, I quickly began to realize that this kid was not going to be getting a car any time soon. As much as some people would like to think so,These things are not toys. They require a certain amount of engineering skill and money to maintain them.Theres a reason why onroad nitro is considered the"formular one" of R/C. Aside from the fun of the speed, one must be serious to compete. Now do'nt you offroaders get offended, because I know some of you guys take them very serious as well, but they are just two different animals. Offroad is like "pop music", Onroad is like "Jazz". Personally, I like Jazz!! On-road is not dead, just sometimes ignored because mass appeal is steared toward the more economical of the two. Its more easy to tap mom or dad for something you can bash around then a precision onroad car. If you do'nt believe me go buy the latest issue of Radio Car Action magzine. Almost every article and advertisment is geared toward offroad. They gave The 1/8th Worlds in Miami two paragraphs. I could go on but I won'nt instead I'm just going to go work on my 1/8th Onroad car and prepare to have fun with all the dedicated guys and girls who keep onroad alive!!
05-28-2011, 05:30 PM
#56
Tech Regular
The points made in this thread are excellent and most hit the question dead on. On-road is not dead but fluctuates with the economy more so than off-road. Many of the points made why off road is more popular are very true. Cheaper start up, cheaper to be competitive, easier to learn how to drive, and can be used almost any where. On-road is more expensive and places to run the car maybe challenging in some areas to find.
My main disappointment is directly pointed at the RC magazines available in this industry. Pick up car action magazine or look at the INTERNET version of the same and try to fine articles about on-road racing. Especially Nitro on-road racing. Where are the "How To's" or any other related topic about this portion of the hobby. Sure they may poorly cover the Worlds that happened to be in the States this year and last. But the word "poorly" best describes the coverage. Relative questions about the art of setting up the car, or driving the car, or maintenance between heats and heat to finals are never addressed. It is more likely to see the question of how is your car handling? With no follow up. It is of course hard to blame the magazines totally because those that write the article run off road or fly planes.
In any case, the On-Road nitro and electric are still a part of the RC hobby and truly the main stay of the RC hobby for many years now. But to get those younger people interested in the On-Road hobby we need some things to happen. We need to be talked about in the magazines in every issue. Not as many articles as off-road of course, I understand the finances of the industry. But something every issue. We need a good entry level Nitro on-road car that is supported as only as a entry level. The 1:8th Super GT class is now basically growing into an on-road chassis with 1:8th on-road two speeds, clutches, and some cases motors with only off-road arms and 17mm tires. Keep the RTR's as they are and no add ons so new hobbyist can learn how to run and drive an on-road car and then grow from there. Clubs, RC tracks, and ROAR should hold to the rules for this entry level class as well as the manufacturers. Then in major races no pro drivers allowed in these entry level car classes. Trophy hunters will be weeded by qualifying times. If a sportsman driver has qualifying times equal to B main or better, then he is placed in the expert class. We don't want to intimidate the new hobbyist. They must run with racers at their level. If they can win at that level then a trophy is presented to a real sportsman driver.
On-Road is not dead! Just a few tweaks and we can start growing again nationwide!
My main disappointment is directly pointed at the RC magazines available in this industry. Pick up car action magazine or look at the INTERNET version of the same and try to fine articles about on-road racing. Especially Nitro on-road racing. Where are the "How To's" or any other related topic about this portion of the hobby. Sure they may poorly cover the Worlds that happened to be in the States this year and last. But the word "poorly" best describes the coverage. Relative questions about the art of setting up the car, or driving the car, or maintenance between heats and heat to finals are never addressed. It is more likely to see the question of how is your car handling? With no follow up. It is of course hard to blame the magazines totally because those that write the article run off road or fly planes.
In any case, the On-Road nitro and electric are still a part of the RC hobby and truly the main stay of the RC hobby for many years now. But to get those younger people interested in the On-Road hobby we need some things to happen. We need to be talked about in the magazines in every issue. Not as many articles as off-road of course, I understand the finances of the industry. But something every issue. We need a good entry level Nitro on-road car that is supported as only as a entry level. The 1:8th Super GT class is now basically growing into an on-road chassis with 1:8th on-road two speeds, clutches, and some cases motors with only off-road arms and 17mm tires. Keep the RTR's as they are and no add ons so new hobbyist can learn how to run and drive an on-road car and then grow from there. Clubs, RC tracks, and ROAR should hold to the rules for this entry level class as well as the manufacturers. Then in major races no pro drivers allowed in these entry level car classes. Trophy hunters will be weeded by qualifying times. If a sportsman driver has qualifying times equal to B main or better, then he is placed in the expert class. We don't want to intimidate the new hobbyist. They must run with racers at their level. If they can win at that level then a trophy is presented to a real sportsman driver.
On-Road is not dead! Just a few tweaks and we can start growing again nationwide!
05-28-2011, 06:08 PM
#57
ok do you guys want to hear from a guy who begin in electric onroad touring cars and been doing offroad racing from 4 years .
heres why i quit doing onroad racing and others that used to do nitro onroad.. also its a lot of time and work to setup for "onroad racing" and more critcal compared to
offroad and like others say which is true onroad cars are really hard to drive if you have a tweak on your supension or other things .
and its more expensive to run the tires ware more than offroad tires and the engines are more expensive.
i do think offroad is cheaper in all scales it just depends on what you can afford but its a lot easier to drive offroad with a crappy setup and there is more land to run on also .
one other reason why i got out of onroad and others that turned to offroad was that some people not all in onroad are to competive and get hot headed to easy if something happen on the track .
but yes i do still see onroad tracks that have a good amount of nitro onroad on this site.
but in the end were all trying to grow are hobby/sport in r/c racing.
heres why i quit doing onroad racing and others that used to do nitro onroad.. also its a lot of time and work to setup for "onroad racing" and more critcal compared to
offroad and like others say which is true onroad cars are really hard to drive if you have a tweak on your supension or other things .
and its more expensive to run the tires ware more than offroad tires and the engines are more expensive.
i do think offroad is cheaper in all scales it just depends on what you can afford but its a lot easier to drive offroad with a crappy setup and there is more land to run on also .
one other reason why i got out of onroad and others that turned to offroad was that some people not all in onroad are to competive and get hot headed to easy if something happen on the track .
but yes i do still see onroad tracks that have a good amount of nitro onroad on this site.
but in the end were all trying to grow are hobby/sport in r/c racing.
05-28-2011, 06:38 PM
#59
Tech Fanatic
iTrader: (22)
Its not totally dead. People are trying new stuff, like short course. Will come back eventually, then go away and come back again.
Equipmentwise, things are less expensive than before. You can get basic 2.4 from airtronics now, compare with a few years ago, there were a few expensive options. Carwise, the used car value significantly less expensive than before. So, cost is not a major factor-i think! Just we have more RC selections nowadays IMO.
Equipmentwise, things are less expensive than before. You can get basic 2.4 from airtronics now, compare with a few years ago, there were a few expensive options. Carwise, the used car value significantly less expensive than before. So, cost is not a major factor-i think! Just we have more RC selections nowadays IMO.
05-28-2011, 06:56 PM
#60
Climate
Climate....i haven't heard this talked about much. This one might trump the others if you think about it. On-road nitro prevails in FL, GA, CA, and other states that stay relatively warm throughout the year. Yes off-road is big in the states too but there are very few indoor on-road tracks where you can run nitro. When i lived in NY you could only run on-road nitro outside maybe 5 months out of the year. Now that i live in FL, i am trying to run every 2 weeks and year round. I have also noticed a lot of guys still in the on-road nitro class (1/8th & 1/10th) are willing to travel to these states once a month or so to race at a major state event. Most people making an average living and loves the hobby can't afford to fly out of state just to race for a weekend. Those people turn to the closest track to them, which 75% of the time is indoor/outdoor off-road or clay track. In my opinion, i think the lower number of on-road local tracks and climate also play a big role in why people think on-road is dead.