29LikesIsland Raceway & Hobby (IRH), Lindenhurst, NY - Indoor Off-Road Track in Long Island
10-15-2018, 08:11 AM
What happened? Well, depends on who you ask. The stories run the full gambit.
If you believe what you read on facebook, it's at least a few months before it opens. And those who know are not saying what, where, or when.
If you want to stay in the hobby, there is an on road track in New Rochelle called 360. You can't use what you have now, but at least it's a track, and a really good one too.
If you believe what you read on facebook, it's at least a few months before it opens. And those who know are not saying what, where, or when.
If you want to stay in the hobby, there is an on road track in New Rochelle called 360. You can't use what you have now, but at least it's a track, and a really good one too.
10-15-2018, 11:29 AM
At 360 you're also racing against some of the best drivers in the business. If you can keep up with them, you're doing something.
10-16-2018, 07:58 PM
Nope I can't keep up with those guys...I'm just trying to stay out of there way lol. It can be intimidating at first. There are some really talented drivers at 360. My point is you don't have to spend an arm and a leg to have fun.
10-19-2018, 01:46 PM
Sorry to ask the silly question but does anyone have any info at all on the opening of a new track on Long island. I was told today that someone is opening another place up. Just wondering if there is any truth to this. I don't want to sell the buggies if a new place is going to open. Any info would help.
Last edited by Jsammut; 10-19-2018 at 01:47 PM. Reason: spelling
10-19-2018, 01:48 PM
There is truth to it... but know one knows for sure. It's been hush hush. All I know is that it probably won't happen till sometimes next year. Keep YOUR buggies!!!
10-20-2018, 08:13 AM
I don't know how much truth there is, but there have been claims on facebook that someone is planning on opening a new track. The where, the when, and the what are complete mysteries, but that really is the best way to handle it. Post even the smallest detail and 20 people will start arguing about it. I'm a skeptic because I've been here before. People screaming oh yea this is gonna happen and nothing comes of it. My fear is the new owner will run into the same problems Don did and not have an answer. Most people just don't understand how much work goes into running a track.
Stay tuned, remain patient, and hopefully something good does happen.
Stay tuned, remain patient, and hopefully something good does happen.
10-24-2018, 08:08 AM
Tech Apprentice
iTrader: (1)
New track or not i have neve seen grown men cry like babies in my life on the facebook pages. That alone will keep people away again.
Last edited by RobsRacin; 10-24-2018 at 01:08 PM.
10-29-2018, 09:32 AM
RIP SAD
10-30-2018, 06:12 PM
delete
Last edited by Tamiyadan; 04-17-2019 at 08:22 AM.
10-30-2018, 11:09 PM
I would also like to add that a major chunk of today's youth is too stuck to their ipads/phones/playstations to be willing to get their hands dirty in Rc racing... No way to compete with that...Hopefully the $1.6 billion Megaball winner is a RC racer.....lol.....
10-31-2018, 07:09 AM
10-31-2018, 07:51 AM
+1 TamiyaDan
10-31-2018, 08:12 AM
Tamiyadan – you paint a very morbid picture of the current state and I mostly agree. The industry as a whole is heading towards a downward spiral. Kids these days are just not into RC like when I was growing up back in the days. The close of Radio Shack is another setback along with many others. Though they sell toy grade RC cars; it gave RC exposure to the general public, they were also heavy on RC advertising and made RC cool. Without new recruits and slow attrition of current customer base, it’s simply not sustainable. Retail as a whole is dying because of Amazon. Running a retail today needs to be resourceful and adapt to the new current reality.
Imo, I think RC is still way more cooler/educational than ipads/phones/playstation/Legos. The problem I see is that there isn’t enough marketing effort by the industry as a whole to attract new recruits. Every now and then, I see new customers/families bring their kids to a track but only to never see them again. Most tracks cater to the regulars/locals; not enough effort is made to make it more beginner friendly and new customer rentention. And RC can be totally intimidating for the uninitiated, without the proper support structure, people will simply not stick.
If I were to open a new track, I would emphasize on new recruits and retention as they will be ones giving you the most business (buying new cars, radio, etc…). Here are some ideas:
· People these days are all about the experience. Groupon is a great way to offer new experiences to the mass and expose them to RC. My side hobby is archery and I see archery range doing great with 50% of their business coming from Groupon. $25 for 1 hour intro class to archery with practice time at the archery range. A similar model can be applied to RC. Maybe follow it up with driving 101 course or offer informational sessions on RC setup and building. You can charge them a small fee for these services…but the main point is to engage them and make them stick around and tell their friends about this great hobby of ours.
· If real estate is at a premium, do a double decker track to maximize the footprint.
· Bring more awareness to RC to the general public. Maybe get a group of guys and setup fun driving sessions around public area/parks and show the mass how cool RC can be. When I was a kid I got hooked into RC because I saw some guy driving a RC car 20mph in my school yard...i was like that's soo freaken awesome. RC is very cool, people are simply not exposed to it.
That’s all for now…
Imo, I think RC is still way more cooler/educational than ipads/phones/playstation/Legos. The problem I see is that there isn’t enough marketing effort by the industry as a whole to attract new recruits. Every now and then, I see new customers/families bring their kids to a track but only to never see them again. Most tracks cater to the regulars/locals; not enough effort is made to make it more beginner friendly and new customer rentention. And RC can be totally intimidating for the uninitiated, without the proper support structure, people will simply not stick.
If I were to open a new track, I would emphasize on new recruits and retention as they will be ones giving you the most business (buying new cars, radio, etc…). Here are some ideas:
· People these days are all about the experience. Groupon is a great way to offer new experiences to the mass and expose them to RC. My side hobby is archery and I see archery range doing great with 50% of their business coming from Groupon. $25 for 1 hour intro class to archery with practice time at the archery range. A similar model can be applied to RC. Maybe follow it up with driving 101 course or offer informational sessions on RC setup and building. You can charge them a small fee for these services…but the main point is to engage them and make them stick around and tell their friends about this great hobby of ours.
· If real estate is at a premium, do a double decker track to maximize the footprint.
· Bring more awareness to RC to the general public. Maybe get a group of guys and setup fun driving sessions around public area/parks and show the mass how cool RC can be. When I was a kid I got hooked into RC because I saw some guy driving a RC car 20mph in my school yard...i was like that's soo freaken awesome. RC is very cool, people are simply not exposed to it.
That’s all for now…
10-31-2018, 10:06 AM
Some more thoughts... RC racing are mostly dominated by older folks who got started when we were kids and either stuck with it or got back into it now as adults with more funding at disposal. We try to revitalize the hobby in our own way by bringing our sons and daughters but it’s not appealing to them in the same way as video games. My son is into RC but it’s getting boring quickly because he is surrounded by fastguys, and mostly grownups and not enough kids. The culture at most race track is also one of exclusion rather than inclusion. The scene is dominated by passionate racers and regulars. Newbies are usually recruited by their racer friends. Also, some folks are taking racing way too seriously and take some of the fun out. The RC racing scene as a whole is just not beginner welcoming… and that’s gotta change if we want sustainability. Yes there any many of us who are super helpful to newbies and amongst each other but I don’t think that’s enough to change the overall direction of the pendulum.
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10-31-2018, 10:09 AM
Hey John, it's not that any of your ideas are bad, it's just that they've all been tried before, and failed. Or at least didn't get the return on investment that was expected.
Not everybody who gets into RC cars wants to race. I've been able to convince some people to check out a track (including IRH). They would go and race a couple times. Eventually they would get tired of being at the track for hours for 20 minutes of track time.
I'm into regular cars as well. When I go to a cruise night I usually bring my VTA car and drive it around the parking lot. It gets lots of interest, but not enough to get anyone involved. Very often I'll start talking to someone who has an RC car (usually something Traxxas or HPI) just sitting on a shelf somewhere. I actually had someone tell me he had a fully custom Clod Buster, and if someone came along with $300 he'd be willing to part with it. I didn't have the heart to break his bubble.
RC racing has tons of problems, and there's no silver bullet that will fix all of them. For a track to be successful today you have to be extremely creative, and even then there's no guarantee.
Not everybody who gets into RC cars wants to race. I've been able to convince some people to check out a track (including IRH). They would go and race a couple times. Eventually they would get tired of being at the track for hours for 20 minutes of track time.
I'm into regular cars as well. When I go to a cruise night I usually bring my VTA car and drive it around the parking lot. It gets lots of interest, but not enough to get anyone involved. Very often I'll start talking to someone who has an RC car (usually something Traxxas or HPI) just sitting on a shelf somewhere. I actually had someone tell me he had a fully custom Clod Buster, and if someone came along with $300 he'd be willing to part with it. I didn't have the heart to break his bubble.
RC racing has tons of problems, and there's no silver bullet that will fix all of them. For a track to be successful today you have to be extremely creative, and even then there's no guarantee.