billdelong

iTrader: (33)

Really good perspective here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-M_REltxuMM

TT_Vert

iTrader: (72)

Thanks, just watched that. I don't know the numbers today but 10-15 years ago I would disagree w/ those #s and that racers weren't a big part of RC cars in that generation. Maybe I'm wrong and oblivious but I feel there were many more than 2K racers back then. Full disclaimer I was into racing for decades before social media and youtube were around so I'm unsure of the impact that has had on the hobby. I mean I grew up racing in Ca. w/ Kinwald as a kid (Team Losi then) , Cliff Lett, Masami etc. It was a different world back them I guess.

Dave

Billy Kelly

iTrader: (9)

This thread always comes back around.


Take a drive down to ThunderDome. Been a number of the Leisure drivers coming back.


I’ve only been racing regularly for last few years. After Leisure closed. Magazines barely covered racing when I started in 2011. They were mostly just ads a few years later. Hobby store stopped even carrying the magazines around 2017.


LiveRC has posted the weekly numbers for the past 3 or 4 years. Around 9-11,000 active. Probably another 5,000 on other timing system not tracked.

There just not enuff new to replace those that stop.

The Slash based class is hit or miss. It’s steady at a few places I’ve raced at. And one has had success having 1 night a month dedicated to the class.

Euro truck is growing at ThunderDome. It’s still inconsistent on turnout. Some days they are 2nd biggest. Sone there’s none.

billdelong

iTrader: (33)

not sure where MSM is getting his numbers from so I would take that with a grain of salt, I had intended to relay his sentiments about the hobby and how racing is fairly insignificant compared to the bashing community.


LiveRC posts current numbers here where they show 9,342 unique racers for the last week of Jan here:

https://www.liverc.com/news/industry...-stats-125-21/


Keep in mind those stats are only for LiveRC where there are many other timing systems out there plus tracks who don't pay the MSF to get their results online, we can only speculate how much higher those numbers are when you add the collective world wide.


I would like to think that the racing community is far larger than it was 10-15 years ago, social media has made it a lot easier to locate tracks and promote growth. You can probably contact LiveRC to see if they can run a report for the trend of racers over their all time stats to confirm this. I do look back over the past couple of years of data they have published publicly and there's clearly a growth pattern, though part of that could be from COVID shutdown and I couldn't find any results prior to COVID.

mrreet2001

iTrader: (9)

It's not done, It's just not in the mags and generic hobby shops. Ready 2 Run / bashers have the best profits so that's what they push.

jiml

iTrader: (3)

It's not so much that RC racing is dying, it's more that the RC car and truck hobby has expanded. Racing has become very technical, and that makes it harder. So slower spec classes like VTA and Euro Truck have gained popularity. Drifting and crawling have grown due to the realism and the low pressure on competition. And bashing has always been around. Why travel an hour or more to spend $30 for 20 minutes of track time, when you and 5 friends can meet in a parking lot and just drive around?

Racing was all there was in the 80's and 90's. The hobby has expanded beyond that.

And racing is by no means dead. My local carpet off road track had a trophy race this weekend. The pits were PACKED! 22 heats, I don't know how many racers. Okay most ran more than one class.

RC racing isn't dying, it's evolving

TT_Vert

iTrader: (72)

Good to hear it isn't dying. I know tracks out by me have been dying. The premium track in the tristate area (maybe midwest) closed out here and the others also did. So with that I decided I was for sure out of the hobby as i didn't want to drive hours to race. ESPECIALLY w/ gas prices these days. Thunderdome is 90 miles from me unfortunately so I'd be investing 3 hours and $30 in gas before I even started racing. If a slash class ever started again I'd be all over it but I don't feel like having to deal w/ everything when running the other classes.




Dave

Billy Kelly

iTrader: (9)

Unfortunately, that’s the same answer I’ve gotten from others up north. Damn toll road is almost a barrier in Chicagoland. North don’t want to come south.

18 months back, never expected to do 3 hour drives. Now it’s become normal. I get everyone has different time constraints. But I used to be the one that didn’t like that it was 60 miles to Arlington for Windy City. Probably almost closer for you to go to Wisconsin

biz77

iTrader: (46)

We are seeing a nice uptick here. We have three concurrently running tracks for this winter season:
1. Indoor off road clay - Primarily runs a Friday night program averaging 35 drivers.
2. Indoor off road carpet - Runs an every Wednesday night program and a program every other Saturday, each of these averaging 35 drivers and 65 entries.
3. Indoor carpet on road - Runs opposite Saturdays of carpet off road track and has been seeing 55 drivers and 90 plus entries.

TT_Vert

iTrader: (72)

I hadn't even factored in tolls to be honest, that's just gas two ways. I am 20 minutes from WI but there isn't anything near me that I had found. During the peak of my racing I was driving over an hour each way to LHR to run slash twice a week (Wed/Sat). It was blast as we were a pretty close knit group really.. Gas was also under $2 a gallon then. I used to go to windy city and race F1, mini and euro truck before they closed as well. and that was the last track I actually raced at (After RC Raceway in Streamwood closed).

I would LOVE to get back into indoor oval again, that was so much fun back in the day. I raced it back in the early 2000s down somewhere maybe in south burbs of Chicago in a large warehouse type building. Maybe it was a metal pole barn I don't recall. But it was a good time. This of course was when we have 4 minute heats and we geared to dump at 4:01, not based on motor temps..

Dave

Billy Kelly

iTrader: (9)

Check into The Track at Burlington. Clay off road. It’s probably the closest. No oval. CCX in Monroe, Wisconsin has clay oval.

Monee used to have the oval track. Building went up for sale couples years back.

Over $100 a month for tolls when I was going weekly up to St. Charles or Arlington

TT_Vert

iTrader: (72)

That's certainly better at 33 miles each way but sadly there is no highway so still an hour each way Maybe one day i can roll up there and see what everything is about these days. Seems the lake in the hills hobbytown track closed also



Dave

vr6

iTrader: (22)

I can see from your sign on the location you live is the KILLER to getting out and racing since there are no tracks down the road from you.
everyone's perception of driving to race is different, I actually do not mind the drive as i have no options near me here in Rockford

the burlington track is the BEST option to race your slash and the entries are there for it, so do not be discouraged of the drive

the place is an absolute blast and runs races all year. every friday night there is racing and every other sunday is a points race with the other days the facility is open for practise

there are some racers that are in your area with no direct access to a highway so maybe you can locate them up in Burlington and do some ride sharing off and on

braydenbowling6

Racing is dying due to costs and all these top level drivers running stock which always drives the newer guys away.

TT_Vert

iTrader: (72)

I have no RC stuff anymore, sold it all years and years ago. Is there actually still slash racing going on? It really seemed to die off when short truck got big and never seemed to recover in the 5-8 years I raced after. it's not about the expense as much as it is probably me justifying spending that much time doing it. If I didn't have to dedicate 2 hours in driving for 3 hours of entertainment I would consider it but my time is valuable to me and I don't know the value is there for me TBH.

Dae