I’d love to be wrong. And have the buggy create a surge. But after racing in now 13 different states I’ve got a pretty good view of of Slash class.


Go back last year when some here were expecting 1:8 tracks to redesign to accommodate the Losi motorcycle. Didn’t happen. Now their new NASCAR has definitely created interest. And a lot of tracks are adding it. And so far, keeping it box stock.

I owned 30 Traxxas vehicles at one point. I don’t have a negative view of them. Just understand who their market is.

Traxxas is the new Tamiya of the early 90s.

I didn’t get into RC until 2011. I don’t know what Tamiya was like back then. One of my local tracks had a couple Tamiya races few years ago back. Tamiya drivers are like Deadheads, they show up for that race, then move on to the next. Don’t stock around.

The DO world really has spec traxxas classes figured out. It's mostly mudboss, but there are other classes that are just the same slash chassis with late model or stock car style bodies.

The advantages of these classes are pretty obvious:

• cost: xl-5 slash with DO body comes out to about $260
• simple, strict rules that prevent cost runaway
• not treated as just a "novice" class - there is talent and competition in the class which means you can grow your skills and compete at a high level without spending the big bucks on something like a CW sprint kit
• car is appropriate, fun to drive for the track

I think mudboss not being just a "novice" class is the key to its popularity. The main problem with spec classes is you buy an expensive (to a newcomer) car that is only worth racing in a spec class, and when you get good enough you're told you can't run the spec class anymore. You either run a wildly uncompetitive car in a "normal" class or you have to buy a whole new rig if you don't want to get your butt kicked. On top of that, there's not enough new drivers entering the hobby to sustain a class you're expected to "grow out of" as you get better - so it just slowly dies by attrition. All the while everyone sits around pondering why spec classes never seem to stick around...

The spec Traxxas class that makes the most sense for off-road would be a spec 2wd slash class that races on 1/10 tracks. $240 for a BL-2s slash that drives well enough on typical 1/10 tracks to still be fun.

Although, IMO, a 3s typhon would be the best overall choice for an offroad spec class. It ticks off all those points I listed above about the mudboss DO classes, with the versatility of being a fun to drive spec class on both 1/10 (on 2s) and 1/8 (on 3s) tracks. And the price is hard to beat at $330 for a powerful, versatile 4wd car.

In comparison, the Jato 4x4 falls flat: the 2s version is a complete non-starter for 1/8 tracks. Who want to roll/single every jump? So you're left with running it on 1/10 tracks where it's a significantly more expensive option than what has already proven to be a successful 1/10 spec class in the past. On top of that, the semi-realism offered by SCTs is WAY more appealing to newcomers than the odd looking buggy design. And the 4s Jato is just stupid expensive for any spec car. Why would anyone buy a jato 4s for a spec class when you can just buy the kyosho rtr for close enough to the same price and run in the novice class that already exists? Then you'd have a buggy good enough to use in the regular e-buggy classes when you improve. It's just bonkers anyone would think that making a spec class out of that car would be good for the hobby in any way. And honestly it's bonkers to think none-racers looking to buy a traxxas would pick this car - to me it seems like its easily the worst value in their entire range, and again it doesn't have the realism factor of an SCT or the bashability of a monster truck.

And thinking about things even more, buggies have always existed as the "cheap" option in a bashing product portfolio. The bandit has always been the cheapest 2wd. The typhon (3s and 6s) has always been the cheapest option in each of their respective platforms. The jato bl-2s makes more sense as the cheapest 4wd bl-2s car, not the most expensive.

Not closing because of turnout, but another building owner has decided that they no longer want dirt in the building. Looks like they will re-open as a carpet or turf track in different location.

the way i read it: the lease is up and the building owner found another tenant who will pay more per month.
sounds like the track owner wants dirt/clay but he's got a business investor that doesn't want the cost/liability of dirt and it's tying his hands on a future facility. sounds to me like he's potentially trying to ditch the investor, go at it solo and have a dirt track. or keep the investor and be forced to go carpet or turf.

Right. I was looking more at why it was closing. Unable to renew the lease. It’s something clay/dirt tracks have been having. It’s wasn’t closed from low turnout. Just a decision by someone.

all tracks with a lease face it, track surface has nothing to do with it.

Ive seen more dirt/clay tracks no be able to renew lease then clay or carpet. It does play a part.

Even tracks that aren't leased face the same sorts of issues - a track owner who owns the property the track is built on may shut the track down if he finds another business opportunity that's more profitable.

That's basically what happened to Bumps 'n Jumps here in PA. The owner of the track also owned the property/building so you'd think that would have secured the track's existence long into the future. Thing is, he got involved in a side business in the summer off-seasons when the track didn't make money that exploded for him. I don't know the exact details, but I'm guessing the situation for him was either make less money over the winter running the shop/track, or make more money working his new side business year round and lease the building to someone else. The former owner did initially sell the business and leased the property to the new shop owner because he wanted to keep the track alive, but the new owner ran it into the ground and stopped making lease payments. It was less than a year after the new owner took over that the track permanently closed and the building is now leased out to a regional plumbing and hvac company who I imagine will have no problems paying the lease for the indefinite future.

You can only put up with so much work and so much crap from running a race program if you're making less than you're capable of and not already fabulously wealthy.

that's because there are more of them and they've been around longer and longer term leases are starting to expire and the real estate market has changed. carpet/turf tracks are relatively new (or at least popular) for off road racing in the US. i remember a time not that long ago (12 to 15 years) when you said carpet/turf off road people looked at you like you had 2 heads and wondered why and didn't like the idea. carpet was for on road, and mainly oval. and at least local to me, people seemed to prefer parking lots to in door carpet tracks. 2 tracks that were local to me had in door on road tracks (one closed in 2013 and on closed in 2007) had paved tracks. people preferred that to carpet.
man have things shifted.

Carpet and turf saved 1/10th scale.

Clay can't die off fast enough.

I don’t understand what people have against indoor clay.

I think clay will always have a few places that draw. Trackside in Milwaukee pulls good numbers every weekend. I just wasn’t any good on it. I think more would like turf over carpet. But it’s a battle to get them to try. Especially since there’s limited turf tracks

Our local track is indoor clay, and they own the building. They just rebuilt the off road layout and also have indoor clay oval each week. I am building a car for that starting next week......in addition to the silly Losi.....

My indoor carpet track owner guy can't seem to make up his mind what he wants to do, so until then I am committing to the indoor clay off-road on Sundays (which I was going to do all along like earlier this year) and then Thursdays will be oval nights......I miss the TT-02/EuroTruck and carpet off-road that were held locally but if he is 95% 1/28th scale going forward then I kinda wasted a bunch of money on those rigs earlier this year......I enjoy running them but if there is no place to run them, they sit there. Which sucks.

Honestly, when I look at the situation I just described above, I think we have some answers to why we are losing tracks and racers.