Originally Posted by
Farmer_John
I took a 5 year break and am running VTA to "get it back".
I still don't have a ton of time to run, but after a month or so of club racing I finally have a decent handling car (bought a TC4. Sloppiest chassis I've ever run and should have known better), but I am much less competitive than my car is.
It's just as fast as any chassis I run against, I can't get it around the corners (and I'm using Darkside's published setup as a baseline, so it was in the ballpark to start).
And I mean 2-3 seconds a lap.
I race for grins, not wins.
After racing for number of years of 1/10th pan and TC, I decided to quit during the days of everything being boosted and a laptop in every pit became the norm. The fun factor got lost for me. I much as I hated to, I stepped away from racing and sold everything I had except a Traxxas Stampede to bash around the yard with.
It wasn't until one day I stopped by our local HobbyTown and watched what turned out to be a VTA race. Just watching the close door to door racing of Mustangs and Camaros was thrilling for me to see. Despite the fact this class had been running in other states for some time, it had just made it's way down here in FL. It was that day and that specific class which made me decide that very day that I would jump back in the hobby. For a while, I even refused to buy a TC specific car because it would make me feel like I had to get serious. With just a VTA car, the fun factor was in full force. I didn't want getting serious to ruin the very reason for getting back in.
Today, in FL, the class has almost disappeared. Some of us are trying to keep it alive but it is a struggle. A few weeks ago I drove 1.5hrs to race against 6 or 7 cars but to me that didn't matter. It is the sheer fun that I seek....and how cool the cars look going around the track. On 12/11, I will be making that drive again with no idea how many will show up. Regardless, I will be there in hopes that others come.
Unfortunately, this was the first year in the last six years that I didn't make it to the USVTA Southern Nationals. However, I will NOT let my job get in the way in 2018
. In my opinion, Mr Kinnard is and has been the face and the voice of this class over the last number of years. Yes, there are many others to thank and others who surely help promote this class and put on special events to support it. However, Mr Kinnard brings the "x-factor", and this is what sets him apart. When you're around this guy or you listen to him speak at his events about this class, it is the passion, the true passion that is evident. His spirit is what has inspired me to travel to his races despite having to roll "lone wolf" style (alone) 3 out the 5 years just so I can race against the best in the country and more importantly, to be around and share the interest with those who also feel the same way I do.
So guys, let's just let the small things "go"....and just have fun. It's a great thing here that we share. Fellas, when DARKSIDE offers his opinion, you need to understand that there are very few who truly care about the well-being of this class like he does.