Originally Posted by JC3

I believe that this is crucial for the beginner. It is also very, very hard to make happen. I visited/volunteer marshalled at my local club for weeks before purchasing a setup. Several people kept asking me, "When are you going to get a car!) Nobody said, "Do you need any help?" I suggested to one guy that a mentoring program would really be helpful. He said, "Yeah, that's a great idea." However, he never offered to help me! lol

I'm a brand new 57yr old newb. Raced automobiles my whole life but never raced RC cars. Visited my local track and decided to run in VTA because it looked like fun and all of my research indicated that it was a great 'starter class.' At my club there is a novice class but basically it's only the kids of the regulars that run in it to keep them entertained it seems. My plan was to run in VTA.

Here's where the problems started.

1) I only visited on race days. Big mistake since guys are in the zone and aren't remotely interested in chatting with strangers. If you're new, only visit on practice days if you want to chat or access someones pit space. Point is, I had nobody to really talk to to get answers to my questions. I used the web and research almost exclusively for answers. FWIW, local hobby shops are totally useless for such things. That's another discussion.

2) Deciding on what equipment to buy took me weeks of research. What do I need, how many, VTA rules/specs, what chassis, transmitter, charger, motor, ESC. It was totally overwhelming to make decisions and hopefully the right decisions. Even now that I have everything, I see that I made some bad choices. This stuff is complicated. Racing complicates everything always has and always will. It's easier to work on automobiles than it is on RC cars, mainly because of the difference in the availability of information.

3) The big one. Learning to drive isn't easy. I spent hours painting my VTA body and destroyed it to bits at my first practice. Thank god I bought a bigger bumper. As I'm bashing it to bits someone took mercy on me and yelled out, "Adjust your dual rates!" That definitely helped. Point is, you're not going to be racing in VTA without months of practice or some insane natural ability to tune and drive. Expectations need to be set. I'm older so yeah, it will be more challenging. For younger folks this might not be so much of a factor.

The point: I personally feel that if I had a contact, or contacts, at the club I visit it would have been much easier for me all around. It sounds sickening to suggest that someone should have held my hand but man, I do wish I had someone to sit down with to lend a hand with the equipment list and setting those all important expectations.

(I must be fair and say that now that I have all of the 'stuff' and have started going to practices, my club members have been very kind and helpful. If any of you are one of them, I thank you very much.)