Originally Posted by
Billy Kelly
I can’t comprehend 150 entries in any scale. Don’t think I’ve I added all my races and only counted each person once, I’d break 100 yet. Don’t think the recently closed indoor track ever broke 100 in 3 years.
I know I sound a bit negative about the race. Like the story about having blindfolded people stand next to an elephant and try to describe it. I’ve been getting different views on how things went from a range of people. And time has passed since the race. Just expected more of a positive response then I’ve found in person. Nothing been overly negative, but neither has it been overly positive.
I do have a question. Considering attendance was only about 50 percent, originally 10 classes at 15 per. Could it haves handled a larger turnout? Just curious.
The 1/10 track which I have raced is possibly the busiest in the country. When I was racing there with 150 entries, it was roughly 80-90 drivers, with many running two classes. The place was huge, packed and run on an event like schedule even for its club races.
Many of the venues which I used to race mini-z years ago had very high turnouts as well (for the scale) often exceeding registration caps. This means little wiggle room for delays, (like when I almost missed a race because I thought there was one more heat before mine was up) and if you weren't ready for your race after a minutes grace, the race would run without you.
the more racers you have, the more you need to stick to a schedule. After a full day of racing the PN event was within 15 minutes of the posted schedule, so I think the Tracks guys did well in that regard.
there were definitely some negatives, but I try to focus on the positive spectrum... we need to increase momentum for the scale and not halt it every chance we get by having negative associations with different events, rule structures, and manufacturers cups.
I have raced with some of the best announcers in the business, and that definitely comes to mind when I think about the negative aspects of the weekend. Being used to having positional gaps, and general call out of lap traffic as the leaders pass is standard procedure from what I am used to, but it was missing from a lot of the races unless Grant was on the mic. Mini-z is the hardest form of RC to call, positions change very quickly and gaps can open and close before an announcer has a chance to look from the screen to the track. This was the one place that could have really used improvement, but for a relatively new facility, it is a huge learning curve to take on. Most experienced drivers have a good idea where they and their competition is on the track, but it is always good to be reassured that what you think is going on is how it is being scored.
My view is that the event was a success, and it got racers from across the country together on the same track. Many have chatted on here, or Facebook, and it was good to meet people in real life and put faces to the names. Events shouldn't be all about wins and records, but about friends made in the process. I didn't go to compete as much as to meet people in the hobby and build momentum for the future in the scale. On the flight in, I thought to myself it would be cool to get a podium in one class, and that would be a win for me.