No they haven't killed, only helped the industry. Many shops will tell you that they now cater to 1/8 b/c 1/8 guys 'buy stuff'. as opposed to us old codger priss 1/10 guys who have everythin in caches and if need arises help each other out or pick up somethin quick online. 1/10s dont have as many 'flavor of the month hop-ups', if at all.
while i love 1/10 elec and will always prefer it. without 1/8 gas. honestly this hobby would likely feel akin to what my father saw in slot cars in the early 70s after the boom of the 60s had faded. drag racing 1:1 as well.
the more forms that bring people in, that only helps. it stinks in some cases wehre your favorite type of racing gets phased out in favor of new formulas, but then again we all dont race what he used to in most cases (save for our oval friends
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R