Several people have mentioned that more time needs to be spent with new racers - but if you think about it, haven't some of these new racers already been set up for failure before they get to the track?
Spectators see guys racing, get all excited about doing it themselves and drive to the nearest hobby store with a wallet full of money. They buy an RTR or assemble a kit, and then show up at the track ready to have some fun. Now you tell me, what does this new racer know about firing up a Nitro car and racing it around a track? I know a few people that quit nitro R/C before or after their first day at the track.
If every RTR and kit came with 40 hours of instructional DVD, life would be so much better for everyone and would raise the hobby/sport to a whole new level. Granted, the person may never watch the DVD, but then that's their own fault. At least everyone knows the information is available, right under their noses.
"You obviously didn't watch the DVD that came with the car."
As I see it, the R/C industry isn't doing enough to educate it's customers about how to use it's products. The Hudy setup book is great on theory, but how does that translate to information that someone new can use on the track? If every pro racer put out a 10-15min video every month on how to solve common tuning and setup problems, we would have an entire library of material for people to learn from - before and after their first race day. But we all know that something like this will never happen. (Okay, if someone is putting out videos, please let me know so I can watch them.
)
So when we talk about why it's so hard for new racers, let's think about the real reason why it's so hard for them. Is it because we're not going out of the way to help them - or is it because they really didn't know what they were getting themselves into? Is it because the new racer's expectations are out of whack with reality? Is it because the R/C industry isn't concerned about the information vacuum associated with their products? Do they even acknowledge that a vacuum exists?
When I started racing, I read as much as I could in books, magazines and Web sites - but that reading only gave me theory, not practical experience. And the manufacturer's Web sites? They didn't have jack. It wasn't until I started having problems - and forced to do research - and ask questions here (thank God I found this place) - that I was able to really get smart about all of this. And I still have plenty to learn! The guys at the track were helpful when I asked, but like dnitro pointed out, everyone was busy with their own challenges. I created NitroKB to make it easier to find answers to common questions, but that's just a start point for people to figure out what they need to do based on their own unique situation.
My newest information crusade is to help new racers learn more about getting into R/C - a section that was definitely missing from my Web site before. My hope, is that it will educate people about what they are getting themselves into, the challenges they are about to face and help set the right expectations for them to enjoy R/C racing.
Anyway.. Just some miscellaneous rambling like usual.
This is my last post in this thread.
Promise! 