racer1812

iTrader: (31)

People complain about the lack of quality hobby shops all the time. And maybe those people have a right to complain. But it's like anything else, 99% of people will complain about even the smallest issue, while only 1% will commend even the greatest act of kindness.

JitsuGuy

A new track is being built here in Tulsa, OK.... With Hobby shop and all.

So, not dying here!

JatoTheRipper

iTrader: (11)

One new shop and track doesn't mean the scene is a live and well. Three years ago a new hobby shop with a massive indoor track opened. Two years later it was gone forever. See if the new shop and track have staying power.

We also have a new shop that has a dirt oval and a huge asphalt track (former roller hockey rink). This is the first year and I'm hoping it stays around a long, long time. The sad facts are that the odds are always stacked against these places.

buster8787

Its about disposable income. In case you haven't noticed, on both sides of the border the economy sucks and playing with expensive toy cars isn't really on most peoples radar. The exchange rate sucks right now on this side, like .60 off the dollar which means most here are running the same stuff as last year.

roadrashracing2

I gave up on most of the tracks a few years ago, everyone would run one class, then the next would take off leaving the other one in the dust. You pretty much switched or didn't race. Dirt oval at one track was the worst, nothing was constant, and it was not like you could switch a few things and be ready to race again. Classes would die as fast as they started.

taylorsizemore

iTrader: (5)

Are optimists allowed to contribute to this thread? I know it's not what I grew up with but I am thankful and still having fun!

shadaloo

iTrader: (2)

I felt this way back in 2005, but since moving to the south I have plenty of tracks within 45 minutes to race at and all have good turnouts. I hate to see so many tracks/shops come and go, but it seems like one always takes it place.

truck_buster23

I sold all my rc stuff 10 years ago and have came back into the hobby. so to me it will never die. People just need a fun track to run at and have it local.

achtung1970

iTrader: (3)

We had a nice race facility a few years back and it only lasted a couple years. Its downfall was pretty much on point in what you just described.

TrespasseR_MN

iTrader: (2)

Being 2 seasons old into this hobby I can see exactly what you are talking about. But for the most part atleast around here people are really friendly, great people and the reason why I still enjoy racing. I've never done this before and if I had questions so far everyone is extremely helpful, but also there are a few that do get pretty grumpy..but idk I see it as a weekend to get out of the house and have fun with friends. One thing i do see is the price for this stuff is really out of hand.

Billy Kelly

iTrader: (9)

A whole lot of people.

Evoking1230

iTrader: (8)

I think the prices are in line with what they should be. It is a hobby after all :-p

gus6464

iTrader: (2)

So I was at the track practicing a couple days ago and during one of my runs this dude's sct stops working near the end of the straightaway and warns about it literally 2 seconds before I am coming so even though I hit my brakes since I was going full throttle I end up hitting the back of the truck. Guy then gives me a nasty look and starts bitching to his friend about it. What am I supposed to do? Turn my buggy into the wall so it doesn't hit his precious truck?

I felt sorry at first when it happened but he started whining about it so after I saw him to go the shop and come back with parts I realized my little buggy broke some stuff which made me chuckle a little.

This is a public track where anyone can pay to run their car. I don't get all bent out of shape when the little kids are running their slashes and hit my car along with everything else. That's what the track is there for.

That is the kind of crap that makes the newcomers never go back.

slodsm

iTrader: (33)

Meh, been racing for around 20 years now. May not be as many tracks as there were at one point but the ones that make it are much higher quality, the racers are much faster (or I'm just that much slower in my old age) and the cars are so much better. And honestly the cost has stayed around the same. An mp7.5 kanai 2 with an RB Concepts WS7 2 and matching pipe isn't much different than a TKI4 and a reds r7 Evoke with matching pipe. M8 and M12 cost around the same, hell with nice savox servos costing much less than what we used to pay for airtronics servos it's probably cheaper now.

Don't get me started on batteries and chargers, for the price you get wayyyyy more bang for your buck now than you did in the days of matched cells and Turbo 30 chargers.

Rc isn't going anywhere, just the crappy stuff (and tracks) disappear faster thanks to the widespread use of social media etc.

carrizojim

I started racing 1/12 back in 1978, I raced until about 1983 at the only road track in San Diego. About that time 1/10 Cox Scorpions and Tamiya Grasshoppers took over the local 1/8 road course. I could drive 2hrs to LA to road race a couple Sundays a month and spend more then 4hrs going back south. The off road cars were keep up with the Jones expensive as soon as the RC10 came out. I bailed from the hobby until 1991, bought an 11cc Aeromarine Sprint Cat, spent a lot of money, won a lot of NAMBA trophies until 1994, someone broke in my garage and took 18k worth of stuff 3 months before the 1994 NAMBA NATS at my club pond. Heartbroken I left the hobby again, raced District 38 desert racing until I was 35. Finally at 56 I saw the new batteries and foam airplanes with no frequency pins and gyros to keep your plane in the air. In 2016 my employer of 29 years closed its doors in San Diego and I transferred to West Palm Beach. I'll be damned if there aren't at least 6 1/10 road courses within 3 hours of me. I haven't even unpacked my planes and I went out and bought an X-ray Touring Car. I have spent about $1500 all in ready to race. First race this weekend after 34 years. I could have gone with an entry level used car and got in for $5-600 I think.
I don't see too many beginner classes for inexpensive cars anywhere. Another problem I run into is that the public doesn't know the difference between hobby quality RCs that you can buy parts for and toy store junk that you have to throw away when it breaks. They buy this junk for their kids, the kids get daring, break the car, it gets tossed. The kid then wants a quality RC and the parents won't buy it. Same with all these quadcopters, they buy crap from big box stores and ignore hobby shops that sell good stuff. I've found out that in West Palm and Port St Lucie where I live, there are very few hobby shops period. This doesn't help build the hobby either. Just my $.02....