AJH387

iTrader: (5)

It all depends on the track and person. I think the thing that hurts RTR classes is the racers themselves. More often than not, people dip into the hobby with RTR stuff. Then once they decide that they like it, they instantly are looking to upgrade to something else. I don't do on-road but I see it all of the time with offroad. So you might have a group of new drivers that are running a class that is a RTR car. But then they decide that they like racing and end up buying a kit (new or used) and move on from the RTR entry-level vehicle. And then once there aren't enough people to run that machine in a class, it goes away. I've seen it a few times now. Like someone mentioned, you see it with the Slash classes. And even Arrma Typhons are very popular for RTR buggy drivers. I was one of them. But ya, the key to it all is going to be your track and the people participating.

Soul Surfer

Good posts with valid points.

As we all know, racing is a multifaceted activity no matter the discipline, small scale or full scale. From the manufacturers supplying product down to the individuals at the club level all over the world and no matter what, it's going to cost.

From my perspective, I was interested in the options available for novices interested in going racing who might want to avoid the whole process of figuring out which motor, esc, servo, TX and RX to purchase. RTR pretty much eliminates those variables and associated costs from the equation. Just charge your batteries and drive. I'm thinking about the young folks in this too. For example, how do you transition your 10 year old kid from parking lot bashing to racing on the track if he or she is interested?

As @mrreet2001 and @Hauptmann6 have posted, there are great deals on used vehicles as well. You just have to make sure what your buying still has product support for when things break.

Ultimately, I'm glad there are clubs that are willing to bring novice drivers into the fold with entry level classes.

TLRacer1127

I know it ends up being more costly than RTR but the new TLR 5.0 DC Roller is perfect for this entry level class. We run 21.5, 17.5 and MOD at my local track. One could easily start with a 21.5 motor and basic electronics setup and run in the sportsman class. Once they got faster and better, they can move into the 21.5 class without buying a single new thing. Then as they get faster they can slowly upgrade the car and electronics. In my opinion this is the perfect entry to 2WD offroad racing. You don't have to spend a grand out of the gate and the car can exponentially grow with you.

Another thing my local hobby shop owner does is builds a kit.. usually an Associated buggy.. puts basic electronics in it, includes tires for our track, a paint job, battery and a charger. He charges around $750 - $800 for this setup.

These are both great ways to get new people into the hobby.

AJH387

iTrader: (5)

These are great ideas, for sure.

Roelof

It seems a user and all of his posts are wiped so some reactions can be unlogical......

Billy Kelly

iTrader: (9)

I think might still be here, just under new identity

Gentoo

iTrader: (3)

So, I'm looking to get into on road racing and one hobby shop has a parking lot "run what ya brung" class and isn't going to do anything more. The other isn't all too keen with on-road because as he put it - "most of those guys aren't that friendly, and it comes down to who has the bigger wallet".

Roelof

That there are not so friendly people is true and most of the time it comes with the status of being sponsored or wanting to be sponsored.. I do not say all because I know plenty of sponsored guys who are friendly and show interest in other non hero's. But yes, from own experience I can say the war between brands, drivers and shops can be very high and irritating. I have seen my national 1/8 classe in 2 years goind down from 50 to 25 drivers because many drivers did find a more friendly athmosphere in the other countries arround Holland, as also I did.

biggreen

Hehe they aren't friendly because they are pissed they spent all this $$$$ and can't outrun me and my RTR cars.

OffRoadJunkie

iTrader: (9)

LOL...
You might have a point there.
I have noticed that the grumpiest guys at the track are the ones with the most money in their cars and can't win a race.

Billy Kelly

iTrader: (9)

Clay track I’m currently at has a RTR class. The owner runs in it. The on road group I’ll be with over summer have to see if one runs. They did run a RTR brushed 2wheel slash road class last summer when people want to run it.

orcadigital

iTrader: (61)

I would say one of the largest barriers to RC racing in general is the cost. The primary thing I see as an issue with an RTR class is that, as has been stated, to move up to the next class, most of what you have purchased won't be usable. If you look at most Novice classes, how long is normal before those drivers move up into a regular class? A month, 3 months, 6 months? To invest $500+ and know that 75% of it or more will be sitting on a shelf in a matter of months (whether you enjoy RC racing or not) is disheartening. When I started back into RC in 2011, I invested in a used TC3 chassis with lots of parts, and bought decent electronics. Only a little research taught me that a used chassis holds way less value, so I let someone else take the depreciation, where if I decided i did not enjoy it, and wanted to get out, I could still get most of my investment back on electronics. It also meant if I liked it, I could move up to a better chassis kit, and move all of my other gear over.

Regarding unfriendly people, it is not something I have experienced. I took my freshly rebuilt TC3 to a local track which happened to be a semi-private track operated by on the the primary Xray resellers in the US (Nexus) and the guys there were all driving top end chassis' with years of experience. They were super friendly, very helpful, and no one cared what kind of chassis I had. Ironically, my time in onroad was the most positive and open, where no one cared what chassis you had, because camber, toe, roll centers, etc all affect a touring car in the same way. Offroad on the other hand, I got a lot more "oh I drive Losi, I can't help you with your (insert non-Losi brand)". I say ironically, because the level of setup needed for an offroad 2wd buggy, in my experience is way less then a 4wd TC.

What I have seen that feels like it turns away new drivers more are the top drivers on the track. Whether it's just in the intensity (which seems to display in yelling at marshall's, blaming other drivers and equipment, and being an overall menace on the track to anyone slower), or those top skilled racers that continue to run in stepping stone classes (sportsman, VTA, whatever) it definitely makes it harder for new drivers to move out of a novice class. At a now closed track, we used to run VTA as our primary class. We thought we were pretty good, with the top drivers battling it out most race nights for a win. Even our newest drivers, while they weren't usually in contention for a podium, were still only a second or so off pace and with a clean run could easily be in the top 5. We went to a larger regional race... and none of us were better then the C main. We went home, and started taking VTA seriously. Motor testers and balance scales came out, and the fast guys got a lot faster. And the slow guys, didn't change. But now those slower guys were not a second off the pace, but they were being lapped every 4-5 laps, and with several fast guys, felt like they were constantly having to move over for the next fast guy coming up. They stopped racing, as it was no longer fun for them.

I do not necessarily have a solution, but there are a lot of threads that say dividing classes by skill does not make sense, and drivers will self regulate (fastest guys in mod, the regular guys in stock, and new folks in novice), but most onroad programs do not have that luxury (mod TC is scary fast) and unfortunately, what I have seen of very fast and very skilled drivers who stay in classes like VTA, at the end of the day seem to do less to promote the class and more to scare off new drivers from it.

At the end of the day, getting new drivers in is a goal, but from my experience, the much more difficult achievement is getting those new driver's to stay after the first few months. The atmosphere and people at the track have a profound impact to that, I 100% agree with many of those good and bad experiences driving what happens with new drivers. I would love to see plans and discussions not about how to just get a new person in, but how to keep them in, and help them progress to those next levels of RC competition, as it feels like today, that is where the big gap lies. Full circle to this thread, I would worry that RTR classes, while they could help that new driver get started, may be a detriment to them staying long term. I'd almost rather see track hand-me-down type programs, transponder rentals, etc that would assist new drivers in breaking down those initial cost barriers, but not setting them up for greater barriers if they enjoy it and want to move up.

Just my experience and opinions based on such.