I see from reading different posts from alot of people around the country oval racing is once again changing directions. some groups will run brushless and lipo only,some want to run lipo and 4cell packs and with new motors,batterys,speedo's,bodies and everything else comming i wonder how long will it be before the guy who races out of his own pocket will beable to afford to do so? it seems to me that the bigest group of racers race out of pocket. i know i do. and i also wonder how long it will be before we are priced out of racing all together. will the rc companys and sponcerd drivers keep the rc racing hobby alive? we all have seen over the years the rise and fall of racing lets face it the numbers are down what can we do to get the numbers back up? its something to think about wouldnt you say.
oval racing
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#1 if you still use nimh cells i'm realy sorry and i think your waiting on b+W tv to make a comeback!
#2 you are the racer..you pay the entry..you should control what you want the rules to be and what classes should be offered
#3 IF/WHEN we do switch over to single cell you will now have your battery expense cut in half...brushless motors last 4 ever..you now spend all your money on tires and bodies...in 21 years all forms of racing have gooten LESS expensive......
open your eyes and see the light!
the glass realy is half full!
#2 you are the racer..you pay the entry..you should control what you want the rules to be and what classes should be offered
#3 IF/WHEN we do switch over to single cell you will now have your battery expense cut in half...brushless motors last 4 ever..you now spend all your money on tires and bodies...in 21 years all forms of racing have gooten LESS expensive......
open your eyes and see the light!
the glass realy is half full!
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598 Posts
Once again, I will say this....
RACERS make racing more expensive, not sponsored drivers, not manufacturers. The bad part about it is, it can be done without spending huge amounts of money like some racers do IMO.
I think new racers get scared off when they inquire about getting into racing and hear.....$150 for batteries, $140 for motors, $75 for custom painted bodies, $175 for your speedo, $269 for your radio, blah, blah, blah....
TOUR is trying to get oval headed in the right direction.....but TOUR won't keep the cost down really. It may help it a bit but won't be the cure-all. People are still going to buy the latest and greatest cause they can.
All racing, no matter the type, is expensive. It is a hobby, but like all hobbies worth doing that are fun, you have to pay to play. I think that locking batteries and/or motors is one of the best ways to keep costs down for racers, especially in beginner classes.
--Cory
I agree.
boating unlimited cash flow
hunting ditto
photography ditto
golf ditto
watching porn cost me millions
poker even more money
collecting stamps way up there
fishing yeah i spend more on fishing than porn and r/c combined
ehat hobby worth doing is cheap?
paintball just as much
wa wa wa wa wa wa
hunting ditto
photography ditto
golf ditto
watching porn cost me millions
poker even more money
collecting stamps way up there
fishing yeah i spend more on fishing than porn and r/c combined
ehat hobby worth doing is cheap?
paintball just as much
wa wa wa wa wa wa
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1,923 Posts
That's easy... find me a kid who has the patience and desire to spend the amount of time working on and racing his cars, when he can pull out his PS3 and hit the reset button when he crashes, and put zero time into working on or learning how to be successful at RC racing? Explain HOW you grow the oval market when you open 90% of the magazines in the supermarket and it's all off road, drifting, or TC racing? How do you grow oval when most kids have no desire to put time into building a car when they can run out and buy a RTR offroad car and bash around in the back yard with no time put into a build. The rules are a small part of the issue. You have to look at the big picture here.
The same goes for oval racing in general. (All scales) How many kids, or 18-24 year olds do you see at the races? Most of the time it seems like the crowd at a race (and r/c track) consists of people who are 40+ and the only kids are the ones that get dragged along because they'd need a babysitter otherwise.
And the other thing that kills it before it starts is "Everyone's a winner!". That's where classes like Touring Car Oval, Nostalgia Spec, 18th Unlimited, etc come from. Diluted racing sucks, but hey we all made the A main!
And the other thing that kills it before it starts is "Everyone's a winner!". That's where classes like Touring Car Oval, Nostalgia Spec, 18th Unlimited, etc come from. Diluted racing sucks, but hey we all made the A main!
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3,730 Posts
Agreed with Casper on this one. Our society is to "plug and play" and instant gratification nowadays to bring in a large portion of new racers in my opinion. If they do buy the kit, put it together, and go racing. When they don't win within 2 weeks they either want a new class added at the track or quit altogether. 
Who's numbers are DOWN? Compared to WHAT?
Some places are up! Others have nothing to compare to, because they are NEW, other CLOSED due to economy, bad management, lack of EXCITEMENT in a facility, lack of Participation @ a certain track - THE NEW TRACK Up the Street, who wouldn't work with the OLD Track - SERIES RACING - bad management (Yes, I said it twice...) - EXPENSE (although CHEAPER NOW - it's much more technical - so it's easier to get caught up in HIGH expenses), DIFFICULTY LEVEL to be competitive, and MORE!!
BODIES are Higher - TIRES are Higher - MOTORS are Higher (But last a LOT LONGER, and don't need to be rebuilt every other run...so CHEAPER very quickly) BATTERIES higher than some, cheaper than others...but LAST a lot LONGER (They OUTLAST the useful life due to NEW ones coming out every couple months still ) CARS are Higher - but that's what you get for the SMALL RUN HIGH TECH QUALITY cars we get today, vs. a MASS Produced Less Competitive "NEEDS HOPUPS" type of car.
It's NOT having a class PEOPLE want (1/18th scale, Touring Oval, SNOWBUGGIES with TRACKS, etc. CLASSES, be it ODDBALL that get PEOPLE to Try racing in circles, open the DOOR for NEWBIES to jump into 1/10th OVAL classes) You got to get them in SOME HOW!
MAKE your "newbie" RACER feel welcome - get him and his buddies INTO something - GET them ON THE TRACK. don't shove RULES down their throats for "LOCAL CLUB RACING" just get them RACING. If they decide they want to pursue this hobby at the COMPETITIVE level (Big Races, SNOWBIRDS, NATIONALS) they WILL in time...
As far as NUMBERS being down for PAVED OVAL - IMHO my #1 reason for this is IT'S BORING FOR NEWBIES!
They come in, not being "OVAL" people, running against DIE HARD OVAL GUYS (who aren't the most PATIENT people in the world) and they are made to feel like CRAP if they don't EAT, SLEEP, and THINK like a OVAL PRO (or BUY the OVAL PRO things)
They can go buy a SLASH and bash around on an Off-Road track for HOURS and have a ball - and go home happy!
casper how many 40year old racers build there own cars now? around here over half the entries have had cars built by another racer!
how many kids buy that 60.00 video game and not go on the net for cheats so they can win the game in 2 days time?
plug and play era times 500000000
how many kids buy that 60.00 video game and not go on the net for cheats so they can win the game in 2 days time?
plug and play era times 500000000
My son started oval at 8yrs old and is 13yrs old now and is still in it. He likes to do alittle offroad now and then, but oval is where he loves to race. I admit I do 90% of the work on the car, but it is something we do together as a father son thing. I did race for 1 summer, but it was taking away from his racing so I gave it up and devoted my time to his car. I have upset alot of my friends because we are always racing somewhere and I dont do things with them. But our kids are only young once , so dont miss that part of their lives.
The biggest thing that I found to keep him interested in oval, is to take him to other tracks. kids need change once in a while. Give them a new challange, take them to another track and have them learn a new drive line. We travel the BRL series every winter just for that reason. Going to try to make it to Ovalmasters this year also. The more he can learn from the best in the business, the better he will be down the road.
My son knows it is not all about winning( that is the football, and soccer mentallty) It is about having fun and spending time with our kids before they grow up and move out on their own.
The biggest thing that I found to keep him interested in oval, is to take him to other tracks. kids need change once in a while. Give them a new challange, take them to another track and have them learn a new drive line. We travel the BRL series every winter just for that reason. Going to try to make it to Ovalmasters this year also. The more he can learn from the best in the business, the better he will be down the road.
My son knows it is not all about winning( that is the football, and soccer mentallty) It is about having fun and spending time with our kids before they grow up and move out on their own.
I agree with almost everything posted above. We have been concerned, for years, about making the R/C hobby more appealing to new users. But, with all new technology, there seems to be a race toward more complicated and expensive products.
Most members of this forum have been participating for years, and may have many $1000s invested in racing equipment. We all realize that this huge upfront investment and complexity keep new racers and "returners" from jumping in.
As a manufacturer, all we can do is offer high-quality, affordable products to make easing into racing easier on the wallet. We have spent the entire summer introducing our new Havoc series of reasonably priced systems and controllers.
But, we can only lead the horse to water......
Most members of this forum have been participating for years, and may have many $1000s invested in racing equipment. We all realize that this huge upfront investment and complexity keep new racers and "returners" from jumping in.
As a manufacturer, all we can do is offer high-quality, affordable products to make easing into racing easier on the wallet. We have spent the entire summer introducing our new Havoc series of reasonably priced systems and controllers.
But, we can only lead the horse to water......
Most of these systems cost less than one high-end controller alone.
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1,069 Posts
I know alot of parents that think rc is cheap compared to video games and would gladly pay for a quality car. But ther kids just dont care too. My 8yr old has an atari 2600, nintendo super nintendo sega dream cast, xbox 360, dsi, wii, ps1, ps2 and a ps3 that she can play games on but because I spend time with her , she would rather learn to race with me.
You notice that I said I spend time with her. those same parents that buy there kids all those games are for the most part the one's that dont spend time with thier kids.
There for kids are tought to be plug and play.
I am not saying this is true for all kids or parents because i am not this way. But I am saying that the parents are not involved like the were when most of us were kids and there for the kids today dont want to work for a win.
Tom Kellems
You notice that I said I spend time with her. those same parents that buy there kids all those games are for the most part the one's that dont spend time with thier kids.
There for kids are tought to be plug and play.
I am not saying this is true for all kids or parents because i am not this way. But I am saying that the parents are not involved like the were when most of us were kids and there for the kids today dont want to work for a win.
Tom Kellems
With reguard to pan cars...it seems that the whole scene is in such a state of flux now wonder it has just about died..............or it has died here in the mid atlantic area. It just makes me glad to run dirt oval with a 13.5 2 cell lipo car under the DODC rule package. ONE battery ONE motor and a list of bodies to choose from. After that it's basically wide open. I have'nt touched me pan car since this past April.............I hate to say it but I don't miss the pan car scene...............well at least at this time
how many homes have a dad and a mom?
and yes we eat out alot and i see hordes of families who will go to chilis and bring dvd players or the pocket games to keep there kids busy while they eat!!!
what happened to good parenting? kids raise themselves now!
props to the dads and moms who take interest in there kids each and every day!
and thanks novak for making things a lil cheaper for the new guy!
and yes we eat out alot and i see hordes of families who will go to chilis and bring dvd players or the pocket games to keep there kids busy while they eat!!!
what happened to good parenting? kids raise themselves now!
props to the dads and moms who take interest in there kids each and every day!
and thanks novak for making things a lil cheaper for the new guy!
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