If they build it,we will come.
 

All of us that are in the off road r/c community need to come together and put pressure on the manufacturers to invest some of OUR hard earned money back into the sport. Kyosho has recently opened their American headquarters in Southern California ,so it would appear that they, as a corporation, recognize the market potential that exists here.
Let us compare ,for a moment ,our sport with another pastime that is common; soccer. In my area for instance, there are two HUGE facilities that each have six to eight soccer fields.These fields have lights and bleachers and restrooms.They ,also,are part of an existing public park. There are twenty teams in one particular league,each team has fifteen players.The average cost of equipment and other costs for each player is about seventeen hundred dollars per season,or around twenty six thousand dollars per team.( I know this because my kid played soccer for five years.) Thats about a half a million dollars for one league for one season.
Now consider ANY popular off road race like the Nitro Challenge or Jimmy Babcock Racing League events. The number of entries is usually limited to three hundred. Using myself as an example, I have about six thousand dollars invested in my car ,motors,tools, radio gear, and all the other stuff you know we use to race. Some people do it with less, but others spend more. A LOT MORE. Again, using myself as an average, thats about one million eight hundred thousand dollars invested that shows up to race!!
A world class facility for off road racing could be built on a space about the size of two soccer fields and that includes parking. The manufacturers HAVE the money to do this many times over. Consider how many people get into r/c only to lose interest because there is no REAL place to go and practice and eventually race?
I personally travel over one hundred and fifty miles(round trip) to practice and race. I would go farther if there was a place like I envision. We can make it happen IF we work together.

RE: If they build it,we will come.
 

I think the problem is soccer fields can be used for concerts, football, events, soccer and a bunch of other stuff. An offroad/onroad rc track can only be used for one thing, but it too would be much smaller. Our local track here is in a public park and is used for many state and national events. I live 15 minutes from there and go whenever I can to do some track bashing, soon I'll be racing. I see your point though, the hobby would certainly grow, when I see people show up at this track they are always standing back like "whoa, thats cool", if there was a hobby shop there too the register would be going kaching a whole lot more, prices would probably come down too.

RE: If they build it,we will come.
 

All so there are a LOT more people that play soccer then race RC cars. :eek:

RE: If they build it,we will come.
 

Agreed. The number of people that drive RC cars is tiny compared to major sports like soccer, netball etc. It may appear to be bigger than it is because we are so involved with it.

RE: If they build it,we will come.
 

regardless of our numbers ,the money is still there.

RE: If they build it,we will come.
 

As long as they are making money do you think they really care? Racing is a VERY small part of this hobby probably only 10 to 20% at the most and there are way more basher then racers! Many RC manufactures do contribute a good bit to racing! Just by building one track is not going to help all their customers as they do not all live in the same place. To build tracks everywhere for all there customers then they would surely go out of business.

I suggest if some think there is big money in building a track then you build one and you will soon fine out how hard it really is just to make enough to keep the tack open! A true racer will go wherever they have to, to race! I know what you mean as I drive right now as far as 350 round trip to race and next year hoping to be travel as much as 5 times that for a race. I do understand some of what you are saying it just is not feasible!

RE: If they build it,we will come.
 

If I recall,one company built one track on some of the most expensive real estate in the country and it made a huge difference to enough of its customers that it has been open for well over a decade. That is Tamiya and the track is located in Aliso Viejo Ca.
I say that if all we can get out of the manufacturers is one track apiece then we should hold their feet to the fire until they do it. I understand that we as racers are a minority, as far as our numbers are concerned,but I feel confident that the actual dollars we spend may carry more weight than our 10-20% status may suggest.
As far as building a track ,I have done it. It took me over eleven weeks to do it as I had ZERO help. I did it on some property where I work ,only to have some county flood control inspector determine that I had encroached on some type of " easement " with what he had decided was a BMX track.
I am in the process of building another practice track in a different location and should be done in October . A true racer will build their own track to practice if they have to. I will post pictures when completed.
By the way, if you really think that 10-20% is such a small part of this hobby consider what a 10-20% pay cut would do to your budget.

RE: If they build it,we will come.
 

Yep that is why some of use are building a track not just for practice but all so to host some of the biggest series races on the East coast. We will have around $4,000 alone just in the timing system so I think this shows how hard-core my partners and I are! [X(]So do you think a hard core racer is going to quite racing do to the fact the major manufactures are not going to build one track. [sm=spinnyeyes.gif] I do not think so, so they are not taking any sort of a cut! Why would a track clear across the country even affect me anyhow? :eek:

RE: If they build it,we will come.
 

Wow. I guess your right. I give up.
NOT.

RE: If they build it,we will come.
 

I hate to say it but everything is in California, you guys have the best and most tracks, manufacturers are all in California, and not even counting how many other things (concerts, full scale races, how many sports teams are in Cali?..etc).

I would like there here (of course), I could see how it would attract ALOT of racers. Commercials would be nice and even a "Celebrity race" would attract future RC addicts. Thats really the main issue IMO, lack of good tracks here. We have 2 very good tracks here in Louisiana, HXR in Bossier City (hosted the Futaba Nitro Challenge, and will again this year), and Finishline Raceway in Scott. Those are thriving tracks, but SCR in Destrehan is suffering, lack of racers, lack of care, limited space, no hobby shop...things like that will shut down a track fast. A more professional facility like SoCal is the only way (IMO) to attract people and make the sport thrive on. In-door nitro is a must also.
I think it would be a better idea if several manufacturers would sponsor tracks all over the nation to help. It would help take some of the stress off of the track owners and give them the opportunity to have a successful facility. Just imagine, a track where the temp stays the same, humidity stays low, you can actually race during winter, and you don't need one of those beer-holder helmets just to make it through the main without dehydrating!

RE: If they build it,we will come.
 

The simple fact is that most tracks do not make money. It would be nice if all of the major manufacturers would build a track somewhere and look at it as a loss leader, but what is being asked is for them to throw money at something they probably won't see a return on.

Threads like this pop up every once in a while. People like you and me who want to race every, or at least every other weekend have a hard time doing so because of the lack of facilities to run at. We are the few however. Too many tracks close within the first few years of opening because they hemmorage money.

Then you also see a new thread complaining about race fees every now and then. People get pissed because race fees went up from $10 to $15 per class. So you have a juxtaposition of views about the state of things.

Give it some more time, things won't/can't change overnight. If you remember what racing was like 10 or so years ago, right around the time racing nitro became the 'in' thing, then you should also remember it was even more difficult to get a racing fix then. Things have changed dramatically in the last 10 years, but it may take another 10 before we get to a point where someone can break even with an average track.

I got the bug so bad I bought this so that I could go to tracks outside my region:
http://www.rvtown.com/DealerImages/2718_1.jpg

Not that exact one, but the same model. $19K for a trailer that I will use primarily for racing R/C... I guess I have you beat on the amount spent on the sport!

What will kick start things is if ESPN or SPEEDTV decides to start covering races. Take a big race like the Nitro Max Challenge and edit it down to an hour show. ESPN2 shows dart and domino tournaments for crying out loud. A one hour show, with a new one every month, I would imagine would be just as popular as dominoes. :eek: If that ever happens you will be looking at corporate sponsorships. Coke, Budweiser e.t. a.l. all have MORE than enough money to do some major advertising (small potatoes compared to things they sponsor now) and get tracks all the money they need to stay afloat. But we are a ways away from that point.

RE: If they build it,we will come.
 

Funny thing,

I was cruisin around the forum lookin for some conversation about tracks.

Got to be honest with ya Hisyde. I agree. I also agree with everyone else. Banding together would be nice; but how would we manage that? In a perfect world we would all have a track 15 min. away from our home that doesn't SUCK the big one. I have a track near me that are some class acts. 1/12 scale / 1/10 scale only and refuse to allow the 1/8 class to enter. Oh, did I mention electric only? (Unless you're there for weekend practice). Yeah, the track is small and a complete joke. Totally run down....It's just....banding together? How is my question when we're spread out all around the country.. Not trying to discourage...I'm on your side.

Exposing the hobby and getting some serious coorporate sponsorship would be a beautiful thing for the hobby. We all have experienced the "Wow" factor when spectators check out the cars in action. But unfortunately, a "wow" is about all you get. To find some serious people looking to make anything remotely happening by investing their time, effort, and some funds to market this fantastic hobby seems rare.

I'm personally feeling defeated in my dreams to race competively. Unlinke RCtruck racer above; I do not have the financial ability or time from my profession to travel to races. Even if I did; we're talking 1500+ miles to reach any of the decient size events.

So, all in all I've come to this conclusion. I want to race. It's in me...has been since I was 12 years old first getting into this hobby (this gives my age away a little bit, but I've been driving for 15 years). Ever since I had my first car (Futaba FX-10) I've fantisized about going toe to toe with other racers out there. My solution:

-Build a Track close to my home (find someone or even my own property if need be) to support the construction of a track
-Find others whom like to run thier 1/8's and hopfully build a little local cliche

To be honest, I don't even know how to find anyone who is into running the 1/8's. The hobby is so underground; trying to find others is like searching for the classic needle in a haystack. Only thing I can think of doing is camping out at my local hobby shop and marketing to people who buy the 1/8th's or market it with flyers etc... BUT, since I don't even have a track underway at this point, what is the point?

Build my own track. Race my car alone. And appreciate the hobby solely for what it is for my own personal pleasure. If I can't do that then I'll definately find myself at a dead end with RC. (Which I never want).

RE: If they build it,we will come.
 

I feel your pain. Maybe the fact that I, also ,was forced to build my own track so I wouldn't have to drive so far to practice is what lead me to start this thread in the first place.

RE: If they build it,we will come.
 

Hey!
I like your trailer. I bought a 14 foot Haulmark and built benches inside for working on my cars. You're right about being patient but sometimes I just get P.O'd about the lack of support us ,the "REGULAR" guys get from the people to whom we give so much of our cash.
I did see something that gives me hope however; Traxxis had an advertisement in Motor Trend magazine!! That is the first time I recall seeing an r/c related ad in a non-r/c related publication. Who knows,maybe billboards are next!!

RE: If they build it,we will come.
 

I to wish there were sponsorship of tracks. In our area the nearest two tracks are about 40 miles away and when we visit them they are tore up and nobody wants to spend time to work on them. So we built our own, matter of fact we built two, one for day racing and one near elctricity for night racing. It does not take alot of people, 4 of us funded and built ours. There are tremendous benifits of having your own track. Probably the biggest is only the people you want there are there, the track will always be worked on when needed, no fees, always open. We don't even cosider traveling to go to a track, the racing between us has been so competative sometimes we come off the stand shaking. Why would I go anywhere else. Here is a link http://nitromaniacs.zoomshare.com/ to our tracks with pics. Pics are old, taken in 05 the tracks were about two years old at that time. Considerble improvements have been made since then I just never remember to bring a camera and take pics. Driver stands built and a lot more dirt added. We all just bought 1/8 buggies and are converting one track for that and will leave the other for the stadium trucks. So find a small group, build a track, and have some fun!!! Don't wory the blisters will heal, not to mention it will help with that gut some of us are beginning to get.

RE: If they build it,we will come.
 

Its possible for bigger companies (Coke, Pepsi, Monster, Sony...) to sponsor RC races and the like. Marty Korn is sponsored by Rockford Fosgate and how many of you drink cokes or energy drinks? Monster sponsors the whole Kawasaki Supercross/Motocross team, and they are the best IMO. And how close is supercross racing to 1/8th racing?

RE: If they build it,we will come.
 

Hey
What a guy. I have yet to finish the rough grading for the track I'm building but hope to be finished in late October. I'm lucky in one respect as I work for a mining company and have access to equipment to make things go faster, it's just a matter of finding the time because I work six days a week.
I am building the track from waste material from our aggregate plant. It is ultra-fine silt and brown clay with absolutely NO rocks. It does compact somewhat but does not get really hard. When it is wet it has a "give" to it like rubber. The neat thing is ,rather than tear up the bottom of your car ,it polishes instead.
I hope to buy a digital camera and I will post some pics.

RE: If they build it,we will come.
 

Heres an idea if we ever got good enough it would be possible to have a dirtbike / rc track because I race dirtbikes and took my 8ight to one of the motocross races recently and I of course couldnt clear almost any of the jumps w/ it but if it were downsized a bit then it would be possible. I dont know, just a thought. also it could be used for bmx too

RE: If they build it,we will come.
 

Aaahh too many words!!

RE: If they build it,we will come.
 

one of the main reasons RC racing doesn't attract any real backing is that it is extemely difficult to follow the actual racing ie who's car is who's and what the actual positions of the cars are in any particular race (you know how hard it is when you're watching a buddy & you could recognise his bodyshell anywhere BUT try keeping an eye on where he is in a race without a PDA hooked up to the timing computer [:'(])
because it not particularly spectator friendly that severely limits the possibilitys of it earning any investors any money!
they want bums on seats, who have paid to be there!
as much as we all love it there just isn't mass market appeal [:o]

RE: If they build it,we will come.
 

Very interesting observation. You know where the mass market appeal is in this hobby? The drivers. We want RC to be exposed to the point where there are events all over and it becomes HUGE. Unfortunately it is about spectators and having mass interest. Without fans....we're without tracks...and we're without coorporate backing. Drivers buy magazines. Drivers go to events and drive. Drivers purchase cars / parts / etc...

RE: If they build it,we will come.
 

If a track has the money you could have a big monitor showing positions and lap times to help keep up with who is where. At one of the tracks I race at the timing tower has a small monitor that displays the race statistics blow by blow. Then if you have a number for each vehicle it would be easier for spectators to keep up with who is where.

RE: If they build it,we will come.
 

At my track we race with numbers... I agree and think we should add bigger numbers and maybe model specific colors like in motocross so people can follow this sport better.

RE: If they build it,we will come.
 

the only spectators that come to rc events are racers from other classes and their families/friends. This sport does not have spectators for one reason and one reason only, really. That reason is the lack of danger. Look at Nascar, F-1, Rally, Derby, Horses, motocross, skateboarding or any other type of racing or competition and most people watch for the wrecks or to see if this guy can cheat death to win, period. of course, another reason some people watch is to see the "pros" do what we would like to be able to do such as golf. Most people think RC cars are easy to drive and with a little practice anyone could do it. Its us who own these and run these that know it's difficult. Most people view RC cars as glorified video games with real sight/sound and more expense but with the same lack of risks. They're viewed as toys and people dont atch toys race. Pro video gamers are only successful because there are millions of leisure video gamers, we would need the same amount of leisure RC to accomplish what you would like to see accomplished.

RE: If they build it,we will come.
 

One of the reasons there are not more spectators are there is little advertising about the events. There is a track I raced twice in the Georgia Championship Series in Savannah that is in a public part. Do to many coming to the park see the races going on and they get quite a few spectators.

Now the track we are building we plain on having advertised open house and CEN is going to send some demo models so we can let the general public try there hand at running on a track in hopes to get a few interested in the hobby. We all so will have seminars on things like setting up your car, rebuilding your engine and so on. We will have family days with picnics to try and get the wives and girl friends to take part as well as meet others. Like I said before hope to host many other bigger races like the Georgia Championship series, East Coast Nitro Challenge and Pro Series among others.