The State Of RC Racing Part 1 (2024)
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- Опубліковано 16 січ 2024
- Hey Again, Roach here, in this video I’ll be analyzing how RC racing seems to be doing from the perspective of someone who’s more on the ground, while also going over some small ways we can help it grow. If you don't hear me go over many negative things, I'll probably touch on them in part 2.
Channels Featured:
- / @popalongrc
- / @dirtconcept
RaceLine Designs’ website Use Code “ROACHRC” to save 10% off - www.rldrc.com
What I Run -
8th Scale Buggy - www.avantlink.com/click.php?t...
8th Scale Truggy - www.avantlink.com/click.php?t...
Motor and ESC - www.avantlink.com/click.php?t...
Servo - www.avantlink.com/click.php?t...
Receiver - www.avantlink.com/click.php?t...
Transmitter - www.avantlink.com/click.php?t...
Tekno Ebuggy - www.avantlink.com/click.php?t...
Kyosho Ebuggy - www.avantlink.com/click.php?t...
TLR Ebuggy - www.avantlink.com/click.php?t...
Euro RC website. Code “RoachRC5” - www.eurorc.com
Cow RC website. Code “ROACHRC” - cowrc.com
Paypal for waffle and general tip jar - RoachRC1@gmail.com
Facebook - / cade.williams.39545
Instagram - / roachrc565
Patreon - / roachrc
Music - • Torii Wolf - Colours
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#rc #rccars #rcracing #roachrc - Авто та транспорт
Love this video.
After a decade of bashing, i joined 1/8 scale nitro as a 17 year old kid. The vibe at that track was cut throat and I sold my gear a year later. The lack of friendly faces and people willing to help was really discouraging as a young hobbyist.
Now... in my 30's, I joined a club this last summer and got a used b6.1 a few weeks later. Im racing 4 different classes. 2 oval, 2 turf/carpet off road. I volunteer with the track builds, voulenteer marshal and actively try to help people as much as possible.
My experience when I was younger left me wanting a family friendly, competitive RC setting. Not only that, I learned that as racers, we must be ambassadors to the sport. I knew if I ever got back into RC racing, it would only be with the right vibe. I found that in Diehard RC up here in WA state.
Packing up to go setup tonight!
diehard is awesome. come check out outlaw across the border
@jasonmarques6162 would love to try and fit some travel races into my schedule this year. Top 10 in points for all 3 of my classes my first full season. I'm ready to see how I stack up against bigger races. Hopefully this weekends hobby expo will be a good measure
Hard for a hobby to grow when it actively pushes consumers away
@Maximm_FX I understand,but your point is kinda misleading,just cause you didn't do your research and paid more isn't a good point,go back to the track and run it!
How are they pushing consumers away?
Excellent video, as a retailer in the industry and lifelong hobbyist this topic hits close to home. We have seen such a shift to the bashing/crawling market in recent times, and the racing scene all but dry up locally, and nationally in spots. It's nice to find others to come together and bounce ideas around to see just how we can keep this thing growing for the next wave of R/C racers!
I entered the hobby in 2023 after seeing a suggested video on Facebook reels and then following the rabbit hole to an MSM video on the Spec Slash class. It was a cheap way to get into the hobby, and a Slash kit became my Father's Day gift. Yeah, it was tough, but the reasons I stuck around are many of the same reasons you listed here:
-People at my track were immediately just about the nicest and most generous you could ever imagine. The man who the RD asked to be my "guide" for my first club race night has since become my mentor in the hobby and has helped me every step of the way. The staff at the track have all been incredibly welcoming and worked me in to race nights wherever they could, even when I was the only spec slash to show up for a while.
-When someone had an old slider they wanted to let go, they offered it to me first for a killer deal. They knew that going into a fully-fledged hobby-grade car would dramatically improve my enjoyment in the hobby (not saying I didn't enjoy Slash racing, but it definitely did), so they went out of their way to give me the opportunity first.
If we really want to grow the hobby, I think there are a few things we can do:
-Never forget that new drivers are who will keep your track and your hobby shop open. If someone is new, pay it forward and help them. We all went to our first race at one point, so reciprocating the help we all got when we were new will help give the next driver that same experience.
-Be generous where you can. If you have an extra of something that you don't really need or value all that much, be willing to let it go to a local new guy for a deal. Sometimes a little push forward is all somebody needs to take the plunge from a Traxxas to a Tekno, and before you know it your club just grew by another driver.
I also really loved your comment about track difficulty. I've seen now 3 major rebuilds at my track (an 8th scale indoor track) since joining the hobby. The first one was super simple, but admittedly not great for the guys who wanted to go fast. Even as a novice I felt it lacked a little bit of punch. The second one was much more technical and while it was a neat layout, it was really hard to learn to drive smoothly, and this was after I had been driving for some time. Our most recent layout seems to have found a great balance between the two: it doesn't have any major technical challenges that will put a chasm of separation between the skilled and novice drivers, but it also isn't a cakewalk, and it's just genuinely fun to drive.
Great breakdown Roach. Let’s make RC great again in 2024!
my local club welcomes new drivers in by having their own open novice classes. both for oval and offroad road course, just rent a transponder and run any 1/10 you bought. great for getting people in, then they can move into our SCT classes or buggy classes when theyre comfortable. i started with running a 2wd slash on their open oval class, before buying a set of pins and moving into 2wd sct offroad when i felt comfortable on the oval. i slowly grew from there, looking to run open oval, 2wd sct, and 1/10 4wd buggy when racing opens up in the spring!
Great video mate!!
The lack of race tracks (decent tracks) are a problem. Also I have found if you get into competitive 1/10 scale the level of competitiveness is ultimately detrimental to the overall experience and becomes more of a chore than a fun time.
My mates and I have set up a small track in his backyard and we just run Vintage cars, have a great time, talk loads of trash at each other and have a BBQ to finish up. Awesome stuff.
Another option I have found is scale crawling. These guys seem to be very chilled and have little competition between them. Just enjoying the experience for what it is.
Keep up the great content. 😊
I would like to see tracks offer rentals, similar to how paintball fields do with guns and gear.
A lot of tracks have rentals... if the hobby shop has there own track, good chance they have Slash rentals.
@sauliluolajan-mikkola620 where is your local track?
I’ve got a local shop that does rentals.
It’s mostly crawlers though
As a on road well(carpet) racer in the UK. Racing a niche, within a niche... We are very lucky (although it takes this sort of video to make me reflect on it) with how many small clubs there are around the country Catering for a massive range of classes (probably too many) honestly...
There is a huge learning curve to the hobby regardless of which class you race....
For myself I will always be grateful to a handful of racers who where there for the right reasons (fun, banter, getting away from the family 😂) they took me under there wing and helped when the car wasn't working and quiet possibly kept me returning week after week....
Now I'm a much more seasoned racer and quite frankly probably spending way too much money and taking it far too seriously It is a responsibility on all of us to help any struggling racer..... A few kind words or the odd parts borrow to keep them racing is the only way the hobby will continue to grow....
Fantastic video as always certainly made me feel lucky and reflective...
When I got into rc racing this past November two of the people at my track let try their 1/10 buggies. Like you said in the vid this helped me want to get into the hobby and let me know they were nice people. I’ll definitely extend the same courtesy/offer in the future if I get the chance, and recommend it.
As someone who got into rc back in the 80s with 1/10 scale buggies, i recently came back, and nothing about the modern buggies is appealing. They all are pretty much the same, and you cant really tell them apart. All function over form. Ugly cab forward bodies, generic dish wheels. This is why vintage racing seems to be exploding in popularity. I dont think the average person will buy a car they think is ugly, much less go racing with it.
Love what you said about letting someone drive your car. I used to have a track in my area but don't anymore so I'm just a basher these days, but I'll always let people try out my cars and even encourage them to crash it or break it. I want them to truly understand that everything is fixable and it's never a big problem to wrench on a car for a bit as long as you had fun while you were driving it. Hopefully I'm doing my small part to get more people interested and involved in the hobby and maybe if I'm lucky someone will open up a track in my area and I can start racing nitro buggies again like I did when I was a kid. Thanks for the content bro keep it up
I just experienced this first hand letting some neighborhood kids drive my slash before Christmas,after Christmas 2 kids had rc cars!
Great video. As someone who has spend the last 3 weeks TRYING to get into racing... it's actually extremely difficult. Price is a major factor and I have noticed one fairly significant flaw in the RC hobby in general: You can buy low end buggies (that are still $400 CAD) to give it a try, but these cars will never be viable for competition. You can buy high end cars for $1200+ but who wants to spend that much money if they've never tried it before? There is no middle level to the hobby - a car that is still good for a beginner, but doesn't need to be replaced immediately to compete.
I spent at least 2 weeks trying to figure out what to buy to get into 1/10th scale racing, and in the end, I gave up. There is nothing affordable to try out the hobby that won't immediately become obsolete as soon as I decide I like it and want to take it more seriously. In the end, I have opted for a 1/14 buggy because it's cheaper to try out. I can still run it at my local track (the indoor carpet track is a bit small anyway so 1/14 seems like it will fit it well), but I can also bash it outside on weekdays when I can't get to the track.
I won't have anyone to race because no one races smaller scale buggies here. I probably shouldn't even try to get into RC racing despite living near the largest city in Canada because there aren't any tracks nearby... but for some reason I'm pushing ahead to give it a shot. This is still going to cost me $600 with a few upgrades, but it'll be the best version of the smaller scale buggy instead of the worst version of the 1/10 scales. IMO, clubs need to encourage smaller scale racing or racing with stock RTR vehicles so that people can try it out and have fun without spending $1k+ to then need to build a car. How do I know what electronics to get if I've never had any before?
I'm in the sane spot, but we do have a nice local track here in Reno Nevada, And they are even racing mini's they have a class here for lisi mini B, but I'm trying to get into 1/10 racing as cheap as possible, I just bought a used RC10B5M in goid shape for $100 but it's a roller, I also bough a nice used radio and Receiver, for $40.
I still need a motor, a speed control, and a battery.
I feel the lack of tracks/stores dont help. i definitely miss my old local track hotshotRC in marietta GA
Electric RC racing is difficult to package in a way that it can be shown on television or major streaming platforms
Yeah, about the on road thing... I'm having that problem, I've been out of the hobby for over 10 years now, started way back in the early 2000s in Germany... Where I lived and my friends and I were big rally, DTM, and G1 fans so we all ran touring classes... Now I live in the States again, PNW... And am starting all over with little to no off road experience, so I'm trying to figure everything out, one cool thing is my brother gave a ryft I'm working on so that's pretty neat, like your videos, your very helpful for me getting back into the hobby, keep it up bro.
Some awesome points made and topics touched on in this video.
I live near HRCR in Idaho, where the GT Nats that you mentioned will he happening. The last few years it had fallen off a bit, but 1/10 outdoor offroad on dirt is still alive in the NW, and I'm looking forward to 2024 in hopes that it helps liven up those 10th scale classes some. We have a great scene in Spokane , WA and CDA, Idaho area, with a track in Spokane that has a long history of outdoor dirt racing going back to the 1980s, as well as HRCR , and another club/track in a small town about an hour and a half south of those.
Having some classes and an atmosphere that is inviting to newcomers , and approachable as far as getting started , is very important. 10th scale can be less expensive and less intimidating for people to get started.
I love handing a radio to someone to let them try driving on the track... even 10th scales are pretty durable these days , and 1/8 buggies are dang near indestructible... I'm keeping my old EB48 2.0 around for just that reason, backup and a loaner car...
MOD Media , Live RC , and some other good event coverage is great , it would be awesome to see those get more exposure and people sharing them more so other non-rc folks would see them. It would be even more awesome to see a few events with that coverage being picked up by a TV network like MAV TV or something... MAV TV did broadcast an RC.event a while back, hope they do more.
Thanks for your UA-cam content, cheers
Giving advice to new people is such a fine line to walk. You dont want to blow them away with the price of quality equipment but you also to want low ball them with junk and have them buy twice. I also feel like we arent gonna grow the hobby if we cant spoed up the day. Not sure how many have the ability to set aside 12 hrs for a club race.
Great video as always. I think the environment can be an issue too. I have personally experienced just about every track in my area talking bad about the other tracks in the area. And some of the racers acting like highschool freshman and constantly stiring the pot, or talking crap on whoever is not there, then acting buddy buddy with them when they are. Luckily there are a lot of really awesome people in my area too which balances it a little. Such as DirtConcepts, some of the guys on the Send It team, and some of the people at ProLevel. But if it wasn't for them, it probably would have gotten old fast dealing with the constant back and forth they all seem to do behind each others backs. When someone does finally take the leap, if there is no balance between the helpful nice people and the constant downers, the new people may regret it and won't stick with it. Its suppose to be fun. :)
I got out of racing a few years ago. Been into it since the mid 90’s. Just too many classes anymore. Seems like everyone wants to be in the A. It got to the point of just a small handful of people in every class so it was always a struggle to get people to marshal as most seemed to run 3-4 classes.
If I was to open a track today, it would be a 1/10 off-road track, with only 2 classes available. Like the old days, where we had 30+ entries in each class for a local club race and it still wasn’t an all day event to run 3 qualifiers and a main.
All very valid points buddy! I remember my first race at Loganville. I met Donnie and Stewart there. They loaned a transponder to me, another guy I met loaned a set of tires. These small examples of inclusion really set an awesome time. Great video buddy!
Any industry like RC that uses Facebook as their main outlet will never grow and always stay at a treading water level.
How else would they share information?
Interested in this take. I don’t use FB either but never thought that it might be holding back hobbies that use it as their primary info platform. But I kinda feel like you’re onto something here. Care to delve any more detail/explanation?
Social media is the new way to advertise. RC is probably reaching more people than ever because of social media.
Issue with using Facebook as their main outlet will fail as stated above. Your business or track being posted does not show on others page unless the algorithm is high. There are many posts my wife post that I received a week later. Yes once your post is up and you tag others, that helps. I have missed posts from local shops along with larger places like A Main hobbies. Since Facebook has decided to let you see what they think you will be interested in. I see a lot of junk ads, that tells me pay to play is in effect.
@@ericmulcahey1 Makes sense. I wish Facebook and instagram was just chronological and didn’t show me stuff again after I’ve seen it once.
Amazing video dood! , funny that at my first time at the local track, someone offered me to try their car out. It definitely inspired me to get more invested. The track farther from my local has the problem of the track layout being a bit more complicated, it also doesn't help that it doesn't have the best field of vision from where you're standing(mainly the added on technical section), in pictures it looked okay, but the elevation of the sloped course was way more exaggerated in person. It's also pretty much race spec exclusive (1/8) with how big the dips are in between the jumps.
I've put together 3 1/10 road cars and have a bunch of rope and cones for setting up quick impromptu tracks. My city is small and doesn't have a huge RC community
Washtanaw RC holds a points series at The Novi MI outdoor track. Everything from 8th scale truggy down to 2wd buggy get fantastic turnouts. It's all open class, no blinky needed. The surface is an oiled dirt, and is semi permanent (they level it late each fall)
I think you make some really good points. I bought a couple UDI racing cars to zip around in the parking lot. Within minutes my daughter smashed her car into mine and both bodies cracked and needed repair. We headed to the closet indoor off-road track ready to buy some kits. The guy behind the counter was rude when I asked him about the beginner class and that was the end of that.
I really enjoy watching your videos because partly I am drawn towards this "racing" thing. Personally, I refuse to use the term racing about my own effort, I usually just call it driving around a track. I really recognise what you said about it being hard, and especially throughout 2023, I tried driving on a couple different tracks with some decent race buggies, and my skills were just not up for it... I still do enjoy it, the challenge is definitely exciting (fun would be a wrong way to describe it). I'm in Finland, so in wintertime, my only option to go RC'ing is an indoor carpet track, which is actually quite nice. Bit of a mixed crowd here, sometimes quite serious, sometimes pretty chaotic...
For me, "racing" is part of the hobby, along with bashing, collecting, building, painting, tinkering, modifying, Youtubing, the whole thing, it's a big mix...
Just found your channel, lots of good content. I have been racing on and off for a long time myself. Personally on road is my favorite, but I do agree it is a subset of racers and in some ways can be its own worst enemy. I do generally see only older folks running on road due to lack of beginner classes. I tend to have lots of opinions here, but I'll save those for another day.
Well said roach
In part of the world sydney Australia i would say both Off road and On road is in great form
No real close track to me but can be access by hour or so drive north or south to 5 to 6 track near me
Bit of mix of off road and on road
All outside
Would love to do inside venue of both on road and off road track if won lotto to be different and get the 1.12 stuff going again
Rc hobby is a good place just need funding and people to support there local clubs 👍
Im new to the hobby, started in December last year with Arrma Outcast 8S but found myself drawn to performance. I decided to get a MBX8TR eco and put a XR8 plus G2S/2200 kv V3 combo. Basically I went all in. I’m becoming a big fan of your content. Lots of good general knowledge here and I like to go to invisible speed and for car setup tips and Adam Drake for maintenance. Hoping to start practicing in the spring (I’m in Toronto Canada)
So, basically where I live it goes like this:
1. It's close to impossible to make money owning a track (or actually impossible), and there are very, very few people who are willing to share the cost or owning one (we literally have 1 indoor track that is available 365, a permanent one)
2. The State/Gov won't help, as RC is not seen as a real sport (all the money goes to football)
3. Insanelly high cost of entry, something along the lines of what you just said - come to the track with anything less than O.S. AD3 with and brand new Mugen 8 or Xray 23, or suddenly noone know how to help you improve, because "it's impossible to properly set up rtr engine" or "well, with my setup it works". If you come up to the guy and he straight up tells you "my car is worth 2k USD, I have 1k in batteries and I have another 2k in spare parts in my bag, and any other way is a waste of time" you can't help but smile and just walk away...
If you're not from the hobby background, or have a lot of spare cash, it is really hard to enter any kind of RC hobby here - if you don't even know if you will like it, but have to spend 2 median salaries for a car to start...
Still, we have a lot of great people working very hard to popularize it, both with kids and adults, and I guess if you really want things to change, join the local community, and get to work... Swing that shovel ;)
Great video sir!! Came across your channel as I was looking at rc racing for my 9yo son. I would love to chat with you about rc racing some time. I'm much older now and have not raced since the mid 80's when I was testing the first RC10 and Airtronics pistol grip radio prototypes. Boy, the hobby and cars sure have changed. Just a side not to anyone that thinks the hobby is dying- it's not. We thought the same thing way back then and now look at where it is. The hobby has evolved and always will evolve, but will never die.
All of your points are spot on and I completely agree with you. After spending many years in competitive shooting sports and top level auto racing, I can see similarities between rc and other hobby/professional sports. Let's chat about that sometime.
The economics drive the industry. I can see why tracks don't last long. I know why mine didn't. For the local club level to grow, you will have to have club ambassador that is willing to work for free, or at best get discounts from the track/store etc. The other important item I am seeing lacking at least here in Central FL, is the lack of information. Track simply do not make it easy for a newcomer to know when they are open, when they have practice or when they race. One track doesn't even have a website and solely relies on FB. And their FB page doesn't even have track hours posted. I had to drive out there to see if they were open. Anyhow I digress, the sport/hobby seems as alive as ever.
Thanks for the kind words man. Also if you'd like to talk to me my DMs on FB are always open
Roach, you are spot on about simple tracks being made available for new racing drivers. Great comment! I'd challenge UK carpet clubs to consider how they could integrate this!?
Thanks for the feature. Great stuff as usual. 👍
No problem. I'll have a lot more to talk about in part 2 regarding ROAR and such.
If racing is going to grow, then we need to provide more opportunities to race. This means we need to find ways to develop more tracks. In SE Ohio we have 4 public private partnerships between park districts and r/c clubs (one is in Northern Kentucky). In addition, in NE Ohio, Medina Raceway is the oldest active track in the state and it is located in a public park. Small groups with a passion for racing working with approaching park districts, fairgrounds, etc. for space. There was a push back in the 90's for park districts to install skateboard facilities. Many were reluctant over fear of liability. Now they are common place. The same thing could happen with r/c. There is no single entity that will do this for us. It has to be local clubs taking the bull by the horns and putting plans together.
We need this. Gotta get out of the house, get some more sun, socialize, etc.
Came back to this video just as a refresher for racing, and I'd like to see a video covering the topic of new hobbyists entering into racing with cars that aren't up to spec for racing (stuff like wltoys, which advertises itself for racing for a fraction of the cost) and how racers should assist those new drivers to prevent them from being turned away from the hobby.
Planned obsolescence isn’t helping bring down costs either or make it appealing to new buyers. It would be great if there was a low cost spec series across multiple brands that shared some of the same running gear to bring down the cost of entry and level the playing field. Also, most Indoor tracks don’t attract new customers.
Entry level Tamiya buggies already kinda do this.
Xray ftw, 17/19/21 parts on my xb2, theres updated parts from 24 that fit too, 7 years ain't bad out of one chassis.
Over here in Europe those modular carpet tracks are typically only used during winter season. In the summer we run on permanent astroturf or carpet tracks. Jumps on these permanent tracks are often shaped using steel, concrete, dirt etc, so they are not exactly modular. Attendance is usually better in the winter, but I believe that's not due to tracks but rather the lack of alternative activities.
One issue I see with competition grade 1/10 scale cars is that they have moved further away from bashers. These days we run a different battery size and our race cars are not very capable outside of a racetrack
As I’ve reentered the hobby back a couple of years ago, I noticed that bashing and crawling appears to be the biggest staple. The hobby stores around me really only offer arrma and traxxas cars and trucks, parts, upgrades etc. racing is really an afterthought or further distance to make the commitment to. I live in Florida and looking for tracks near me on the gulf coast are all quite far away and not convenient to attend with their hours of opposition. I had 3 tracks locally growing up I could go to Thursday through Sunday every week, had friends and acquaintances who raced and it was a great community, that had disappeared. I’m hopeful for the future but not holding my breath. I like how the UK and California seem to have tracks of all sorts everywhere.
As someone who has just been bashing with friends and wants to move forward with what they have it’s been nearly impossible with my 4x4 Slash. I found there is a stock class but it’s not 4x4. There is no SCT 4x4 class at any of the nearby tracks. I could upgrade it to a 1/8th buggy but then I need to upgrade everything else to 4S.
If you look at Associated or Losi there seems to be a new model every year and a slew of part numbers making getting parts fractured at the hobby shops.
There are some brands that like to sit on one platform for a long time. Mugen is a great example of this. The mbx8 has been around for a while now
just convert your slash to 2wd
@@dirtrider88 I cannot do that, Spec Slash requires you use spec components. You’d literally have to replace everything. Sans the body and nuts/bolts. I can’t even use the TQi radio / receiver as it has the gyro in it and that is illegal in the series.
Great video as always man. Well done!
So, what I think needs to be done...
1. More accessible classes. The guys in the UK on-road scene have the right idea - the sport needs to be accessible to people. The TT02-based classes they run are a good way to get people started in racing, and this works for off-road as well since Tamiya actually produces a buggy version of that very chassis, the TT02B. The whole "you have to pay to play" mindset that's taken over stock-class racing in the US is a HUGE problem.
2. Doing something about people bending the rules to get an advantage. Sure, you're not going to be able to completely stop that, but you can mitigate it by running "silver can" style classes. In fact, the previously mentioned TT02/TT02B classes are typically run as a _literal_ silver-can class, using only the Tamiya stock "torque tuned" motor included with the kit. The issue with normal "stock" classes here in the US is that manufacturers have figured out how to make stock-class legal motors with WAY more power than they really should have for their turn rating - in fact, with the right gearing, stock-class cars these days can keep up with mod-class.
3. For off-road 1/10th scale, we need to go back to looser, lower-traction surfaces. I get that the pros want more consistent tracks so they don't have to chase setups, and higher-bite surfaces to be able to put more of their car's power to use. Problem is, both of these things have pushed 1/10th scale off-road cars further and further away from being, well, off-road capable, as well as increasing the cost of the vehicle, and it's also made racing less about car control and more about your setup. 1/10th scale 2WD buggies on carpet handle like a video game as long as they're dialed in. Now, I understand that a dirt track isn't always going to be viable since they always have to be permanent installations, but there are other options for that than stupidly high-grip carpet or turf. Years ago I used to have a small practice track made using RCP foam and cardboard boxes, I ran my Duratrax Vendetta (also known as the LRP Shark and the Anderson MB4) a bunch on that track. The rough-side surface with the stock tires actually felt quite a bit like running holeshots on hard-pack - grippy enough but not carpet-levels of grip. Granted, RCP foam is significantly more expensive than CRC racing carpet but I feel it's worth it for a more dirt-like feel without the difficulties of dirt.
4. I feel like as far as ruleset, track and class specific stuff goes, there's not a lot of room for improvement for 1/8th scale off-road. Even the mindset of 1/8th scale is great for newcomers, they're really laid-back about it. The one downside is a lack of a cheap entry point, although Serpent of all companies has actually been fighting against that by offering track-ready RTRs of their 1/8th scale buggy and truggy, and ARRMA does also offer a raceable e-buggy of their own in the form of the TLR Typhon.
Well said. Work needs to be done to lift up the idea of winning on merit, rather than chasing success through spending. As soon as one guy spends a bunch to get an advantage, they all have to, and in the end, they're all wasting money, and there's no advantage. I truly believe that the best auto racing series around the world are spec classes. The competition is always closer in spec vs cost-unlimited series. I don't know all the ways to convince the big spenders that they should adopt a Tamiya-style spec class, but I imagine that it will involve both carrots (better payouts vs current classes) and sticks (making spec classes the only option or adding ballast to high-tech cars)
@@guest6423
Thing is, you won't be able to get the "ceramic bearings and hand wound motors" stock guys to run single-chassis spec. At least, not the ones who just run stock and go around claiming stock is "the best class", anyway. Payouts won't work because cash prizes at club races are usually really small anyway, if they even have them, eliminating non-spec classes would just make the stock die-hards leave and likely cause a stink about it, hurting the track's reputation, and ballasting the high-tech cars doesn't do much because different classes don't run simultaneously or compete with each other anyway.
What you need to do is promote it to new guys and people who are willing to try other classes. If the track is attached to a shop it might also be a good idea for that shop to stock plenty of the particular kit as well, and maybe also run workshops for building those kits.
I agree with the road section. I'm genuinely tired of the domination of cars costing well over a grand for an on road series. It makes it feel more exclusive as a series, not inclusive. So growth is so small. The cheapest series is mini z racing, but that's so much more niche over 1/10th scales. Allowing for classes of cheaper vehicles is definitely the answer for road cars
Most road courses have Tamiya trucks. They are a blast.
@@Fly2kill1Yeah but I do know that is a niche to a lot. I feel like budget touring cars could go along nicely and help bring people in both classes
@@RaiuAdamievery on road track I’ve been to had some sort of cheaper class
Onroad is simply not cheap, however neither is 1/8 scale off road or stock 1/10 off road.
With onroad the kits and tools are the expensive part. Keep in mind these are one time purchases, for the most part unless you upgrade to the newest model annually.
Some of the problem is the shops only want to sell the high end stuff for racing. The only shop near me does this. And the place is mostly empty because of this.
I think we need more spec kits for RC racing. It makes racing simpler for newcomers. a prebuilt kit means less hassle, more fun.
Entry level Tamiya buggies already kinda do this.
I live in the Austrian/Swiss region. Besides the UK we are one of the biggest 1/10th focused areas as we have no 1/8 tracks as there is simply o space for it. Small 1/10 tracks already pay 2000€ per month in land cost. So a big 1/8 track would need a club with more than 200 members to be reasonable. But just 1-2 hours away in Germany there are a lot of 1/8 tracks.
About onroad. A lot of people here drive offroad in the summer and onroad in the winter as almost all tracks (even onroad) are outdoor. As we are not the warmest country we can use the track realisticly from april to okober. so thats 6-7 months. And in the winter a lot of people dont drive at all as there is no inddor rc track close by. As renting a big building is even more costly and almost impossible to finance in most areas here.
Shoutout to RCE for Off road and Hobby Quarters for On road up here in New England!
Great vid! Spot on with your supporting ideas. I think this is the worst time to convert bashers to racers. I’ll explain why. Of course, off the top….inflation. That’s a real thing. Most guys are looking to RC for friendship or even just to get away from the wifey. But here’s the catch….prices. You pointed it out early in your video. Race kits cost a lot.
I’m building a TEKNO SCT 2.0 right now. I’m just over $1,000 in and still haven’t purchased the ESC. Can’t forget to mention that I want a Futaba too. An Arrma 4S Mojave is 50% cheaper! I could be out there right now. The only reason I’m not is because of all the Karens out in this world.
The other thing that is an issue is track rules for racing. IFMAR, ROAR, JMRCA, and the track owners have all these rules that a freedom loving basher is gonna call BS on. Little technical things. You can use this motor, but you can’t use this motor. That motor hasn’t been approved by the GODS of RC Racing.
I had a guy complain about my Trinity motor in a 17.5 stock race that I LOST! He said that motor is overpowered and not on the approved list. BRUH! I came in 7th place in a B-Main. It didn’t rattle me, but the guy sounded like a lil ..b…. Anyway, to someone who is not into RC racing, they might have been irate.
RC has mirrored BMX racing in the U.S.A.. Kids used to race what they rode. Then racers wanted bike changes that required track changes, and pretty soon, the bikes were only suitable for use at the track. Newbies on normal bikes would be intimidated. Those who wanted to ride, and not race, migrated toward freestyle. Racing participation shrank, and parks no longer wanted these poorly-attended BMX tracks taking up space. Tracks are now few and far between, and they are used by hard-core racers who are mainly interested in national-level events.
I like what the UK is doing. The only way to keep participation up is to maintain affordable, accessible classes not far removed from average, everyday RC models. By their nature, racers, if allowed control, will make racing more exclusive and exclusionary; less participation is more appealing to most competitors.
Hello from the UK....
We had our 8th scale track dirt (outdoors) for years but with the poor weather we often get going down the astro route was key to keep drivers on the track, come rain or shine. But i do miss the dirt. Astro is dull in my eyes, 2 types of tyres (good for reduced cost) and setup changes can be less often too.
Well said
I just started with 4x4 slash 2 months ago,wish id just bought the eb 48 2.1 from the start,hoping to go to my local track and meet some folks willing to help a noob that jumped in head first lol!
We simply need more brick and mortar locations with indoor tracks and maybe an outreach program going into schools to try and get kids interested and maybe get a school league started. Like a alternative to school sports over the winter months. Lets face it, if we dont get young people into the hobby it will disappear with us.
We race 1/10 offroad (outdoors) all summer long. I wish there were more real dirt tracks for this scale. Clay and carpet may have their place, but nothing is off-roadier than actual dirt.
A track I go to in Missouri, 1 hr and 40 minutes away, is the closest indoor carpet track to me. It is a small and modest track and they tried to get me into VTA for a while and I said mehh maybe someday. I like running 2wd buggy and stadium truck. Never ran anything else. Then I broke down and built a VTA car and its my favorite class now. Onraod is cool. I really wish there was a track close by so I could race more often. There is a outdoor 1/8 scale track near me but I hate dirt racing. I like my cars to stay clean lol
great video and information
How RC is doing in my area🤔🤔🤔. Welp the closest hobby shop that does car races is RC Madness in Enfield, CT. About an hour away. There used to be way more local hobbies shops 20 years ago but a lot of them went out of business.
ha thats funny. im also about an hour from rc madness, its my closest track and shop. an hour and 5 mins on my way home when i leave the track at 11pm. my local track use to be in winsted. that closed 8 or so years ago. if madness closes im getting out of the race scene completely.
Off-road 1/10 scale has evolved where super competitive buggies are sold . I think there should be a class like bash racing like traxxas, Ecx or kyosho associated with proven and older tech rear wheel drive cars . Just like the good old days B4 vs Xxx buggies or T4 vs xxx t. I believe this will revive indoor or outdoor as these cars can function on most surfaces.
Entry level Tamiya buggies are good.
Great Video Roach !!!!
Thanks Lefty👍
I tried to get into dirt spec racing a few years ago. the track was always poorly maintained laid out, so it wasn't very beginner friendly, and the owners and people wouldn't even talk to you if you weren't driving a Losi. That place shut down a couple weeks after we stopped going. We sold our cars.
Found a new track last year, offroad carpet. People were nice. dropped another $1,000 to get into 17.5 2wd. They change the layout every week, which again is hard for a beginners or if you don't have time to practice before a race. We get frustrated practicing with people who have their cars dialed in so much better than ours. It's those same people you have to race against so you don't stand a chance. But there isn't enough new people to make a class. we got busy before we got addicted and haven't been there in almost a year. I'll probably sell my car again.
That being said, RC racing is expensive and not appealing for casual, busy, or new drivers. like you said, it's an event to go to a practice day. I can grab a basher or crawler and go outside anytime for a half-hour and have fun.
So, regarding people who bring their basher to the track, one thing I want to note is that, surface-dependent and vehicle-dependent, it might actually be possible to get that car running roughly in the ballpark of the high-end racing machines. Carpet is out of the question for the most part, but MX Acres managed to tune a Bandit to run against modern stock and even mod class buggies on clay and Jang used to race a (heavily modified) Rustler and also managed to make a race-winning 4WD 1/10 "mini" truggy out of a Stampede (one of the project shapeshifter builds), and heck, I have a track-prepped JATO. And those were all _Traxxas_ vehicles, ARRMA vehicles are going to be easier since they're more modern designs. Now, would a Maxx or Hoss be able to be made track-ready? ...if the track still runs electric production monster truck, maybe, but you're not going to run that against truggies. But people actually have run ARRMA Senton 4x4s and Traxxas Slash 4x4s in the 4WD SCT class without too many issues - they still get beaten by TEN-SCTEs, Hyper 10SCs and SC10s but they're competitive enough, with some setup changes and a few relatively cheap upgrades, that they won't just be road hazards.
Also, on the flip side, if someone's in the market for a 1/8th scale vehicle for bashing but also wants to give racing a try, 1/8th scale racing platforms are THE best all-rounders in the entire hobby.
I live in Portland Oregon. Only racing we have is carpet racing. 2wd 4wd buggies 1/0th. Stadium truck 1/0th and short course truck 1/10th no slash allowed. The facility pushes Associated products and on their website it makes it seem like Associated is the only brand out there. I wish there was a 1/8th Buggy Truggy track around here but there isn’t. I still have some 1/8th buggies and rip them around. I don’t “bash” bashing is for arrmas and traxass
Hi roach I live in the Midlands UK and all outdoor tracks of which there are many all have some sort of covering and are all very busy, probably because of the crap weather .
Which tracks have covering? No 8th scale tracks that I can think of do...?
@@ryanbakewell52 hi mate..deerdale and ndor to name 2 the others are mostly 10 scale
@@user-ry1jm9hw6w - oh wow, didn't know that 👍
Good Video. I can tell you in Ohio, primarly north east ohio. Rc 1/8 racing has died hard. We had about 3 or 4 tracks that are gone now since covid BS. We have alot pro level drivers in the area, Ryan Lutz, Joe Bornhorst , Joey Bourdon , and you would think that would drive the intrest up some? Maybe even spark intrest of new tracks opening. Only big tracks we have left is TAR Car, Medina, and Browns, and who knows how long they will hang on for? Medina R/C Track is one of the longest running tracks in Ohio. I think alot of it has to do with people and there commitment, not everyone wants to drop a couple grand into one car and equipment, and spend the time on it. I think at the end of the day its a nitch thing, and it takes the right group of people to keep it going. Theres just too many other hobbies that people can do now an days for less, and less commitment. But I can tell you its one of the most rewarding hobbies.
To have 4 1/8 scale tracks within a 2 hour drive is extremely rare (don't forget Magic Hobbies). Drovers in many parts of the country don't have this type of racing opportunity.
I miss short course racing.
Im american and live in europe.
The carpet tracks are used alot hear because they require very little maintance. Can be set up temporaily for a weekend and packed away again. Useful for rc club dont have their own building, then they can use sporting facilities and concert halls instead.
RC is simply a niche hobby/sport. If you think its small in the US then try coming to Europe, it almost doesn't exist. So its very rare you see a RC facility that has its own fixed track and you will never see clay tracks here.
On classes for off road racing
Vintage is taking off
With 540 silver can brushed with hobbywing 1060 or 1080 esc
Some club run 540 can class with hobbywing 1060 and 1080 esc with modern rwd buggie of AE b6.4, xrays and yokomo yz2 etc
Cheap and easy class to get into the offroad with the Ae b7 coming out soon ther will be a over supply of older b6's which would be good to have a 2nd car or entry level off road car
Ae B6 $100 to 250 aus
Hobbywing 1060 esc $50 to 65
Silver can 540 $20
Flysky gt3c $50 to 120
New tyres and rim another 100 or so
Few 2s shorty batteries $70 to 120
Charger $100
All in for around 300 to 600 base on what you may already have or want buy
Cheap class to have some fun before stepping up stock 17.5 class or mod
Something that could be adapted to all over the motor for junior or new comers to racing
Maybe slow but got olto taste the water than go all for 1 to 2k lol
I don't think RC racing will ever be as big as we would all like it to be. I'm in the southeast US and sometimes see people posting that there are too many tracks. I feel the opposite. Maybe not necessarily that there aren't enough tracks, but the tracks that are there need to race more often and stop worrying about stepping on another track's toes. it seems like 3-4 tracks within driving distance of each other will work out a schedule where they race different weekends and expect the same group of racers to travel to each track and have more entries at each race. Sounds logical and it works for that purpose but it does nothing to grow the sport in my opinion. People new to the hobby don't want to have to drive 2-3 hours, maybe more to race every weekend. Chances are people get into it because there is a track reasonably close to them. If that local track is only racing once a month because they are trying to avoid racing at the same time as another track, you may lose those guys because they don't want to travel a ways off to race regularly. If tracks are built well, maintained decently, run a smooth program, and have a fun atmosphere it should be fine. if there are competing tracks near by it makes all track owners stay on top of those things and the racers get their best. new guys and maybe more seasoned guys that either don't want to travel or are tired of traveling should be the life blood tracks. They are the ones that will show up every weekend. the guys more serious into racing and wanting to get better will be traveling to different tracks searching for different surfaces, and different competition to get better. But given the chance, new people will slide in and fill that spot they left at the local track. But having a bad atmosphere is probably the biggest thing that will cause a track to fail. Too many people that take themselves too serious, sandbag, fight and throw fits will kill a place. as JQ likes to say "we are just a bunch of adult nerds playing with toy cars in a field". We don't to lose track of that. Lets all have fun and not take ourselves too serious.
People talk about the cost being a little too high on basically 10th scale but they never really mentioned how much it cost to be competitive in 8th scale in my opinion 8th scale hurt RC it doesn't really exist here in Florida around me at all but we have lots of 10 scale and oval racing
My local track holds on road track from 10th scale to mini z
I feel like nitro is an endangered species. We could have more nitro in the New England but people move in with new houses around the tracks and start complaining about the noise. Happens to full scale tracks too. Outdoor tracks take a lot of work as well and I find it to be a big problem to have people willing to help with track maintenance and track builds. Everyone wants to play but nobody wants to do the work dirt requires. I like working with dirt but I have the time to do so with no kids or a family that depends on me.
Easily drivable cars that aren't too expensive is probably part of the solution. 1/10 buggy, especially 2wd, is pretty brutal about setup. And anything open wheel is gonna have more entanglement crashes and whatnot. Meanwhile, Stadium truck is almost set and forget, and SCT can bump and bash all day long and not send each other flying because the wheels touched. I'd suggest a new class (2wd, 1/10 scale, full-bodied, with medium to wide and medium to high profile tires), but that's probably not feasible at the industry level given how relegated our hobby has become.
I got Into the hobby 2 months ago. I’ve always watched F1 and been an outdoor sports person. But tore a knee ligament playing ⚽️. So I got into racing with a Slash 4x4 and now have a 1/8th Ebuggy. I feel like a good way to grow would be to somehow advertise it in schools. Like make a donation race or something to get your foot in the door. And talk to them about it. Also it’s quite expensive so more 1/10th scale racing
I loooove outdoor 1/10 racing!
We’re trying really hard to get an off-road track in middle TN. Very challenging endeavor. We will continue to try!
Yo, we drove with you at Chickasaw Trace last month when we had like 5 1/8 buggies on the track, with all of us from Huntsville, AL. This is Casey. Long hair nitro dude in the old red Toyota pickup. We just hit up Knoxville on Sunday in the final hours before snow set in.
@@cbh148hey what’s up man! That was a great day. I heard you were headed up there, really wanted to go but just wasn’t able to.
I even built a buggy just so I could take people with me. Nobody is ready to buy one
You make the best videos.
Commenting and watching this video for the same reason as most guys. I love RC offroad racing but i can see its dying. Especially here in south africa. 10 years ago we would get 200 to 300 entries on a national event and we now struggle to get 50 entries. The tracks we have are few.. 5 or 6 but We have world class tracks. And if not owned by racers or people who have the money and love the sport.. there wouldn't be ANY for that fact. Its just sad to see such a cool hobby and sport not being where its suppose to be. Cost here are expensive.. but guys who love it will find a way to make it work. Getting new people into the hobby is not too difficult but keeping the interest there is a different kind of horse. Scratching my head and trying to come up with a new strategy on growing the sport. Would hate if it dies out and there is no competition..for me that is what it is about.. competition and the amazing social times spent with people who share the same love for the hobby.
Slower, cheaper, shorter race days. Friendly environment.
Before watching, I really think one reason holds rc down is cost
Great video.. distinguished………..😎
good video, although I dont understand how someone can compare rc vs gaming being that gaming is boring lol I do understand that this is probably the biggest rival of rc, personally I believe number one issue with getting new ppl into rc is definitely cost! I got back into rc couple of years a go and when I found out how much it would be to build my 1/8th scale buggy I almost didnt do it in fact took me a year to convince myself and then add the fact that I have a kid that I needed to buy one then well there u have it, I wish that there were more tracks that ran more attainable cars like rustlers slashes etc but the fact is ppl that do this hobby are fairly well off and they dont care in fact they wasn't less ppl to join which is stupid.
2:56 Poor truck lol
I miss Leisure Hours it was such a great track
Tamiya trucks. M chassis, and VTA. All are relatively cheap.
what is a problem that more get in the light like this video is everybody whant an individual class so they can run their own A main.
how they do it in europe is as roach say they run less clases or more specific classes for the hobbyists with easy or limiting rules on mods on the cars.
in usa i see that "stock" is more of a pro class as it need everything to be "dialed" and costly beond what a new hobbyist most of the time is willing to pay for a "slower" class of cars.
when i started out with buggy after years of haitus from touring cars i bought a new kit to get the feeling of new and built it myself, it just needed 3 option parts to be reliable and for the motor i went for a HW 6.5T as then i dont need to buy a new motor later on and soon enough learn to handle the power.
would i gone fore something like stock class i would needed as much worth as the kit in just bearings titanium screws and option parts in general and on top of that motor and esc to be competitive and have the similar or same material as the others might have had.
so in much ways how it works in europe is the "better" way for the hobby to run less clases that got more attendance and with rules that makes it cheaper in most cases becaus no unnecisary expensive parts is needed just to be in the bottom entry level of drivers.
look att the klipp roach is showing of poppalongRC he/they sometimes goes real cheap becaus the class dont demand more power and still use brushed motors as he dont need more power or be more advanced in that class with special option parts and a brused motor system is often much cheaper then the "pro level" esc.
another example but in a smaller class that got rules that makes it cheap if the drivers decide to stay in that class is stock slash where cars is basicly just out the box no mods or option parts the only thing is just that its a type of car that limits the "broader use" of the cars as its most of the time is a entry level to racing and drivers quite soon is leveling up to faster classes like 2wd or 4wd buggy and then have to decide how expensive it can get by going stock or mod class.
No tracks near me within 3 hours.
I just bought a used buggy as a roller, and im working on getting it going. I konw what I need to buy But I have no idea how to put it all in, motor, speed control, even battery, I know I need a shorty lipo, but what connectors and how to install it all..l I have no idea, Im hoping to meet someone that can help.
Im in Reno Nevada, we have a nice local track. (Whip it raceway), but I dont know anyone there.
I know it may take a bit of courage, but you could probably walk up to any of the racers there and they'll get you sorted out. You don't need to learn alone
@RoachRC Thanks, there is a race there tonight, I think I'm gonna go watch because I still need a motor, speed control, and lipo
Wait, in the UK, you’re not allowed to clap during a race? Is this the fans or the drivers or all of the above that can’t clap? Any idea why? Seems odd.
I race in the UK and that's news to me..... But doesn't mean its not in the rules somewhere😅 I guess it's another rule I'm breaking on a regular basis😂👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
As I recall that was an efra rule that was brought up at the last euros when the UK team was cheering on their countrymen
They must figure European sporting audiences are a slippery slope, eventually stepping up to air horns and, at worst, going full-on vuvuzela.
@@durgadude1 well that figure's 😂
@@cbh148 😂
My track has been slow lately
It be winter. It'll pick back up
@@RoachRCit’s usually busiest in the winter
Im a warlock main!!!
Good man
I’m a subscriber and fan so don’t think I’m trying to be a Dick. Trying to help save Dirt off-road rc. If you don’t have that you lost me as a RC hobbyist/ supporter and a fan/subscriber to your channel
I calls em like I sees em
The current Rlaarlo Omni Terminator presale debarcle, including their non-existent customer support isn't helping. And it's pushing away new potential customers from the hobby.
I live in Portugal and they race severals brands like zwork and team associeted.and x-ray the x ray is expensive and tge other famous is mugen i like mugen and team associeted i have a t4 from 2005 is only for fun .is the era of rc cars is more simple.🙂the mugen i like is beacause dont make new models .like x ray .and dont have any problem it the spare parts .
I remenber esc from Novak is a nightmare tho program 😱 i remenber bye severals and is the same problem .today a trie tho Run my tamiya f203 it Novak esc and they Run sloly i use full charge baterias .but is the same problem is the esc give This sool tho the creator??⚰️🪦
So you're saying if i drive down to Atlanta you'll let me drive one of your buggies? 😉
Specifically Loganville RC complex but yes
@RoachRC I might honestly hit you up on that. I live in Chattanooga and there's no racing here. All I really do is just drive around a little grass track in my yard.
I also head up to Knoxville from time to time
If I know Calcium is in/ on a surface, I don't care if I drove 8 hours, I'll pack up and leave.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Why aren't smaller scale vehicles more of a focus for beginners? For off-road, Losi Mini B or associated Reflex or similar. All in for $250 with a level playing field and a vehicle that can be tuned and upgraded. For on road...mini Z's rtr for less than $200. Smaller cars = smaller tracks which are easier and cheaper to build/change because they require less of everything. Mini Z racing is done in basements all over the country for very little money. Thinking that 1/10 scale or 1/8 scale is a feasible and affordable place for beginners misses the mark completely and will never grow the hobby.
@sauliluolajan-mikkola620 I dunno, my gateway drug into 1/10 scale racing was the mini b and I didn't do anything for setup. It was cheap, required nothing to build, and was very fun. I had it on 1/10th scale turf track and just learned how to drive. Sure, it's harder to drive than larger cars, but it's not difficult at all and didn't require anything special in terms of setup. I tune my 1/10th scale cars a lot more than that thing. I think scale has a lot to do with cost, though you can build an $800 dollar mini B if you want to go nuts. Short course is ok if it's nice, but then it's expensive. If ur talking about a slash, I personally cannot stand how awful they are to drive and I would have never stayed in the hobby if that way my start. But, there is not one answer, I just think small scale is not considered enough and it should be.
I wanted to add, and I could just be bitter, that the irl community is pretty elitist and pretentious when it comes to RC as a whole. On many occasions, whenever I asked a hobby shop associate about parts/electronic options/kit availability for Tamiya, I was met with a lot of "Tamiya" is trash answers. Obviously I am paraphrasing, but my point stands. I have been a part of many hobbies and many communities (mini painting, D&D, drones), but the RC community (in real life exchanges) is the absolute worst makeup of humans. I believe that to be caused by the sheer amount of oldheads.
trash or not, they just don't have parts available for less popular models. plus they get extra from aggressive companies if they push their stuff (not pointing any fingers at traxxass). so you asking for Tamiya or Yokomo makes them both sad and angry.
@@n00b247 This is well thought out and a perspective I had not thought about. This is what I am talking about when I say "in real life".
Online RC communities (for the most part) are terrific. However, I have also met elitist response about things not even related to Tamiya as well. Wrong answers, incorrect information, and rude associates.
I 100% understand that it is just a small portion of the RC community, but I have NEVER ran into anything of the sort when I got into RC drift. In fact, RC drift has been a blast almost exclusively because of the kindness of the people behind the scenes. I cannot say the same for RC buggy racing. It really is a shame too, because I love buggy racing. I am just hesitant to get into it because of that small portion of the community.
@@kuyamik3yThe statement about drift is so true. It completely reinvigorated my love for RC and now I’m more excited about it than ever. I’m trying to get back into racing, and I’m gonna bring the drift track vibes with🤙🏼 It forsure won’t grow if people don’t treat each other well. Have a good one!
@@kuyamik3y cos drifting comes from garages/basketball courts and HPI Micro RS4 . it's as budget-friendly as it can get. ppl do drift not because they have something to prove or be the top dog on the pro track. on the other hand, 1:8 dirt is professional to the point where everybody else is viewed as the worthless crowd for "tru champ" to prove his best. try mini buggy scene with Losi mini chassis. those are friendly enough not to laugh at your $300 RC and not to kick you out for bringing your stadium truck to the mix.
@@n00b247 Now here is where I respectfully disagree. Drift is just as expensive as 10th scale buggy, if not more. It's not quite up there with 8th scale, but I easily see the cost of a good drift car be close to the $1k mark.
Also, unless you are a sponsored racer at a sponsored event, you shouldn't be considered professional. And even if someone is, what do they gain by gatekeeping the hobby from others who don't have a $1.5k budget for an RC buggy?
I don't think there should be room for elitist hobbyists in the space. RC as a whole could be so much more popular. The thing holding it back is gatekeeping, elitism, and pretentiousness. This is just my opinion though.
There needs to be more support for indoor dirt tracks with a sealed surface. This whole Astro or temporary carpet tracks is bullshit. Everyone knows the best racing is done on dirt also better drivers. You guys praising carpet tracks are going to kill RC off-road racing. Start talking about dirt more instead of lame school gym carpet tracks. Need more motocross minded people to get into RC they know what racing is about. As a poster or influencer keep in mind what you say and push. Start helping Dirt off-road RC by talking about it in a positive way instead of saying it’s too hard to deal with dirt. You make RC sound lazy and lame when you say that.
dirt tracks are way too expensive to be affordable. also, good luck making indoor dirt tracks unless you own the premises. and at some places, you just don't have the weather to maintain outdoors.
dirt is better for 1:8, but 1:10 can ride as good or better on carpets.
do you understand how 1:8 dirt is making the hobby inaccessible? not everybody wants or can drive to the nearest 1:8. most just want indoor tracks within walking distance. and 1:10 can still be carried in a bag.
Well let me rip off some facts for you>
1. Carpet/Astro is only growing.
2. Its easier for tracks to introduce these surfaces to more public areas / eyes as they run 100x cleaner than dirt / clay
3. RC has done nothing but grow in the past few years by the thousands while at the same time Carpet/Astro growth has skyrocketed.
4. I highly doubt that argument for "better drivers" holds up at all. I mean look at names like Broc Champlin, He was grown on a BLACK OZITE surface, one of the highest paced carpet surfaces now competing at the highest levels for 1/10th clay / dirt.
I am not saying dirt doesn't have its place, but to shit on carpet/astro just aint the way to do it.
It's not dirt, though. It's sealed with Elmer's glue. It might as well be asphalt or concrete.
Dirt moves around. It develops lines throughout the races. It requires drivers to modulate throttle and to correct slides. Our local track is baseball-infield sandy soil. It's fantastic.