for me, as a dad with two sons racing, it's a matter of cost.
I need to make my racing as cheap as possible, so this year I abandoned ni-mih cells and purchased Li-po's. This was better for me, i have not had to replace cells midway through the season etc. as the Lipo's have not deteriorated etc.,(don't want another lipo debate, I'm just qualifying my decision) but this meant that there were two less drivers who may otherwise have entered the EOS finals. If Lipo are eligible next year, then we will probably be at the EOS finals.
I think the main issue with youngsters in the hobby is cost.
Most parents who come to watch at Southport with there youngsters are all keen and enthusiastic to join and let their children race - until they find out how expensive it can be. As a club, we always recommend a "newbie" gets an RTR B4 to start with and build up from that. Sometimes parents do just that and come back the next week. BUT when the car breaks they often don't return - having said that Southport has quite a "healthy" junior section, and for the past few years the club as a whole has been seeing a steady upturn in the membership as a whole.
I would guess that the majority of youngsters driving these days are the children of racers that have been racing for a long time.
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