Is there a future?

[wacattack]

Question I have is this....

I used to race in the mid 90's and decided to make a return nearly 2 years ago.

In that time, most of the faces I see are those that were around when I last raced (admittadly a few years older), or a few that have progressed through the ranks inbetween.

My concern is there doestnt seem to be many new drivers coming through the ranks. The numbers commiting to the junior finals reiterates this point.

Is there anything we can do to encourage the sport, or is it something that will potentially die out over time? I really hope the latter is not the case but is there anything people involved in the hobby can do to maintain the future success?

[telboy]

Advertise at schools more?

Just like flyers pinned up on their notice boards or something. Advertising the fact that racing takes place, especially if the clubs use that school to race.

[glypo]

For RC as a whole - yes there is a future. Rallycross is where it is at and nearly all the good drivers are young. 1/10th scale died right down between the mid 90's until recently. So you basically missed the decline but no doubt noticed it on return?

Anyway tenth scale seems to be getting more popular again and hopefully we will see lots of new drivers coming into tenth as well.

[racingdwarf]

In norfolk we ran an 1/8th club for ten years holding three nationals etc etc, but it was very hard to get raw beginers into rallyx as the cars just don't like pottering round with a lerner also they soon found that rallyx cars were very unforgiving on any cheep components servos,radio etc they found setting engines up some sort of dark voodo and then there were clutches,and shimming the diffs right and if they made a mistake like forgetting tiewraping their airfilter pipe to the engine and it came of mid race there face would fall a bit when you told them the engine was for the bin!! but it's ok cos the shop has some good cheep ones at £120+
Also running an 8th club can be a nightmare as getting a peice of land were nobody is going to complain about the noise can be hard work, and then the track maintanance is never ending as the cars are very hard on the track (unless you got astro££££)

As a result of all this the club had very few beginers, Kids would come look, there dad would take a look at the cars find out how much one was look at the amount of gear needed............then head for the gate!! most kids in rallyx have fathers who were well into it before hand (Elliot is a great eg)

Last year the club came to an end and I now run a tenth club on the site, it's not been easy but we now have a lot of new faces including 4 kids. The thing about 10th is you can set them off with say a B4 rtr and they can plug and play, they can get the car, a charger and some batterys for sub £200 and have a good days racing.Also when they are on the track marsheling the is far less chance of getting hurt.We do a display at the local school fate and this year were are doing a few more fates localy. Flyers in schools, local papers, posters in any shop thats sells cars. Two of our keenest new members found out about the club at there local swimming club

Is there a future? yes very much so.

[Lee]

I think brushless and lipo will help things too.

The playstation generation like plug and play. God im getting old

[andy05]

When i first started at southport they used to run mardave meteor heats they used to get 2 heat fulls every week as well. it was good because everyone had very simillar gear, the new drivers actually had a chance to win races with out having to compete against modified motors etc.Maybe something simillar could be done with ready to run b4s

[Chrislong]

How did everyone reading this start racing?

Personally, I was bought an RC car when I was probably 5, and I used to be able to drive it and walk behind it, then my uncle gave me his 10th scale pan car which was fast - but to use it we had to go to the smoothest car parks at night - when empty. Then at 9yrs old I was bought a Monster truck which I raced a friend around the street with. So when my friend went to Bury Model shop one day he was told about the club, which he came back and told me about and we turned up there the next weekend - that was the start of my weekly racing and my mate never came back.

I think that now (certainly NW region), there are less shops actively involved with the clubs. For example we had Bury Modelshop > Bury Buggy club, Micks Models > Chorley Buggy Club, Rochdale models > Roche Valley Buggy Club, Formby Models > Southport Buggy Club, A shop in Oldhame (forgot name) > Oldham Buggy club.

Out of this list, only Formby Models is still open and now they have less involvement with the club.

The other idea is local news paper coverage. I know Teesside have had this - did it help?

The other thing is that there are so many of us who have raced for ages and ages, that when a beginner comes the difference in skill level is massive and that can be offputting. This is why everyone in this forum needs to be friendly and supportive to beginners and especially first timers... im sure we all are..

The class we race is growing, but I think thats because there people moving over from TC. Perhaps now the beginners are choosing TC as in introduction? I don't know.

[RogerM]

I think the problem is the lack of clubs which race off-road at "club" level, certainly none within an hours drive of where I live!!!

All the clubs seem to run snouring car, I guess that is what appeals to the kids due to the scale look.

I started by going to Alcester buggy cub, who ran every weekend IIRC, with a friend. 1 meeting and I was hooked. That club was about 30mins away and as I had a friend to go with my dad didn't have to give up his sunday afternoon (his only time off) to take me. Of course as I got more into it he came along and supported me more than I could ever have hoped.


If that was the now then what would I be able to do (assuming I was a 10 year old kid)? Answer is nothing ..... there are no clubs in this part of the world!!!!!

What we all need to do is campaign the clubs were we go to run snouring car / micro / whatever else you run to run a heat of buggies. That will hopefully increase interest ... then there will be two heats, then 3 .... hopefully.

The real problem is the lack of places to run "off-road". If your in the north or south east then your the lucky ones. There seems to be very few clubs in the south west, midlands and Wales etc.
I guess that will continue to be the case till we have drivers to cater for from the indoor clubs ..... chicken and egg..

[racingdwarf]

I agree most clubs/meetings are geared towards the top end drivers, Maybe the heats with people who can only just get round the track are more important at club level.

I think we are starting to see a full circle now in the East of england we have a number of carpet rats returning to off road

PS before anyone points it out.....yes my spelling is pants.

[telboy]

My first taste of an radio/'remote' control car was like Chris, I had one for christmas when I was about 6. But then it wore off and I took intrest in something else due to no one else being into RC.

Then when I started work and earning my own money, my workplace was across the road from Brampton radio models. So when I'd worked enough to save some money I bought a Manta Ray. Then over the next year or so I spent all my spare money 'hopping it up' getting better motors etc.

Then Glynn Ward asked if I raced it. I said no, and he told me of a club that ran at a school, so I went to have look. They ran buggies in the school hall, and I thought it was amazing. So I talked to a few people, got some info about another club that run outdoor at a pub in Tansley.

I didn't even go to have a look first. I just got all the gear I needed and went to have a go at racing, and i've been racing ever since.

Yes I ended up having to spend more money on electronics etc. so that they didn't keep melting down when racing, but I knew that would be situation eventually.

Ok, what I raced changed over the years and after about 4 years racing buggies the numbers started to dwindle and I ended up moving onto racing F1's, then TC's......until last year, when I got back into buggies.

[JohnM]

Originally Posted by Chrislong

I think that now (certainly NW region), there are less shops actively involved with the clubs. For example we had Bury Modelshop > Bury Buggy club,

If you mean Model Junction, they have thier own club, which has nothing to do with the BBC, sadly like alot of others, they lost thier off-road track a few years back, and have been running snorers since the dip in off-road a few years ago.

Good little club though, did most of racing there till I gave up racing, then came back with the Lawford club Did go along to a Model Junction tarmac meeting last year with my BX, ended up beating the snorers at thier own game

[Chrislong]

Originally Posted by JohnM

If you mean Model Junction, they have thier own club, which has nothing to do with the BBC, sadly like alot of others, they lost thier off-road track a few years back, and have been running snorers since the dip in off-road a few years ago.

Good little club though, did most of racing there till I gave up racing, then came back with the Lawford club Did go along to a Model Junction tarmac meeting last year with my BX, ended up beating the snorers at thier own game

When I said Bury, I meant Bury.... not Bury Noel Edmunds Always good to hear about a buggy beating a snorer

I don't see as many kids playing on the street like I used to, we used to play kerby, have full on matches, go out on bikes or race RC cars - so kids aren't compelled to play out like that anymore? perhaps it is the playstation era doing it?

[footey]

or XBOX chris { vegas 2 be out soon m8 }

[Chrislong]

Yep, and mines on Preorder from Play.com - possibility it'll arrive Wednesday/Thursday and that'll be me busy all easter, except for mountain biking on Friday with Kash, and racing on Sunday.

[footey]

yep mine on pre order m8

[Northy]

Is this thread started by the same Wayne who started a thread about the lack of NE regional events???



Try putting 2 and 2 together....

G

[wacattack]

Originally Posted by Northy

Is this thread started by the same Wayne who started a thread about the lack of NE regional events???



Try putting 2 and 2 together....

G

Erm, yes it is.

Lack of clubs = concern

Lack of regional rounds = concern

So same Wayne is concerned about the future of the hobby. Whats wrong with that?!?

Id love there to be 10 rounds of regionals, but the lack of club venues does not permit that to happen. But if the number of locations is falling, we are potentially in danger of there being fewer clubs next year?

Thats the only point I was trying to get across in the number of rounds in the regional post. I aint having a go mate, so dont appreciate the sarcastic tone

[Northy]

The lack of regional rounds id to allow the clubs we have to hold club days to get the young blood in.

Simple.

G

[Northy]

Sorry Wayne,

Didn't mean to be sarcastic.

I just don't think people know what goes on behind closed doors....

G

[twisty]

You all need to get involved with the clubs and help the people out who run those clubs,instead of moaning and bitching all over the place.
This is not particulally directed at anyone here,but you will do