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Nicadraus

Fun vs Stress

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Last year I went back to this hobby after more than a decade of absence (diverted to die-cast modelling). A friend of mine (and former teammate in HPI/HB) pushed me to get back to it (since I also pushed him to collect models). So I bit the RC bug again. I bought two almost bnew FF-03 kits and worked on them slowly to modify. I bought 2 other used FF-03 kits and used them for spares. Many upgraded parts also came with them and bought more upgrades to satisfy my build. My friend who owns one of the popular local hobby shops here promised to give me some RC stuff in case I go back to the hobby. Which he did by handing me a BL ESC and motor. Another friend of mine offered to sponsor me with brand new on-road kits like Mugen Seiki, Team Magic and Infinity. But I refused the offer as I didn't want to be stressed out with these fast and competitive pro kits. I just want to enjoy my RC for bashing and fun racing rather than being so serious that it gives you so much stress and frustrations mixed. 

Last month, a new group of RC friends invited me to a non-official rally race at a local track, I ran my FF-03RR (rally converted) and surprisingly, it handled very well and raced against the 4WD XV-01. Two weeks ago, they invited me again, this time for on-road. It was a club race with 4WD, FWD classes and an open class that can run both with open class motor. My daughter (who is new to RC) and I had so much fun. Even my friend (HPI/HB teammate) was there and ran with us had fun as well. We did set ups of our own, a bit serious but not the kind that will stress you out. We even shared parts to those in need in case something breaks. Our friend who sponsored the race and trophies brought food and drinks too. We finished at 1am and all went home with big smiles on our faces.

This is the kind of hobby I want in RC. Just fun!

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If it's not fun then it's really not worth doing.

I've looked into racing several times, gone to meets, definitely fun for a lot of people, not sure about me though.

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Here in the states tracks are closing fast and furious.  It is hard to find any sort of race here in my experience that simply strikes a balance of having fun with some degree of competition.  And any time a class cracks the formula it takes only a short while for the racers to ruin it for the masses.   You have the "lifers" who seemingly live at the track and will do anything cheat, borrow and steal for a tenth of a second.  Lots of newbies get turned away and we end up with no track surviving.  I live in the 3rd largest city in the USA and not one single track that I don't have to travel 1.5 hrs to middle of god knows where to find.

All that said, I gave up and in my head when I run my Hotshot at the park I envision I am at the 1985 IFMAR Worlds and it works for me.  Incidentally that was the 1st year I ever raced so I've seen all the ups and downs of racing on and off all these years. I've been fairly competitive when I commit and can do it, it all just seems so specialized and the atmosphere lacks that I don't find the travel to do it worth it.  Each their own for sure but looking at the turnouts today whether it is racing not being done right or simply people moved on to other things these days, the glory days are long gone. 

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I definitely appreciate this thread.  I've had my ups and downs with racing over the years.  I started fairly early in my return to RC in the mid-00s, at a friendly local club.  I got frustrated with failing batteries and lack of cash to replace them, and took a hiatus.  I returned later with a TA05-IFS at a time when nobody was running Tamiya chassis, and never managed to get it to handle right on carpet.  After another break I went back with an M03, just as everybody was switching to M05.  I loved that there was almost no setup to worry about, but after a while I dropped out again.

Now I'm back racing TT01E race trucks, with very limited class rules.  Again there's no setup to worry about, just prep and race, but this time we're all running the same chassis and tyres and motors, so there's not much room to cheat or gain an advantage.  Not being able to tune out the grip roll is frustrating but it makes more demands of the driver and IMO that makes for a better driver.  I feel like I'm improving week on week.

Actually I started to wonder if I'd enjoy going back to touring car racing again - it's a big step back into the frustrating world of setup and improvements but I started to get excited about it, which I haven't done in a long time.  But if it gets stressful, is it worth it..?

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6 hours ago, RCvet said:

Here in the states tracks are closing fast and furious.

 

6 hours ago, RCvet said:

Each their own for sure but looking at the turnouts today whether it is racing not being done right or simply people moved on to other things these days, the glory days are long gone. 

I'll echo those statements. Finding another individual with an RC car of any kind, let alone a track is akin to finding a 4 leaf clover. The closest track to me, about an hour away, just closed and the wife can't understand why I want to build one in the backyard.:unsure: Honestly, the stress and track designs nowadays have kept me from trying anyway. All my stuff is vintage or re-re and being flung over jumps for "huge air" or crushed by an overzealous short course truck is enough to make me think twice. I am glad to read stories like @Nicadraus's. Its good to know people are having good, low-stress fun somewhere in the world. :)

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The last time I put an RC car on a race track was 2001 (good grief, that's 18 years ago now). And I don't miss it at all. The frustration and worry over having the "wrong" tires, always feeling like your stuff is hopelessly out-of-date (even if it's brand new), the egos and attitudes of "serious" drivers... who needs it? I quit racing when I discovered I was having more fun on open practice nights than on race nights. And after a while I just sort of quit going to those, too.

There actually is a track here in Portland, but it's only open a couple of days a week, and I get the idea that it's a shoestring operation. (It's in the basement of an upscale women's swimwear shop, and has no sign on the building anywhere.) I've considered popping by with a vintage car or two on a practice night, but the attitude I get from their website and the posts on their FB page is that no one there cares about vintage cars, and as Saito2 mentioned, the track layout doesn't look at all friendly to short-travel suspensions and 30-year-old parts. I get the feeling that I'd just be in the way. And I have absolutely zero interest in buying a modern car to take to the track.

I would love it if someone here organized something like the vintage revivals and meetups I used to read about in the UK. I imagine it would have a very similar feel to SVRA vintage racing events for 1:1 cars, which are incredibly fun to attend. Putting the emphasis on "vintage" rather than "racing" changes the whole feel. I'd love an event where RC nuts got together to geek out over old vehicles, swap stories, and wear down some valuable vintage tires.

Maybe if I can find some time and gumption, I'll do it myself...

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I never enjoyed racing and tbh driving isn’t even the enjoyable bit for me - it’s in the build. 
 

if the cars came ready to run I’d run it a few times and put it back in the box

scanning ebay for things to build and restore is my hobby 

 

(having said that, of my 10 tamiya, 2 are runners. A high speed TT-02b and a monster beetle)

JJ

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Oh I wish we had a track here in Raleigh.  There's one in Durham, but its close to an hour from me.  I've never found the time to drive all the way out there...

The few others around here have all closed shop.  Mostly people moving on from the Hobby.  Drones is what everyone is doing now...

It would be nice to have a small dirt oval around here to run our Vintage Runners on...  I doubt my wife will let me set one up in our backyard...

Terry

 

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I used to race 2wd buggies during the 90's and enjoyed it a lot. Never had much money as a kid, so it was always on a budget. Have tried going back to racing 3 or 4 times over the last 10 years, but it just doesn't have the same appeal anymore. Way too serious and there is so much more to setting up a car these days. It seems as soon as you get a car dialed there is a new version out. There doesn't seem to be a place for entry level buggies in racing anymore either.

So, now i just stick to having fun with friends. Never say never though...

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4 hours ago, Problemchild said:

I never enjoyed racing and tbh driving isn’t even the enjoyable bit for me - it’s in the build. 
 

if the cars came ready to run I’d run it a few times and put it back in the box

scanning ebay for things to build and restore is my hobby 

 

(having said that, of my 10 tamiya, 2 are runners. A high speed TT-02b and a monster beetle)

JJ

I too enjoy the build but also the driving as well. I'd like to know the results of my build and make it better or improve it by my own standards and not what the "racers" tell me too. I can listen and take some advice once in a while though. I don't need the most expensive electronics nor the newest kits. I just like to build, modify, drive on the track/road/pavement and stare at them at home.To me, that is fun.

As @markbt73 mentioned, the ego and attitude of a lot of the "serious" racers...

are all about boasting, rudeness and selfishness.

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I live about 25 minutes from the Clanfield off road track and have gone and watched a couple of times, they seem to be quite relaxed and have a lot of fun.

On the other side though, there used to be an outdoor on road track in Southampton and back in the 90s I went to watch the ic nationals, but it was a different world, with teams and their sponsors taking it all really seriously and getting angry at the slightest thing that caused there car to spin or not be as fast as the next teams.

Although I can see that if you are racing you want to win, but at the end of the day, this is supposed to be a hobby and a fun thing to do, if it means after a bad race on a Sunday you are grumpy for the next few days or have to appeal against someone under taking you, it's time to find something else to do.....

PS, I did try a couple of races once, but I am more suited to the beach or the local car park... I was rubbish...😄

J

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I've only ever done 1:10 off road, and baring the odd one or two, found everyone absolutley brilliant and there just to have fun, race and talk toy cars.

The UK has a slightly different approach with regards to classes. Generally we have 2wd, 4wd and trucks, with tyres being the only control measure (the vintage class might run a 10.5t) , this seems to keep it fun, as if there's less rules to enforce (motor winds, esc settings) there's less scope to cheat, and the races have a decent number of cars.

On 10/24/2019 at 1:59 AM, Nicadraus said:

Another friend of mine offered to sponsor me with brand new on-road kits like Mugen Seiki, Team Magic and Infinity. But I refused the offer as I didn't want to be stressed out

I think that's the turning point, that would stress me, and turn it from a fun hobby, into a job. Saying that, the sponsored guys I know, love it, and always help with setups, driving techniques.

 

13 hours ago, markbt73 said:

I would love it if someone here organized something like the vintage revivals and meetups I used to read about in the UK.

Be that someone!! 

Contact the local council, and see if they've anywhere you can hire, we've found that if you work on the, it's for the children, angle, they are a bit more helpful. 

Also found that tracks will hire their track out for the day, if the money is right obviously. The Tamiya Junkies use one of the UK's world class tracks, which I'm still trying to get down to, but the 9hr round trip means it would be a full weekend, hotel job. 

 

1 hour ago, junkmunki said:

Although I can see that if you are racing you want to win, but at the end of the day, this is supposed to be a hobby and a fun thing to do, if it means after a bad race on a Sunday you are grumpy for the next few days or have to appeal against someone under taking you, it's time to find something else to do.....

Exactly!

Some days you're the dog, some days you're the lamp post!! 🤷‍♂️

 

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Unfortunately that was one of the reasons I give up nitro buggy racing (a few other things aswell cost being another) the club I was a member of just started laying down new rules (hate to say it BRCA) that I just started to fall out of favour with racing and everytime I decided just to go over the track and have a bash with my mugen mbx6t the track was eather closed for repair/service🤷‍♂️ or closed because a big race meeting was on in a few weeks and new BRCA rules dictate the track couldn't be used for a certain time before a race so nobody could practice unfairly before a race I was told??? "But I'm not racing in that meeting" just fell on deaf ears and it just turned so serious! And I never did take the racing seriously I just wanted to have a good time with my rc........so na wasn't for me anymore I now get my fix (just in the summer) in a quiet corner of my local park! Much better!

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3 hours ago, moffman said:

closed because a big race meeting was on in a few weeks and new BRCA rules dictate the track couldn't be used for a certain time before a race

There's a few tracks for 1:10 electric, so when one is shut before an English national, there's another that tries to be open to accommodate. This hasn't really been an issue this year, as all the races where in the south (closest national track to me I think is 3hrs south in Southport), and the track needs to be changed for 4wd ,so the guys that ran the 2wd don't get a minimal advantage.

They shut the track to stop people gaining a setup advantage and practice, (even though the club regulars know the surface), and I can see the reasoning, if the big race was in Southampton, and all my competitor's where local (ish) I'd be a 7hr drive away, so I'd be on the back foot all weekends racing, and in the business of, win on Sunday sell on Monday, big teams will make a big noise.

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6 hours ago, Wooders28 said:

There's a few tracks for 1:10 electric, so when one is shut before an English national, there's another that tries to be open to accommodate. This hasn't really been an issue this year, as all the races where in the south (closest national track to me I think is 3hrs south in Southport), and the track needs to be changed for 4wd ,so the guys that ran the 2wd don't get a minimal advantage.

They shut the track to stop people gaining a setup advantage and practice, (even though the club regulars know the surface), and I can see the reasoning, if the big race was in Southampton, and all my competitor's where local (ish) I'd be a 7hr drive away, so I'd be on the back foot all weekends racing, and in the business of, win on Sunday sell on Monday, big teams will make a big noise.

Yeah I perfectly understand and probably agree with unfair advantage etc etc but me and a fair few others (from what I can remember!) Didn't enter national meetings and they knew that problem was I was losing interest in racing and it was the excuse I was looking for to stop!

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Some interesting thoughts in this thread so far.

On the subject of gear, I think that there is a lot to be said for not running the absolute latest of everything. Apart from the obvious cost savings, these aren't really the days of revolutionary advances in RC chassis design, so last year's gear, or even the gear from a few years ago, can still be competitive in most classes at all but the highest levels.

There is also the issue of expectations. If you pitch up with the latest of everything, there is the expectation that you'll have the skills to match, and if you don't perform, you are going to look a bit silly. However if your gear is not the latest, there is less pressure, and if you do perform well, it is all the more impressive. 

As for class, I find the best balance between competitiveness and fun for my tastes to be F1.

There is more scope for setup than with a base spec M-03 for example, but a lot less than there is for a high end touring car, so there is just the right amount of tinkering to make things interesting without excessive faffing.

Plus the cars are more sensitive to being upset in collisions due to their open wheels, so people tend to drive more cleanly and respectfully. It is generally acknowledged that if you hit someone else, you both lose.

The biggest advantage for me is that driver skill is the biggest decider of performance and car spec has a minimal effect on results. A box stock F103 from more than 2 decades ago can still mix it up with the latest TRFs, with which many parts are still interchangeable. The class is about as far from chequebook racing as you can get without enforcing a 1-model rule. 

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I think the main issues with racing for me at the moment is time and hassle. I have to step back from racing when I notice my fun and enjoyment start to wane. Many people can never miss a race in the season and I wish I was like that sometimes. Carpet racing all night and then getting home at 1am can be a lot of fun at times. Other times not so much. 

Expectations are a hard pill to swallow. Usually I want to just take a stock kit and not stray too far from a kit setup to do well, maybe that is too much. Improvements to cars have become very minor but in my experience last years model with a perfect setup and many upgrades can still get left behind by the latest and greatest. Financially, my rational isnt buying new race kits every season. My old cars stay mostly stock why upgrade when your better off with the new platform. 

 

I could keep going but the racing experience is really great and performance of cars mind bottling compared to even a decade ago. My driving skills I hope could get better, I would have to find motivation and fun in crashing a bunch to get there haha. 

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Fun... doesn't it need to be fun?  Doubt many folks are making the rent or mortgage running RC cars these days (or ever for that matter).  Back when we raced, it was about having a good time, as with many hobbies, there's always folks who begin to take it way too seriously.  When you're driving a stock class car and someone's kid shows up with one worth more than all your RC gear/cars and the actual 1:1 car you're drove to get there.... kinda takes some of the fun away.

  I instituted a 'Grasshopper racing league', it was the cheaters racing group!  There were only 5 or 6 rules:  The motor and gear ratios had to remain stock, standard 7.2v packs only, the chassis tub and battery door had to be used as is and the stock, screw on body had to be used, rear suspension (such as it was) needed to use  only 'hopper or Hornet mounts.  Any other mods were OK.  I had hollow rear axles, bearings emptied of grease, narrowed, lightened and cut back gears and even oil filled shocks up front (where the shaft passed through the shock body both top and bottom).  No car was ever really faster than another and it was about FUN, driving skill  and experimenting with ideas to make a car faster within the rules (Smokey Yunick was a personal hero) and working around them as much as possible.  Enjoyable and cheap to get into... everyone usually shared their mods... although I kept the narrowed and cut back gears a secret for a whole season :)

  I have a feeling that the reason crawling, especially scale stuff is so popular is the slow pace and fun factor.  Couple weeks a go I had the CR01 and stock GrassHopper and LunchBox out in the yard with a few friends and beers.  Some had never touched an RC car controller.  Besides bashing the stockers about, the crawler was a huge hit, with a couple of them very interested in getting their own... the slow pace and easy enjoyment factoring in heavily.  Been working a bit of the land to clear and level an area for an '80's style RC track... simple and basic, no four foot high triples to clear, no 10 meter tabletops, no enormous banked turns... jumps, whoops and turns limited to something a Grasshopper can handle and the SuperChamp and RC10 restos can rip around on.  Already working on a fleet of identical 'Hoppers in varying hues, as the loaner racing fleet, all built to the same standard as my personal runner.  Hoping for the kind of fun we had nearly 40 years ago....

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