2008 FALL OFF-ROAD SHOOT-OUT RACE 09/27

[kevin]

RACERS:

I have searched through the current available schedules on the regional R/C Forums and Web Sites and see Saturday September 27th will be a good date to plan to hold the Annual Fall Off-Road Shoot-Out Race. This would be the 4th weekend of the month like last year. Please mark it on your calendars. More info will be posted when available. Hope to see you there!

[kevin]

RACERS:

We have just over two months before we will put on the Annual Fall Off Road Shootout race event on September 27th. It is no secret that this summer will see the end of the racing in Manvel as things have been going. As far as I can see, no one has done a thing to help maintain or improve the site since we reworked it to put on the Spring Kick-Off race, aside from myself and KRC Products spraying the weeds.

I will ask you all straight out, do you or do you not want to have a public R/C Racetrack that can host organized R/C Race events in the area? I really need to know what the answer is to this because I simply cannot justify putting my efforts into summer Off-Road R/C Races away from my home site if they do not start doing better. I can't take another huge loss like I did at Manvel this spring again.

At this point, there is more than two months to rework the Manvel site into a new and better layout to host the Fall Shoot-Out event on. Is there any reason to believe that KRC Products should continue to try to promote Summer R/C Racing in the area? If you think there is, do something about it! There were a hand full of guys plus some great business people that helped and that is the only reason we had that last race. To those of you that want to have a local track but are not willing to work to make one possible, you are going to see summer Off-Road Racing die with the end of the Manvel track and likely never come back. I won't try to use my connections to put up another track again if I don't see that Fall race in Manvel do well this year. I will just cut my losses and resign to the fact that I will need to travel to far away tracks to attend organzed public races in the summer from now on.

These are my thoughts. What are yours?

[donnie t]

i say give it one more shot and see what happens.

[Brian Stonecipher]

I will come out and work on the track to help prepare it for the Sept race.  Regarding the future, I'd gladly participate in a club effort to maintain a track and put together some regular racing activities and I don't think anyone should have the expectation that KRC should continue to all the work and take a loss.  I know that I'm new to this, but I fail to see who the local racing group is that would be necessary to support a track.  Is there anyone in GF besides Alex?  The only other regulars that seem engaged are Marco (Fargo), Donnie & friends (TRF), and Kevin (Crookston), each with a 30-60 minute drive to GF.  In my opinion, if we want regular off-road racing opportunities in GF or Manvel, then we better have a group of dedicated experienced regulars, and a source of recruiting newbies (like myself).  The regulars need to work with the newbies to help get them educated and hooked on RC.  The best source for getting newbies involved is the LHS.  Sadly, our GF LHS not only does not support Manvel racing by hosting racing, it has very intentionally decided to not even reference the existence of the track.  The newbie buying his first RC vehicle likely doesn't even know that RC racing exists, and if LHS doesn't tell him and he doesn't search online, he'll think that curb jumping is the most fun that he can have with an RC truck.

As far as the Manvel race is concerned, if we want a better local turnout, lets put together a list of known potential racers, newbies and experienced guys, and get on the phone with them.  Its hard to keep niche activities going, especially in non-metro areas, but RC is too fun to let die.

[donnie t]

very well said and i cant agree more

[kevin]

There are very many variables or "issues" that come into play with this. The biggest problem is money because you can't do much without that one. Other problems are things like Hobbytown not supporting organized racing. They, in fact, tell people there is not racing even when we we have events and regular action scheduled. I have had people come right up and tell me this more than once. What do you do about crap like that?

Anyway, I am for promoting R/C Racing, but not solely for making money like some people believe. The problem is I need to make money to stay in this. At the very least, cannot continue to keep losing money. The fact right now is, I am so tapped out that unless I can do the Manvel Race this fall cost-free, I should cancel out of it right now. That is the facts, boys...

I do have people that would help get a commercial off-road R/C race site going in Grand Forks, but can't see it being worth trying to do based on the last couple of years. If I was rich, could set up a site and do it with cash, I would give it a try. The problem is, I cannot even do it by credit now with how much all I have tried to do do before now has put me under. It all makes it hard to stay optimistic, you know...

I have to get somethings done and get some sleep. We will get back to this later...

[Sparky]

I think with the economy in as bad of shape as it is, money will directly affect the r/c hobby. I know that I probably won't be able to afford to drive to Grand Forks to race this winter. I have a choice to make wether to put food on the table or race. Seems we will all have to make decisions that are based on our personal needs. I don't think anyone will argue that you have done alot for the local racers and trying to keep the hobby alive, but at what cost to you and your family. I think if you need to back out of holding races, nobody will hold that against you.

[Cain]

I think that what Brian posted is a good idea to start with.  Having a list of newbies who are interested in racing gives a base of people to contact and try to schedule a meeting concerning RC in grand forks. Word of mouth may be better than online as that doesn't seem to be a main way to get the word out for RC in ND.

I think also getting those newbies into attending some of the WOR events that take place this winter can help too, as that gives you offroad racing inside at least once a month and keeps the RC bug going.  I found those races to be quite enjoyable for the money.  Combine this with the local indoor carpet racing Kevin does gives a nice racing roundup.

As for your expenses Kevin, what are the big ones that you have that maybe can be done for cheaper?  I know you tow the trailer to the track and that can't be cheap for sure.  Is there anything in the trailer that is a definite need for the track that can be transported by car?  When Jon Carlson caught a ride with me to the RC Pro Series event, the first one in Pingree, I think he brought his transponders and I think the scoring computer which was a laptop.  If the main things you need can fit in a car, may be a way to save serious money on a gas expense.

Finally, is the city of grand forks itself opposed to RC racing in general as far as providing a facility / land that can be used for racing?  I know with nitro noise can be a factor in that decision, but, would they be open to an all electric (ie- no noise) option?  At least that way, some racing is better than none, and with the cost of nitro fuel going to go way up, Traxxas slash being quite popular at a lot of tracks, and some pretty sick 1/8 scale brushless conversions (and with caster racing, soon a production 1/8 scale electric buggy), electric is on the way up more and more.   At least with a local RC track place in Grand Forks, it gets the foot in the door. 

[kevin]

I would not want to be showing up at Manvel to run a race event with just a laptop and a transponder rack. That would be OK for a bunch of friends to do when gathering somewhere at a gravel pit with a make-shift track racing around old tires as markers. You see, there is a huge difference from what Jon does and what I do. Jon uses the services of other established tracks put together by other people that already have everything needed waiting there for him including a sheltered place to set up with power, PA system and everything else. I show up at Manvel and there is just a track with power, period. We have to set up everything needed to have races there including moving the drivers stand back there from Crookston. Being able to run a decent organized race event at a site like Manvel without the services of my race trailer and equipment it contains is not optional.

Do not get me wrong Cain, I am not picking on you, but I was just dying to see what Jason and Jon were going to be able to do at the Manvel site to pull off that ND Pro Series Race #3 there. Jon certainly did the right thing to move it to Pingree instead of letting Jason host it.

I will help with what ever people want to do to get R/C Racing going, except paying the tab. I will do the races for cheap, but some profits must be made. If anything we do requires KRC Products to go into debt any further, we can't do it. The winter carpet oval, we will keep doing because that doesn't lose money at least. At my home track in Crookston we can have fun running private activities with only the cost of raising my water and electric bill a bit. Risking our tails trying to promote a site away from here like Manvel again? Not again.

[Cain]

Any more news on the September date?  Is it looking more like a no go?

[kevin]

It is a go still, but at what scale, I am not sure. It looks like I have the support of Brian and donnie to help work on getting the site ready when the time gets closer, but whether any more people will help is unknown. I made a mistake putting too high of a table top in front of that second triple on the far side and that blocked the approach view. That should be fixed and other things to change the layout should be done. The problem is I have no funds to rent a loader, so do not know how to ensure it will be possible to do much. I do not plan to do anything there until September in any case. There are too many things here at home that I will be working on this month.

[Cain]

ok.  Do you have an estimate on when you have your rule set ready?  I need to know if I can attend your event or not so I can plan it out who will be watching the kids.

[kevin]

I think that being this will likely be the last race at Manvel before the site is leveled, I will allow racers to run Electric Converted 1/8 Buggy in the 1/8 Buggy Class being there will not be subdivisions Like "Sportsman" and etc. Electric Drivers will be required to pull into pit lane every five minutes and come to a full stop for a minimum of five seconds. Anyone else have any objection to this?

The Manvel races are being held for fun and not to be confused with Sanctioned Races anyway...

[Cain]

For Monster truck, any limitations?  Have an E-Revo to run as well.

[kevin]

We will run the electric and gas MT together also with the same rules.