Return on Investment: The Cost of Racing Toy Cars.

   

    Just last week, I was having yet another argumentative conversation with my wife regarding our bi-yearly family trip to Disneyland. Anyone that knows my wife, knows that she and her family have a serious addiction to the cartoon rat we refer to as Mickey Mouse. So much so, that every other year, the entire tribe heads down to Southern California for three full weeks of theme-park fun in the sun. It borders on the truly insane and is full-on expensive, but it's what she does. It's her entertainment and she loves it.


    I've had a long-standing belief that my RC hobby is much easier on the bank account than her exorbitant trips to Disneyland. There's no way that my toy car racing could begin to match the ticket prices, air fare, hotel stay, and food cost of a Disney "extravaganza for one". When I was told the cost of the trip just for her, I went into a small frenzy. To say that I had "sticker shock" would be a gross understatement. To settle this once and for all, I totaled up entry fees and tire cost for a years-worth of racing and show her how much cheaper my own addiction is...... You see where this is heading....


Let's total it out:

1. Race fee (1 class): $20.00  x2 races per month = $40.00
2. Tires (part of race cost): 1 set per month = $25.00
3. Food (post race bench racing): x2 races per month = $20.00
4. Fuel (conservative amount) x2 races per month = $20.00

Total cost per month: $105.00 x12 months = $1260.00

Holy. Shit.

    For those readers that are also married, you know how truly painful it can be to lose an argument with your spouse. It's even more painful to lose an argument that I was so adamant about being right. After I realized I'd figuratively shot myself in the ass, I promptly ate a heaping pile of humble pie and apologized with a back massage later that night.


    These figures are just the cost needed to race at our local track on two Wednesday night club races per month. Needless to say, I was blown away by the dollar amount I came up with. When we go racing, we don't see that massive number up front like when we save for a vacation or a trip, we nickel and dime our way to it over a year's worth of racing. It's truly an "out of sight out of mind" type of activity that is probably best left that way. It was quite a sobering revelation that my beloved hobby was taking more of my annual income than my wife's allegiance to the infamous smiling rodent.


    I got to talking with a few racing buddies about the cost of this hobby, and it got me thinking: Why do I even do this? Where's the return on my investment? Why do I shell out dollars by the truck-load for a scale toy car, when I could be using those same dollars for something more family-oriented or important? It's a well-known fact that the RC hobby isn't a budget-friendly one. It's a pay-to-play proposition, whether its bashing or racing. Cars and equipment are constantly changing, costs to participate are rising within and outside the hobby, and for most of us, time is becoming scarce with longer work hours and traffic.


So, what's the point?

    Today was the first point in a long time where I openly questioned the amount of money I was spending on this scale sport, and it was honestly a bit of a buzz kill. I can see how racers have a hard time justifying the cost of the sport. There's a point where the stress of shelling out countless greenbacks start to overrun the reason we all started racing in the first place. This is when "burnout" sets in, and for most, the fun of the hobby is ruined. At what point did this hobby become so god-awful expensive? Has it always been this way, and it was easy to mask it because of the small amounts at a time instead of a lump sum? I started searching for a reason for the dollar figure I suddenly discovered. I was looking for a tangible return on my investment that simply isn't there, but I was missing the point and didn't even realize it.


    I thought about a conversation I had heard on the "Over The Bars" (OTB) podcast. On episode #24, podcast host Jeff Crutcher was talking to Kevin Moranz, a midwest motocross racer, about his upcoming race season and the cost of racing and progressing. The jest of the conversation was that if you stress for every penny looking for a return on investment, you'll miss out on the reason you ride or race in the first place and in turn, burn yourself out. It was a pretty fascinating conversation about perspective that I felt crosses over directly to RC racing. If you have a chance, check it out.


    By no means does this mean that I should just ignore the numbers and go hog-wild on my racing program. If I spent based on "wants", I'd be broke by virtue of my spending habits and divorce proceedings. Just as was discussed during the podcast, if I continue to stress and fret about the money blown and attempting to justify every penny spent looking for that tangible ROI, I'll likely lose sight of why I enjoy racing so much, and quit altogether, like I had done many times before. I liken RC racing to the guy that buys a gas-guzzling modern muscle car over a Prius. While the muscle car is about as practical as common core math is to a human being, it's the "fun factor" that makes it desirable. "Smiles per gallon" is a common term for cars like this. The ROI is an intangible "seat of your pants" visceral experience. It truly is what you make of it.


    RC is much the same way, and the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Radio control car racing has never been and was never meant to be a sport with physical returns for our hard-earned time and money. It's true there are a very select few that earn a salary to race, or are paid to travel, but for the 99% of us mere mortals, it's a hobby that requires funds with no chance of a monetary return. We seldom see races with cash payouts, and even the biggest races have little to no return. Instead, those select elite racers rely on select companies to compensate their results with bonuses, while the rest of us privateers are left with a plastic plaque and a pat on the back. I'd be willing to bet that we will never see this change within the hobby, and that's okay. The moment I start to treat this hobby like a business with a bottom line, is the moment I'll lose all interest in my beloved scale pastime. From a dollars & cents standpoint, RC racing just doesn't quite "add up". But that's alright, there's more than just bills being created here, I swear....

    Much like my wife's trips to Disneyland, the return on investment is something you could never see. To me, the ROI is the memories I created as a kid racing with my father. We don't get a chance to race together as much as we used to, but the return is there every time he shows up to turn laps. Another ROI is the friendships I've forged from this hobby. Some of the best people I know race with me regularly, and that keeps the hobby fresh and exciting. I've said this so many times in previous posts, but it really is the people within this whole deal that make the difference. It's these people that give us places to race, help us fix issues, and share a laugh in the pits. RC will never have that tangible return on investment that motocross does, or soccer, or most any other sport. But like most everything encompassing this kick-ass hobby, it's the intangible returns that make it worth the price of admission.

    So, for those of you that are in relationships or married, next time you have the itch to go toy car racing, tell your significant other thanks. Tell them you appreciate them allowing you to enjoy this money-sucking addiction we all love so much. Don't make the same mistake I made in thinking this was some inexpensive form of entertainment. It racing, and all forms of racing cost money, no matter the scale. That doesn't mean that it isn't worth the cost, however. It's value is found in the adrenaline of competition, the people you meet, and the memories you create. If only my significant other would believe that sappy excuse for the charges on our bank account.....

Race on, kids!

-JRoy386

The Halfway Point: Six Rounds & Six things I've learned.

    People say time flies when you’re having fun. Time also flies when you’re getting waxed every two weeks by virtue of a steep learning curve I forgot existed in my time away. But being waxed can be a great opportunity for learning. The professors are my competitors, and I’m just trying to absorb what I can in the midst of an indoor season that’s already halfway over. Time really does fly.

    It feels like just yesterday I was prepping my car and my mind for my first full indoor season of any kind in over 3 years. While it had been a figurative lifetime since I seriously raced on carpet (3 years in this hobby is like a lifetime), I felt I was well-prepared from a just-completed outdoor campaign that saw me start with a budget-built TC4, to re-joining Schumacher Racing, and finishing strong with my Mi6evo. Admittedly, there were far more changes to my program in a single season than I'd like. I'm typically not a fan of switching cars and equipment mid-season, but with an On-Road program that was essentially non-existent at the start of spring, it was a necessity to say the least.

    Fast forward to the last week of September. My Mi6evo is cleaned, rebuilt with an alloy chassis & a carpet-specific setup, a brand new Maclan 17.5 V1 stock motor, Hobbywing XR10-Pro speedo, Sticky Kicks cleaners, and a fresh body & livery with BOOMrc graphics. After years racing USGT/VTA-type classes, I was ready to move up to the faster Stock Touring class. I had my program set, support lined up, and fresh confidence stemming from a great outdoor season.

    What I thought I knew, I hadn't a clue. RC, like any activity or sport, has a way of humbling you with a kick in the groin and a slap to the face from time to time. Just when you think you have it all worked out, there's something new to throw a monkey wrench into the best-laid plans. A lot has changed in 3 long years, so with six rounds down in the 2017/2018 indoor season, here's six things I've learned from my return to racing.

1) Turn an Honest Wrench:

    Through 6 rounds of racing, I swear I've had more bullshit breakdowns and lost screws than at any point in my RC career combined. Two shredded spur gears, a destroyed front bumper assembly, lost screws, loose steering assemblies, etc., the list goes on and on. The problem here isn't with the car or equipment, it's the jackass prepping said-car & equipment. The faster corner speeds and higher downforce of modern touring car racing had forced me to re-think how I prep my cars. So much for resting on my once-stellar laurels..... Check your screws kids, give the car a once over. Even the most unthought of items need attention with the stresses we put these little cars through these days. 

(Too many of these expensive little mistakes this season.)

2) The Current Speed of "Stock" is Unreal:

    Just as the heading says, the speeds of the current-generation stock touring cars is on another level. It's admittedly taken me more time than anticipated to come to grips with the current pace of modern touring cars, and admittedly I should’ve made the jump years ago. It's been a rewarding challenge, but difficult nonetheless. With ROAR changing the wind limit of Stock Touring to 21.5 turns, things should ease a bit, but not as much as many had thought. The newest crop of 21.5 motors are still head and shoulders above any brushed 27t motor I ever raced with, and would embarrass some current 17.5 mills. With the tight confines of the Hangar 30 track, a normal stock TC race borders on the pace of modified from a few years ago.  I think I'm becoming a speed junkie, because this shit is fun.

(The current crop of brushless motors are no joke.) 

3) The Level of Talent on Wednesday Night is Wild:

    We have a unique setup for Wednesday night club racing, in that our mid-week track is a full carpet roll smaller than the main Saturday setup. This creates a couple interesting situations. The lap times for a typical Wednesday fiesta border along the 8-second range for Stock 12th scale, and low to mid-9's for Stock Touring. Laps are a blurry kickass experience. What makes it all so amazing is the lack of modified classes. With the smaller layout and bumpy surface, Mod just isn't feasible, so consequently, you get a mix of current stock and mod drivers scrapping in the same class. The depth of talent it creates on a club night no-doubt rivals any program in the country. On any given night, you'll have at least 3 former Regional/National champs battling with us mere mortals for series points. I've been waxed more than my fair share so far this season, but the lessons I've learned are more than worth the price of admission.

4) Technology Has Taken Over:

    This one is more of a blanket statement across the entire hobby, but the level of technology we have reached regarding the cars and equipment is unreal. The adjustability and capabilities of the latest crop of cars is truly amazing. Everything is lighter, more nimble, and much faster. Battery tech has taken off in the past few years, and now we're running packs with twice the capacity of the older-generation LiPo's and at a fraction of the weight. Motors are getting more efficient and faster than ever before. They are also becoming more user-friendly than anything previously produced. With this rise in technology, also comes the consequence of price. Equipment is costing more than ever before. What was already an expensive hobby has only risen. The flipside of all this is that all of these current components are lasting longer than ever before. Motors can now last the better part of two seasons instead of two months, and batteries can last an entire season with proper care. That extra money spent is stretched further and further, which is never a bad thing.

(These toy cars are small marvels of engineering.)

5) New Blood is Still a Rarity:

    This has been a problem for years, but with the entire industry facing lower turnouts, this is an issue that can't be ignored. I'm not a wizard that has all the answers, but talking with others about the situation, having a spec class with proportional speeds would certainly help. Like I mentioned earlier, speeds are up substantially in all classes, including spec and novice. Having a spec class that drivers can hone their skills in and an affordable car that they can grow and advance with certainly wouldn't hurt to me. We'll see what the future holds, but if we have the technology to make these cars faster and handle better, why can't use that same technology to make them more accessible? Food for thought.

(New blood is a constant battle world-wide, but 5 novices on a Wednesday night is rad.)

6) RC Racing is Still Badass:

    Issues and concerns aside, racing in general is still badass. Gathering with buddies and flogging toy cars around a temporary track on a Wednesday night never seems to get old. The work done by Kyle Bradshaw, Todd Mason, Brian Bodine, Korey Harbke and so many others has created an amazing atmosphere and the potential for growth and success within the Seattle RC Racers club. Mid-week racing is alive and well in the Northwest, and I believe the same can be said for many other parts of the country and world. With a little promotion and catering to the sportsman and novice, we can thrive like years past. In the meantime, I'm having a bitchin’ time  hanging with friends new & old, and racing RC cars in between. It's all dialed.

(Thanks to those that work so hard to give us fools a place to race.)

    With that, bring on act two! Time to end the proverbial pussy-footing and just send it. 6 more rounds of hot-shit dialed racing on the rug, before we all thaw out and head out to the great outdoors. 2018 is gonna be wild, fam. Buckle up. 

Peace & fast laps.

-JRoy

Managing a Competitive Hobby.

    For as long as I can remember, the radio control hobby for me has always centered around racing.

Playing with RC cars with friends was fun, and I've done my fair share of backyard ripping, but the majority of my time with RC cars has been spent competing, not "bashing" as some call it.

    Not that bashing itself isn't fun; it clearly is. I've always just preferred the technology & performance-oriented side of the hobby, which encapsulates the racing genre of Radio Control. Above all the technology and performance and speed though, it's the love of competing with others and working towards a goal of a dialed setup and good results that really attracted me as a kid, and still does today. I'd bet to guess that competition is at the very least a small factor that attracts all of us racers to "racing" in general, whether it be full size or the scale variety. 

    I never considered myself to be a great "stick & ball" player. I never quite had the skill or guts to race BMX or motocross. I've always enjoyed these activities on a personal level, but I never found myself having fun participating on the "competition" side of these sports. Each of these sports were purely for enjoyment with friends and family. That's where RC comes in. Radio Control car racing provided me a hobby in which I could gain technical and mechanical knowledge, as well as compete with others in an activity that nearly anyone could and does excel at, including myself. 

    In my early years racing RC cars, I struggled to balance the intensity and adrenaline rush of competition with the fact that the activity I was participating in was merely a hobby and not a life or death situation. Anything less than a stellar drive to me would be met with personal frustration that would often times boil over and show as aggressive actions on track or a bad attitude in the pits. Try telling a 10-year old that what he/she works and prepares for all week doesn't mean anything, and you'll most likely be met with a blank stare and deaf ears. Now, try telling this to a full-grown adult with a massive priority issue, and you'll probably get a much more salty answer and the same deaf ears. "How dare you piss in my Cheerios, this is competition, man!"

Let's explore that....

    

Definition of competition in English:

competition

NOUN

mass noun

• 1The activity or condition of striving to gain or win something by defeating or establishing superiority over others.

  ‘there is fierce competition between banks’

  ‘the competition for university places is greater than ever this year’

  
  

  
  

     This definition comes strait from the Oxford dictionary. The very meaning of competition is to win something by defeating others. By reading this, we can be assured that the feelings of excitement, accomplishment, frustration or anger are an inherent byproduct of competition itself. At the end of the day, no matter what activity you're participating in, no matter the significance to others, if it involves competition in some way, you can bet there will be a winner and a loser. You can also bet that there will be someone very happy, and someone not so enthusiastic about the outcome of said-activity. This is the beauty of competition. The frustration of losing is eclipsed only by the jubilation of winning. It's an addictive feeling that is as strong as some drugs in the highs it can provide, and lows it also brings. Much like a drug though, once one gets a taste of it, it's nearly impossible to resist.

hobby1

NOUN

• 1An activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure.

  ‘her hobbies are reading and gardening’

    This definition also comes from the Oxford dictionary. From this meaning, the idea of having a competition be a hobby at the same time feels contradictory on paper. How can someone participate in an activity that is quite simply a "win or lose" situation, yet be done at one's leisure for simple pleasure? Quite easily, really. We do it every time we attend a Wednesday night club race, or a Sunday club day, or a Saturday series race. Each of these is a competition, yet is done for fun because we love it. We love to compete, and we love to escape into our interests for a few hours a week. When all is right with the world, both meanings become equal parts, and the thrill of competing compliments the idea of all this just being a hobby. Something that allows us to turn off the world in the name of personal accomplishment. 

    Inevitably though, these two definitions collide from time to time, creating the obvious conflict of competition vs. hobby. Personal performance, an incident with another driver, or just a simple unmet expectation can lead to a moment of frustration on the driver's stand or in the pits. Sometimes its just a harmless moment at your work table after a run, and other times it's more severe, in the form of choice words to a fellow racer or overly aggressive maneuvers on-track. It's at this point that the passion felt from competition begins to overtake the original purpose of the activity, which is just to have fun.
   
    These moments happen to all of us at some point or another, and I've caught myself taking this hobby way too seriously more than once in my career. From the most elite of racers to the novice weekend warriors, moments of frustration or irritation bubble up and consume our race nights or race days. It's not a matter of if, but when. When it does happen however, it's how we deal with it that separates us.


Here's a couple ways I've come up with to help keep things in perspective:


Take a Step Back.


    Sometimes it's best to just take some time away from things and regroup. I've done this more times than I can remember, and it's worked every time. Back in February 2013, I took some time away from full-time racing to become a daddy for the first time. While I raced a couple times here and there, This April marked my first time back to full-fledged racing since the birth of my son, and loss of another. I can honestly say without a shadow of a doubt that I'm having more fun now than I ever have at any point in my racing career. My perspective on life has changed over the years, and what was once a seriously competitive activity to me, has become a fun escape that I look forward to every two weeks. Call it maturity or whatever you'd like, but there's no question that taking time away saved the hobby for me. I was flat burned out and didn't even know it.


Try Something New.


    Sometimes,  just a change of scenery can do wonders for a racer's attitude. Moving down or up in a class or speed of car can give a racer a newfound motivation or challenge that maybe didn't exist with his/her current class. Or, maybe even switching a style of racing altogether will do the trick. Many racers often switch from On-Road to Off-Road, Road Course to Oval, etc. for a new challenge and develop a new skillset. Getting stuck in a rut is easy to do in the hobby, and there's no better way to break out of a funk than to move out of your comfort zone every now and again.

(World Champion Jered Tebo keeping things fun by trying something different.)

  
Get Social.

    While the racing takes center stage most of the time, the social aspect of RC racing is just as important and just as enjoyable. Some of the best memories in this hobby have been spent bullshitting around pit tables and not on the drivers stand. Much like garage time (read my last post), the pit area was a place of questionable language and good company. It still is the highlight of any club race for me. So next time you're at the track, strike up a conversation with a fellow racer, get to know those that you compete with. Who knows, maybe you'll find a fresh perspective through a common interest. At the very least, you'll probably hear a off-color joke or ridiculous story (You know who you are).

    For the 1% of racers that find RC racing as their occupation, these guidelines probably wouldn't help much, but for the 99% of the rest of us that take this hobby too seriously, it's just that... A hobby. Let's treat it as such. Be mindful of the actions you take in the name of competition, and above all... Have fun.