Growing the hobby

[CrockettNZ]

I myself would love to see more youth getting into the hobby
but most youngsters I see are more interested in sports and/or gaming etc
we here in NZ club scene are mostly wood track with gloss surface racers and to get a car to run well on these tracks requires some tuning
you could simply glue and true tires,flatten chassis and all that basic 101 stuff that doesn't cost any money but that wont get you a competitive car that can win races unless the class rules state that all the cars are only allowed that level of tuning
but we all know that we don't want to have all of our cars like that
people want to race cars that can have higher levels of tuning and that costs money
money that they don't have or have little of
then there is all the tools needed and that cost money as well as does a decent controller
I know how it feels when you are on a tight budget {and I am on a tight budget }
it doesn't take long for someone to lose interest in something when they feel they are not able to get ahead because others are able to afford better cars
all of the guy,s in my club are more than happy to lend cars and controllers to newbies at the start
also happy to share our tools and teach our tips/tricks but at some stage they have to get themselves set up with their own stuff and that is when most move on
it is only those that have a real passion for what slotcar racing is and that get pleasure out of tuning/building a toy car for lots of fun/competitive racing that stick with it
and I feel these people are slowly becoming less and less
maybe it is a sign of the times, who knows




I

[MikeyAutobahn]

I think photos are great. More people should post their builds up and their beautiful cars and tracks. But I think there is more that can be done, as there seems to be a huge gap between posting pictures to get people interested and getting controllers in their hands to do it. There's a lot of room for other things.

No matter how great this forum is, or slot car forums in general, they are still insular. Each one even tries to distinguish itself from the other one, making each forum even more insular. So posting a picture here is good, but it's only one place. I don't want to knock HRW or anything, as just about any place like it would be the same, I just want to point out that the internet is a big place. But if someone where brand new to slot cars, they'd have to come to a place like this and search to find information, quite often buried deep in now-outdated conversation. Not all of it here, however, is like that. I love the special features here, especially car reviews and how-to's, and think that they are one of the things that sets this forum apart from the others. It's those kinds of things that have well-written, lasting information and are presented in a way that is easy for the noob to swallow.

But this, and the other forums, aren't the only thing on the internet. Starting your own blog, posting that beautiful track you've spent hours/weeks/years on, exploring more in-depth what it is that you're doing, and putting that information out there. Put it here as well. Make a post on your blog, and then make that same post here. I'm not saying link to it, but re-post it. Put it on Facebook. Or reddit. Or whatever. The difficulty with a blog is pressing on with it when it might have an initial low-readership, but keep at it. If nobody can find information, then it needs to be out there. And while it's great to tell someone who's looking for info to "search the forum", it doesn't always work. A new hobbyist needs to be able to find information without having to learn a whole lingo to do it, and should be able to find it without too much digging. Harry's great about doing this sort of thing, as the entire front page of this site is LOADED with information. I've linked to articles here from other places :whistle: plenty of times. Not forums, but places.

This hobby costs money. No way around that. But less emphasis should be put on costs, and let the other aspects of the hobby sink in first. Younger people, I believe, don't need to have a controller in their hand to understand what's happening, as most of them live through their phones anyway, and feel like that's a perfectly fine way to experience things. And it might be, for them. We're older, and we're used to having to "go there" to "try that". But I think now, if some hip phone-using youngster sees a cool youtube video, they'll already do the necessary searches and find pricing info, so they should be also able to get standard info as well. They're used to buying-without-trying, as their entire generation is raised on the online consumer culture. They don't go places to try things. Heck, most of them don't even look up from their phones when the DO go places.
And cost? It costs less to get a starter track than it does a Playstation, and cars are now on average 10 bucks cheaper than a new PS4 game. /drops mic

I don't think we'll ever see Carrera or anybody else advertising on television. One ad would probably take up their entire yearly advertising budget, and would be a colossal waste of time. Doing tie-ins like they did with Bass Pro Shops is EXACTLY the kind of thing that needs to happen, and I think Carrera should be held as an example of a company that's doing it right.

This place is great. I link to it all the time. I don't post pictures of my cars because I don't have many, and they are plastic. There are other places to do that that I think would be more receptive, and I think that's okay. This place [to me] is all about the greatness and majesty of scratch building and the love and dedication of the beautiful oval racing experience [even though there are other features that are good as well]. With that said:




If you have ever done any deep internet searching....rabbit hole stuff....there was a period around 2000-2003 or so where there was a pretty large internet presence. Now it takes the form of a bit of a graveyard, with many broken or dead links, and lots of nods to older web design and interface use. Then it all kind of drops off, only to pick up recently again. I've been working on a wiki of information for the past months, and there's a lot of information that just isn't available out there anymore. The stuff that is is like gold to me. What's my point? I guess it's that there isn't enough going on on the internet regarding the hobby. There's not enough mania. To someone new to the hobby it looks like it's low interest because there isn't as much going on on the internet currently.

If you live in a small town [like I do], and you don't have the ability to affect things locally, think more globally. Try to find that niche that is comfortable to help you promote things your way. You never know what's going to happen by being around and active. Even if it's so specialized that you think nobody would have interest, do it anyway. I have one, and it's about rug racing, tuning discoveries, solo racing, and more. And it doesn't cost anything but a little time to do it. And it may not get many visitors, but it's growing. I know the other thing I'm doing [which I can't mention here in a link I don't think as it would go against TOS, even though it's non-competitive] does pretty well readership-wise, and familiar faces are around. Even Dave K pops by from time to time.

So I guess my feeling is it's no so much about the future of the hobby, as it is more about what I can do to play a part in it. Find a purpose, whether it's to promote your own track, idea or concept, and run with it. Don't be intimidated to tell people what your hobby is. It's totally fine to actually have a hobby, and being involved in one that has been around so long is special in itself. Does it nod to an earlier time? Yes, and that's a difficult selling point to a generation that doesn't drive or have interest in racing fast cars, but there are other people to reach out there. I hear from new people all the time, and totally love the fascination, excitement and headlong optimism that a new person brings. It reminds me why it's so great when I grab that car out of the box, put it on the track, and suddenly nothing else matters. It's a great feeling.

Thanks for reading.

[TsgtRet]

Johnny has a point about keeping it simple and "paying forward".....do what you can where you are. Throughout this discussion it has been noted that 2 things keep popping up: public displays and the space it takes to put up an "attention keeping" track. Along these lines I am reminded of something from my model railroading days: shelf or "around the walls" layouts. If you are going to do a public display, make one of your objectives to do a track with the smallest "footprint" but biggest action possible. Big tracks are impressive but have little application in the typical home. Just my rusty brain thinking out loud.

[strangebrew]

[Mayberryman]

To be quite honest I am not all that sure that many of the track owners with set racing schedules really want their track participation to grow all that fast as most of them are just as, if not more so, concerned with who they will welcome into their basement/garage to race. I have often heard members of the club wanting people that want to have fun more than they want the spare no cost and push the rules to the max to win type people. It is my impression that most of the people involved in 1/32 plastic chassis based hobby are more or less solo type racers who most of the time only have family and close friends over. I have also run across the fully shelved wall collector types who also do not have a need for constant interaction in an in person type existence.

One club I race with put up a Model of Silverstone at Moss Motors one weekend in conjunction with a very big British and MIata car show, all weekend long people approached with the normal nostalgic statements, even drove some of the cars and seemed very interested in some participation. We gave out bulks of information about our club and it's racing program. To be completely honest we did not get the first racer, either short or long term, from this mass exposure.

I believe that the manufactures and suppliers of different brands could do something like the Great Traditions Series if they were serious about growing racing in general and their brand in specific in the United States.
I have said for a couple of years that a series (perhaps regional in nature) could be held at different tracks in a region say for Carrera GT cars, Slot It GP C cars or any other type or brand specific.

We all would like to see the hobby grow but I feel that the manufactures and distributors have a more vested interest and I would like to see one or more of them pick up the ball and make a run with it.

[BARC 1]

I just got back into slot cars,but I have generally been interested in them since the 60's

What got me back on to them was new technology. I saw the ARC One app and decided to set up a go track and try it out .

One year later I am scratch building nomag 1/43 scale cars , actively participating on forums and looking at spending money to go digital.

Say what you want about GO it is proving to be the gateway back into slot cars. Available everywhere at Christmas with some splashy glossy graphic literature in the box it introduces people to Carrera. They then go on to other slot car interests or the set goes in the attic. If it goes into the attic you were never going to reach those people anyway. However the ones that do enjoy it will go and spend more. I think that is the reason Carrera is doing well. That combined with good product.

For me personally I am trying to showcase the fact you can build nice running nomag cars in 143 scale. If I am successful using D132 electronics then I should be able to demonstrate good racing action on a track layout that is relatively small. Hopefully this will get others thinking about slotting.

Slot car apps for digital devices could be setting the hook to pull people away from just browsing their life away on their IPad. Entice them to use that device for something fun. This is where the forums are a big help . They help people transform from interested browsing to active hobbyists

It would great if there were big local retailers, but those days are gone . Retail has changed and it is not going back. Best to find a large shop that does internet sales well and use them as your source. I live in a remote region, and I am used to Internet shopping for everything and it is great. I can get whatever I want and have a source for selection like never before. I buy from the UK, Italy,Germany, US, and Canada. No brick and mortar store will ever be able compete with the online selection that is available now. Again these forums pick up the slack and provide people with a place to ask questions and learn. With the demise of the Local hobby shop this is crucial to the survival of this or any other hobby

Cheers

Dan

Typed on my iPad so sorry for the randomness of the above. Too much effort to restructure :lol:

[Czar]

I know floor space is key to successful retail. But, a big, elaborate track only deters people from setting up a home track. All a store needs is a 4' x 8' board to demonstrate the cars. People need to get a sample of what slot racing can be like. Then they say, ooohhh I want that. What I am saying is, a store doesn't have to dedicate a lot of space to generate excitement with slot cars.

[Josh's Dad]

When marketing the hobby, you can either go big and market to a lot of people out of which only a very small number will be interested or market the hobby to a much smaller group where a larger percentage of the people marketed to will be interested in the hobby.

What common interests do most slot car enthusiasts hold? Cars and car racing. Where can we find car enthusiast and car racing enthusiasts? Car clubs such as the BMW club, Porsche Club, Corvette Club, Mustang Club... You get the idea. These clubs have chapters all across the county, and in addition to track events the have monthly meetings, social events and concours events. The local slot car club can put on a demonstration and have the club members try slot cars. The clubs have monthly magazines and websites that they would publish articles about thier upcoming and previous events. Although you will find some track (1:1) junkies thst won't be interested in slot cars, there are many members who don't race 1:1 for various reasons for whom Slot car racing would be the perfect fit.

Slot car tracks can be set up at new Car Shows, professional car races (NASCAR, ALMS, Rolex...) to allow the public to try them.

If the club has a good relationship with a slot car shop, the shop can bring some home sets and cars t sell.

It is important that the club members positively interact with all of those who try slot cars. A personal introduction, and invitation to a club event in addition to a pamphlet plus getting their name, email, and phone number to follow up with the prospective members will go a long way.

New member nights with the experienced members helping the new members where only the new members would be on the track can go a long way. Also when a new member comes to a regular race night, an experienced member takes the might off of racing to mentor the new member, or a few members take turns in mentoring the new member, so the new member always has someone to assist him and make him feel welcome.

[DManley]

Lots of interesting ideas in this thread. I have been looking at a few things that I can do. We are just getting racing back in our area. Right now, we have three or four people in a small town in the middle of nowhere. If we can get some racing going in Houghton Lake, we can get it going anywhere.

I used to have a portable track. I took it to church and set it up on a group of those folding legged 8 foot tables that every church, school, lodge, hall and library seems to have. I am planning out another portable track, but this one will have to be routed, and will be a little bit smaller. The old track could be assembled as a road course, or an oval. The oval could be powered by a pair of jumper cables attached to my van. When a few friends would go to a local race, I would load up the minivan and set the track up a few hours ahead of time in the parking lot. We would them proceed to tailgate and race slot cars. We got a lot of attention at several local shorttracks. We would put some "teddy bear" cars on the track and hand over the controller to let people try it out. We did this at Berlin, Kalamazoo, Crystal, Merritt and several other tracks in Michigan and Ohio. When it was time for the big boys to start running, we would pack it back into the van and go enjoy the races. It made for a fun evening. What can beat playing with slot cars, then watching a big time short track race with Sprints or Supermodifieds?

I am planning on building another portable track. This one will have to be routed, so I will have to get some non magnet cars with slow motors in them. (It's hard to turn the voltage down to 10v. on a minivan!) I am not sure if I will be able to get out and about very much, but I would be able to expose a few people to the hobby.

I was thinking about doing some videos, as there could be more slot car stuff on Youtube. I would need to get a camera, and do some practice, but I thought about some basic videos on how to set up cars, and some comparisons of different types of cars. I also thought about doing some reviews and actually running the car for a few laps and comparing the lap times from different cars. It might not convert anybody, but it wouldn't hurt. One individual is not going to convince teeming masses of people to get into slot cars, but if several of us mentored one or two people and got them going strongly in the hobby, it sure would help keep it alive.

[Audi1]

Hmmm, how to comment briefly on a mobile phone ...?

In the '60s when slot cars were big, who was running them? Mostly kids and teens; that's what I was when I started in '68 and most everyone seemed to be "my age" back then. Who comprises a big part of the slot car scene today? Those '60s teens and their follow-on generation friends. What's missing are today's kids and teens. And where are they? They're video gaming on their tablets and mobiles.

With gaming, I'm not sure that we can get the new generation back, because virtual seems to be the way of the world today. But, I think that having the manufacturers make more of today's car is one thing that could help. A Ferrari 330/P4 gets my juices flowing, but it's almost meaningless to today's kids - it's a museum piece. If they're watching racing events at all, then they're watching NASCAR, Indy, Modern TransAm, DTM and maybe the current Formula One and Sebring/Daytona/LeMans cars. So, that's what they see - the cars that are running today. So, I think that's where the manufacturers should focus their efforts - on today's cars.

Is it the big picture solution? No, but I think it could help to get the younger generation into slot car racing. And without a younger generation component the prognosis for our hobby is not great; because the older generation will "age off" with time. The future of almost anything is in the hands of the young.

Allan

[Josh's Dad]

[Mayberryman]

[slothead]

My 2 cents worth in a good conversation: I started racing slot cars 50 years ago and it's still one of my most favorite things in life. I race the cars I drooled over in my youth, 60's - 70's era cars, and custom replicas of regional dirt track heroes. Whenever a new car/driver would win a big race I'd add them to my build list. From my perspective slot car people are a subset of race car fans, so that is the primary audience. Yes, some kids and adults like slot cars just to crash them, but are they ever going to invest in something if that's all they car about?

Also, most people like what they are good at, what they get positive feedback from. Sometimes veterans are so competitive newbies never get a chance to shine. I think this is particularly true with kids. A prior post mentioned only a few kids being in events - is there a kids only division or class? Are races involving newbies structured so they can enjoy being competitive? Even with club events, what can be done to keep the guys/gals who never or rarely win coming back? I love it when weekend short tracks have a non-qualifiers feature because those drivers put time and money into their cars too, and benefit from the track time and exposure.

It seems to me the best way to support this or any hobby is to be welcoming. My wife and I attended a gardening class at the local library 3 weeks ago and everyone was so friendly I'm hoping my wife will consider joining the gardening club - it would do her good to get out of the house more and be active. When I visit a new hobby shop and the owner or clerk is attentive and wants to know what I think they should carry I almost always buy something, then plan to stop in again on another trip. Yes, we bicker from time to time here on HRW, but that's because we're family. When someone new comes around friendship comes first.

Maybe we could do more regarding showing slot car racing is a fun hobby. I'd support having a HRW track appear at events and even offer to travel and help staff it. Model railroading has managed to stay alive through all the things slot car racing deals with. Maybe renting table space and having a test track at their shows would give us more exposure, along with tailgate racing at car races as mentioned previously. Still, only a small subset of those who might stop and watch or play, are ever going to actually get involved. That's just how it is. Even though many of us have been involved with slot cars for decades, most of our peers left it behind. I doubt if many young gamers today will still be playing video games 20 years from now, but some will. So it goes. If there are folks out there that could get as much out of slot car racing as I do, I'm all for helping them discover it, and not concerned about anything else.

Slothead

[Josh's Dad]

[mikeinclover]

As a person who owns a Slot car shop I can tell you there is a lot of interest in slot car racing once kids find out what it really is. The only reason I started in this business was because I saw a real need for a place that would run races on regular basis that would bring people out of their basements to race.

We started running a basically stock series running Carrera GT and DTM cars, only thing you could do was add Quick Slicks and run. I started this series as a way for dad's and their kids to start racing together at a relatively low entry price. We run on Wednesday night also but that is mostly adult men who are willing to spend the money to replace wheels motors gears etc.

As a business I will tell you it is a lot of work to get a series going and keeping it new so no one gets too bored. I hold a lot of races and will personally do anything I can to expand this great hobby. One thing that I really don't understand is when people will go and get products from another place. They normally do not get it cheaper than what I sell it for. The place they may get it from is normally not involved in the racing aspect of the hobby so if they need any help using the product they have to ask one of us. People need to remember that if they don't use the places that have the knowledge about the product someday we will all be gone and good luck getting any kind of real world information on products.

We have two good size track's at our store one wood and one Carrera plastic. The kids normally run on the Carrera but I am always surprised when I see them running the non-magnet wood track because they like how it is tougher and it makes you have to drive the car rather than relying on the magnets.

I will leave it at this - if more kids just had a chance to try it and when I say kids I mean of all ages. We would not be able to keep up with orders. I have people that come in the store and say "I had to come in I couldn't believe this was still around and that they use to race 40 years ago."

Mike