Economic Viability of an R/C Track

[sundevil67]

To address these concerns and make the track sustainable, here are some recommendations according to AI:

If doctors can perform surgeries from different continents, why not R/C racing!?

While the hardcore racers may not love having a lot of kids around, someone said it best bout how important it is to stay connected to a new generation of hobbyists. How many of us older farts would be hanging around if we weren't into it when we were 12? Sure, you have the more experienced guys loaning tools & helping out the folks still living in 1988 like me, but for a trip to the track to more like basher events like the ones organized by a Facebook group I go to sometimes (shout out to AZ RC East Valley Bashers)

When I saw a bunch of kids surrounding a gated area running a bunch of Traxxas Slashs' at the RCX show...sure, it was a little like remote controlled bumper cars, but they were having a blast. Serve 'em all $7 hot dogs & smoothies...ancilary revenue streams are definitely a big part of a solution, and many great ideas here ... but also not revolutionary ... maybe track owners didn't have the capital, staff, etc.?Aside from a vending machine I didn't even notice until I was leaving for the day thirsty.. I haven't been to that many of them, but I've never seen any other ways to get my money.

Thanks for a great exchange (Chat GTP too) - Who knows, maybe discussions like these will inspire someone to try something new or connect people interested in giving it a try.

[Mark Westerfield]

Former hobby shop with track owner here.

R/C car racers don’t want to pay the money it requires to operate an r/c track, period. R/C car racers are also venomously against a track making the owner enough profit to make the venture worthwhile.

The land and the square footage is expensive. The insurance is expensive (and you do need insurance, and some r/c racer will sue you). There is a lot of physical work, that is expensive. The electricity is expensive.

If you're that guy that thinks “someone” should open a track near me so I can play on it - that someone is you, and you already know it’s a money pit, you just want someone else to lose the money and not yourself.

A commercial r/c track is no longer financially viable in the U.S. Sure, there are currently a few still getting by as an exception, but they will close eventually too.

[mikea96]

I feel pretty lucky as my local track has been here for more than 30 years although it has moved once and switched owners once I believe since I have been going there. Scott Brown is the current owner and has been for a long time and he has created and amazing atmosphere there that has made this track last so long. He has amazing parts support and everyone there is super helpful including Scott.

[1911Colt]

Former hobby shop with track owner here.

R/C car racers don’t want to pay the money it requires to operate an r/c track, period. R/C car racers are also venomously against a track making the owner enough profit to make the venture worthwhile.

The land and the square footage is expensive. The insurance is expensive (and you do need insurance, and some r/c racer will sue you). There is a lot of physical work, that is expensive. The electricity is expensive.

If you're that guy that thinks “someone” should open a track near me so I can play on it - that someone is you, and you already know it’s a money pit, you just want someone else to lose the money and not yourself.

A commercial r/c track is no longer financially viable in the U.S. Sure, there are currently a few still getting by as an exception, but they will close eventually too.

I don't think it is malicious. No one is hoping tracks lose money. I think people just don't appreciate what it takes to run a track. Also, when their own finances get tight, people are naturally going to drop out of things like RC racing.

[RCveteran]

A commercial r/c track is no longer financially viable in the U.S. Sure, there are currently a few still getting by as an exception, but they will close eventually too.

I think this is right. Unless they reinvent in a format that makes it plug and play, in and out in a couple hours and grab some cash from said person while they are there. To a large degree still trying to the same basic thing for decades in a world that has largely moved on. Seems in other countries at least they have figured out how to do the club racing better on public district land and such and run true clubs. That won't work here for a variety of reasons most of which are legal and largely cultural. We just don't do "fun" here well. Always get too serious and complicated which drives "normal" folk away. And to those who say RC'ers are too cheap. I am sure they spend money on all sorts of things in life that aren't necessities, but for some reason think RC should be a charity for them.

Big races I think continue to move to a rent the conference room at a regional hotel for the weekend for the pros. It's predictable and even with venue rent cuts down on a lot of logistical and travel costs for teams. You heard it here first.

[sundevil67]

A lot of generalizations being thrown around I think ...there are plenty of cheapos in every group, but also probably lots of R/C'ers would would happily pay a little extra if it meant keeping their local track going. There are those who don't appreciate it, and for sure it's not something just anyone can go start.

I went to the last one by me yesterday, and really got beat up out there as one of two buggies on a crowded track full of Traxxas trucks playing demolition derby. My friend remarked that he & a few others he knew of mentioned this to the owner, with some suggestions about how to separate these folks, but he wasn't very receptive to the feedback. There's all kinds of reasons these tracks run into trouble; many mentioned above.

My original thesis I think was that the tracks I've been to, in multiple states, & watched go out of business all seemed to follow the exact same model, making the same mistakes, catering to the same crowd, etc. I've not really seen any of the ideas above attempted, or really anything that made me stop & say 'that's a really good idea to make some extra income'. I think maybe seeing them go down like dominoes like this in very similar ways is more disappointing... and sure, leads to more armchair quarterbacking.

[TRX-1-3]

I feel pretty lucky as my local track has been here for more than 30 years although it has moved once and switched owners once I believe since I have been going there. Scott Brown is the current owner and has been for a long time and he has created and amazing atmosphere there that has made this track last so long. He has amazing parts support and everyone there is super helpful including Scott.

This is essentially the same story for R/C Plus! in Salem, OR. I've just been amazed that it is still there, open, with a track. I am very hopeful that it remains. It definitely is very hard and all consuming work keeping it going, adapting, etc. I know I don't have the stones to do it. Or the business acumen.

[Mark Westerfield]

I don't think it is malicious. No one is hoping tracks lose money. I think people just don't appreciate what it takes to run a track. Also, when their own finances get tight, people are naturally going to drop out of things like RC racing.

It's not malicious that they want a track to lose money, but they certainly don't want a track to make money off them.

Think about what a commercial track is suppose to do. Make money. But it can't just make money, the amount of money needs to be worthwhile. To be worthwhile to the business owner, it needs to afford them a nice house in a nice neighborhood, a nice reliable car, keep his family fed, send his kids to school, take their family on vacations, etc. If the operating expense was $1000, and the track made $1001...$1 dollar is profit, but it's certainly not worth it. R/C racers would straight up call a track owner greedy if they made enough money for his family to live a nice life from a hobby shop and track.

It has almost nothing to do with racers finances getting tighter. I was able to walk around the pits and see the thousands of dollars of stuff they were not buying from my hobby shop - but that they were buying from whatever favorite online retailer is, their sponsor, or even directly from the manufacturer. <---that whole business model is dysfunctional.

I recently was watching a thread about the previous off-road track closing on Long Island, New York. Long Island has a population over 7 million and is one of the richest areas of the country - they don't support a track enough to keep one open for very long. In the thread I saw mention of "somebody" needs to open another track, and they can't be "greedy", and they need to do it because they "love the hobby or racing". (The amenities people mention that should be given to racers to entice them to come to a track is even more ridiculous.)

Commercial tracks are no longer viable in the U.S.

My local track, the track I started in 2008, is closing. It's current owner has no interest in operating an r/c track and will be just moving the hobby shop to a better location to sell much more popular and profitable non-racing r/c stuff. He's a good friend and I support his decision to stop losing money on an r/c track for racers - he and his family deserve better. I'll be building a track in my backyard for mine and select few friends personal use.

[RC10th]

As much as I love racing racers are like a virus to a track

They buy online, sell parts at the track, sway newcomers, and time and time again politics get involved and some click group cracks the craps.

It doesn't help the shop owner either as manufacturers change parts and designs every couple of months or so. He/she continually ends up with thousands of dollars of stock on the shelf that will never sell and then racer x is upset because they don't have the part they want.

It's no wonder shops only stock Traxxas now. It's a much bigger customer pool and many parts carry over to other models.



Edit: @ the forum censor. It turned a certain word into craps...

[Charlie don't surf]

My "local" facility has been around since early 2000s and has changed location and added space. I think their sucess is from a few things.

1) Always something happening with large event calendar

2) bringing youth in with things like fri night hot wheels racing

3) track (s) always changing. No joke, they will do a fresh layout for a weekend event, dig it up and run a different one for 6 weeks. It's a "volunteer" thing. Do track days and rebuilds, get a deep discount.

4) well stocked shop, with no stagnant inventory

5) And this may be one of the biggest things... and reasonable location. Ie, not prime real estate. The costs are already nuts, building or renting in downtown LA, Charlotte, Vegas etc is just impossible

[RCveteran]

My "local" facility has been around since early 2000s and has changed location and added space. I think their sucess is from a few things.

1) Always something happening with large event calendar

2) bringing youth in with things like fri night hot wheels racing

3) track (s) always changing. No joke, they will do a fresh layout for a weekend event, dig it up and run a different one for 6 weeks. It's a "volunteer" thing. Do track days and rebuilds, get a deep discount.

4) well stocked shop, with no stagnant inventory

5) And this may be one of the biggest things... and reasonable location. Ie, not prime real estate. The costs are already nuts, building or renting in downtown LA, Charlotte, Vegas etc is just impossible

You're lucky to have that. #1 and #2 largely encompass what all this discussion is saying. It's not a handful of fast sponsored drivers or hard core guys that can keep a track going. As a business owner I'd take 100 kids who paid $20 to walk in and bang off the walls all night, than 25 guys who paid $15 for some good racing. That simple really.

[mikea96]

This sounds exactly like my track. Scott constantly changes layout, parts supply is great, his prices match amain online prices and always points series races going on. This track has moved once since I started going in about 1988 or so.

[Charlie don't surf]

My "local" facility has been around since early 2000s and has changed location and added space. I think their sucess is from a few things.

1) Always something happening with large event calendar

2) bringing youth in with things like fri night hot wheels racing

3) track (s) always changing. No joke, they will do a fresh layout for a weekend event, dig it up and run a different one for 6 weeks. It's a "volunteer" thing. Do track days and rebuilds, get a deep discount.

4) well stocked shop, with no stagnant inventory

5) And this may be one of the biggest things... and reasonable location. Ie, not prime real estate. The costs are already nuts, building or renting in downtown LA, Charlotte, Vegas etc is just impossible

You're lucky to have that. #1 and #2 largely encompass what all this discussion is saying. It's not a handful of fast sponsored drivers or hard core guys that can keep a track going. As a business owner I'd take 100 kids who paid $20 to walk in and bang off the walls all night, than 25 guys who paid $15 for some good racing. That simple really.

Actually one of any tracks main problems can be the sponsored guys. Don't take that the wrong way, because it can depend on the type of sponsorship and the person. 25% and 50% sponsorships increased substantially in the early 2000's (associate sponsorship) but that only benefits the sponsor, who says 50% of his price is better than the 15% he got from the wholesale sale to the shop...so they cut out the middle man *the shop* and create these little retail retard drivers who get egos 200% past their driving ability.
I started out as one of these guys honestly, but used it as a jumping off point to use the support to go way faster and work way harder which led to a full ride...but 90% of the other guys that had associate sponsorship just came to me to set up their stuff. Anyway just a little food for thought.

Factory guys should be ambassadors, not problem children at the track