Racing Crossroads

[Red]

Hey Guys,

In the interest of keeping things fresh, there has been some talk of adding/removing a class or two to our monthly races. I think we can all agree that 1/12 scale is suffering from lack of entries and that time slot may be better served by something that will drawn more interest. For me personally I've had a rather busy year work wise and have missed the majority of the races, but I will race something for sure when I can.

I'm curious about the thoughts of others regarding racing. If you would be so kind as to answer the above poll, and if you don't mind also answer these questions in your post?

* If you were to race, what is the most important thing to get you to participate?
* Would you build a kit if it were available or is arf more your thing?
* How important is cost to get you to participate? What is the maximum you would be willing to spend for plane/motor/esc combo?
*Would you prefer that all fly the same airplane (Like T-28/Corsair) or be allowed to "tweak" your own
* If you answered "Other", please elaborate

Keep in mind there are no right or wrong answers here. Please share any and all thoughts you have. I'm just looking to guage interest here and see if there might be something new that would excite us all.

Cheers
Red

[tall n skinny]

I would like to see trainer class again, also. Ya know-if there's enough interest.
John Reade

[Red]

I would like to see trainer class again, also. Ya know-if there's enough interest.
John Reade

John,

Yeah that was pretty fun wasn't it? I haven't been up to the field lately, only on race days. Are there still quite a few guys flying trainers?

[JPH Racing]

* If you were to race, what is the most important thing to get you to participate?
Easy to get into, a level playing field, a chance to develop my skills, and a fun environment.  Yes, that's four things ....

* Would you build a kit if it were available or is arf more your thing?With my time, at the moment, ARF is more my thing.  I would build a kit, but would prefer more time to fly.

* How important is cost to get you to participate? What is the maximum you would be willing to spend for plane/motor/esc combo?Within reason, racing costs some money.  As long as the benefit (fun) versus cost ratio is right, I'm ok with whatever you guys decide.  A max is hard for me to establish.

*Would you prefer that all fly the same airplane (Like T-28/Corsair) or be allowed to "tweak" your ownI really enjoy the T-28/Corsair class cause it's all about the pilot.  The planes are all about the same speed, the pressure is all on the pilot to keep it on course and tight around the pylons.  So far, I appreciate this class more than the Reno 450 class.  In Reno, I enjoy the speed, but overall the racing takes more work and money to go fast.  Those that build a better plane, or build a new plane more often, or know how to shave a prop, go faster than those that don't.  I know "That's racing!" but I prefer a class where the specs are tighter and the pilot skill is what separates the field.  If I had more time, or if Red built all my planes, this might change!

* If you answered "Other", please elaborateOther?  There is no other!  Pylon Racing is awesome and I've really enjoyed my first year at it!  Thank you WCF for a great first year of racing!

Jake @ Jake's Performance Hobbies

[merle_mcgregor]

    I would love to see the Q-500 come back, I understand the noise
could put a strain on our welcome and also the constraints of the field.
  the new dog fighter by multiplex has peaked my intrest. It flys very solid.
I'm not opposed to going fast, but that does cost money. I would like to see
a level playing field for the dog fighter maybe somewhere between the T-28
and the warbirds.     Thanx,   Merle...

[Jon_Stychno]

I definitely agree with Jake! Racing classes that have strict requirements in regards to airframe, motor, and prop will have the most participation and closest racing. Pilot skill determines the winner. Racing a plane that I haven't spent tons of time on allows me to fly a bit harder,  and reduced build times keep racers coming back after a crash. This can be seen in the T-28/Corsair class currently. Tech inspections would also keep the racing close and honest, and clear up any confusion on what is allowed before the racing starts. I'd like to see a Dogfighter class with only one motor and prop option, the fastest of course! That would make for an affordable, low time investment, exciting, and fast racing class!

-Jon

[adam_clement]

 I agree with Jake and Jon. I would like it to come down to racing skill. We all saw what happened in 12th scale. I think if we pick an arf airframe we will get more participants. I too think the dogfighter
fills this space. Cheap, Fast, Fun, And solid at all speeds. Thats what the dogfighter is. Some of us just don't have the skills to build kits. Then if you wreck you have to rebuild. Arf's are just easier to
compete with.
    There is also no reason we could not have 2 more classes. We could do say, gold and silver, with different props to slow down one of the classes for the guys to intimidated to jump from t-28 to reno 450. We do have have some time to pick a class. Right now we are in the process of putting together different motor prop combo's to get some idea of speed for the classes.
    I would not be against racing quickies if we could figure out some rules to make the racing just as even as the other classes. Say Just Arf airframes, prop, fuel, motor.
    I love the racing. Sometimes I get worked up but I keep coming back for more. I do want everyone to be happy, But I know no matter what we pick it won't make everyone happy. We would like the participation grow and I think racing Arfs is one way to accomplish this.

Adam

[McDRacing]

        I've really enjoyed pylon racing this year. The competition has been the best in years I think. The T-28/Corsair class as well as the Reno 450 class are a success. But there is definatly nothing in between, and there needs to be. It seems to me in order to keep interest growing this gap needs to be filled. The one thing that interested me in our club racing was racing warbirds, and I hope this continues in the future. Nothing seems to hold my interest as much as Reno style pylon racing! There are some very nice foamy warbirds from parkzone that are scale, and the next logical step up from the T-28/Corsair models. A bonus is they have retracts, are cheap, and fly well. Just a thought!

Tony 

[JMcD3]

I would like to race my parkzone spitfire because it's the next step up from t-28 and one step down from Reno 450 they're just a little slower then Reno and you can repair and buy new parts if you were to crash. I've seen quite a few People with the same size class and they are cheap.

[Red]

Thanks everyone for the replies, its all good info. One thing is clear however, there is no clear consensus or answer.  I've restructured the poll a bit and reposted it, please have a look. Maybe we this will head us a bit more in the right direction?

Link to new poll: http://www.wcflyers.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=28&topic=82.0

[adam_clement]

  I think until we do some more testing of some airframes, Get some speeds down with some different set ups, and check out all our option's, it is to early to vote for a class right now. We need some more time to hash things out. There is 4 months before next season. Plus I'm hoping to get some feedback from other people. Like I said before Not everyone will be happy. I can tell already the decision is going to be a tuff one. There has been a lot of different ideas.
    The Main one being we need to have a class that is between T-28 and Reno 450. So, until we can get some more fact's I think it's to early to vote. 

Adam

[Red]

I don't think it's too early at all! 4 months for folks with other priorities is cutting it close already. That 4 months will evaporate quickly, especially if we test out more than one or two planes or combos. Keep in mind that people will still have to buy/buils/assemble what ever the new class may be.  If we can agree that an inbetween class is the way to go, at least then we can look that direction. As it is now we can't even agree what direction to look.

We need to decide on a direction soon, otherwise it will be mid next season before anything gets done. Ideally we would have a class picked out before the end of the year.