ASK Cubby, Version- I Really Need An Intern To Reply To All These Emails
“On Road Racing
“To boil it down… IMO… if the industry wants on-road racing to take off again, you gotta cater to the non-hardcore. This means mandating an affordable class (TRULY affordable, like a brushed Vaterra spec class), more interesting (just read FUN) tracks to drive on, and a whole lot less rules.”
Cubby, THANK YOU!! Really, THANK YOU for publishing that.
One design, box stock, absolutely NO exceptions.
That makes winning determined by the skill of the driver, fate, nature, and not how much someone has to spend.
It will hurt the accessory vendors, but save RC road [and other RC games]. Which one is more important is obvious.
Jon”
Cubby- Yo hey Jon, thanks for the letter and be sure to shoot me your snail mail for a sticker pack.
If on-road wants to get “big” again, they have to appeal the masses. Who are the masses? Straight up- bashers. While I didn’t really used to, now days I know the basher crowd pretty dern well, and I am learning more everyday about the first time buyers market, which is also huge. A first time rc’er (or a basher) who walks out of his LHS with a sharp looking Vattera on-road car will have a lot of fun with it in his cul-de-sac, for a while at least. Then, a natural progression needs to be made. Next, if they guy really loves the car and the hobby, he WILL start looking for other people to drive/race against. Right now, that is where the line ends. He can’t show up at his local track and race, his car simply won’t meet the rules, and if it did, he would get lapped soooo many times he would never go back. If there were a “box-stock brushed” class, he could show up and race, knowing at the very least that when he gets beat that it certainly was NOT the fault of his equipment, it was his driving skills that he will seak to improve. Once he gets hooked racing his box stock car, the natural progression is to buy a high-end car to race mod with. So while the noob can’t spend any money on his box stock brushed car, the goal is for that progression to be made where he feels compelled to buy the high-end car, the high-end transmitter, the high-end servo, etc. If that natural progression was made, all the car manufacturers and aftermarket companies would make a LOT of money.
What’s Going on?
Hi Cubby, so what is going on with HPI and Hot Bodies? Will there be any new cars in the future and what about parts? What do you think the future holds for them?
Sam L.”
Cubby- Well hello there Sam, as always, thanks for the email.
So what’s going on with HPI and Hot Bodies? Well, here is “short” version. HPI was bought by RipMax (a distributor in the UK) and HB Racing was picked up by Neidhart S.A. (you probably know them from Orion). Now, I don’t know anyone at either company, so I have zero inside info, but from their press releases I would like to think that both HPI and HB will attempt to continue on like usual. Will there be new cars? I certainly hope so, in the case of HB they intentionally put in the PR that they have a new 1/8 nitro buggy shipping in a couple of months. What about parts supply? Ya, I know HPI/HB parts have been really spotty the last few years and a good parts supply is one of the absolute KEYS to success (need an example- one word, Traxxas!). Sadly, I just don’t have any scoop here, all I can post is what I wish for and that would be for both companies to come back strong. Will either company have the cash or willingness to do so? That is where they will have to prove themselves to consumers. There are a LOT of great options out there, if either HPI or HB is to succeed going forward, they are going to have to prove that they are in it to win it, and back that up with innovative new products, solid marketing campaigns, and loads of spare parts.
To boil it down, we’ll just have to wait and see…
And there ya have it, another week of ASK Cubby. Can you shoot me an email? Sure ya can, it seems like everybody else does. The email you want is thecubreportrc at gmail dot com. If, and that chance is pretty dern slim, if your email makes the big time you’ll win a free sticker pack. Better still, if I proclaim it as “Letter of the Month” you’ll win a free BSRC t-shirt.
YOUR Cub Reporter
