THE Cub Report, 03.02.2014, Version- Live Long and Prosper
In a valiant attempt to keep this week’s Cub Report terse, I’m going old school with some rants on last week’s news.
First up, the $289 Pro-Line fuel stick. Wanna talk about rocking the boat? Wanna talk about getting some buzz going? When the price point was dropped on the new P-L fuel stick certain parts of the internet nearly melted down. Heck, I was getting text messages (and get’n hit on WhatsApp) about how P-L was clearly insane, the price point on their fuel stick was 5 times higher than it should have been. However… I saw it a different way (like usual). I’ve raced hardcore nitro, I raced it for years, therefore I know that $289 is a drop in the bucket compared to what most gnarcore nitro racers spend. When I was racing hardcore 8th scale buggy, I was easily spending $200 on engines, $160 on tires, $50 on entry fees, and $60 on nitro, Per Week! Back in those days I would not have blinked an eye at spending $300 on a tool that would instantly shave 5-10 seconds off my time in the main every weekend. To boil it down, I see the P-L fuel stick as the Nakamichi Dragon of nitro bottles- super high-end, super kick-ass, not everyone can afford one, yet everyone wants one. The P-L fuel stick is a statement piece, and IMO, we need more of those in rc.
Next up… You probably saw the PR we posted today about the Associated/Kicker Bluetooth Speaker. Ooooffaaahhhh! Doesn’t AE care about making original product anymore? Why in the flip’n world is AE selling a speaker? Why did they rebrand the Sense Innovations ESS-One engine sound module a couple of months ago? Wow, just wow, come on AE, how about less putting your stickers on items and a little more putting out innovative new products of your own…
Lastly… it seems that everyone from Stephen Bess to Jared Tebo were not feeling to the love for the “big race” held last weekend at The Dirt Nitro Challenge. And they weren’t the only ones, I talked to numerous other people that were not happy about all the unneeded delays and ridiculously long days. So here is my take, I wasn’t there so I have no idea what it was like, but I do remember some of the best times I ever had racing were those crazy long azz days. The days when the computer crashed 4 times, the times when they had to stop for rain then started racing again in swamp like conditions, and days when we didn’t start loading our pit bags into our full size cars until the wee hours of the morning. I will always remember those days because they were so tough. However… long BS days like those do wear on a person. Heck, I went through so many of those days I can’t even remember them all, but I honestly think that while I had a great time being that gnarcore, that they are a big part of the reason why I hate to race so much today. They were/are stressful, both physically (Examples- 16 hour days in humid Alabama heat isn’t for the weak of body, and 20 hours confined at an indoor track with tire sauce fumes so thick you could cut them with a knife can’t be good for your body) and mentally. And while I know that one big race a year (200-500 entries at $60-80 each) can help pay to keep a track open for an entire year, something needs (read- HAS) to be done about making sure that when a racer pays big bucks to attend a “big race”, that they actually get their money’s worth by getting ample track time and getting a perfectly run race program. Otherwise, if they get next to no track time yet have to spend 20 hours a day at the track, you are gonna burn them out, and burnt out racers do exactly what I do- race 2-3 local club races a year and spend next to nothing on the racing side of the hobby.
That’s it ya freaks, nothing more to see here. Thanks for reading, and of course, support your local hobby shops, bash spots, and tracks when ya can.
YOUR Cub Reporter
