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Jan. 3, 2014, 5:07 a.m.
1/6/2014
By Mike Garrison
LiveRC.com
While talking to a good friend the other day, we began discussing major events in the industry. Over the past several years big events have only gotten bigger. Events that used to have 200 entries, are now pulling in as much as 400+. This is a good thing for our hobby, these particular events, and of course the promoters behind them, BUT is it a good thing for the racers?
Before a race, it always sounds really good to road-trip to an event with all of your buddies and hundreds of more racers. An entire weekend of nothing but R/C. 75 guys in your class alone, meaning if you do well, that's an impressive result for next year's resume. Some of the nation's best drivers in attendance, and you get the opportunity to watch, learn, and race with them. As a promoter and/or track owner it always sounds really good as the more entries means more income.
The part of that whole plan that is often overlooked by not only racers, but race promoters as well, is that every entry equals time. During practice, every entry subtracts from the amount of time racers get on the track. During racing, every entry adds time to the race program. Every entry also consumes a pit space, and depending on the facility, can cause for a long and uncomfortable weekend of pitting.
What does this mean exactly? In theory, this means the more entries an event has = less track time for racers, and longer race days (14+ hours). This in turn has a tendency to cause racers to become quickly burnt out and/or frustrated, and often choose not race for weeks or even months after the event.
Am I saying that you shouldn't attend a major event? Absolutely not. Am I saying that as a track owner you should steer clear of big events? Absolutely not. What I AM saying is that in MY OPINION I believe each event has a certain number of entries that it can handle depending on it's location, the number of days it is scheduled for, the amount of parking/pitting available, the amount of classes offered, and the race program behind it. Each and every event is different. For some multi-day events this magical entry limit number may be much as 600 entries. For some single day events this number may as low as 150 entries.
In MY OPINION, if more big races were limited to a reasonable number of entries to allow all drivers ample track time, decent start and finish times each day, and an overall more enjoyable experience, I believe the hobby would grow as whole from it.
What are your thoughts and opinions on event entry limits? Should events be limited to a certain number of entries depending on it's location, schedule, etc.?
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