Moment with Mike: Let's take R/C mainstream

0 April 26, 2013, 7:05 a.m.

Main Photo: Moment with Mike: Let's take R/C mainstream

4/29/2013

By Mike Garrison
LiveRC.com

Over the weekend I joined some friends to sit around the TV and watch the latest round of the AMA Pro Supercross series. We started discussing points in the series, and "what if" scenarios that would change up the championship running. That is when I really got to thinking about R/C and how we crown national and world champions compared to professional motocross and/or almost all other forms of racing.

In almost all forms of racing (that I can think of) champions are awarded a championship trophy by not winning a single weekend event, but instead by proving consistency, patience, speed, skill, and hard work throughout an entire series of multiple races that is spread nation or even worldwide.

In R/C racing we crown regional, national, and world champions by the results of a single weekend event. This method has been used in R/C since I can remember, and is favored by those who feel they have the ability to win, but cannot afford to travel to multiple races around the nation or world to compete for the title.

While I understand the concerns for these travel expenses etc., I am beginning to question why we do not have a national and world championship series to crown truly the best drivers?

In any form of racing there are only a select few who can travel the entire championship to chase the crown, however, (using supercross as an example) at each race the pits are FULL of "local" privateers racing that event. They know that they cannot win the national championship, however, a good performance against the travelling nation pros quite often guarantees them a spot on a bigger and better team for the following year. This allows them to race more of the series, continue working hard, and over time building up to be national championship contenders. The number of travelling professionals started out small in the 1970's, and has now evolved into full blown factory and privateer teams with six-digit paychecks and outside support from companies that have nothing to do with motocross.

In R/C racing, anyone can go buy their first R/C car on Monday, sign-up on Tuesday, and race for the national championship on the weekend. Chances are they will even be in the same heat race as a previous champion of some sort, and with a little luck they could crash their way to a good finish (probably not, but it IS possible). With only one race determining the championship, it isn't worth the time or effort of outside sponsors such as RedBull, Monster Energy, and others to step in and support teams, drivers, and companies as they only have one chance per year to be promoted on a national level, and one single race for their efforts to win a championship.

At this time we see a lot of R/C support in other sports (Example: Monster Energy/Traxxas Kawasaki supercross team, Team Associated sponsored offroad truck teams.), however, little to no support in R/C from outside the industry sponsors.

In MY OPINION, R/C has the potential to be an enormous sport with a huge following, BUT it is going to take something like a national championship series (as opposed to a one weekend race) to do so. Reality TV shows start out with a very small audience, but as word travels and the episodes continue, the audience gets bigger and bigger. Each episode leaves viewers anxious for the next one, and therefore they make a point to watch it. If a reality TV show only had one episode per year, chances are the viewers aren't going to spread the word enough that 365 days later new viewers sit the family down to watch it.

With the technology, the skills, the entertainment, the drama, the adrenaline, the fun factor, and the appeal that R/C offers...there is no reason (again in MY OPINION) that it shouldn't be able to grow into a mainstream sport/hobby such as motocross has over the past years.

What are your opinions on having a national championship series, instead of one event to crown a champion? What do you think R/C needs to make it grow?

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