Moment with Mike: Spectator viewing areas

0 May 31, 2013, 10:48 a.m.

Main Photo: Moment with Mike: Spectator viewing areas

6/3/2013

By Mike Garrison
LiveRC.com

Did you know that professional R/C racing is one of the only motorsports on the planet in which spectators can come and go enjoying the action, mingling with racers, and seeing the pro setups up close for FREE. No spectator entry fees, no additional pit passes, and no hassle for them to come enjoy the racing.

Did you also know that the one thing many tracks (new and old, indoor and outdoor) lack in R/C racing is a comfortable area for spectators to sit down, relax, and enjoy the racing?

As a racer I had never really thought about this until it attending the Shortcourse Showdown Tour at Trackside Hobbies just outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Trackside not only offers an excellent racing surface for racers, but it also offers an enormous spectator viewing area around the outside of the track. The sturdy wall provides safety, plexiglass windows down low let kids see the track, and every so often there are comfy high top chairs to sit on while watching.

The old saying goes, "If you build it, they will come." Trackside has designed the pits, walkways, and outer walls of the track to provide an enjoyable experience for spectators. With that being said, I never once got the chance to watch an entire race as the spectator walls were PACKED all weekend long. Majority of the spectators were not racers, but instead family members, friends, and off the street spectators looking to check out the action.

As racers we don't mind standing on pit tables, cramming into the drivers stand line, and squatting in a corner to watch a race...HOWEVER, we are already a part of the hobby. In MY OPINION, in order to make a weekend at the races more enjoyable for not only racers, but their families, their friends, and possible future racers, a comfortable and enjoyable spectator area is a must.

Once again, IN MY OPINION, the hobby cannot grow if no one can see it. I'm not saying tracks need marble tables and complimentary wine for the spectators, but simply somewhere to comfortably (not squished up against strangers) sit and stand to watch the races.

In order to make this happen, there has to be room to do so. For me, spending time with family and friends is just as fun as the actual racing. Would I be willing to race on a track that is 5ft shorter in length so that they have an enjoyable area to watch races, and would actual come join us at the track? Absolutely.

What are your opinions on spectator areas? Are they as important as I feel they are? Why, or why not?

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