WHERE'S WALDO: The prestige problem

ADVERTISEMENT | ADVERTISE WITH US

By Aaron Waldron
LiveRC.com

Without a national or global ranking system to tie together the results of dozens of racing events throughout the year, and with such little regard added for our industry’s top title-awarding competitions, the RC racing scene suffers from a serious prestige problem.

Whether it’s BMX or motocross, adult softball leagues or European football, online video games or drone racing, nearly all competitive communities have some sort of ranking system. That ranking system assigns meaning to each singular contest in the context of a grand scheme. The closest thing we have is the Top 25 RC rankings - a rolling two-year system that provides great conversation fodder but was never meant to take the place of an annual championship, which is what leads to such heated arguments about their validity and elation over "making it." This is why local series events are often a draw for RC tracks, and why numerous organizations have tried - to varying degrees of success - to create something that encompasses the country. Of course, the failures of those organizations have proven how difficult it is to do this the right way, so for now we’re stuck without.

In the absence of that network, though, what factors determine how prestigious a particular RC race is? Is it entry turnout? The particular drivers who attend? The media coverage? The pre- and post-race pageantry, the overall experience, or simply the name?

If sheer attendance is the defining factor, then The Dirt Nitro Challenge, Psycho Nitro Blast and Snowbirds are the most important races in RC. Though while they are particularly significant to the nitro off-road and electric on-road scenes, they don’t have the clout of an IFMAR title. It’s not necessarily about the quality of the entry list, either; while that argument would lend credence to Pro drivers insisting winning the Dirt Nitro Challenge is tougher than the ROAR Nationals, it’s laughable to suggest a Wednesday night at OCRC is just as notable.

In the days before widespread Internet discussion about RC, racers actually read hobby magazines - and they even covered the occasional event, with short descriptions and a handful of photos. Finishing in the top ten (or top five, or top three - whatever there was room on the page to list) and getting your name printed was a crowning achievement for most non-pro RC racers. In fact, some sponsorship contracts even defined their bonus structure based on races covered by media. The quest for fame is still alive in today’s RC racing environment - after all, it’s what this whole column is about - but now that manufacturers submit their drivers’ race reports for podium finishes at club races the allure of a media mention has gone from a valuable commodity to an expected staple.

When it comes to formality, the first race that comes to mind is, of course, the IFMAR Worlds: the introduction of the drivers representing each nation like it’s the opening ceremony of the Olympics is one of the coolest experiences in this hobby. However, before we started broadcasting these ceremonies online, they only affected the participants and on-site spectators - sometimes just a hundred people. Not all Worlds ceremonies are equally organized, though, and races like the Psycho Nitro Blast (that are held in the same place and run by the same people) have been able to match that level of festivity for years. If there’s a trophy presentation and ten people are there to see it, or a hundred people post pictures of it on Facebook, it still doesn’t change how relevant the race was.

As for overall experience, some would again point to races like The Dirt Nitro Challenge - with its five days of partying in a makeshift motorhome city - as the apex of enjoyment. But does that make the Sportsman 40-and-over E-Buggy win more meaningful than any other event? What about events that give out pit mats, car stands, t-shirts, custom-cut trophies or photo opportunities with your seventh-place plaque and someone else’s wife?

Is this all to say that, above all else, the name of the event is truly what matters? Race promoters seem to think so - just look at the Turf Nationals, Southern Nationals, Stock Nationals, Snowbird Nationals, Vintage Off-Road Nationals, the Winter Nationals, the Indoor Winter Nationals and the Winter Indoor Nationals. There’s no doubt that the title of “world champion” would impress the non-RC population more than “Wicked Weekend winner.” It also makes sense that the “Off-Road Electric Nationals” sounds more important than the “BBQ Blast,” but those are both names of non-sanctioned trophy races that R/C Madness in Enfield, CT is hosting this summer. 

We can’t even get class names right. Rather than exclusively rely on qualifying times to sort racers at any given event, we split them up based on motor size and then again by subjective skill level. Because there’s no defined class structure to ensure room for growth, it all comes back to pride.

As the racing community narrows its focus on sponsorship and ceremony, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the diehard enthusiasts are actively looking for meaning within the hobby. And while this column will surely fire up the same dozen or so people that seem to take issue with everything I say, one can’t help but notice the number of contracted customers (excuse me - 50%-sponsored drivers) listing themselves as “Professional racing driver” on social media accounts and then argue that these people are only doing it for the savings. By the way - if your knee-jerk reaction is to type an angry comment about how this doesn’t apply to everyone, you’re exactly right. I’m only talking about the drivers and tracks and regions who are experiencing this issue.

This is not a new phenomenon, and fish stories exist in all hobby industries - not just RC racing (or fishing). All parties in the RC scene feed into it, too: drivers play up how good they are and how much time and money they spend, manufacturers create a sensation of being part of an elite team in order to attract influential customers, and race promoters ramp up the grandeur in order to one-up other events and draw a crowd.

The issue is not just that the ramp of achievement for most RC racers is so flat, but that the industry as a whole suffers from overexposure and excessive saturation. Because of the prestige problem we have in RC racing, often the only factor where the ROAR Nationals exceeds any other race is the amount of tech inspection - which is usually mocked more than celebrated.