Too Old for RC?
 

Hi,

After my first race meet, back after 20 + years, and having done lots of practice beforehand, I was flat out driving wise but still un-competitive...

So........do you think there is an age limit for racing RC cars competitively??!

I'm thinking eye-sight, co-ordination etc?

Possibly opened a 'can of worms' but interested to hear peoples thoughts.

Thanks!

it depends why you are racing? if you want to win at the top level then less likely with age i would guess reaction speed and precision slows a little, if you want to be competitive at club level then no issue to age.

but the question is if you actually enjoy driving round it shouldnt matter if you are competitve or how old you are... if there is no-one else near your speed then you just race against your previous times.

for reference cars are much much easier to drive than 20 years ago, do a few meetings and then see if you can tweak the setup to suit track/driving style.

If you were going flat out you were probably trying too hard!! i never have been that competitive just go out and enjoy my racing.

I think you are being a bit hard on yourself, practice is fine but need to get back in the swing of racing, practice doesn’t prepare you for avoiding other people, finding the quickest line for your driving style and just getting back into it, get a season under your belt and like the last guy said chase your own times and as long as you are improving each time out then you’ll soon see you are catching people who once flew by, good luck. 👍
Kevan age 43 and a half!!

Modern cars are very different from cars of yesteryear.! Back in the day of rear motor cars, and not much grip, you had to slow down, probably roll around corners, and then accelerate smoothly.!
Modern, mid and forward motor cars are a very different beast. Coupled with high grip tracks, a very different driving style is required . Pretty much, flat out everywhere.!😱
This does not come easy to us old school drivers.😂.
That plus declining eyesight and reactions make it very difficult to be "competitive"..!.. I know..😂
The main point, with any hobby, is to enjoy it to the best of your ability.
I have to settle for getting the car around the track as smoothly and consistently as possible and I can still enjoy that.
The days of A finals ( and rear motors) are long gone..! 😉
Enjoy.....

Thanks all!

Great words of wisdom there.

I definitely enjoy the driving AND the racing, apologies if it came over as if I didn't!

Have to give it far more time.

Cheers

I’m (cough) 45 in a couple of weeks and even though it’s taken me a while (9yrs):woot: to get back to somewhere near where I was when I was in my early 20’s I’ve loved every minute of it. I had a 14yr ish break.
At the end of the day it’s all about enjoying the hobby,making new friends and having a good laugh. It’s already been mentioned,the 2wd cars today are a world away from the rear motored cars we used to run. Once you’ve got back into it it’ll come back to you. Just try and get as much racing/practice in as you can:thumbsup:

Phill

Define flat out and un competitive?


Car? Motor? How far off the pace?

I'm over 50 and been racing since 15 with a few years off doing 1:1 rallying and throwing myself of rocks on a trials bike.
I can still be competitive, and dependent what class I'm racing can win but i now do it for the fun and social side,
Often driving a modern car flat out is slower, dependent on my 1st line above. Smooth and precise can win over balls out

I was away for 26 years , 2 seasons in and i can keep up with the back markers . Im only just starting to race em. I get quicker every month and every session my times get quicker and that makes me buzz. The nerves have gone and i find new lines (sometimes off racing line ) that makes me buzz.
When your young you can focus only on racing and spend 20 hours a week on a hobby , when your adulting ,life gets in the way . Enjoy the rebirth and enjoy having better kit. Just enjoy finishing at all with the rc intact

Age probably accounts for the last few seconds but no reason why you can't race with others and find a level that suits your ability. Many of us will never be "quick" by the standards of a top RC driver regardless of age.

I am 51 and only started racing about 4 years ago but regularly get in the A finals of my local club races, have been 6th in the B final of a regional 2wd buggies round and have come 2nd overall at a national short-course race.

I am not quick but get round the track OK and enjoy my racing and always find someone to race with. I tend to overdrive and struggle with very high grip tracks and usually do best in low grip or wet conditions. This might be down to reaction times.

Well I was quite successful in the past, quit for 12 years and was persuaded back into it and admit its easier to work on as no brushed motors to balance and skim, better batteries so 15 minutes a pack compared to 5, so more time on prepping your car, yes you lose a bit but not as much as youd think, it comes back quite quickly and yes youll never get back what you lost but its fun so enjoy as you only live once

im 53 now

started early 90's was rubbish when I started im still rubbish so lost none of my ability in 25 years !!!

made an awful lot of good friends over the years

one thought I always carry with me "its only toy cars " and no matter how bad my day is going its better than trawling the garden centre with the other half !!!

dave

I'm also 53 and probably as competitive now as I ever was !! (3rd overall in this years club championship) so not too shabby :)

I've seen quick guys leave the hobby and come back after a few years expecting to jump back in where they left off ... it doesn't happen !! But over time they usually get a lot of their pace back .. but the older you are the longer it seems to take ..

and I think with age you tend to approach your racing in a slightly different way too ... more brains than balls out ... use what you have to your advantage

but most of all enjoy it !!

Big up the oldies !!

too old for racing
 

no ones too old I took a 20 year break and came back. The biggest shock was all the new goodies getting to grips with being able to tune a speedo to your style along with the rest of the car and its fun for me. I only race club level and I race at a club that has a motor limit class and since we introduced it i have started to improve my times finally catching the faster guys in the class too and we have fun and to me thats what a hobby should be

Never too old
 

I am 44 and returned to club racing after a 20 yr break a couple of years ago.

What shocked me was the speed and traction of the new breed of 2wd Mid Motor Monsters.

I was hard on myself for being at the back as I used to regularly A final when I was a spotty teenager. But the game has moved on so much with batteries that don't dump, better, faster, high grip cars racing on consistent astro. Its basically you are learning all over again.

A fellow clubbie at the time said to me some wise words- Its like golf Alex, you can buy all the kit you want, but ultimately it takes a couple of years racing to get to a decent level, and above all loads of practice.

After 2 years I am now starting to win B finals and actually starting to race 'proper' instead of being a trundling track blocker being lapped by all. I have made some great friends and regardless of how you do, its an evening of total escapism playing with expensive toys.

Have fun and above all don't become an angry man at the track.

Also revel in the fact as a older gent we are now more financially empowered than we were as kids, just don't be tempted to whack in an ever faster motor! Its getting round without crashing every lap and smooth lines FTW!

Oh if you can, use a wheel transmitter. I was a die hard old git stick merchant, but forcing myself to swop to a wheel was the best thing I ever did.

And 4wd sucks. Stick to 2wd far more fun ;-)

Similar to others in that I took a 20 year break between 1993 and 2013 when I re-started racing.

Was OK in the 80's and 90's (Scottish Champ and top 20 -30 at Nationals) and assumed that I'd come back and immediately be on the pace.

Nu-uh. No way. Miles off. The cars are faster and I am slower. As mentioned before, everybody is now fast and everybody now finishes a 5 minute race, so the skill in getting the car to run quickly for 5 minutes is gone.

So it's all down to car setup and driver skill. I'm getting there, but have to concede that A-Final wins at Scottish Champs level are a thing of the past. I turn 60 next year, but still absolutely love racing these things! It's a total blast! I plan to still be racing in 20 years time!

Jimmy

You'll be fine. It was only your first meeting back and you'll improve each meeting. You can never have enough practice either :thumbsup:

I started racing in 1987 and finally packed in racing in 1991/1992 when I was 13/14, although my heart hadn't been in it for a year or two. I settled down and kids came along about 5 years ago and I needed a hobby that I could tinker with on an evening at home. In 2014 I bumped into an old friend I used to go racing with when we were kids and I borrowed his car for a local indoor meeting. I did surprisingly well and that was it, I was hooked!

The big thing that hit me was everyone now ran 2wd cars over 4wd, there was so much more to adjust and think about and how much things had changed electronically. I didn't have a clue what to buy and had to ask advice on everything. I still have my favourite old cars Yokomo 870C and Optima Mid which comes out for a play here and there (with modern electrics).

As far as racing goes I'm happy if 1) the car has performed as I wanted it to do as I spend a lot of time preparing it, 2) I've driven the best I can with the least amount of mistakes. I never go to a meeting expecting to win, I just enjoy racing my car and seeing my friends.

Much like a lot of you guys, I raced in the 90's and was what I would say was a reasonable club racer who held an F2 for quite a while. It fizzled out in the early 2000's as a lot of the guys I raced with moved on to other stuff. I popped up again here and there, not really re-discovering the love of racing. In the last couple of years I have been racing more often, doing some club stuff, and some Iconic. I can still drive ok on a good day, but things have certainly moved on. The main thing now is if I dont think I will enjoy it, I dont do it. Having a family now means I have less chance to race, so I need to get the best from what I can do. Spending mega money on new tyres every other run, no thanks!

Can I print that out and bring it with me on Friday :lol::woot:

Probably not :D:lol: