Most accessible class?

[Si2008]

What would the oople regulars, if being impartial to their chosen class, recommend to a novice as the most accessible class? A friend of mine who hasn't raced since the 80's was keen to get back into racing but wanted to know which class he would find the best value and most accessible without overt technical know-how being a pre-requisite. I was initially going to recommend electric off road but I'm not really sure that would be accurate anymore.

[Lee1972]

I too have started again in the last couple of years with my eldest son, we went straight into off road as there seems to be a lot more clubs in the North West which cater for off road than on road. If you decide to go off road we chose 2wd over 4wd as it's cheaper.

[bigred5765]

2wd off road
there some great rtr deals out there, always start with finding your local club go along and take a look, and have a good chat with 5-6 people

[CARB]

Hi
if it is on road super stock with the Schumacher superstox and the core speed controller package for a tad under £200.00 you can be a race winner, dead simple to set up and super cheap on foams.
Regards
CARB

[Col]

The most accessible class is whatever the local club runs.
Supastox may be "cheap an simple to set up" but there isn't a club within 60 miles of me, so it's not accessible.

[mattr]

Originally Posted by Col

The most accessible class is whatever the local club runs.
Supastox may be "cheap an simple to set up" but there isn't a club within 60 miles of me, so it's not accessible.

tbh, I can't ever actually recall going to a club that runs superstox. 10th scale buggies and TC are the "big" classes. As can be seen from the number of posts on here and many other forums.

[eyeayen]

Originally Posted by Si2008

A friend of mine who hasn't raced since the 80's was keen to get back into racing

You haven't got a location on your profile and maybe that would help people give opinions that are more local to you.

Personally I did Touring cars for 3 years, I didn't find it friendly and it got a bit bitchy so I got out of it. I desperately wanted to do 8th but the tracks are all too far away, I can't make evening clubs due to work so for me 10th off road on a Sunday is the best as I can get to it, after the initial out lay it's not overly expensive ( compared to 8th ), the kits are well priced and can be found on here 2nd hand. So why don't you take your friend along to your club, maybe let him have a go with your car at the end and see what he thinks ?

[Steve.T]

It has to be 1/10th 2wd offroad. So many cars available for less money

[dpackster1980]

2wd or 4wd 1/10th off road by far.

[AfroP]

definitely 1/10th 2wd or 4wd depending on the local clubs

[neallewis]

go to your local clubs and see what they run and if your friend likes it. cheapest by far to start is 1/10th 2wd offroad. loads of lower priced kit options, decent upgradable rtrs, and a healthy second hand market.
GT12 appears cheap to start, but is not at all cheap to be remotely competitive. its not a cheap class.

[terry.sc]

For a totally unbiased opinion, assuming you have access to clubs that race every class, GT12 is the most accessible and cheap class around. Buy a Supatox or Mardave, add the Core-RC motor/ESC/battery set and you have something that is capable of being very competitive at club level while being easy to set up and race, with plenty of advice from the GT12 Facebook group. Running costs are minimal and the very few parts you can break are pretty cheap and readily available direct from the manufacturers if you can't find them locally.

Although asking what is the best choice of class is pretty pointless if there is no club near you that runs it. Someone suggesting off road is pointless if all you have are touring car clubs, and suggesting on road is pointless if all you have are off road clubs. Look through the club lists at Central Booking, the BRCA and here on Oople to see what other clubs are near you and take him round the clubs to see what takes his fancy.

[discothesnake]

Originally Posted by neallewis

go to your local clubs and see what they run and if your friend likes it. cheapest by far to start is 1/10th 2wd offroad. loads of lower priced kit options, decent upgradable rtrs, and a healthy second hand market.
GT12 appears cheap to start, but is not at all cheap to be remotely competitive. its not a cheap class.

Agree with Neal. GT12 should be a cheap class but it's not. It should be a good class for people starting off in racing but as usual people are not happy unless they are spending cash on speedos, servos, tyres, additive etc.

I would go for 2wd buggy all day long. Cheapish to start and not high maintenance.

[SlowOne]

As has been said, it is the class the club runs and gives you people to help and races to be in. If you have the choice, then 2WD Off-Road by buying an RTR. I bought an AE B4 RTR car and added some springs and 30deg castor blocks (a tenner the lot as I remember) and was competitive.

If you find GT12 at your local club, then you need a car, the Core package, some red front springs, Contact Tyres from the box with 37 rears and 50 fronts on standby and an Ascari shell. Build it and then race it. Like all pan-car classes it is what you are able to do with your thumbs that counts, not the depth of your pocket.

People will say GT12 is not a cheap class, but that comes from those who think they can buy speed and handling - you can't. In that respect it is the cheapest class, but only when you realise that getting driving skills is the key to being fast, and not the depth of your pocket.

If I could find a club running it, I would say 2WD Off-Rod is the best place to start. The RTR cars are very good, and the cars are more tolerant of set-ups. Driving skills still count, but you will need the right tyres for each track and you will probably need some new springs. HTH