How much do you travel?

[T.S.Davis]

How much traveling do you dedicate to racing? I'm sure this an old subject but I'm curoius. Is the bulk of your racing day trips within your district or are you travelling, renting a room, racing for the day and then running back for work on Monday? That kind of thing.

 

[Grimracer]

Terry,

All of my races are traveling races.. All for the most part are (dist 4) within 200 miles. The Indy pond (dist 14) is also close at 108 miles. Before I moved my closest race was 111 miles.. others as far a 440. I would say 95% of my races are overnight. (one this year was not..Indy.. i drove it both days..)

I didn’t then and still don’t care to much about the cost to go racing. I dont hunt, fish snowmobile or go golfing anymore.. I dont go water skiing or anything like that. I do have and like cars but no hurry on any of that stuff.

Grim

 

[Rokieboater]

I travel over a thousand miles one way just to race at least once a year and that does not include the NAMBA Nationals. We live in Colorado and have driven to San Diego or Tucson or Scottsdale or Montana every year for the last five years, just to mix it up a little. I always take the whole family on these trips and make a mini Vacation out of it. The District races are less than 100 miles.

Leaving for Las Vegas for a race in about 6 weeks and that will be just over 1,500 miles round trip.

I know..I know... I have a sickness.... but, its more than just me... we generally have a couple of us that do it every year.

Robert,

Yes, my wife is a saint about all of it..

 

[T.S.Davis]

Mike, is that because it's what you have to do to get in your racing fix? I can hit 11 races without renting a room.

You know I run FE. Our club has 8 races, I practice almost every Wed night, then there are a couple local events I like to hit. The guys at the Hydrofest in Warren were really good to us FE tools. I'd like to get more guys interested in that. Then there's the Canadian NATS. That was really cool. We haven't even talked to any other venues about running FE with them. We could ask I suppose. There's only so many weekends to go around.

Point being, I could probably race every weekend if I had no other obligations without even packing an overnight bag.

Then, if your invited to a particular event and can't make it the hosts feel a little slighted. You must run into that all the time. How the heck do you guys balance all that with family? Man, I hope my son takes to this racing stuff. Otherwise my days are numbered.

 

[Grimracer]

Terry,

Yep.. its what it takes. If it was FE it would make no difference. Mazo would be closest at 250miles.

I dont have a real good test pond.. Its OK but not great. I have tested a total of 3 outings this year for myself. Between races and work.. Its hard for me to get out. I also do not have any test buds around. A few times a year I get another guy out at the pond but I must say it looks like the sickness is starting to rub off on some of the locals. Im getting more people talking.

My wife travels to most of the races with me. Some of the long ones (nats) she can not because of her job. My daughter is out on her own but has been known to make an appearance at a race from time to time.

I race about 15 to 18 races a year. They have been from South Carolina to Washington state. I am very lucky.

Im hoping in the future we can build a club in the area.. We have a start on one but as you likely know its slow going.

I have a feeling that in the future we are going to need to rely more on local clubs to get our fix. Most will not fork out the kind of money we do to make a race. All in all it would be just as much fun to me either way.

Grim

 

[topfuel443]

My last race I traveled (drove) 4,000 kilometers round trip to Finland and back just to race in one class, for 4 heats, none of which I finished due to motor trouble. Before that it was a 3,000 kilometer round trip (drove) to Sweden for one class, and before that it was a 10,000 mile round trip (flew, then drove 1000 miles while I was there) to the tunnel champs. Im either crazy, or stupid, still trying to figure it out. Probably a little of both.

~James

 

[moparbarn]

james, you're neither crazy or stupid, it's called ADDICTED ! i go to 6 a year (if i can afford them). the tunnel champs (about 500 miles 1 way), & 5 dist. 12 races. 2 dist. races are within 70 miles & i commute to those. the other 3 vary from 110 to 300 miles away, those are overnighters. grim, i can relate, absolutely no local boaters, i practice alone. but, that way, i'm always the fastest :lol: :lol: . good ponds though, & a few to choose from. oops, forgot 1, an early spring fun run, at the race site closest to me, greenbriar state park, in md.

 

[Gale54]

James aka topfuel, My name is Don McKay and I am from Madison Indiana. I have hosted exchange students for 5 years. 3 from Germany. This past summer one of my students came back for a long visit with us and we took her racing r/c boats and she got hooked. She raced three large events and even won one in her class. I have not seen someone so gifted at racing than Kati! Well she is back in Germany and misses racing boats very much we searched on the internet trying to find a club close to her so she could go and watch. We did not find any and I read your post on here and that you live in Germany. Could you help us out on a club for her to go to? She lives in Lyndhurst sorry if I miss spelled it.

Thank You Don McKay I tried to send you a PM but it says it is full.

 

[Chris Wood]

closest race for me besides our club race is 5 hrs.. furthest was 15hrs.. one way. i drive 2.5hrs to test.. ya i know. stupid.

but that is what you get when you live in the armpit of the nation. nothing but corn.. bio diesel plants and banks.

chris

 

[LarryConrad]

I am fortunate that my local club puts on about 6 races a season. Last year due to work and schedule conflicts, I was only able to attend 3 of them. It was my first time racing boats and I dont think I even finished a heat! But I was and still am hooked on these toy boats. This year I traveled to two races in Ill.Quad Cities,and Mendota, to meet other people in the hobby, and race classes that the local club doesn't run. Both races were about 6 1/2 hours from home. I also wanted to race in Kenosha, but the schedule just didn't work out. Next season I hope to be able to attend more races, and I am already looking for a vehicle with a little more cargo capacity than my sub compact car so when I go to a race like Mendota I can bring boats to run on both days!

Larry

 

[Sean Bowf]

The club I am a member of in OK city, is a little over 2 hours away. I went there a lot last year. The vehicle we got last year has about 25k miles on it now. This year, not so much.

The races we go to are at my club (2 hours), at Dallas (2 hours), and in Wichita (about 5 hours). Those are pretty much the only races we go to. I have driven back and forth to the places that are 2 hours away...IE drive out Saturday morning, drive home that night, to drive back out Sunday morning to finish the race. We have also spent the night in motels at Dallas and Wichita...and at a club members house in OK city.

Recently we picked up a john boat. This will allow me to do more testing and tuning locally...but I dont know of anyone else (outside of my family) that runs boats around here. If I did...I would try to organize a time/place to meet every week or so. Long those lines...nearest hobby shop is 2 hours from me.

Sean

 

[T.S.Davis]

Addicted. I understand that. The racing is only part of the addiction too. Anybody else thinking about boats all the time? haha I have a whole winters worth of projects planned. 2 Unlimiteds, 2 new sporties, and a set of rigger plans I can't get out of my head. OH! and an FE Nationals to help plan. My wife is gonna strangle me one of these days.

When our club wasn't doing much locally we had to travel if we wanted to race. 13 hours was the max I think. MANNN that was a fun trip. Then a couple of us had a bad experience at one event. Came home dejected. So we turned our focus back to racing at home. Now we get some (just some) criticism for only racing locally.

I hope our club continues to grow. It's not huge but we have gobs of fun. Deck to deck racing, good people, and laughing like a bunch of teenagers.

 

[moparbarn]

deck to deck racing, good people, & laughing like teenagers..... man, if i had that close to home, i wouldn't travel near as much as i do. those are the main reasons i do travel to races. my closest club is about 2 hours away, & doesn't really have the turnout for organized races, on a monthly basis. oh well, i'm still the fastest on MY pond............

 

[Richie R]

I used to travel about 2 1/2 hours to go race but that club kind of faded away. And now it is 4 plus hours away to race with anyone. I try to make 5 or 6 races a summer. This economy does not help either. But to get your fix of racing and seeing some of the best friends you will ever have is worth it. Just wish I could make more races.

Richie R

 

[Bill Gibson]

Im pretty fortunate that the races that i attened are within 50 miles from home, with the exception of orlando, which is about 100 miles, or 2 hours......TESTING? whats that? GOD! i wish i could do that....not only to make my boats run better, but also to MAYBE improve my PATHETIC driving skills !!! Im still very thankful for the races that i do get to attened.....GOTTA GREAT WIFE!!! Bill

 

[Flyguy55]

We have a small club here in Albuquerque. Now there are 4 of us. I raced nitro for over 20 years. Most dist 7 races are 4.5 hr to 7 hr drive except for 10 to 12 hrs to Dallas. ( it depends on whose driving ) We only missed the Nationals when they were on the far East Coast. All the races are 2 day races.

The only test ponds are race sites so we often drive over thursday night to test a little on fri.

Now I race FE and the Races are a 5-6 hr drive. A long way for a one day race.

Dist 7 has a Open cat class , I'm building a big FE cat to race next season .In the past they have allowed me to run my Fe tunnels with them in 3.5 tunnel classes so I can run a few classes.

Dick Roberts

 

[Don Brown]

I travel about 6 miles round trip to get to the club pond which puts on 3 major races a year. I do go to Indy for the Masters it is 185 miles one way, and to a few one day district races which are with in 120 miles. I don't think my wife would let me travel much further than that.

DonB

 

[LarryConrad]

I used to travel about 2 1/2 hours to go race but that club kind of faded away. And now it is 4 plus hours away to race with anyone. I try to make 5 or 6 races a summer. This economy does not help either. But to get your fix of racing and seeing some of the best friends you will ever have is worth it. Just wish I could make more races.
Richie R

Richie,

You should try and make it to the Minnesota State Championship race on October 5th.

It will be at the Nicols Rd pond in Eagan...and all the weeds should be gone by then!

Larry

 

[dr gary turner]

closest race for me besides our club race is 5 hrs.. furthest was 15hrs.. one way. i drive 2.5hrs to test.. ya i know. stupid.
but that is what you get when you live in the armpit of the nation. nothing but corn.. bio diesel plants and banks.

chris

Chris, Iowa is not bad!!!!!! I was born and raised there and went to The University of Iowa for Medical School. I just got back from a trip to Iowa. I drove from the South west corner to Des Moines and then to Waterloo and then up to Spirit Lake. All I saw was a LOT of MONEY out in thoses fields and a lot of lakes that would be great for running boats. The only bad thing I saw were Obama signs in farmer's yards, which I don't get at all!!!!!

 

[dr gary turner]

Mark and I travel a LOT to race boats. I travel 1.5 hours one way to test boats. Travelling has always been a part or Model Boat Racing. When I started racing boats 30 years ago we had to travel to Dallas, New Orleans, Atlanta, Memphis and Indy to race boats. That was when one raced usually only one class.

I think the traveling is one of the enjoyable parts of racing. You get know a lot of folks and learn a lot about how different individuals do various things to and on their boats. I always learn something when I travel to a race. If you stay only at your pond or even stay in your district, you will never improve as a racer. Gary