04/05/2023
Some....disturbing (?)...info for my R/C friends.
This is a tough post for me.
Two more RC Tracks and Hobby Shops I have raced at are closing. LSR Speedway in Sacramento, California, and Tea's Hobby Shop in Rochester, Minnesota, are both shutting down.
Times are tough. The American economy is in trouble. Inflation has devalued the dollar each day more than the last. It's pretty depressing. Unfortunately, this is a problem I deal with every day. I, too, own a Hobby Shop and Race Track. I have been stressed out for the last 3+ years, trying to figure out how I'm going to keep my doors open. Most months, I barely make it by the narrowest of margins.
RC Track Owners DO NOT make money from their tracks. We build them because we love the sport. We build them to give our friends somewhere special to create memories and have fun. It's a passion project for us. But eventually, each of us will reach a moment that we decide it is no longer worth the amount of effort it takes for the little we get out of it.
As a person who has made a living in the RC Industry for my entire adult life, I am truly fearful for the future of our sport. Manufacturers have adopted marketing plans that cut out the retail Hobby Shops (Excessive Contracted Customership). Business strategies have consequences. Hobby shops can't survive, and most tracks can't survive without a shop.
Even more scary as a business owner is trying to maintain a business when you can't get product. I have not been able to get Lexan Paints in stock since last October. My distributors have not had ANY 2.2" Buggy tires available since August 2022. This is a MAJOR PROBLEM. Unfortunately, it's only going to get worse.
How?
China has become Americas biggest Geo-Political rival. Almost EVERYTHING used in RC comes from China. Motors, Batteries, Electronics, Car Kits, Tires, Wheels.... Yup, all of it. So if/when tensions flare up between the US and China, RC will suffer immensely. When trade is shut down between the US and China, RC will face an unprecedented disruption.
Unfortunately, for the first time in many of our lives, elections/politics will likely soon directly impact our enjoyment of the sport we love. Elections have consequences.
I'm not tossing in the towel just yet. But the outlook is rather bleak. Dark times are coming for our sport. Shops and tracks are disappearing left and right. I'm gonna keep fighting the good fight one day at a time. I will leave you with the headline of a meme I made 9 years ago:
"Support your local RC Track because you will miss it when it's gone."
