rodneykwalker

Is this possible? Can you make money with winning races, or having a sponsor? Im just curious, why isnt rc like other extreme sports on espn? RC should be a true sport, and just like skateboarders make tons of money, and snow boarders, why not rc?

Do any of these guys who win big races have sponsors? Doesnt a sponsor mean that you drive a car of that companies, wear there clothes, and you advertise them, and they pay you for it? If I could make a living from this, I would bust my ass to be the best.

sfar785

Because people will pay to go watch extreme sports....they wanna see huge air and big tricks...and people fall and get hurt....R/C has no huge air (10 ft doubles don't count), there's no tricks and people don't get hurt (if they do, they're pretty dumb). Sponsors for extreme sports wanna get their name out to the public, so they pay tons of money to the top riders/skaters....R/C doesn't have 1/8 of the fan base as skateboarding/FMX/snowboarding....know what i mean?

rodneykwalker

ok, so to answer my question, do people have sponsors in rc, and do they pay them to wear there gear, carry there bags, use there tools, and drive there cars? Do people win money at any of the big races, or just trophies?

Dale Gribble

My Feedback: (4)

Yes, there are factory sponsored drivers. Of all of the sponsored drivers, there are probably only a handful on the payroll and they are the best of the best that can go out and TQ and get in top 3 of every national/internation event consistently. For example, Adam Drake works for Losi. I would say that each company that sponsors race programs has maybe 1-2 drivers on payroll and those drivers are responsible for R&D and input on new designs. They don't just race.

Everyone else pretty much gets free stuff from their sponsors to run and wear their gear, they don't get paid for it. There is no money there. Probably 99% of sponsored drivers work a day job and race on the weekends. The payout for winning even big national events is only a few thousand bucks.

If you wanted to make a career in RC, I would get into design with a Mechanical Engineering degree and work for a company as a designer with a good consistent paycheck and a good skill set to fall back on. I couldn't ever recommend pro RC driver as a career path. It is a very small group of people and statistically a huge risk to put all of your time and money into for something that may not pan out. The guys don't get paid THAT much either.

RCtruckRacer

Well, Losi used to have 5 or 6 drivers - but I heard Peanut left when Gil Jr did. So that leaves Drake, Truhe, Hodge, Atondo... I know I am missing some people. Associated has Tebo, Cavalieri, Maifield, Saxton, Korn... and some others. Just as examples.

Although there are more than 1 or 2 Factory Team drivers for each company, Dale is quite correct in steering you towards the R&D side of things. This is where you are most likely to find a successful career in R/C. Being a good racer as well will definately help here too - Most of the Factory Team guys get paid to do R&D work with the engineers. They race to promote the product, but test things out to get their paycheck. The Muggy from TL is a direct relation to Adam Drake's hybrid Monster Truggy that he raced a year or two ago.

You might also consider getting a chassis sponsorship, and making a living doing something else. There are many levels of sponsorship, from as low as 25% to 100%. In my area we have dozens of % guys racing. I'd guess about 6-10 of them are 100%'ers meaning they get everything from that company for free. Most of them are 50%ers. Still, it sure makes things a lot easier if you get a 50% discount on all your parts and kits! This is what my own personal goal is.

Not much advertising in R/C. No spectators to advertise to.

gubbs3

My Feedback: (1)

Dale Gribble nailed it. The only people getting paid for this hobby work for specific companies, usually on R&D. One way to look at it is they get paid to work for the company, and get to race for fun. Those drivers would be labeled "Factory" drivers. The other label of "Sponsored" drivers is given to those racers who get deals on parts. They are not "employed" by the company but their sponsorship relies on them being a great representative and spokesperson for their company. A few of the local sponsored drivers I race with have varying levels of discounts, but even they have to invest just about as much as anyone else in this hobby. They just NEED to have tons a extra parts, tires, engines, servos...etc. How good would it look for a Team driver to miss starting in his TQ spot because he didn't have a replacement part?

If you want this hobby to become a career the only way for it to happen is to get an education in mechanical engineering or marketing and apply for positions within companies. If you're a talented enough driver they "might" send you to races to represent them.

KillerJato

Practice Practice Practice, go to every big race and win them all for the next 2 yrs and then maybe if ur lucky enough u can get one.