Changes coming for the RC Pro Series as Courtney Vaughan is announced the new series President

 

Arguably one of the most popular and long-standing offroad series across North America has been the RC Pro Series. Over the years the series has become a popular series of events for drivers of all skill levels offering state, regional, and national level events and championships.

 

The series has taken on a new leader for the remainder of 2013 and the upcoming 2014 season. Courtney Vaughan has taken over the President position of the series, and has some major changes designed to further build and enhance the series for all participants.

 

  

 

"Hello to all RC Pro Participants……past, present, and future!

For those of you who do not know me, my name is Courtney Vaughan, and I have assumed the role of RC Pro Series President. I am a fellow off-road racer just like most of you, and am the founder and organizer for the Houston Area RC (HARC) Series. Our HARC series has seen successes and failures, but overall has grown over 200% in average attendance since starting up in 2007, and our annual Toys for Tots Race has become one of the largest in the country. I attempt to steer a group of 200+ racers, and have learned a lot in doing so for the past 6 years. Our series is well known in Texas for its’ fun-factor, rather than its’ ultra-competitiveness. We are rewarded with a great atmosphere, great tracks, and great attendance.

I was asked, and accepted, the position of directing the RC Pro Series because I believe that I can draw on my past experiences to re-invigorate this series by focusing on fun and rewards, rather than competitiveness. I believe that the success of a series lies in its’ ability to balance that fun vs. competition factor properly. And I believe that the RC Pro Series still penetrates deep enough into the racing community in the U.S. that we can still “steer the ship” in a direction that inhibits growth.

Over the next few months, you will start to see the introduction of some changes in the way that we are operating. Much of the schedule of racing, points, divisions, etc are contractually obligated to finish the 2013 season in an as-is state. However, there are still many things that can be done to spur some interest, growth, and attendance. Some examples are:

• I will begin to start focusing discussions and announcements away from Facebook, and onto RCFiles.com in the RC Pro Series section. The intent of this is stop us from being “just another update” on facebook, and people can see real, live discussions taking place on forums. Questions are more easily asked and answered, opinions can be shared and discussed openly, and general awareness of our goings-on are more visible by people who might not otherwise participate. Facebook will not be abandoned, and will be updated regularly with major announcements.
• I will be attending several of the next TXSS series rounds, as well as the National Finals. I will be participating as a racer, assisting signup, answering questions, and talking with many of you to gather input about what is working, what is not, and what can be improved.
• New shirts are being designed and ordered. People want shirts, and the more people wear them at local and larger races, the more awareness is raised about our series.
•  I will begin talking with all of the race directors and track owners/managers to see what kind of needs/comments they may have in their areas.
• I will begin some email “blasts” to all of our members informing them of any changes being made, new feature introductions, and general updates.
• Updating some things on the website, including adding a link for a forum, which will direct towards RCFiles.com. (pending approval)
• Updating and re-organizing our section on RCFiles.com
•  Reviewing the contracts with each of the tracks to make sure that things are done in a uniform fashion, from signup to awards.
• Working on a new advertising sponsor program that focuses less on initial sponsor cost, and more on rewarding racers with some good old fashioned swag!! The more people go home happy from a race, the more they will be back, and the more they will tell others about their experience.
• Evaluating the divisional layouts, number of events, and event locations. It is widely known that these last few years have been packed tight with big events, and people have to choose where to go. I/we need to think about how to address this and become the first choice that people make when planning their race schedule
• Hold open discussions regarding ideas for improving the series. This is already happening some, but I would like to hear from many of the people up North. My challenge is to bring those people over to a forum where they can participate in our discussions. Formatting a national series based on the needs of the strongest region is not necessarily the right idea.

Those are just a few things that I’m looking at for the next few months, and farther into the Fall I’ll start looking at any major changes for the 2014 season, as well as a schedule for next year.

I want to STRONGLY encourage open discussions on the forums. It is my experience that the more action there is in a centralized place for discussion, the more people take notice and want to join in………..which equals a boost in attendance. I have seen this time and time and time again with our HARC series, and it is my belief that it applies to a series that is the caliber of RC Pro as well. My only request is to keep your posts clean, friendly, and in jest. I will not tolerate some of the name-calling and typing matches that I have seen in the past, but from the looks of things it appears as though many of you are keeping your cool when posting and keeping it on topic……for that, I thank you!

I understand that communication and updates have been less than satisfactory in the past few months, but please understand that it has been a transitional period for RC Pro. Things will improve, but give it time. I am a stickler for responding to people’s questions and comments, but my immediate focus is going to be on some of the things I mentioned above. I’m a family man, a full-time working stiff, and a racer just like the rest of you guys, so be patient while I try to grasp the internal workings of this series. I try to spend the evenings and weekends with my family and friends, so if I don’t respond immediately to your PM/Text/Call/Email, do not take it personally and know that I will get back with you in a few days (email is my fastest way of contact, just FYI). I expect that over the next 90 days or so, not many changes will be visible, but please know that myself, the divisional directors, track owners/managers, and key persons will be working behind the scenes. I work for a large company, and over the past 5 years I have seen them implement all kinds of organizational changes. One thing I’ve learned, is that it takes 3-5 times as long as someone would think to change the course of direction. So again be patient, keep racing, and keep spreading the word that great things are coming in the next 6 months, and 2014 will be a fantastic year for fun, racing, growth, and camaraderie!!!

Thank you for your time in reading this and participating with RC Pro! I will be talking with you soon!

Courtney Vaughan
RC Pro Series President
H.A.R.C. Series Organizer"

  

We look forward to seeing the continued growth of the RC Pro Series across the United States and Canada. More information on the series can be found by visiting www.RCProSeries.com. 

 

  

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