[CMOTD]

In order to overcome barriers you first need to define what they are:

1) Slot cars, despite the views of us demented people on here, are toys first and foremost. They are marketed as such and share the attributes of other toys in that they are a passing fad. They hold the attention until another toy takes over or they break. Only a tiny percentage of people will progress beyond the initial Christmas present set and turn it into a hobby. In this respect they are no different to model trains, R/C toy cars and many others. A Thomas the tank engine set will not inevitably lead to a lifelong interest in railway modelling nor will a cheap R/C car automatically lead to competitive high end racing.

2) In the UK at least, most houses are not large enough to accommodate a permanent track and the pleasures of rug racing soon begin to pall when you have to dismantle everything on a regular basis. Constantly assembling and reassembling the track takes its toll on connectivity and the dangers of treading on the cars is very real. Eventually something breaks and, as mentioned above, few people can be bothered to mend things nowadays so the set is consigned to the loft.

3) Everybody loses interest in toys during their teenage years. 'Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll' are a darn sight more tempting than toy plastic cars!

4) If someone stays the course and progresses to a permanent home track and/or club racing then it becomes a very expensive hobby, not as costly as choo choo trains but it does leave a large dent in the wallet. Assuming you can find one near you the average club has at least six different classes so that means a minimum outlay of £300 even before you start spending on upgrades or extra cars. Digital compounds the expenditure.

5) The majority of the population have zero interest in motor sport, full size or the small scale variety. Compare the viewing figures for various sports and you will see what I mean.  

How do you overcome these barriers? Answer, I haven't got a clue but would be interested in any solutions you can provide. We pursue a minority hobby and I don't think it has ever been any different. Everybody likes playing on a demo track like the ones that Andy sets up but the chances of more than 0.1% of them taking it further are very slim indeed.