Beware, There Are Theives Among Us - A Shift In RC Drift
Beware, There Are Theives Among Us - A Shift In RC Drift
Let me first start off by stating our first reaction was to put this news out through all our channels and blast these guys faces throughout the community as quickly as possible, but before we made any type of hasty moves, we reached out to a few trusted and respected individuals, and came to the conclusion it would be best to go the route we have chosen. Of course it’s been pointed out we should have said something sooner, but quite honestly, if we did, those same people would bash us for being unprofessional for putting these individuals out there. We can’t win, and I know this, but I stand behind out decision to handle this the way we have. Ultimately, it’s the victim’s decision to put it out there, and if they do, then we can respond.
The Incident
At SDC2024 Worlds at Super-G, we experienced what we beleive can potentially change RC as we know it. A couple guys decided they would target a few compeititors and steal their pit mats. I don’t care if it were these Limited Edition pit mats, a busted set of wheels, a tool, a remote, or even a $2000+ chassis, stealing is stealing no matter how you cut it. Make no mistake, these guys had no issue with stealing some pit mats, they wouldn’t hesitate to steal your chassis if they thought they’d get away with it. This has absolutely no place in RC Drift, or RC in general.
When it was brought to our attention, we were confident we had it on video. Yes, all the cameras you see (and the ones that you don’t) are working and recording. That night after we wrapped up, we started reviewing footage. So if you were wondering why we were looking a bit tired during the event, lack of sleep was the main culprit.
We found the footage and grabbed a few screen shots. We had hoped to find these theives the following day, confront them, and have them settle up with the guys they stole from, then we would deal with them on behalf of Super-G. At this time we weren’t sure if it was some sort of misunderstanding or what really happened. So blasting their faces throughout the community with accusations just was not the responsible thing to do at that time.
As it turns out, they were not part of the competition, and had only shown up for the Meet and Greet. One of the pit mats was from someone pitting next to them. This person left to drive, leaving his stuff in the pits as everyone does. These two theives took this opportunity to take his pit mat. Later they went to a pit area behind them, and took another pit mat that belonged to another competitor who had left for the day. A chair was collapsed and placed on his pit area. They lifted the chair and took his pit mat. So this was not simply a matter of walking by and taking something out of conveniece, they actually lifted the chair and took it. So there was some thought that went into this. It was thought out and intentional.
The following day we passed the pictures of the guys around to a few trusted people at the event. Our workers recognized one of them. Everyone was put on high alert in case they returned. They did not.
After the event, we gathered the footage. Our first thought was to blast it through all our channels and put these guys faces out there and warn EVERYONE in the community. But before we did, we had spoken with a few trusted and respected individuals and came to the conclusion that the first course of action should be to send the footage to the victims of these crimes. It ultimately should be their decision how they would want to handle it. Super-G of course would need to address this as well, but depending on how the victims decided to handle it would dictate how we would be able to address it publically.
As we had suspected, the video was released and knowledge of these theives spread quickly. It turns out, these guys are part of the Drift community. One in particular was a regular here at Super-G as well as some of the other local tracks. They are both part of a local team, and a trusted member of that team reached out to us immediately, letting us know they infact were part of their team and would be dealt with. I was told they did not have direct contact with one of them, but they did with the one who has now become famous. I explained they are both banned from Super-G and would be trespassed if they ever returned. From what I understand, they have been removed from the team and informed of our stance.
I was later informed one of them regretted doing this and wanted to return a stolen pit mat he had in his posession. I provided a shipping address, but have yet to see it. Enough time has passed that either it’s not being returned, or it wasn’t high on the list of priorities to return it. Not that it even matters at this point.
This is only a recount of what happened and how things have been resolved thus far. HOWEVER, I feel there is a much larger issue at hand and now is the time to bring it to light.
The Larger Issue
We have been fighting with this for some time, but up til now it has only affected Super-G the business, and we have not seen it affect any customers yet, so we have quietly dealt with it.
Let me preface this by saying, I have been into RC since I was a kid, (Close to 50 years now. Don’t be doing math, just know it’s a long time). One of the most important, if not thee most important part of RC has been the fact you can leave your gear in the pits, and KNOW it will be safe. THIS IS RC. Needing to keep an eye on your stuff at the track would make it impossible to participate and enjoy your experience. This is a huge part of why I love the Drift community the way I do. It’s the friendliest segment of RC I have ever been a part of, with the same positive sense of community that has been present in RC just about my entire life. My point is, this subject hits me at the core of my being. I’ve known it to be this way for the majority of my life.
There has been only one time where someone’s gear was stolen that I was aware of back in the late 90s. I was told they were caught and prosecuted. I’m sure there were other times, but it’s so rare, it never became any sort of issue.
Our belief is this type of behaviour CANNOT be tolerated at ANY LEVEL.
Here at Super-G we have taken measures to the best of our ability to try to deture any type of theft. But in all seriousness, no matter what we do, it will not be enough alone. The community needs to step it up and watch out for your neighbors stuff as well. If you see something or hear something, speak up. EVERYONE WILL BACK YOU AGAINST A THIEF. If it is common knowledge that “ALL these Drift guys” don’t stand of any type of BS, it will quickly filter out these negative entities. But if we are accepting of this or keep the attitude that “As long as it doesn’t directly affect me, then I’ll look the other way,” then these types of individuals will spread like a disease and kill RC as we know it.
Now here’s the second part of this issue. One of the thieves responsible for this incident has come to Super-G more than a few times. He and a different one of his friends (Not the other thief, but another guy who comes here) constantly and deliberately skip out on paying their track fees. Not only are they stealing from Super-G every time they do this, but they brag about it as well. They have actually been reported to us as scheming on how to get away with it. We have been alerted by a few different people on occasion, but for the most part, everyone decides to “not get involved”. A few members even think it is funny, and we are alerted to those individuals as well. The other person and the people laughing are members of a different, but well respected team, and we are shocked this behavior is allowed. If we know it’s happening, others know as well.
So here is where we become conflicted as a business. We get that some will view stealing from a competitor and skipping out on your track fee as being different things, but now looking back, that was definitely a precursor to what had happened at SDC2024 Worlds. At least for one of these guys, it was yesterday track fees, today pit mats, tomorrow someone’s loaded hauler. I mean, who knows what these people are up to outside of these walls. At the very least, it shows the person has criminal tendencies.
Again, we aren’t talking about the guy who occasionally forgets about paying his track fee, we are talking about the people who intentionally do this. Intentionally skipping on your track fee is scheming to steal $20. No differnt than eating at a restaurant and skipping out without paying the bill. Plain and simple.
Should we have banned this thief when he was constantly stealing track fees, or was it right to suck it up and deal with it? If we had banned him when he became an issue in the past, this would have never progressed to what has happened now. Our policy has been to just remind these individuals to pay before they leave, but again, we aren't talking about the casual forgetful ones, we are talking about the ones trying to get away with it.
The question is, is it time to step up and weed out the people with criminal tendencies and really crack down on who is allowed to even enter? Or do we continue as things have always been? Is this an isolated incident, or a sign of where things are headed if we allow it to continue? It is not, and has never been about the money, it’s all about preserving the type of community RC Drift is.
Personally, I believe it’s time for a Zero Tolerance policy, and the need to hold everyone accountable for their actions. The only people this will affect are the ones who shouldn’t be trusted anyway. Once the RC Drift community trust is gone, it can never be the same.
See something, hear something, say something.
Thoughts?