The global pandemic, Covid-19 has ignited a long lost passion in Indonesian Hobbyists. Mini 4WD racing which was a popular source of entertainment back in the 1990s, faded away before the millennium. With the pandemic at large and lockdown in place, people resorted to developing new hobbies and reincarnated their passion for model car racing.
A very few die-hard fans still kept on using Mini 4WD between the year 2000 and the start of the pandemic. The introduction of cheaper and mass produced model cars to the market resulted in this rapid decline in popularity. But the sudden need to develop an interesting hobby has brought model car racing back into the spotlight.
This is a game of excitement, chance, skill and thrill, says the Mini 4WD racing enthusiasts. Several stores have been opening up around major Indonesian cities like in the capital, Jakarta. The store owners claim their stores are filled with the buzzing of tiny model cars whizzing around for victory.
The game of model car racing involves racing and defeating your opponents. The racers also have to make minute adjustments to their Mini 4WD models to stay ahead in the game. This sudden rise in popularity of model cars has made selling Mini 4WD cars a booming business. “It was all so sudden, many turned to playing with Mini 4WD” said Bey Sastramihardja, A co-owner of the Mini model car shop, Bosku Garage.
The store owners claim that the prices of model car kits skyrocketed overnight and the stores constantly run out of model racing tracks. Parents, who themselves played with Mini 4WD in the 1990s now help their kids build the tracks and race each other. The game has proved to be both a bonding moment for parents and kids and a wave of nostalgia for the parents.
Many of the adults who played with Mini 4WD in their childhood are picking up their childhood hobby. National and International championships for Mini 4WD racing are also being held.
Store owners have also stated that competitive Mini 4WD racers spend between $105-525 on race ready cars.
The Indonesian Motor Association has recognised Mini 4WD racing as an official part of their Motorsport Division.The new development in the popularity of Mini 4WD racing has not only proved to be a source of income for numerous store owners and car design specialists but also a source of entertainment for the people weary from the pandemic.
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