Isaacs, Lia, Xavier, D.Johnson and Nestor win at 2021 US Indoor Championship

 The 41st US Indoor Championship just wrapped up in Cleveland, Ohio.  Team Awesomatix walked away with 4 new TQs and 5 Wins!

Sam Isaacs - Mod TC TQ + Win

Donny Lia - Super Stock 1/12 TQ + Win

Craig Xavier - Stock TC TQ + Win

Dave Johnson - USGT Win

Kevin Nestor - FWD TQ + Win

Modified TC

Modified Touring had a great showdown between Sam Isaacs [Awesomatix] and Alex Hagberg.  In rocket round qualifying Sam would re-set TQ every round to start on pole position.  Kemp Anderson [Awesomatix] would line up 4th on the grid.  

During the single A-main Sam would lead lap number one but then tap out allowing Alex and Keven Hebert to get by.  Sam would grind over the next 5 minutes to get himself back into the lead making his final move on Alex into a 180 degree corner on the far right side.  Sam would gap Alex in the last minute to have a commanding win to top off a perfect weekend of TC racing.  Kemp would race up one position to fill out the last step on the podium!

A-main finishing order-

1. SAM ISAACS [Awesomatix] + TQ
2. ALEXANDER HAGBERG
3. KEMP ANDERSON [Awesomatix]
4. KEVEN HEBERT
5. MAX KUENNING
6. DREW ELLIS
7. MIKE GEE
8. PAUL LEMIEUX
9. LUKE PITTMAN
10. TIM MCINTYRE

Super Stock 1/12th

Qualifying for Super Stock 1/12th looked a lot different between Friday night and Saturday night.  On Saturday Donny Lia [Awesomatix] would throw down two consecutive TQ runs in round 3 and 4 with the 4th round TQ putting him on his own lap at least 4 seconds up on Friday night's TQ holder Andrew Knapp.  Joe Trandell, Ray Darroch and John Wiita would qualify their Awesomatix A12 cars 5th, 6th and 8th respectively in the highly competitive field that had a stacked B-main of usual A-main contenders.  

At the start of the A-main, Andrew would apply pressure to Donny for the first 1-2 laps but after that the race for the win was over as Donny's car came in and he cruised to the win putting in a perfect 8 minute run nearly lapping the entire field.  Further back, Joe would was working on his podium appearance the hard way by racing past Jeff Dayger and Max Kuenning to finish 3rd less than 2 seconds behind Knapp.  

A-main finishing order-

1. DONNY LIA [Awesomatix] + TQ
2. ANDREW KNAPP
3. JOE TRANDELL [Awesomatix]
4. MAX KUENNING
5. JEFF DAYGER
6. RAYMOND DARROCH [Awesomatix]
7. JOHN DICKSON
8. TROY GUBBINS
9. TOM FIRSCHING
10. JOHN WIITA [Awesomatix]

Stock TC

Stock Touring Car is always a highly competitive class no matter the race.  Qualifying was owned by Awesomatix drivers with 7 of 10 making the A-main.  The top 3 in qualifying were all Awesomatix runners - Craig Xavier, Eric Anderson and Dave Johnson.  

In the A-main, the top 2 - Craig and Eric - would break out into the lead and finishing in starting order.  Behind them Dave would tap out on the 3rd lap causing some excitement and battles behind him throughout the race.  Michael Skeen [Awesomatix] and Manny Flores [Awesomatix] would promote themselves to 4th and 5th by the end of the race in front of Johnson.

A-main finishing order-

1. CRAIG XAVIER [Awesomatix] + TQ
2. ERIC ANDERSON [Awesomatix]
3. MARC LIVERMORE
4. MICHAEL SKEEN [Awesomatix]
5. MANNY FLORES [Awesomatix]
6. DAVE JOHNSON [Awesomatix]
7. JIM PIERSOL
8. JEFF ROWLAND [Awesomatix]
9. BOBBY RORISON [Awesomatix]
10. LUKE PITTMAN

USGT

TQ for USGT was determined by just 0.04s in the 4th and final round between 3rd round TQ Dave Johnson [Awesomatix] and 4th round and overall TQ Cory Craig.  Awesomatix would put 5 cars into the A-main, more than any other brand.  

In the A-main, pole sitter Cory Craig and Dave Johnson would go door to door allowing Manny Flores [Awesomatix] to promote himself to first.  After a minute of hard charging Dave would catch Manny and after a small roll Dave would promote himself to the lead and never look back.  

A-main finishing order-

1. DAVE JOHNSON [Awesomatix]
2. MANNY FLORES [Awesomatix]
3. ZACHARY FUGE
4. CORY CRAIG + TQ
5. EVAN BANTA
6. ARVIN NANO [Awesomatix]
7. KEVIN NESTOR [Awesomatix]
8. ANDREW MOWERY
9. MAX BUCA [Awesomatix]
10. ALBIN MELENDEZ

FWD

Front Wheel Drive is popular in pockets of the country but hasn't been widely accepted across the USA.  Local track owner, Kevin Nestor, of Austintown Hobby & Raceway, has weekly racing featuring FWD cars, so it was no surprise to us that Kevin with his Awesomatix A800FX was able to TQ in the 4th round.  

In the A-main, Kevin would tap on the first corner allowing Mark Tiamson to get into the lead.  The lead would change between Kevin and Mark 5+ times throughout the race.  The best way to describe this battle was "rubbing is racing".  Kevin would even survive a peeling on the straightaway for the win.

A-main finishing order-

1. KEVIN NESTOR [Awesomatix] + TQ
2. MARK TIAMSON
3. JIM KESERICH
4. JASON HRINKA
5. SHAWN STEPHENS
6. KEITH KELLER
7. CARY CONKLIN
8. BRUCE LAMBE
9. CHARLES MACKIN
10. MIKE MURPHY

Modified 1/12th

Modified 1/12th would be one of the 3 classes featuring triple A-main races.  In qualifying, Awesomatix USA drivers Sam Isaacs, Donny Lia and Kemp Anderson would battle the tough layout and often back markers for the overall TQ.  Sam, Donny and Kemp would start the A-mains 2nd, 4th and 6th respectively.  

In A1, after the first lap the running order was TQ holder Ollie Payne, Sam and Donny.  Sam would chase Ollie for the entire 8m but overall had less luck with traffic and was never able to close the lead down to less than 0.3s.  Finishing order would be Ollie, Sam and Alex Hagberg

In A2, the top 3 would run out in qualifying order - Ollie, Sam and Alex.  The top three would ebb and flow through traffic over the next 7 minutes never being more than 1.5s apart.  In the last 30 seconds Sam would catch a board dropping him to 3rd.  The last two laps were very close with Alex challenging Ollie but Ollie would hold on for the overall win.

In A3, with Ollie sitting out, Sam would lead Alex and Donny for the first lap.  Sam would tap in the center of the track allowing Donny to get into the lead and never look back.  Donny ran a perfect 8m race for the win followed by Sam and Alex.

Triple A-main finishing order-

1. OLLIE PAYNE + TQ
2. SAM ISAACS [Awesomatix]
3. DONNY LIA [Awesomatix]
4. ALEXANDER HAGBERG
5. KEMP ANDERSON [Awesomatix]
6. KEVEN HEBERT
7. MAX KUENNING
8. ANDREW KNAPP
9. STEVE RADECKY
10. TROY GUBBINS

Stock 1/12th

Stock 1/12th was the most popular class at this year's event and as such was granted to have triple a-mains.  In qualifying, Awesomatix USA drivers John Wiita, Joe Trandell and Kevin Van Ert would lead the charge qualifying 3rd, 9th and 10th respectively.  

In A1, the top 3 qualifiers, Andrew Knapp, Jeff Dayger and John ran in qualifying order with Kevin racing up to 6th.

In A2, the battle up front continued to rage on with Jeff getting the better of Andrew for the win, behind that Joe raced up to 5th.

In A3, the Awesomatix gang got their setups right allowing Joe to race up to 3rd just 2 seconds behind Andrew.  Right behind Joe was John and Kevin.  

Triple A-main finishing order-

1. JEFF DAYGER
2. ANDREW KNAPP + TQ
3. JOHN WIITA [Awesomatix] 
4. JOE TRANDELL [Awesomatix]
5. DANA BAILES
6. TOM FIRSCHING
7. KEVIN VAN ERT [Awesomatix]
8. BRAYDEN BOWLING
9. JARED BARDIN
10. WALTER HENDERSON

GT12-R

Super Stock TC

Big Thanks

To the entire Awesomatix USA team and customers for all of their efforts over the Thanksgiving weekend.  Yet another great example of racers helping racers ---- including bring some home cooking to the event!

Looking forward to the next race in just two weeks -- The Winter Warrior at 180 Raceway sponsored by Awesomatix USA December 10-12th 2021 in Middle River, Maryland

Sydor, Skewes and Wiita win at Midwest Indoor Championship

Genesis RC Raceway hosted their annual Midwest Indoor Championship "The MIC" after a one year COVID hiatus.  AwesomatixUSA team and customers well represented the event taking TQ and Wins in the major classes at the event.  Big thanks to Brandon Skewes for working w/ AwesomatixUSA to sponsor this year's event.  

21.5 TC

Bill Sydor [Awesomatix] would lead the field of touring car racers in qualifying on the high grip black carpet followed by AwesomatixUSA teammates Eric Jones and Jeff Flassig.  During the main, qualifying order would hold for the top 3 and Patrick Perkins would race up from 5th starting position to 4th overall on the grid to allow for a Awesomatix top 4 finishing order.

A-main finishing order-

1. BILL SYDOR [Awesomatix] + TQ
2. ERIC JONES [Awesomatix]
3. JEFF FLASSIG [Awesomatix]
4. PATRICK PERKINS [Awesomatix]
5. BRAD SANDVIG
6. TROY SCHAFER
7. ANTHONY SWIFT [Awesomatix]

17.5 1/12th Scale

Stock 1/12th was the hotly contested class at this year's MIC.  Awesomatix USA's Michael Hanulec would take the TQ in the 2nd round and it would hold throughout the rest of the event.  Top 5 qualifiers all would be running an Awesomatix A12 with US Spec or US Spec-like configurations - Hanulec, Skewes, Supreme, Rayfield and Van Ert.  

In the main the field would break out into a 3 car freight train running through traffic.  Skewes would make the first mistake in the freight train, but Hanulec would make a larger one that held up Rayfield too allowing Skewes to jump from 3rd to 1st and cruise to a 2 second win over Rayfield and Hanulec would battled over the last 2 minutes for 2nd place.  

A-main finishing order-

1. BRANDON SKEWES [Awesomatix]
2. SHAWN RAYFIELD [Awesomatix]
3. MICHAEL HANULEC [Awesomatix] + TQ
4. CODY BURKE
5. TROY GUBBINS 
6. JASON VERKE [Awesomatix]
7. PATRICK PERKINS
8. TYLER LYNN [Awesomatix]
9. KEVIN VAN ERT [Awesomatix]
10. SHAUN MADDEN
11. BEEF SUPREME [Awesomatix]

Honorable mention - 3rd qualifier Beef Supreme and Shaun Madden who were unable to compete in the main.  

13.5 1/12th Scale

SuperStock 1/12th had a great mix of past ROAR National Champions and perennial fast guys.  John Wiita [Awesomatix] would take TQ in the 3rd found from Troy Gubbins by less than 1 second.  In the main,  John Dickson would have a rough start allowing John Wiita to break away with Troy Gubbins, Shawn Rayfield [Awesomatix] and Michael Hanulec [Awesomatix] in hot pursuit.  Troy would tap allowing Rayfield and Hanulec to get by.  Sooner after Rayfield and Hanulec would swap positions.  Dickson would try to run back up the field getting within 2s of Hanulec before tapouts would cause him to fall back.  Within just 30 seconds left Wiita attempting to lap the field found the wrath of Hanulec but the two survived the encounter not allowing Dickson to get by.   

A-main finishing order-

1. JOHN WIITA [Awesomatix] + TQ
2. MICHAEL HANULEC [Awesomatix]
3. JOHN DICKSON
4. SHAWN RAYFIELD [Awesomatix]
5. TROY GUBBINS
6. CODY BURKE
7. JASON CHENG
8. KEVIN VAN ERT [Awesomatix]

Overall we had a great time at the event.  Brandon has built an AMAZING facility -- cannot wait to attend next year!

A12 US Spec Kit and optional Chassis Set by AwesomatixUSA

Building upon the newly released Optional A12 Suspension Plates by AwesomatixUSA we have now made it even easier to increase the performance of the Awesomatix A12 for North American racing on Black Carpet.  AwesomatixUSA has CNC milled the Awesomatix A12 chassis parts and are offering them to racers in three different ways.

Please note these products require additional modifications from the original manufacturer, Awesomatix, and as such lead times could be longer than usual.  We highly recommend back ordering these offerings to ensure the fastest turn around.

#1 Complete Race Kit - A12 US Spec Electric Pan Car

This innovate platform has done the world tour in 2020 winning 13.5 1/12th at Snowbird Nationals and being featured in many A-finals throughout the World. The US Spec includes two major changes over the base A12 Kit to allow the racer to configure the car with various AwesomatixUSA Suspension Plates (available for purchase separably) that can shorten the wheelbase as much as 7mm shorter.

1. CNC milled AM1203 Battery Plate to AwesomatixUSA specifications
2. CNC milled AM1204 Chassis Plate to AwesomatixUSA specifications

Buy Now

#2 AwesomatixUSA A12 US Spec Chassis Set

The US Spec Chassis Set includes Awesomatix parts modified to allow the racer to configure the car with various AwesomatixUSA Suspension Plates (available for purchase separably) that can shorten the wheelbase as much as 7mm shorter.

1. CNC milled AM1203 Battery Plate to AwesomatixUSA specifications
2. CNC milled AM1204 Chassis Plate to AwesomatixUSA specifications

Buy Now

#3 Replacement CNC milled AM1204 Chassis Plate to AwesomatixUSA specifications

Sold individually as big crashes can happen and this part (as well as the stock A12-AM1204 part) can bend.  It is also a great way to make your manually cut chassis set look more factory.

Buy Now

Optional A12 Suspension Plates by AwesomatixUSA

It has been 1 year in the Awesomatix A12 journey. Since its October 2020 launch, the A12 has been, without a doubt, the most popular 1/12th scale car in the USA and Canada racing scene. Everywhere we look — A12s keep showing up! Over the last year, the AwesomatixUSA Racing Team has continued pushing the boundaries of the A12 platform trying to understand how to further refine its performance and improve its functionality.

 

Background

A tale of two front suspensions - Trailing Axle vs Zero Trail (inline)

When customers purchase an A12, it ships with a traditional Trailing Axle setup that has been common on 1/12th scale cares going back to the 1970s. However, unlike most other platforms, the A12 has an optional Zero Trail Axle, or inline axle, that is available. Throughout our testing, the AwesomatixUSA Racing Team has found the Zero Trail Axles to be one of the biggest improvements for the A12 on high grip black carpet.

To try the ZT configuration, customers can purchase the A12-ZT kit that is sold by Awesomatix and AwesomatixUSA. The A12-ZT kit produces the same overall wheelbase length as the kit Trailing Axle setup by using a Suspension Plate (A12-C1205-ZT) that is 3mm shorter than the stock configuration.

For customers who don’t want to try the Zero Trail Axles, the Suspension Plate from the ZT kit is still very useful for Trailing Axle configurations as it produces a 3mm shorter wheelbase than the stock configuration.

Ultimately, the choice between using Trailing Axles or Zero Trail Axles comes down to racer preference. Both configurations are fast and both configurations continue to win races; however, they produce a slightly different “feel.” Zero Trail Axles allow for less overall scrub of speed at the center of the corner in high grip situations. That being said, our traditional 1/12th racers often prefer the speed scrub they experience on corner entry with the Trailing Axle configuration.

Challenge One - Wheelbase Change

In March of 2021, Awesomatix released the A12-C1205-1.5 which reduced the wheelbase by 1.5mm from the stock configuration. Early testing of shorter wheelbase setups showed that a shorter wheelbase with trailing axles helped create a more balanced and faster car. The shorter wheelbase created more initial steering and increased response in almost all conditions. A12-C1205-1.5 was used to win 2021 Snowbird Nationals Mod 1/12th class.

Going into the 2021 ROAR On-Road Carpet Nationals, AwesomatixUSA released a limited set of 6mm shorter suspension plates designed to give racers running the Zero Trailing Axle front end a shorter overall wheelbase. The new shorter plate was wildly successful from the start with multiple cars in the 1/12th Stock A-main using this configuration.

Challenge Two - Obtaining more front suspension ride height

One of the challenges that the AwesomatixUSA team faced at the 2021 ROAR On-Road Carpet Nationals was that when using Zero Trail axles with both 5 and 6 degree caster posts we quickly started to run out of front end ride height. As a result, this forced us to run larger diameter tires and less front end droop then we wanted. However, despite these challenges, the A12 platform still prevailed — taking the TQ and Wins in 1/12th Stock, SuperStock and Modified classes.

New Products from AwesomatixUSA

After extensive testing and product development, AwesomatixUSA has finally created a solution to the A12 wheelbase and ride height challenge when running small tires. Available today, AwesomatixUSA is happy to announce a variety of new front suspension plates in different configurations.  All of these front suspension plates are designed and manfactured in the USA from high quality 2.5mm thick carbon fiber.  

1. AUSA-A12-C1205-2.5mm-1.5   A12 1.5mm Shorter 2.5mm Thick Suspension Plate
2. AUSA-A12-C1205-2.5mm-4      A12 4mm Shorter 2.5mm Thick Suspension Plate
3. AUSA-A12-C1205-2.5mm-5      A12 5mm Shorter 2.5mm Thick Suspension Plate
4. AUSA-A12-C1205-2.5mm-6      A12 6mm Shorter 2.5mm Thick Suspension Plate
5. AUSA-A12-C1205-2.5mm-7      A12 7mm Shorter 2.5mm Thick Suspension Plate

Race Results

• ZT hubs and AUSA-A12-C1205-2.5mm-4      A12 4mm Shorter 2.5mm Thick Suspension Plate
• Joe Trandell - Winner 1/12th Stock - 2021 Halloween Classic
• Shawn Rayfield - A-finalist 1/12th Stock- 2021 Halloween Classic
• Joe Trandell - 3rd place 1/12th Stock - 2021 NYGP
• Miles Schneese - A-finalist 1/12th Stock - 2021 NYGP
• ZT hubs and AUSA-A12-C1205-2.5mm-5      A12 5mm Shorter 2.5mm Thick Suspension Plate
• Michael Hanulec - TQ 1/12th Stock - 2021 Halloween Classic
• Michael Hanulec - A-finalist 1/12th Stock - 2021 NYGP
• ZT hubs and AUSA-A12-C1205-2.5mm-6      A12 6mm Shorter 2.5mm Thick Suspension Plate
• Michael Hanulec - 3rd place 1/12th Super Stock - 2021 Halloween Classic
• Michael Hanulec - A-finalist 1/12th Super Stock - 2021 NYGP

Use Case Matrix

Depending upon the overall configuration the A12 inner and outer chassis frame (AM1203 Battery Plate and AM1204 Chassis Plate) require modification to alter the position of the servo and servo saver within the car.  

Race Car Pictures

In the upcoming week or two AwesomatixUSA will have two exciting solutions to help racers who want to run the 5mm Shorter, 6mm Shorter and 7mm Shorter Suspension Plates.  Until then we thought we'd share the different solutions that our racers have done themselves during the prototype phases.  

Manual Chassis Modifications

Installation pictures from Michael Hanulec's TQ Stock 1/12th from 2021 Halloween Classic outfitted with the AwesomatixUSA A12 5mm Shorter 2.5mm Thick Suspension Plate.  Inner and Outer chassis have minor modifications done all with just a Dremel cutoff wheel.  A 1.5mm thick shim was used to shim out the servo saver.  

Industrial Chassis Modifications

Installation pictures from Clayton Young's A-main Stock 1/12th car from 2021 Halloween Classic outfitted with an earlier specification of the 6mm Short Suspension Plate. Inner and Outer chassis have major modifications performed on milling machine.

B.Johnson and Trandell win at the 2021 Halloween Classic

 This weekend the R/C world return to Cleveland, Ohio for the 2021 Halloween Classic held at The Gate in Brunswick, Ohio.  Team Awesomatix USA was able to take two TQs and wins at the event.  This year's event would feature a tight and challenging layout such that all mains were limited to 8 drivers.  

Super Stock TC

Awesomatix USA's Brad Johnson would take the TQ in round 4 from the b-sort.  Awesomatix A800MMXA cars would take the Top 3 positions in qualifying with Bill Sydor and Clayton Young starting behind Brad.  In total Awesomatix would have 6 of the 8 competitors in the A-main.  The race had some good battles behind and that allowed Brad Johnson to check out and cruise to the win.

A-main finishing order-

1. Brad Johnson [Awesomatix] [TQ]
2. Clayton Young [Awesomatix]
3. Bill Sydor [Awesomatix]
4. Max Kuenning
5. Bobby Rorison [Awesomatix]
6. Michael Skeen [Awesomatix]
7. Marc Livermore
8. Jeff Rowland [Awesomatix]

Stock 1/12th

Awesomatix USA's Michael Hanulec would take TQ of the event in round 3.  Top 3 qualifiers ran the Awesomatix A12 with Joe Trandell and Clayton Young completing the starting line up.  Awesomatix placed the most cars into the A-main of any manufacturer.  Shockingly the open motor 17.5 would produce one of the largest separations in qualifying with 3 laps spanning the 8 car field.  During the A-main Michael Hanulec would run into the famous Gate "failnado" and after having to drive thru a pile of cars in the chicane he then blew out handing the race to Awesomatix USA's Joe Trandell to take a commanding lead and cruise to the win.

A-main finishing order-

1. Joe Trandell [Awesomatix]
2. Dana Bailes
3. Tom Firsching
4. Michael Hanulec [Awesomatix] [TQ]
5. Andrew Knapp
6. Jeff Dayger
7. Shawn Rayfield [Awesomatix]
8. Clayton Young [Awesomatix]

Stock TC

Stock TC was a hotly contested class at this year's event with 3.3 seconds covering the top 10 in qualifying -- but only 8 would make the A-main.  Awesomatix had 6 drivers going into the A-main.  Carnage on the first lap would allow Marc Livermore to cruise to the win from pole.  Bill Sydor [Awesomatix] elevated himself from 5th starting position to finish 2nd after a tight battle with Rob Love for the whole 5 minute race.

A-main finishing order-

1. Marc Livermore [TQ]
2. Bill Sydor [Awesomatix]
3. Rob Love
4. Clayton Young [Awesomatix]
5. Michael Skeen [Awesomatix]
6. Jeff Rowland [Awesomatix]
7. Dave Johnson [Awesomatix]
8. Bobby Rorison [Awesomatix]

Super Stock 1/12th

Super Stock 1/12th had a tighter qualifying field with only two laps separating the field.  Awesomatix USA drivers Michael Hanulec and Joe Trandell would start 6th and 7th in the A-main after having some challenges in qualifying.  Upon the A-main start Max would get away cleanly while the field cleaned each other out behind him.  Joe Trandell and Michael Hanulec drove through the smoke and raced up to second and third by the finish.  

A-main finishing order-

1. Max Kuenning [TQ]
2. Joe Trandell [Awesomatix]
3. Michael Hanulec [Awesomatix]
4. Andrew Knapp
5. Tom Firsching
6. Steve Radecky
7. Jeff Dayger
8. John Dickson

Race Setups on our Google Drive

Hi all-- Google has retired the prior setup sheet links that are posted all over the internet for AwesomatixUSA.  Please navigate to the YYYY-MM labeled folders from this link

The Mon-Tech NYGP just wrapped up and we are posting setups in the 2021-10 folder.