In May 2024 I arrived at ROSSA round 1 (R/C speed testing event at Llanbedr airfield in North Wales), with the "Cone", an R/C car made from an old quadcopter. I left having achieved speeds I hadn't dare dream of: 129mph! This event is documented on my Youtube Channel, called "SteveEng", here.
For my next project I decided to go big! In the next three months my family didn't see me much as I obsessively conceived, designed and built the "Beast"! The Beast is a 1m long aerodynamic quad motored R/C vehicle designed to achieve 200mph+ speeds. The design and build is documented here.
Unfortunately in the time I had before ROSSA round 3 I did not have time for sufficient testing and at the event I suffered two sets of avoidable failures, the first burning out two motors (I had one spare and re-wound the other to rebuild the car), and then burning out all 4 electronic speed controllers. Disappointingly I did not complete one run with the Beast and a maximum speed of 100mph with the Cone. This event is documented here.
For 2025 I am aiming to rectify this! A winter development and redesign is well underway. I have designed and made a dyno for developing my powertrain and a steering mechanism to reduce the load on the powertrain when turning. Here are some sneak previews of the progress:
I am at the stage where I need to order a lot of parts and also start saving up for the speed testing events. My shopping list and expected costs are below:
Other costs I am expecting are travel and accommodation for the events and potentially charges should I find a suitable test venue for rent.
As you can see this is not a cheap endeavor! I would massively appreciate your backing on this project and any support you can offer towards the costs. Here is why I think you should back me:
- I have found a passion for R/C speedrunning and by sharing the ups and downs of my vehicle project via my Youtube channel I hope to give some inspiration and encouragement for people considering a career in engineering, or just doing it for fun!
- I want to help others improve their R/C speed car's performance by sharing what I have learnt for free, for example a spreadsheet that I made that analyses the expected powertrain performance and compares it with the cars aerodynamic properties to predict its likely acceleration and top speed.
- This is a journey! Should be successful in reaching my goal of a 200mph recorded speed through the speed traps at a ROSSA event, my next goal will be to work towards the outright speed record for a battery powered R/C car.
- My car is a unique design that contains almost no off-the shelf parts, demonstrating what can be achieved by the hobbyist and what can be done within the free reign of the ROSSA open class rules.
- I will be posting regular updates on my progress with the build, testing and the ROSSA events on my Youtube channel and Crowdfunder page so you can follow along.
All the proceeds of this campaign will go towards the "Beast" car project.
Thank you in advance of your kind support!