What is GT12 RC Car Racing?

On-Road

Indoor

Foam Tyres

12th Scale

13.5 Turn Motor

1s 3.7v LiPo battery

GT Style Body

Differential or Spool Axle

Who is the GT12 RC Racing Class for?

Despite their fast appearance, GT12 is a class suitable for beginners and seasoned racers.

Who are the main Chassis Manufacturers?

Schumacher – Initially with the Supastox, latterly with the Atom 3

Zen Racing

Mardave

Who are the main Motor Manufacturers?

Hobbywing

Trinity

Surpass

Who are the main Electronic Speed Controller (ESC) Manufacturers?

Hobbywing

Orca

Core RC

Where can you race GT12?

All over the country, here’s a list of clubs that either have a grid, or would welcome GT12 entries

How much does it cost to get into GT12 Racing?

Provide cost breakdown

Which GT12 body should I use?

For speed: a lightweight shell

For durability: a normal or heavyweight shell

(recommended for beginners)

The Montech GT3, very similar to the Phat Bodies GTM is a popular choice amongst racers from top to bottom of the grid at club level and national competitions.

Where can I buy bodyshells already spray painted?

If spray painting isn’t your thing, you can always buy pre-painted shells – or commission someone to paint your shell for you

Here are a list of painting service providers who you can reach out to

What’s involved in building a GT12 RC Car?

All cars are supplied as “kits” and aren’t typically “RTR” or ready to run.

The “kits” you’ll buy from Schumacher, Zen Racing or Mardave will provide you with a “rolling chassis”

Additionally, for the build you’ll need:

A Steering Servo
A 13.5 Turn Motor (from the BRCA approved list)
A Motor Sensor Lead (usually supplied with the motor)
A 1S compatible Electronic Speed Controller (from the BRCA approved list)
A 1S (3.7v) LiPo battery (Referred to as a “Hard Cased – Shorty” type battery)
A Receiver
A Transmitter (Radio / Remote Control)
A Motor Cooling Fan
A Transponder

You’ll also need other consumables and spares for setup and maintenance. But the above is what you’ll need for the build.

Tools you’ll need will be:

Hex drivers
Pliers
Wire strippers
Soldering iron (and solder)

The GT12 RC Car Kits you can buy from Schumacher, Zen and Mardave all come with extensive assembly instructions for the chassis.

The ESC, Motor Cooling Fan, Steering Servo and Transponder all plug directly into the Receiver using “JST” plugs (these are supplied fitted).

The Motor and ESC need to be connected in 2 ways

For the power supply – using soldered wires.
For the control system – using a plug that pushes into the ESC one end and the motor on the other

For the power, wires A, B, C from the ESC should be soldered onto the corresponding terminals A, B, C on the motor.

Wires should be as short as practically possible without placing any tension on the wires.

The ESC then has 2 more wires, to enable connection to a battery.

These 2 wires are also soldered, but this time to “bullet connectors” – typically 4mm diameter to match the terminals on the Hard Cased LiPo battery.

It’s advised to make one battery wire shorter than the other so it can ONLY be plugged into the correct polarity terminal of the battery. i.e. if the negative terminal of the battery is closest to the ESC, the negative supply wire for the ESC should be shorter. Ideally so short that the wire cannot reach the positive terminal of the battery.

If you plug the power supply wires of the ESC into the incorrect terminals of the battery, the ESC will break and will only be repairable back at the factory – at significant expense.