RC MAKER present the next evolution in Touring Car design, the SP1! A ground up development by top touring car racer and RC MAKER Owner, Ryan Maker. With over 20 years in the hobby and 8 in the design and manufacturing industry, Ryan always dreamt of being able to develop his own car kits. This dream has been brought to reality over the past 2 years, with all of the design done in house as well as much of the manufacturing and prototyping. Presenting the SP1, a touring car that challenges established concepts with an ultra-low centre of gravity coil-over shock absorber design.

The SP1 is designed for everybody. A car that is easy to drive straight out of the box, with great durability. The SP1 can be tuned for any drivers taste and any track condition through its vast range of setup options and option parts.

FEATURES – 

• Lay down push-rod coil-over suspension design for Ultra Low CG
• 19mm high top deck for Ultra Low CG
• Under-arm Anti-Roll Bar Design for Ultra Low CG, easy changes and tweak adjustment
• Minimised chassis width and length for less ground contact
• Centrally located spur-gear and motor-mount design
• Centrally located suspension components for reducing moment of inertia
• Composite upper arms with adjustable caster via inserts
• Aluminium Diff Casing designed for maximum heat dissipation
• Aluminium Spool Housing with same pulley as rear diff
• Adjustable diff height and belt tension via composite eccentrics
• Built in rear belt tensioner and centre layshaft anti-skip bearings (for Modified)
• Dual Ball Bearing inner driveshaft couplings for maximum efficiency and corner speed
• Race proven dual bell-crank steering
• Built-in adjustable active rear steering
• Rear bumper for rear shock protection
• Quick release battery system with adjustment in all directions
• Hard Coated Steel drivetrain for maximum durability
• All 7075 Aluminium and Carbon Fibre major components for minimum weight and maximum durability
• High grade metal-shield ball bearings throughout
• Nickel-Coated high quality steel screws throughout
• Includes Carbon Fibre Front Bumper Mount and Battery Mounts
• Includes 13g and 19g Brass Centre Chassis Stiffener Weights
• High quality Bando 351 Belts made in Japan
• High quality Shock springs and bladders manufactured by AXON Japan

Lay down push-rod shock absorber design

The limitation of shock absorbers has always been the high centre of gravity due to the stood up nature of the shock. Our lay-down shock takes the whole shock absorber and lies it down along-side the arm, reducing the CG substantially. As the suspension compresses, the turnbuckle attached to the rocker pushes the inside of the shock outwards, providing the compression. As the suspension compresses, the outside mounting point of the shock also travels closer to the chassis, so the shock absorber is being compressed from both ends throughout its travel. All aspects of this suspension geometry are highly tuned to achieve a progressive nature like a traditionally positioned shock.

Adjustability of the shocks is still available outside of the spring and oil. By adding or removing shims under the top rocker ball-stud, you can change the leverage that the suspension arm movement has over the shock, which softens or hardens the entire suspension (spring and dampening). Of course, a full range of linear and progressive springs is available for traditional tuning.

Ride height is still done with the shock collars, and there is no adjustment on the rocker turnbuckle length, as we have tuned that to the optimum point already. The system is kept as basic as possible and is designed to be jut as user-friendly as a traditional style setup, with some added adjustability options if desired.

19mm high top deck for Ultra Low CG

One of the most obvious features of the SP1 is the height of the top deck. Lowering the height of the top deck lowers the CG drastically, as it lowers several other aspects of the car in the process. Bulkheads, screws and motor-mount are all reduced in height and thus CG. Lowering the top deck also softens it, therefore the top deck thickness has been increased to 2.25mm to compensate.

Under-arm Anti-Roll Bar Design

The Anti-Roll bars have been lowered as far as possible to lower CG. This system just happens to also make changing and adjusting bars easier than ever. Tweak is adjusted via the ball cup under the arm simply by screwing or unscrewing the ball stud from the cup (whilst attached). The open design Anti-roll bar holders allow for very fast thickness changes between the 3 included thickness bars.

Minimised chassis width and length for less ground contact

The short chassis reduces scrubbing, and also centralises the weight of all suspension components to reduce the moment of inertia. The suspension arms all taper in a way that allows the chassis to be short, while maintaining a normal wheelbase. This moves all screws, ball studs and cups towards the centre of the car. This makes the car more nimble, allowing it to change direction fast and rotate quickly in the corner for maximum corner speed. The chassis is also very narrow at only 82mm, and the profile minimised for reduced scrubbing in corners.

Composite upper arms with adjustable caster via inserts

Our composite upper arms are a “fixed” type caster design. This option is more user-friendly and forgiving than the dual turnbuckle design found on some cars. The SP1 still sports a large range of caster adjustment via 2 different offset inserts which can be turned to access 4 degrees range on both ends of the car. The camber is adjustable via the special set screw in the arm with a 2mm hex. The front ball cups feature a built in adjustable body stopper to prevent the body touching on the tire and scrubbing speed.

Aluminium Spool and Diff

Our 7075 Aluminium Spool and Diff offer great durability at a light weight. The diff features a typical spider-gear design with internal dual bearings to keep the outdrives straight and low friction. The pulley keys into the diff to ensure minimal pressure on the screws and housing, and is kept round by the diff housings support. The spool features a typical lightweight design with keyed screw-in outdrives. Much like the diff, the pulley is keyed into the spool to provide the screws relief from the driving and braking force. Both the spool and diff outdrives are manufactured from hard-coated steel for minimal wear.

Adjustable diff height and belt tension

2 diff heights and 7 belt tension positions are available with our composite eccentrics. The eccentrics can be easily rotated once the upper bulkheads are loosened and snapped back into place. They fit slightly loose in the bulkheads to ensure the car can flex around the these areas when under load.

Built in rear belt tensioner and centre layshaft anti-skip bearings

The SP1 features an adjustable rear belt tensioner, as well as a centre anti-slip tensioner which is used for Modified racing only. The centre tensioner is adjustable in strength and prevents the belts skipping on the centre pulley under high load in modified racing. These do add friction, so we recommend only using them for modified.

Driveshafts

All important driveshaft components feature a hard coating to ensure maximum longevity. The driveshafts themselves feature a traditional design which is produced at a high tolerance. The inner driveshaft couplings minimise friction and wear on your drivetrain. They prevent the suspension binding when the drivetrain is under load, which allows the suspension to work freely when under acceleration, braking or cornering. The bearings also minimise the wear on the diff and spool outdrives, making your entire drivetrain last longer. Whilst they are a pain to install, these are absolutely a performance enhancing component of the car.

Shocks and Springs

The SP1 Shock absorbers are manufactured from high quality and low friction components. The shock body features a diamond-like-coating for reduced friction and minimal wear. This is critical in keeping the shock action as smooth and consistent as possible even under the greatest loads. They feature a modern design with the bladder integrated into the shock body for simple, air free assembly. The ladder itself is of a soft material and manufactured by AXON in Japan. The SP1 has a full range of Optional Linear and Progressive springs which are also manufactured by AXON in Japan.

Quick release battery system 

Battery installation is an important part of the car, being such a heavy component. The SP1 features the easily twistable tabs for quick changing of batteries. The kit includes carbon battery hooks, which can slide in and out for different battery widths. The battery fwd/back movement can also be tuned by the eccentric battery posts. Simply loosen and twist the post into different spots to tune the position or movement of the battery.

Brass Weights 

Weight positioning is ever-important on mid-motor chassis. The SP1 includes centrally mounted Front, and Rear Weights which are positioned in front and behind the motor-mount. These are manufactured from brass and coated black. These are included in the kit as they are pivotal in getting the car up to weight, and also essential in tuning the flex of the car.

Premium Hardware

The SP1 is fitted with premium quality screws and bearings throughout. The screws are Nick-coated which not only looks great, but gives a tough and corrosion (rust) resistant coating, especially important for drivers in humid areas. All shims are 6061 Aluminium with black anodising.

Manufacturing

The SP1 features a range of components which are manufactured in Australia by RC MAKER, as well as Taiwan and China. All parts are manufactured to the highest tolerance and inspected before packaging.

Support

As with everything RC MAKER, there will be a great support network behind the SP1. As the SP1 hits tracks around the globe, there will be public collaboration between RC MAKER, customers and team drivers. This ensures help with setup, assembly or any issues that may arise. RC MAKER are dedicated to providing the best support for your SP1 no matter where in the world you’re located.