2wd Stock Buggy

At my local track, and I think I'm safe in assuming every other track in The Continental U.S., 2wd Stock Buggy is pretty much the number one racing class to be part of.  I think it is intended to be an inexpensive way to get into RC racing.  However, the 2wd Stock Buggy Class is not inexpensive.

These are the electronics required to run 2wd Stock Buggy: the motor is a 17.5 turn brushless motor, the electronic speed control (ESC) has to be a stock-specific one or put into The Remotely Operated Auto Racer (ROAR) race spec "blinky" mode in the settings, and finally the battery is a two cell (called 2S) Lithium Polymer (LiPo) battery.  Having the latest versions of these three components can make a big difference in power generation.

This is such a popular class that all the big names in the hobby cater to this class with a specific car, like Team Associated's B6.1 Factory Lite, Team Losi Racing's 22 5.0 Spec Racer, and Yokomo's YZ-2 DTM 2.0 Stock.  These specific versions of buggy have been put on a strict diet to increase the power-to-weight ratio as much as possible. They also all feature a direct drive system instead of having a slipper clutch.  The direct drive puts all the power to the wheels immediately. As well, it reduces rotating mass from the drive train, which increases acceleration.

There are a million and one hop up parts for all of these cars, both from the Original Equipment Manufacturer as well as aftermarket.  It is very easy to drop a lot of money trying to have the fastest, lightest car (at least on the work bench!).

As well, the latest greatest car seems to update about every year or two.  I had the Team Associated B5M Factory Lite back in 2015 and 2016.  Then they came out with the B6 for 2017.  That only lasted a year.  Then the B6.1 showed up for 2018 with its three versions; B6.1, B6.1D, and B6.1 Factory Lite.

So, my brilliant idea is to avoid the chaos of trying to keep up with The Jones'.  Instead, I'm going to race the Traxxas Bandit in 2wd stock buggy!  I thought I was totally novel with my idea.  However, Voyage RC on YouTube beat me to it.

Voyage RC calls his Traxxas Bandit Project Underdog.  He has quite a few videos showing the buggy itself as well as him racing it and winning with it. Voyage RC is definitely not a hack driver like I am.  In the first club race video, with the completely box stock Bandit, he wins at the end of the race!

I'm stoked on this project.  I'll keep this page up-to-date with my initial purchase as well as the various upgrades I make.

Until then, keep it rubber side down!