RaceKarts big hit with kids, adults

In an era when most drivers begin their careers before reaching puberty, go-karts were a starting point for quite a few of today's top NASCAR stars. And many of those same drivers still enjoy a little karting during their off time. Thus, the inspiration for RaceKarts, a unique line of remote control (R/C) 1:6 scale driver-specific go karts from Taiyo Edge.

"It's amazing just how many of the famous names in racing started in karts-guys like Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher and NASCAR's Jeff Gordon," noted Jim Pisors, director of marketing for Taiyo Edge, which is actually in the process of changing its brand name to Team Edge. "A lot of the guys still race karts for recreation. You often hear of a group of drivers getting together and racing karts during their down-time away from the race track. So, our RaceKart was a natural fit."

Team Edge NASCAR Driver RaceKarts are decorated in team-specific colors and display the driver's name and car number. RaceKarts currently available in the NASCAR.com SuperStore feature Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"This is a very authentic RaceKart that looks exactly like the 125cc karts the Pros use," Pisors explained. "It isn't one of those amusement park-type karts that a lot of companies make."

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Indeed, each RaceKart comes with a detailed engine, tubular-look chassis, and high-speed racing slicks. Power comes from a durable nine-volt "280" motor.

"In radio control, all of the motors have a number that relates to performance," Pisors explained. "The biggest hobby-grade might have a '480' or a '360' or a '380.' But in toy-grade, the '280' is a very high-performance motor, particularly for something as light as the RaceKart. It can power the Kart faster than most people can run."

A working rear suspension and real differential gearing help the RaceKart adequately transfer that power to the ground.

"It's a real working rear axle," Pisors elaborated. "When you have a fast vehicle that you want to be race-worthy, you need that working differential to make the car stick to the track like glue."

The Team Edge RaceKart is operates on a 27 MHz frequency and is controlled by a two-channel, seven-function transmitter with power indicator LED and, auto on/off battery saver and antenna.

"We offer multiple frequencies because a lot of kids like to race each other," said Pisors. "You can actually race Jeff Gordon against Dale Earnhardt Jr. We know kids can be rough on R/C cars, so the RaceKart is pretty much bulletproof. It's very durable. You can run it head-on into a brick wall at full speed, and you might scratch the paint, but you won't break the toy."

Included with each RaceKart is a fully-posable 12-inch figure of the driver that can be removed from the kart. The figure is decked out in a genuine cloth-nylon uniform with tampo-printed patches and a removable crash helmet. The authenticity of these figures is pretty amazing. They're so lifelike, you'll want an autograph.

"We're very proud of how true-to-life the figures are," Pisors. "When you look at the sculpt, it IS Jeff Gordon. It's his face, his uniform, even his helmet."

Team Edge was founded about four years ago by Neil Tilbor, a racer himself who has been a key figure in radio-controlled vehicle design for many years He formerly worked with longtime industry giant Tyco, which was eventually acquired by Mattel. Tilbor was able to recruit some of the market's most gifted engineers and designers both in the U.S. and China.

"Our core design people probably have a total of about 75 years experience in the R/C business," said Pisors. "Neil founded Team Edge because nobody was creating the type of quality innovative R/Cs that made the category popular back in the late 1980s. Back then, there were some great cars that did amazing things. That's what generated interest in R/C cars. But over the past few years, everyone had kind of moved away from that. Most of the larger companies have gone to commodity R/C cars, where you just have a chassis with a body on it. They don't fly through the air or do anything special. They just drive around. So Neil founded our company to be a little more specialized in the R/C business and keep a lot of innovation coming to the market."

The Team Edge portfolio includes a number of unique offerings, including a flying saucer, a hovercraft, and a number of stunt vehicles.

"Our hovercraft is the best-selling hovercraft in the world," said Pisors.

Team Edge will be adding more NASCAR Driver RaceKarts to its lineup. A Richard Petty RaceKart will be available later this year. A series of NASCAR-themed MX bikes is also new for 2004.