It’s always great to be standing around with a camera and tonight was one of those ‘moments’ that many of us wait for!  S Works team driver Taylor James dropped by my local track – Fastlane Raceway in Blue Springs, MO with his just built S Workz eBuggy that he is getting ready for the Nitro Challenge (but they also run ELECTRIC) in Arizona next week.  This car is positivly breath taking with some VERY innovative design features that will raise the bar in the emerging eBuggy class.  Certainly the vertically mounted batteries are eye catching (particularly when they’re RED and match the anodizing of the car!) but they’re also tilted inward at the top – which allows the chassis to be narrower and therefore lighter with the weight centered – excellent attributes but seldom obtained. 

The car is very compact and the body will certainly be the (currently) fashionable ‘bulldog’ style since the electronics are ‘stacked’ toward the front of the buggy.  The body will be meeting up with the car in Arizona later this week Taylor told me – certainly indication of a ‘fresh’ design.  Everything about this buggy reeks of quality and class – the anodizing is excellent for a prototype and the design unquestionably comes from a blank piece of paper – much better than many manufacturer’s cookie cutter designs.  Also noteworthy is the fact that Taylor will be competing with his employer’s products – Castle Creations motor and speed control!  As a side note, Taylor (even as an employee) doesn’t get special stuff – his speed control came from stock yesterday (it was the last one!) and his back ups will be some pulled from other projects of his!  BUT, remember that the Mamba Monster has a steller reputation so I doubt that he’ll need to use any of his spares! 

Another nice design cue is the radio box – mounted on top of the servo and providing lots of room for the receiver and receiver pack.  Provision is even made for the mounting of the transponder.

Besides the innovation in battery mounting and the positioning of the batteries, the S Workz designers have come up with a unique design of the universal (constant velocity) joints.  These joints are supported on 2 sides by bearings (in addition to the pinion bearing) with provides support and stability to the drive shafts resulting in efficiency and durability!

Is it fast???  Well, I didn’t get to see it run BUT I think that the tires will tell the story – they were brand new when he first drove the buggy!  This whole project is exciting simply because a relatively new manufacturer will be using proven components (Castle Creations horsepower) and a proven driver (Taylor is a factor in ANY race he’s entered in!) to take on one of the toughest races of the year!  Hopefully good things will happen!