Schumacher Racing Products
Encyclopedia
Schumacher Racing Products (or just Schumacher) is a well established manufacturer and distributor of radio-controlled car
s and accessories.
, England
as Schumacher Racing Products in 1980 by Cecil Schumacher. It originally produced upgrade components for model cars, including the world's first ball differential
. The first car to be produced by Schumacher was the XL lexan chassis in 1981. This was followed in 1983 by the "C" car, the first car designed specifically for racing on carpet. It included many features that are still around on every modern 1/12 scale car. Although basic by today’s standards, at the time it was a top racer winning many races. Race wins include the euros in 1985 and 1988.
Radio controlled cars evolved and changed rapidly. In the late half of the 1980s, off-road RC cars increased in popularity. Schumacher created the CAT (Competition All Terrain) 4WD 1/10 scale
off-road buggy in 1986. It went on to win the world championships in 1987. The success of the CAT led Schumacher to follow up with the 2WD Top Cat, initially featuring unique F1
-style push-rod suspension with inboard springs and dampers in the nose cone.
Schumacher went on to produce many off-road electric cars through to the mid 1990s. The radio-controlled car world continued to change, this time toward 1/10 scale electric touring car
s. Schumacher developed a series of racing touring cars, and continue to today.
The popularity of the touring car class seriously affected the off-road world. Schumacher stepped down the development of this class through the 1990s. Schumacher now was starting to dominate a niche in the "fun" car sector, with high power/speed nitro
powered models capable of real speeds in excess of 80 mph.
Over the turn of this century the Schumacher product line-up became quite familiar with the "fun" cars and Schumacher’s touring car range. Cecil Schumacher's son Robin Schumacher took over the business in 2001. Since then, Schumacher have distributed a large number of products using their well established supply chains.
rules. It features four classes:
Stock 27t, Pro-stock 19t and Modified & Brushless for any make of Touring Car
. Also featured is class for its GTRe on road racer, a 3 speed electric circuit car. This class debuted in 2006, taking over from Schumacher's previous Big 6 Lotus class.The series takes place over 9 Rounds. Each rounds feature 3 qualifying heats and 2 Finals, with the best 10 final results counting to each drivers score. The Series uses Control Tyres, which are the Sorex 28R, 32R or 36R, each pre-glued with a Sorex insert and Rev-Lite wheel. For the first time, 2006 allowed the use of Tyre Warmers.
Schumacher also will continue with their successful touring car and fun car range.
The following are rumoured to be in development:
The CAT 4000 prototype was seen at several BRCA National and Regional events in early 2005, but subsequently never went into production. However, Schumacher released a small amount of information on their website in January 2008, prior to the Nurnberg Toy Fair, at which they showed the CAT SX to selected media and distributors.
The CAT 2WD buggy was announced in the previously mentioned CAT SX information.
As of January 2010, the list stands at:
Radio-controlled car
Radio-controlled cars are self-powered model cars or trucks that can be controlled from a distance using a specialized transmitter...
s and accessories.
History
The company was started in NorthamptonNorthampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
as Schumacher Racing Products in 1980 by Cecil Schumacher. It originally produced upgrade components for model cars, including the world's first ball differential
Ball differential
A ball differential is a type of differential typically used on radio-controlled cars. It differs from a geared differential by using several small ball bearings rotating between two plates, instead of bevel gears.- History :...
. The first car to be produced by Schumacher was the XL lexan chassis in 1981. This was followed in 1983 by the "C" car, the first car designed specifically for racing on carpet. It included many features that are still around on every modern 1/12 scale car. Although basic by today’s standards, at the time it was a top racer winning many races. Race wins include the euros in 1985 and 1988.
Radio controlled cars evolved and changed rapidly. In the late half of the 1980s, off-road RC cars increased in popularity. Schumacher created the CAT (Competition All Terrain) 4WD 1/10 scale
Scale model
A scale model is a physical model, a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object, which seeks to maintain the relative proportions of the physical size of the original object. Very often the scale model is used as a guide to making the object in...
off-road buggy in 1986. It went on to win the world championships in 1987. The success of the CAT led Schumacher to follow up with the 2WD Top Cat, initially featuring unique F1
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
-style push-rod suspension with inboard springs and dampers in the nose cone.
Schumacher went on to produce many off-road electric cars through to the mid 1990s. The radio-controlled car world continued to change, this time toward 1/10 scale electric touring car
Touring car
A touring car, or tourer, is an open car seating five or more. Touring cars may have two or four doors. Often, the belt line is lowered in the front doors to give the car a more sportive character. They were often fitted with a folding roof and side curtains. Engines on early models were either in...
s. Schumacher developed a series of racing touring cars, and continue to today.
The popularity of the touring car class seriously affected the off-road world. Schumacher stepped down the development of this class through the 1990s. Schumacher now was starting to dominate a niche in the "fun" car sector, with high power/speed nitro
Nitro
-Chemistry:*Nitroglycerin, an explosive chemical compound*Nitromethane, the simplest organic nitro compound; also used to fuel high-performance internal-combustion engines*Nitrous oxide, "laughing gas", used in some dental procedures as an anaesthetic...
powered models capable of real speeds in excess of 80 mph.
Present time
Schumacher continues to operate out of Northampton. Schumacher has sourced some components from China like most other successful RC companies, however the majority of manufacturing remains in England and Schumacher remains very much an English company.Over the turn of this century the Schumacher product line-up became quite familiar with the "fun" cars and Schumacher’s touring car range. Cecil Schumacher's son Robin Schumacher took over the business in 2001. Since then, Schumacher have distributed a large number of products using their well established supply chains.
Schumacher BTCC
Schumacher has its own race series which it promotes in the UK, run to BRCABritish Radio Car Association
The British Radio Car Association is an organisation to promote the construction and racing of all types of radio controlled cars in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1971 by Ted Longshaw and Keith Plested, who also founder of PB Racing, who manufactured RC cars; they coordinate BRCA affiliated clubs...
rules. It features four classes:
Stock 27t, Pro-stock 19t and Modified & Brushless for any make of Touring Car
Touring car racing
Touring car racing is a general term for a number of distinct auto racing competitions in heavily-modified street cars. It is notably popular in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Scandinavia and Britain.-Characteristics of a touring car:...
. Also featured is class for its GTRe on road racer, a 3 speed electric circuit car. This class debuted in 2006, taking over from Schumacher's previous Big 6 Lotus class.The series takes place over 9 Rounds. Each rounds feature 3 qualifying heats and 2 Finals, with the best 10 final results counting to each drivers score. The Series uses Control Tyres, which are the Sorex 28R, 32R or 36R, each pre-glued with a Sorex insert and Rev-Lite wheel. For the first time, 2006 allowed the use of Tyre Warmers.
Products
As from January 2010, in alphabetical order- Schumacher CAT SX (1/10 Scale 4WD Electric Buggy)
- Schumacher FusionSchumacher FusionThe Schumacher Fusion is an on-road 1:10 scale nitro-powered radio-controlled car made by Schumacher Racing Products. It is the fastest ready-to-run 1:10 on-road car created as of 2008, featuring a 0.28 in³ engine capable of producing 2.85 horsepower at 33,000 rpm...
(1/10 Scale 4WD Fun Nitro Touring Car)
- Schumacher Havoc (1/8 Scale 2WD Nitro Stunt Truck)
- Schumacher Manic (1/8 Scale 4WD Twin-Engine Monster Truck)
- Schumacher Mi3.5 (1/10 Scale 4WD Electric Touring Car)
- Schumacher Mi4 (1/10 Scale 4WD Electric Touring Car)
- Schumacher Mi4 LP (1/10 Scale 4WD Electric Touring Car)
- Schumacher Rascal 2 (1/16 Scale 2WD Micro Nitro Truck)
- Schumacher Riot 2 (1/10 Scale 2WD Nitro Truck)
- Schumacher Swift (1/8 Scale 4WD Nitro Buggy)
Future
As of the past, times have recently changed in the RC world and 1/10 scale off-road has gained some popularity in parts of the world and Schumacher have started development on the new CAT. This has led to some excitement, with a few enthusiasts remembering the time in the past (mid 1980s to mid 1990s) when Schumacher was a dominant force in this class.Schumacher also will continue with their successful touring car and fun car range.
The following are rumoured to be in development:
- Cat 2WD buggy
The CAT 4000 prototype was seen at several BRCA National and Regional events in early 2005, but subsequently never went into production. However, Schumacher released a small amount of information on their website in January 2008, prior to the Nurnberg Toy Fair, at which they showed the CAT SX to selected media and distributors.
The CAT 2WD buggy was announced in the previously mentioned CAT SX information.
Schumacher-distributed brands
Schumacher are also known as a UK distribution point of several well-known worldwide RC brands.As of January 2010, the list stands at:
- Anderson (Electric off-road motorbike)
- A-Tech (General accessories) - Canada
- ATS (Setup gauges) - America
- Core RC (General storage accessories and LiPo batteries) - America
- CS Electronics (Electronic Speed Controls) - Germany
- Drift Factory (DVDs) - Germany
- East Coast Bodies Tune (Body shells)
- EDS (Tools) - America
- GM Racing (ESCs and brushless systems) - Germany
- Happyfly (Electric Helicopters)
- Nanda (Nitro off-road cars) - Taiwan
- Nine Eagles (Electric Helicopters)
- Nosram (ESCs and brushless systems)
- Speed Passion (ESCs and brushless systems)
- Sorex (Rubber tyres and plastic wheels) - Japan
- Titanium Racing (Aluminium and Titanium upgrade parts) - UK
- Ultimate Racing (Off-road accessories) - Spain
- Walkera (4ch Helicopters)