MINI;Z RACING
One of the biggest Mini-Z races of the year
takes place at RCX.
In a world where bigger is better, it’s easy to overlook some of the small things in life. And by small things, I mean Mini-Zs. ;ese miniature marvels of technology are packed with more RC goodness per square inch than anything else out there. To find
out more about of what I’ve been missing, I talked to San Jose, CA, local and Mini-Z racer
Elliott Miyashiro.
Mini-Z is the brand name for a line of miniature electric
cars made by Kyosho. Measuring in at 1/28 scale, these
cars were first released in 1999 and have been going
strong ever since. ;ey feature highly detailed and
painted bodies, integrated electronics, and proportional
steering; they’re as fun to drive as they are to look at.
;at’s all fine and good, but what’s the big deal? ;ey’re
just small scale cars. ;e big deal is that these things
are an absolute blast to race, and they can be fully
tuned and optioned out just like any good hobby-grade
RC vehicle. What’s more, Mini-Zs are raced almost
exclusively indoors, which means you can race all year
round, rain or shine. A racing season that never ends?
Yes, please.
Because these palm-sized cars don’t need tons of
room to run in, massive and complex track layouts
are possible even in the smallest areas. You wouldn’t
see a bridge or an underpass too often in 1/10 scale
racing, but in the Mini-Z world there are plenty of
tracks out there with them. ;ere are many modular
track options available on the market, which makes
assembly and transportation of the track itself a quick
and easy process. Some racing clubs even hold events
in shopping malls; the view of the track from the upper
floors is incredible, and the crowd loves the action. Mom
shops while dad and the kids race. It’s a win-win-win.
quickly and are di;cult
to counteract, but a bit
of tuning and staggering
of tire compounds is all
it takes to dial out any
unfriendly behavior. Setup
tips are rarely a secret
around a Mini-Z track;
racers share setup tips
more often than not in
the interest of everyone
having a better time.
Top secret setups and
fancy upgrades don’t
matter nearly as much as driving clean lines around
the corners. Everybody is happier when there’s more
door-to-door action—the cars are small but the racing
is huge.
As with any type of RC racing, there are many
di;erent classes from which to choose. ;ere
are Expert Stock and Sportsman Stock
classes, Modified G T, and even a
couple of pan car classes—
just to name a
;e popular MR-02EX
drives as good as it
looks.
DON’T CALL THEM CUTE Mini-Zs are a little twitchier to drive than larger RC cars, but it doesn’t ake long at all to get used to. Spinouts and slides do tend to happen very
