Readers Rides – 83 MPH Castle Powered HPI Baja 5B

Everybody likes making high speed passes, it is one of the ultimate tests of power, skill, and tuning ability. Recently we caught up with Albert Gwaltney, a BigSquidRC reader who has been putting up some impressive numbers with his 5th Scale HPI Baja 5B. You see, Albert’s HPI Baja is regularly breaking the 80 mph mark, something that is NOT easy to do for a 5th scaler. What makes his Baja so fast? Read on to find out…

* A number of Castle Creations products are used to power the Baja. A Castle brushless conversion kit takes the Baja from gas to electric, while a Castle Mamba XL2 ESC is mated to a Castle 2028 800kV motor for outrageous power. To keep up with the tremendous current draw on 8S worth of LiPo batteries, Castle 6.5mm battery connectors are used.

* If you’ve ever run high speed, then you already know how important tires are. BRP Slick Tires are run both front and rear to make sure the Baja stays glued to the ground.

* A Pro-Line Racing Desert Rat Body keeps the buggy looking sharp, while the custom paint job was applied by Chadlin Andrews.

* IRP Hub Adapters are used to mount the BRP wheels to the Baja, and look pretty trick while doing so.

* Integy zero degree rear carriers make sure the rear wheels are pointed straight so as to not scrub off any extra speed.

* To make the Baja easier to drive at insane speeds, a custom made RCDex rear wing and wheelie bar have been installed.

* For other electronics, a Futaba 4PLS transmitter is used for its extremely long range and glitch free performance, while a Solar D772 servo handles the steering duties. A Hobbico LiFe Source 1800 is used as the receiver battery.

* Finishing up the list of mods, a TGN Monster Locker is used to put maximum power to the ground. Fast Lane Machine hardened tranny gears are used to handle all the insane power, while OBR spur gears and Kershaw Designs pinions keep the gearing dialed in to perfection.

You can catch Albert wringing out his HPI Baja nearly every weekend with the STL Drag Club and the St Louis Missouri RC Freaks. Like all you guys out there, he is constantly adjusting it and changing things to tweak out even more speed. Do you have a fast car too? If so, shoot us an email at the “Contact Us” link at the very bottom of this page and maybe we’ll do a feature on it too!