VehiclesTeam Associated

Team Associated

Team Associated is the racing brand of Associated Electrics, a Southern California company that started as a slot car track in 1964.1

VehiclesHistory and background

Founded
19641
Headquarters
Lake Forest, California2
Company
Associated Electrics, Inc.; merged with Thunder Tiger in 20052,3
Sister brands
Reedy, Factory Team, Element RC4

Key models

Team Associated vehicles

Truggies

Buggy chassis with wider arms and truck tires

Stadium trucks

Crawlers

Trail trucks, scalers and rock racers

Touring and pan cars

Drift

Street

Street bashers, speed-run, muscle and drag cars

Rally

About Team Associated

What it stands for

Associated says its founders "applied slot car technology to the design instead of applying model airplane technology like the others had."2 It credits its record to teamwork: "It's taken a team to design, develop, and race championship-winning cars and trucks."4 Sister brands Reedy and Factory Team cover power systems and performance parts, and Element RC builds trail trucks around "fun, family, community, and global exploration."4

Known for

The RC10. It won the first ROAR national and IFMAR world championships, and for six years after its first world title Associated could not keep up with demand for it.8,9 In 2015 the RC10 was added to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, in a hands-on invention exhibit meant to encourage children toward STEM education.8 The RC10 name carries through its race buggies, from the RC10B7 to the RC10B74.2.

Product portfolio

The range is built around race kits. RC10 2WD and 4WD buggies, stadium trucks and short course trucks come as Team Kits that racers build and fit with their own electronics, and the RC8 1/8 buggies come in nitro and electric versions. Ready-to-run models cover the rest: Pro2 and Pro4 short course trucks, the RB10 buggy, Rival MT10 and MT8 monster trucks, DR10 drag and DC10 drift cars, the Apex2 rally car, the 1/7 SR7 and the 1/14 Reflex 14 minis. The CR12 was its first scale crawler, and trail trucks sit with sister brand Element RC.4,7

Racing record

Team Associated counts 35 IFMAR World Championships through 2025, from the RC100 in 1977 to Marcus Kaerup's two titles in 2025.5,10 Just over half came in 1/10 electric off-road and most of the rest in 1/12 electric on-road. Masami Hirosaka won seven of them with Associated cars between 1988 and 2004, in both off-road and 1/12 on-road.5

Timeline

  1. 1964Roger Curtis and Lee Yurada open Associated Raceway, a slot car track.1
  2. 1969Curtis moves the company into radio-controlled cars.4
  3. 1977First IFMAR World Championship, in 1/8 on-road gas with the RC100.5
  4. 1984Curtis designs the RC10, a 1/10 electric off-road buggy.2
  5. 1985RC10s finish first, second and third at the first 1/10 off-road IFMAR World Championships.2,5
  6. 1987The RC10 forces a move to a larger building in Costa Mesa.2
  7. 2005Merges with Thunder Tiger.2,3
  8. 2007Moves to Lake Forest.2
  9. 2024The RC10B7 Team Kit.6

Sources

  1. Associated Electrics, Roger Curtis of Team Associated Receives 2013 RC Hall of Fame Award, 6 June 2013.
  2. Associated Electrics, Company Roots.
  3. Wikipedia, Associated Electrics.
  4. Associated Electrics, #WeAreAE.
  5. Associated Electrics, IFMAR World Titles.
  6. Associated Electrics, RC10B7 Team Kit press release, 3 January 2024.
  7. Big Squid RC, Team Associated CR12 Trail Series Ford F-150, 17 May 2018.
  8. LiveRC, Flashback Friday: Team Associated RC10 displayed in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, 24 August 2017.
  9. Associated Electrics, Inside Story on the RC10.
  10. Associated Electrics, Marcus Kaerup Wins Team Associated's 35th IFMAR World Championship Driving the B84D, 2025.