Team Losi

Team Losi
Type Public
Industry Racing
Founded circa 1980
Headquarters Ontario, California
Key people Bill Jeric, Jukka Steenari, Adam Drake, Mike Truhe, Richard Trujillo
Products Radio-controlled Cars
Website www.losi.com

Team Losi (also referred to as Losi, Team Losi Racing or TLR) is a USA based radio-controlled car manufacturer founded by Gil Losi in the late-1980s and is owned by Horizon Hobby.

Contents

History of Team Losi

Team Losi's first vehicle, the JRX2, was a 1/10 Scale 2wd Off-Road racing buggy. When it was released to the public in 1988, the JRx-2 featured many innovations that were unheard of at the time, from its unique 5-link rear suspension arms, carbon-graphite chassis, and all-natural rubber racing tires, the JRX2 set the stage for technological advancement and innovation. Team Losi, along with Team Associated, have helped shape the R/C industry into what it is today. The JRx-T was the first "purpose built" electric stadium trucks that didn't require racers to modify an existing buggy. The JRx-Pro SE was the first competition buggy to come standard with a molded composite chassis in an era where stamped aluminum and graphite plates were the standard. The Street Weapon was not only Team Losi's first on-road Sedan, but also the first IFMAR IWC Touring Car Championship Chassis.

Present Day

Losi vehicles are being designed by former IFMAR World Champion Jukka Steenari as well as many other talented engineers and product managers. Losi prides itself on its racing heritage, which includes multiple ROAR and NORRCA National Titles, European Titles, and IFMAR World Championships. In recent years, Losi has expanded their product line to include Ready to Run cars and trucks, Monster Trucks, and have recently dominated the super competitive 1/8 scale Buggy market.

The current product line-up from Team Losi Racing includes vehicles for just about every RC application. The Team Losi XXX-CR, XXX-TCR, and XXX-4 Graphite Plus all carry the Losi banner in electric 1/10 scale off road races. The JRX-S Type R is Losi's marquee touring car. In 1/8 scale off-road Losi has refined the ever popular 8ight Buggy and Truggy to create the 8ight 2.0 Buggy and 8ight-T 2.0 Truggy. With the oncoming popularity of 1/8 electric off-road, there is the 8ight-E 2.0 Race Roller. For Oval and Late Model enthusiasts the 1/8 Light Model Race Roller is offered. To round out the race vehicle lineup is the 1/10 Competition Rock Crawler Race Roller.

Vehicles included in the Losi line-up include a wide range of vehicle types. For Monster Truck fans, there's the Aftershock and the LST XXL. Mini sized offerings include the Mini-T, Mini-LST as well as a Mini LST 2. Two XXX-T RTR's are available, one that comes equipped with a Team Trinity 19T Motor and a second that includes a Team Novak Brushless motor system. On-road fans have the Drift-R Sedan RTR. Losi has added a new truck, one of the first ever 1/36 scale RC trucks, called the Micro-T. The dirt oval racing enthusiast can choose from the, 1/10 Slider RTR, 1/18 Mini-Slider RTR, 1/18 Late Model RTR, and the 1/8 L8ight Model.

Company Information

In the late 1990s, Ernie Provetti's company (Trinity) bought a 50% stake in Losi. Most (if not all) Losi Factory Drivers were using Trinity motors or batteries at the time. However, the partnership lasted only a few months before the two companies split.

Gil Losi Sr. of Team Losi sold the Team Losi brand to Horizon Hobby in 2001. Losi continues to operate in Southern California alongside Horizon Hobby.

Other, unusual items produced or endorsed by Losi include the PlayStation video game "Team Losi: R/C Racer" and a Team Losi line of high-performance yo-yos designed by Steve Brown. These were the 'Cherry Bomb', 'Da Bomb' and the 'Grim Sleeper', both using Losi race-specification ball bearings.

In March 2007, Gil Losi, Jr., co-founder of Losi, left Losi for Kyosho America.

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