Two Radium boards, 3,500 kilometers from home, and less than 24 hours to prepare a prototype that was never meant to race. That's how we rolled into Perth for the 2024 AUSPEV Nationals—Australia's premier electric skateboard racing championship.
Liam and Dylan represented Radium at the event, with Dylan piloting XP4 fresh off an 18S ESC upgrade that pushed power from the standard 8kW to 10kW. The plan was simple: bring our 2024 Mach One production boards, dial them in, and show what a premium street board could do against purpose-built race machines.
Then our shipment didn't arrive.
The 24-Hour Scramble
While XP4 was already configured with li-po batteries (packed for the flight!), Liam's ride was stuck in transit. With less than a day before departure, we grabbed the XP3 prototype—never intended for competition—and hastily converted it to a li-po battery system. XP3 was racing, ready or not.
But the drama wasn't over. After landing in Perth, we got a call from Jetstar—Dylan's board was still in Melbourne. Despite showing airport staff twice that the battery had been removed, they flagged it anyway. What followed was a series of back-and-forth calls where we ended up walking a customer service representative through how to remove the deck with an allen key to prove there was no battery inside, texting photos of what the removed battery pack actually looks like. We finally got the board later that night, just before the first practice session.
High Voltage
The weekend kicked off with a test session at High Voltage, Perth's indoor concrete track. The SR125 wheels delivered surprising grip on the smooth surface, and Dylan clocked a 29.1-second lap on the soft compound. Respectable, but the locals Tas Venturas and Jeff Cameron had been grinding this track down to the 26-27 second range on 6-inch Nova tires. We knew we needed Novas to compete.
Friday Qualifying
Qualifying moved outdoors to Cockburn International Kartway, where the speeds ramped up fast. Dylan hit 79 kph on the main straight and qualified P6 behind Jeff, Tas and some other great riders. Liam, struggling for grip on aged hard SR125s, topped out at 72 kph but secured P12—enough to make pro class despite XP3's compromised setup.
Murphy's Law Strikes
Race day ran a best-of-three heat format. Dylan consistently launched harder than Jeff off the line—that 10kW pulling strong—but without the 4WD braking power of the race boards, he kept overshooting turn 4, allowing Jeff to slip past on the inside for a consistent P3 finish across all heats.
Liam's day took a different turn. Mid-way through heat two, XP3 suffered complete power loss accelerating onto the main straight. The diagnosis came quick, with the prototype anti-spark switch failing under sustained high power draw. It was never designed for racing abuse. The Perth community stepped up immediately, helping us bypass the electronic switch and getting XP3 running again for the final heat. P12 secured.
No Practice, No Problem
Sunday morning brought the 15-lap indoor endurance race and a wheel setup puzzle solved by the racing community. Tas lent us Nova tires, Lochie provided Trampa hubs, and Jeff supplied bearings. We had the grip we needed—but a scheduling mix-up meant Dylan arrived with only minutes to spare, with zero practice time on the Novas.
The formation lap was tense. Dylan reported zero grip and near-panic. By lap three, heat was in the tires and grip arrived. What followed was an intense battle with Chris Baff, fighting for P3 against 4WD race boards on three-link trucks right through to the finish.
The Results
Dylan brought home an overall P3 podium finish in Eskate Pro class, with Jeff taking P2 and Tas claiming P1 on their home turf. Event sponsors loaded Dylan up with prizes, including a Propel Endeavor off-road board.
Beyond the Track
The AUSPEV event itself was exceptionally well-executed—accurate lap monitoring, on-time schedule, great atmosphere, and well-organized group rides throughout the weekend. Another test came after the podium ceremony, when we joined an off-road ride through rocky mountain bike trails on the same boards we'd just raced. It was brutal, sketchy, and exactly the kind of durability test we love putting the Mach One through, proving it's more than a premium street machine.
What We Learned
The real story here is Dylan. P3 overall with minimal racing experience, almost no practice time, and a board that's objectively slower than the purpose-built race machines he was up against. That's not the equipment—that's the rider. We're proud to have him representing Radium.
We also walked away with a deep appreciation for what AUSPEV has built. The event was professionally run from start to finish, and the community support we received—from loaned tires to emergency repairs—showed exactly the kind of culture that helps a sport grow. AUSPEV is running multiple events in 2025, and if this weekend was any indication, Australian eskate racing is heading somewhere good.
As for us? We learned a lot about what it takes to be competitive on the track, and we'll be coming back stronger.
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