It’s been a few years since Chinese sim-racing peripherals manufacturer Moza took its first laps around the international market. Even if experience in the field wasn’t really part of its remit, it has to be said that the brand has done well, especially with its premium products.

Moza’s catalog includes 6 Direct Drive chainstays, several steering wheels, 3 cranksets, a shifter, a handbrake and other racing accessories. Well, in all honesty, that’s not much, especially when you compare Moza to Fanatec and its vast catalog of products. But at the same time, Fanatec has over 20 years’ experience, and I’d say Moza is doing pretty well.

Among the bases offered by the Chinese brand, we have the R12, which represents the top of the range. This base was intended to compete with the Simagic Alpha Mini, as it was the only base at the same performance/price level, but Fanatec recently released the ClubSport DD. As a result, the R12 finds itself up against 2 competitors with some experience. In what follows, we’ll take a look at this Moza base and see how it stacks up against the competition.

Main and technical characteristics of the base

• Direct Drive base with 12 nm peak torque
• Aluminium housing from the aviation industry
• PC-compatible only
• USB refresh rate of 1000 Hz
• QR D1-Spec from the competition
• Compatible with virtually all Moza Racing steering wheels and other peripherals

Moza R12 design

The design of the R12 follows the broad lines of Moza’s low-end bases. It has a characteristic X shape, which bears a striking resemblance to Fanatec’s CSL DD bases, and is almost identical to Moza’s other bases, from the R3 to the R9. To be honest, Moza bases all resemble each other in shape, with the exception of dimensions: the more powerful, the longer.

Nevertheless, this base is handsome, sober, sporting a matte black color and a few Moza logos in white. The driveshaft, and the QR base-side too, is in glossy black and goes superbly well with the rest of the base’s look. All in all, the R12 is a very handsome device, perfect for virtually any sim-racing set-up.

Customized assembly

The R12 can only be mounted from below using Moza’s Table Clamp, or directly onto a chassis. The Table Clamp allows you to attach your base to virtually any piece of furniture in your home, without worrying too much about damaging it. 12 nm of torque is a lot, but it’s not much either.

As far as chassis are concerned, the R12 is compatible with practically all those available on the market, and the assembly operation is very easy to carry out as the hardware (screws and bolts) is supplied with it.

However, you only have bottom mounting, which is perfectly normal as far as I’m concerned, given that the R12 is a low/mid-range product and is therefore aimed at a public that isn’t necessarily a sim-racing pro.

Manufacturing and finishing

In terms of materials, the Chinese manufacturer has turned to aircraft-derived aluminum for the base housing. The result is a rather light device, even if it weighs in at over 8 kg. However, the R12 is not equipped with a ventilation system, as the housing acts as a radiator to keep the engine and electronics cool.

As for the finish, it’s a very well-made device, nothing to say about that. The base is made up of several parts, including 2 plates (front and rear) which attach to the central part. There are no manufacturing defects, burrs or gaps between parts. Everything is perfect, I must say, and you can feel that the product is of very high quality when you hold it in your hand.

Getting to know the base

There’s not much to say on this point, except that the base is rather compact with dimensions of 225 x 156 x 123 cm. You’ll only need to take it in hand to install it on your setup, and it’ll stay there, unless you’re a nomadic rider on the move with your sim-racing gear.

As for the QR, it’s Moza Racing’s renowned one, based on the D1-Spec, and offers an ultra-solid connection between flywheel and driveshaft, as well as being free from flex or any other movement. It’s one of the best on the market today, and very easy to use with Moza Racing steering wheels.

Sensations during play

In the Direct Drive base range, the R12 is positioned at the top end of the medium-power segment, ahead of the R16 and R21. In terms of feel, the R12 doesn’t disappoint at all, especially if you’re coming from a less powerful product.

Feedback is precise, linear, well granulated and also well dosed. For example, when you’re cornering, you’ll be able to feel the slight effects of the tires or the slight changes in surface, something you can’t always tell from the R9, for example.

For seasoned racers who have already tried out an R9 and R16, the R12 will seem like a more powerful, more communicative R9, and above all less prone to clipping. Oh yes, this little toy from Moza Racing still puts out 12 nm of peak torque, which is a lot more than 9 nm.

Another point worth mentioning is the fact that this base, the R12, allows you to enjoy large steering wheels, those up to 33 cm in diameter, without saturating because of the additional weight of the wheel. As far as I’m concerned, this is an advantage over the R9, especially if you like steering wheels of the same size as those on cars.

Moza R12 base compatibility

This base is compatible with virtually all Moza peripherals, except the CS and GS V1 steering wheels. The reason for this is that communication between the base and these steering wheels is no longer via Bluetooth, and this is the case for the entire current Moza range thanks to the new QR.

As far as sim-racing titles and platforms are concerned, you won’t have any problems with games, as long as they work properly on PC. Also, the R12 is only compatible with this platform, which is the case for the entire Moza ecosystem, with the exception of the R3 bundle.

However, this base can prove temperamental with Forza Horizon 4 and 5, but this problem is inherent between Moza’s peripherals and these Microsoft games.

Value for money

At €649 from Moza’s authorized distributor in France, the R12 is considerably less expensive than Fanatec’s direct competitor, the ClubSport DD. In view of its performance, its excellent build quality and its software, which allows advanced configuration of the base, the R12’s value for money is very good indeed, as far as I’m concerned.

My verdict on the R12 base from Moza Racing

It was a real surprise to test Moza Racing’s R12, especially after getting our hands on an R9 that clearly doesn’t measure up to the competition and is aimed primarily at the entry-level market.

With the R12, Moza competes with other brands on their own turf, such as Simagic, and we had to wait a long time before Fanatec retaliated with its ClubSport DD. Is the R12 a viable base for sim-racing? Of course it is!

If you’re a fan of realistically dimensioned steering wheels while looking for the sweet spot of Direct Drive bases, the R12 is clearly what you need. Admittedly, Moza’s ecosystem is rather light compared with Fanatec, which enjoys an almost legendary aura, but you’ll find everything you need from the Chinese manufacturer for sim-racing.