September 17, 2013

Green & Beal win at BRCA 10th on-road nats Rd8

Green & Beal win BRCA 200m nats Rd8

Round 8 of the British 200mm nationals was held at the Snetterton circuit last weekend. The weather forecast did not look good for both Saturday and Sunday but surprisingly the field managed to get through the event with only a couple of short showers. Unfortunately the track rarely gets used throughout the year so it was very slippery when drivers arrived on Saturday morning. It was well into the afternoon before the grip came up and it was at this point where the lap times got quicker and quicker right up until the end of practice. Mark Green was setting the pace fresh from his podium finish at the European Championships by getting down to 12.4 laptimes. Serpent teammates Joe Kerry and Alex Thurston were also very quick only 0.1 seconds behind Mark. At the end Mark took the TQ just 1.5 seconds ahead of Joe, with Alex a further 2 seconds behind. These three drivers were the only ones able to make 24 laps.

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September 17, 2013

Kevin Pignotti wins Modified at Italian nationals

Kevin Pignotti wins Modified at Italian nationals

The Italian electric on-road nationals was held at the Gubbio track last weekend. This year the championship would be decided in a single event with about 100 participants. The race started with practice sessions on Friday followed by two timed practice sessions and three of five qualifiers on Saturday with the remaining qualifying heats and finals on Sunday. In qualifying Francesco Martini (Xray) took the overall TQ followed by Alessandro Brunelli (Serpent), Kevin Pignotti (Associated) and Diego Macchioni (Xray). A main number 1 had Alessandro Brunelli taking the win in front of top qualifier Francesco Martini while disaster struck for both drivers in leg number two when they had a coming together resulting in 7th and 8th place finishes gifting Diego Macchioni the win from Kevin Pignotti. In the last A main both Francesco and Alessandro again had average runs meaning they would not be able to fight for the title. Kevin Pignotti took the win from Alessandro and Diego handing Kevin the overall win and the 2013 Modified class title. Alessandro was able to take the runner-up spot with Diego Macchioni ending up in third place overall.

Source: Serpent [serpent.com]


September 17, 2013

Rene Fischer wins RC LeMans Series Rd6

Rene Fischer wins RC LeMans Series Rd6

The 6th round of the RC LeMans Series took place at the MCC Rhein Ahr track in Bad Breisig, Germany. Saturday’s practice session was pretty much washed away by the weather but come Sunday the clouds and rain made way for good weather. After the qualifying heats Tim Altmann took TQ in front of Marcel Ellissen and Tobias Weist who completed the top 3. In the finals Rene Fischer, coming from fourth on the grid, shifted to overdrive taking leg 1 and 2 to take the day’s win early. The final leg went to Tobias Weist who secured the runner-up spot. Frank Büsener completed the podium. Peter Plümacher and Jochen Essl took the B-final and C-final win respectively, the fastest youngster was Phillip Paul in 12th position.

Thanks to Frank Büsener for sending the report.


September 17, 2013

Laurent Libar wins Luxembourg 1/8 on-road nats Rd5

Laurent Libar wins Luxembourg 1/8 on-road nationals Rd5

Round 5 of the Luxembourg 1/8th nitro on-road nationals took place at the LMCC track in Luxembourg. Mixed weather conditions made things interesting and it was Jacques Libar who took the pole position in front of Alexey Yaramishyan and Laurent Libar. The 30-minute main final saw the Xray driver Laurent Libar cross the finishing line in first position, followed by his brother Jacques Libar with Xray in 2nd and Patrick Beltrallo with Motonica in 3rd. With this result, Jacques Libar also took the Luxembourg 1/8th nitro on-road national title for 2013.

Source: Serpent [serpent.com]


September 16, 2013

Protoform 1971 Pontiac Firebird VTA body

Protoform 1971 Pontiac Firebird VTA body

Protoform introduce the 1971 Pontiac Firebird VTA body shell. The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am was one of the signature cars of the former full-scale series, and now Protoform has captured its trademark look in the release of the ’71 model for the VTA 1/10th scale racing class. From its aggressive front beak, to the duck tail-style rear spoiler, to the mother of all macho items – the shaker hood scoop – no detail was overlooked. The front nose cone is moulded separately, and when mounted with the 2mm screws and/or liquid adhesive, it becomes an integral part of the body. Because this area of a race body is the most prone to racing wear and tear, a second nose is included. The body comes clear, including nose mounting hardware and a large decal sheet and it fits virtually every 200mm touring car chassis and as well as 190mm cars equipped with off-set wheels.

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September 16, 2013

Pietsch & Gassauer win at 1/8th on-road nationals

Pietsch & Gassauer win at 1/8th on-road nationals

The 2013 German 1/8th nitro on-road nationals took place this past weekend at the MSC Kirchhain track. Mixed weather conditions tortured the drivers who competed in the faster class 1 and the more hobby oriented class 2. In class 1 Mugen’s Robert Pietsch took home the winning honours in front of Shepherd driver Oliver Mack and Shepherd team mate Maximilan Vogl who grabbed the 2013 Youth title. Michael Salven (Serpent) came in fourth securing him the “Old Dude” title with Philip Sting (Serpent) completing the top 5.

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September 16, 2013

Tamiya TRF418 – First images

Tamiya TRF418 – First images

As expected some weeks ago japanese company Tamiya introduced their new TRF418 touring car during this week’s Tokyo Hobby Show. The revised top-of-the-foodchain TC sports a large array of new parts such as a new upper and lower deck as well as a new carbon fibre bumper brace and rear shock tower. On the aluminium side of things the 418 has redesigned front and rear bulkhead parts, new front bulkhead covers, a new motor and layshaft mount and an updated spool body and new 20T pulleys to offer. The new motor and layshaft mount separates the parts from the upper deck allowing for more torsional flex while the steering knuckles make for a more linear steering feeling. Other updated parts include revised front and rear A-arms for the use with ball-type anti-roll bars, new steering knuckles and rear hubs, as well as updated springs and spool outdrives with the latter scrubbing 2g of weight from the drivetrain. We bring you more information on the 418 kit as soon as we get them.

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September 16, 2013

Sweep Silicone high viscosity ball differential grease

Sweep Silicone high viscosity ball differential grease

Sweep introduce their new silicone grease for ball differentials. It is of thicker viscosity than standard diff grease making it stick to the pressure plates longer increasing their lifespan and that of the diff balls. The grease is also good for the use on thrust bearings as well as sealed bearings and is recommended for any heavy-duty application where high pressures or loads are occur. The grease works in a large temperature range of -30°C up to 200°C and has a good resistance to moisture and water.

Source: Sweep [sweepracing.com]