March 28, 2007

Ilia van Gastel leaves Sirio?

Ilia van Gastel

To continue our long running look into the partnership breakdown between Kyosho and Sirio, we today heard a rumour, that backed up something we heard a while back, that multiple Belgian Champion and Euros podium finisher Ilia van Gastel has not re-signed to use Sirio engines. Van Gastel is of course a factory sponsored Kyosho racer and his abandoning Sirio as an engine partner is in keeping with the other Kyosho factory racers Collari, Bertin, Cyrul and Shimo who have all abandoned Sirio as their engine supplier in recent months.

So where does Van Gastel go from here? Should he choose Novarossi like 7 time World Champion Collari or choose the Team Orion CRF like Cyrul and Bertin or perhaps go for some other manufacturer? Who knows, but we’re sure to find out soon, as the new outdoor season is about to start up.

UPDATE: According to a number of e-mails from other top European racers that i have received and also the current entry list (PDF) from the 1/8th scale EFRA GP that will be held at the end of April, Ilia will race Team Orion CRF engines.

Image: JE Racing [jeracing.eu]

March 23, 2007

New Kyosho big bore shock absorbers

Kyosho Big Bore shock absorbers

Our mate Phil, over at the Neo Buggy Industries, has the first exclusive shots of the all new big bore shock absorbers for the Kyosho inferno. These shocks have been seen on the cars of Yuichi Kanai and Cody King at this weeks Silver State race, but World Champ Mark Pavidis didnt get a set, and by the looks of them they are in the pre production stage of development. For those techies out there i can inform you that the new shocks have an outside body diameter of 18mm with an inner diameter of 16mm and the pistons currently have 4 holes.

Source: Neo Buggy [neo-buggy.net]

March 21, 2007

Gil Losi Jr joins Kyosho America

Gil Losi Jr joins Kyosho America

Well it seems i’m the last person to get the news that Gil Losi Jr has joined Kyosho America, as my mailbox was full this morning with people telling me about it, damn that time difference. So heres the lowdown from Kyosho.

Gil Losi, Jr., an icon in the RC business and co-founder of Team Losi(tm), is coming to Kyosho America. Beginning in April, Losi will join the Kyosho America team as R&D Director in an effort to better align Kyosho products with the US market.

Continue reading… content

March 10, 2007

Team Kyosho Sweatshirts

Kyosho Sweaters

You have seen these 2 different sweaters before in the Cody King / Ryan Lutz announcement we ran a few days ago, well now Kyosho America have announced the release of both the normal and hooded sweater. Each sweatshirt is printed with the large graphic on front, the Kyosho logo on the left sleeve, and a smaller “K” oval on the back. These top-of-the-line heavy weight sweatshirts feature ultra-soft fleece on the inside and soft, plush 100-percent cotton face.

Source: Kyosho America [kyoshoamerica.com]

March 9, 2007

Clement wins the RC Pro Arizona Series

Trevor Clement

Trevor Clement has won the RC Pro Arizona Series, claiming more podium finishes than any other driver on his way to the crown. Racing in the Arena truck class, Clement used a Kyosho ST-R truggy to drive his way to his successes in a series which enjoyed some serious competition from top factory drivers leading up to the running of The Dirt Nitro Challenge that was held 2 weeks ago. In the sportsman buggy class it was Paul Yaun, piloting a 777 SP2, that took the overall title and in doing so won a 777 ST-R donated by Kyosho America.

Source: Kyosho America [kyoshoamerica.com]

March 8, 2007

King and Lutz sign with Sirio and KO Propo

King and Lutz

We are going to run with the Kyosho press release as it tells you everything you need to know about whats going on this cool promo photo.

Kyosho America factory drivers Cody King and Ryan Lutz have signed with Sirio and KO Propo for the 2007 racing season. Both drivers will be running the new Sirio Evo III STI off-road engine in the buggy and truggy classes, and using the latest KO Propo EX-10 Helios C2 Limited Edition radio system. The power of the Sirio engine and precision of the KO Helios C2 means both drivers will have top-quality support equipment, virtually eliminating concerns about reliable control, consistent performance and maximum horsepower, which gives them more time find the fastest line around the racetrack. It’s World Champion hardware for the next generation of champions!

Source: Kyosho America [kyoshoamerica.com]

March 6, 2007

Takaaki Shimo leaves Sirio

Takaaki Shimo leaves Sirio

We have heard whisperings that former Japanese National Champion and World Championship Vice Champion Takaaki Shimo has left Sirio engines with immediate effect, although we have yet to receive confirmation of his new engine supplier. Shimo as we all know is a top Kyosho racer and very close to the factory and with this latest move further confirms a split between the Japanese car manufacturer and the Italian engine manufacturer, no matter how much Star Motor wants to deny it. Shimo joins fellow Kyosho racers Bertin, Collari, Cyrul who have all left Sirio with Collari choosing Novarossi and Cyrul and Bertin going for the Team Orion CRF engines to power their cars. We have talked a lot about this matter in the past and believe that there is definitely a shift within Kyosho to move away from Sirio but until we receive some official confirmation from either party we cant say for sure.

February 16, 2007

Kyosho Ultima RB5 – full details

Kyosho Ultima RB5

During the Nurnberg toy fair a few weeks back we showed you some pictures of Kyoshos all new 2wd competition buggy, the Ultima RB5. We didnt have any more information on the car other than what we could see and the little bits that we had read, so now that Kyosho have released the complete details of this completely new car we have decided to post all the information right here for you reading and viewing pleasure.

To view all the pictures and the full product release go here… content

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