The 2017 edition of the Northwest Championship Tour NCT proved that outdoor off-road racing is alive and well in the Pacific NW. The six race series visited six different tracks all across the region and drew an average of 296 entries per event. The NCT utilizes a best four out of six format and in Nitro Buggy Keith Hadley had a great season by taking three class wins and finishing on the podium in each of the six rounds.
Following his split with Mugen, Cole Ogden has announced a deal with HB Racing to race the company’s off-road kits for the remainder of 2017 and into 2018. Beside attending races for his new chassis sponsor, Cole will also help with research and development of future products and he had the following to say:
I’m glad to announce that for the rest of 2017 and into 2018, I will be racing and helping develop future vehicles for HB Racing! The way the team operates on and off track is what weighed on me the most. I am super excited for this venture into the future, and I look forward to working with everyone at HB for the remainder of the year, and into the future!
Read Cole’s full statement here
ROAR have announced the dates and tracks for their National Championships for 2018. Apex Raceway and Hobbies of Murfreesboro, Tennessee will play host to the Carpet Nationals from the 8th to 11th of March. The Electric Paved On-road Nationals will be held from April 26th to 29th at Ft. Myers RC Car Club in North Ft. Myers, Florida. The 1/8th Fuel Off-Road Nationals will be run from the 14th to the 17th of June at the Southside RC Raceway in Lake City, Florida, while the 1/8th Electric Off-Road and 4WD SCT Nationals will be held at HobbyTown Hobbyplex in Omaha, Nebraska from July 19th through to the 22nd. Hobby Action RC Raceay in Chandler, Arizona will play host to the 1/10th Electric Off-road Nationals from August 16th to 19th while the Nitro On-road Nationals will be held at Nuggets Ranch Raceway in Pompano Beach, Florida from September 20th to 23rd.
Source: ROAR [roarracing.com]
Kyosho America have appointed Zachary Rogers as their new US team manager following the departure of Joe Pillars. Zack brings with him a wealth of experience and Kyosho America is looking forward to working with him. In a statement on social media Kyosho America states:
Zachary “Zack” Rogers, an accomplished Southern California racer and avid RC enthusiast for more than a decade (six of those years running Kyosho cars) is joining Kyosho America as its new US Team Manager. Zack has been a driver during six years of Joe Pillar’s tenure, plus he brings a great deal of his own personal experience and enthusiasm to the position. Zack will focus on higher quality communication with the drivers at the local and regional levels, and he will also be serving a number of roles on the Team Kyosho International. The Kyosho staff would like to welcome Zack to the Kyosho family and racing team.
Wallace Motorsports have announced the addition of Northeast front runner and ROAR national A-finalist, Gael Lambre to their nitro on-road team. Gael will pilot the WRC Racing NTX 1/10th 200mm nitro touring car through out the U.S. at both major and club level events. Gael had this to say about the new venture:
I’d like to Thank Diatta and Ben Wallace for welcoming me onto the Nitro On Road Team. They are building a strong team with great support and I look forward to working closely with the team in the near future.
Source: Wallace Motorsports [wallacemotorsports.net]
The Silly Season is starting to heat up and the next superstar driver to swap teams is Cole Ogden, who announced his departure from long-time sponsors Mugen on social media. Winner of countless high-class events, Cole has yet to announce his new home and in the meantime he had the following to say:
As of today, all great things must come to an end. With having such great success with Mugen cars over the past couple of years, I can’t say anything but great things about their cars, and it was awesome to be apart of their racing program. Although the last 2 years have flown by like it’s nothing, I have mutually parted ways with Mugen Seki Racing.
With that being said, I would like to thank everyone at Mugen for their support over the last 2 years. I’ve definitely had great times racing alongside some of the industries absolute best guys like Adam Drake, Ryan Maifield and Robert Battle! Such a humbling experience that I thoroughly enjoyed, and I would like to thank Kris Moore, Adam Drake and Tim Long for having me along for the ride over these last couple years! I wish them the best for the future and on to the next chapter.
Kyosho America has announced the departure of long-term US team manager, Joe Pillars. Member of the company’s US squad for more than a decade, Joe has helped the US team to achieve many national and international titles including multiple World Championships. While we still await Joe’s personal statement, Kyosho America posted the following on social media:
Joe Pillars, the Team Manager for Kyosho America’s racing efforts in the US and for the US members of the Kyosho International team, has left Kyosho. Joe has been a valued, professional and enthusiastic member of the Kyosho America team for more than a decade, helping to delivery numerous National and World Championship titles for Kyosho. It’s with humble gratitude that the Kyosho staff would like to thank Joe Pillars for his dedication and tremendous efforts on behalf of Kyosho, and wish him the best in his future endeavors.
The 2017 APPA Championship was held in São Paulo, Brazil last weekend, attracting some of the country’s fastest nitro and electric on-road drivers. In the 1/8th Nitro On-road category it was Roberto Nunes with the win from Marcio Lopez in 2nd and Hamilton Santos, who rounded out the top 3 podium result.
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