Bezerk from Australia have announced the release of new carbon fibre option parts for the Xray XB2 2020 buggy. First up is a beefed up front tower that has material added in strategically placed areas in order to improve rigidity. The shock stay mimics the standard suspension geometry and it is available in 3.0mm, 4.0mm and 5.0mm glossy carbon fibre.
Round 5 of the popular Herts Nitro Model Club Winter Series attracted 75 racers with dry weather making for good racing conditions all day. In the Nitro Buggy class it was Jamie Clancy with the overall TQ while E-Buggy was top qualified by Richard Miller. The main Nitro Buggy A-final was another epic battle between Joni Skidmore and Jamie Clancy under the flood lights with the lead changing constantly on the last few laps. Ultimately it was Jamie Clancy with the win from Joni Skidmore 2nd and Lewis Jones in 3rd. The E-Buggy A-main had Richard Miller taking the overall win from Tony Verboom in 2nd and Holger Lykke in 3rd.
Source: BRCA [brca.org]
Serpent have announced the release of their Cobra SRX8 GTe LWB long wheelbase 1/8th electric on-road kit. Designed specifically for the more realistic, licensed bodies that look like full scale racing cars, the LWB version of the GTe uses the same proven suspension geometry and drivetrain, while the updated battery mounting position provides even better weight distribution, allowing for multiple LiPo configurations whilst enhancing the handling performance. The core of the chassis is a 7075-T6 aluminium main that utilises the minimum possible kick-up angle to comply with ROAR and IFMAR rules while aluminium suspension mounts ensure very wide caster angle, toe and anti-squat adjustments. Additional roll centre shims further increase the setting range while black and silver all-aluminium bulkheads, centre diff mounts, motor mount and motor plate create a very sturdy chassis backbone. The overall design enables the racer to extract the front and rear differentials as well as the centre spool in a matter of seconds while allowing for four different differential height positions.
The Swedish Furulund RC Club held their RC Meeting race this past weekend. In 2WD Modified Buggy it was Jessica Palsson with the overall TQ after winning two of the three qualifying rounds. The triple A-mains then saw Jessica with a clean sweep, taking wins in all three A-mains secured her the overall win from Mikael Palsson in 2nd while Stefan Palsson completed the overall top 3 result from Pontus Magnusson and Jonas Johansson. Over in 4WD Mod Buggy it was Ludwig Albertz with the overall win from Roger and Linus Olsson in 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Image: Jessica Palsson
The Swedish Tomelilla Motor club held their annual Mellandags this past weekend in 2WD and 4WD Buggy classes. HB Racing’s Hampus Berg was the man to beat as he took the overall TQs in both categories and he also brought home double wins, leaving behind fellow HB Racing pilot, Oscar Berg in 2nd and Team Associated’s Joel Rosengren in 3rd in the 2WD class. In 4WD it was Joel Rosengren and Martin Nilsson who would round out the top 3 result behind winner Hampus.
View the 4WD top 3 podium here
Coming from Traxxas is a new LED light kit for the Maxx 4WD monster truck. Built to handle brutal real-world punishment, this light kit is waterproof and built Traxxas Tough for maximum fun. The included high voltage amplifier packs the muscle to efficiently power the high-power light bar, while minimising losses from excessive current and heat. The tightly regulated output provides stable lighting performance, without flickering or dimming as the battery voltage changes. The smart brake lights work when brakes are applied in both forward and reverse directions. This eliminates the common and annoying problem with generic aftermarket systems that turn on the brake lights while reversing. Wiring is simple: Plug the main connector from the power amplifier into the power port on the Traxxas VXL-4s electronic speed control, and then plug the individual lighting modules into the power amplifier. Drivers can switch between three manual lighting modes on the power amplifier, such as high beam and low beam, or use the Traxxas Link app and #6511 Wireless Module to control individual lights remotely and create custom lighting configurations. The set includes the front and rear LED bars, replacement bumpers with LED cutouts, an 8-channel amplifier and mounting hardware.
In a shock and totally unexpected decision, Infinity has terminated its contract with electric touring car icon Marc Rheinard. Having joined the touring car newcomers at the start of the 2017 season after a 22-year long relationship with Tamiya, the news comes just two days after fellow countryman Yannic Prumper announced on social media that he had been dropped from the team despite still being in contract. One of the sport’s all time greats with four World titles to his credit, Rheinard revealed he was without a team for 2020 on social media posting the following statement:
Having taken a few days to come to terms with a shock decision I received just days before Christmas, I want to let you know that my contract with Creation Model/Infinity has been terminated with immediate effect. I didn’t see this decision coming as my contract was set to run until the end of 2023. I can’t really explain why I got fired as there was no real reasons in the mail I got. My results were pretty decent including winning twice the Reedy Race of Champions, Nationals and ETS so I don’t believe this was the reason. Only the second team I have raced for in my touring car career I had three interesting years with Infinity with many ups and downs but I must now prepare to move on. The timing of their decision to drop me from the team has meant there has been no time for me to find a sponsor for 2020 yet.
In the meantime, I will start to work for ToniSport now and then see how things go and whether I can find a new sponsor. Until then, I will race representing Tonisport and chose cars I like. A big thanks to my brother Toni for taking me on board in his company and I’m really excited for this new adventure in my life. As the car was not really on point at most races, I’ll come back stronger than ever. See you at the track very soon.
RC Maker have introduced their new floating electronics weight plate for the Xray T4 2020 touring car. The plate puts weight where it is needed most, to get the car up to he minimum weight and balanced. The set includes a carbon shim which floats it 0.5mm off the chassis from near to the centre of the car, meaning the plate itself has minimal to no impact on the flex of the chassis. On top of the plate, there is a 10g of brass weight to secure it in place. The plate attaches to the often unused antenna mount hole. If drivers still want to use this antenna mount, they can use an extra long screw through the lower weight, and thread the antenna mount on-top. The plate itself is 1mm thick and weighs in at 12g. The set coming in at 22g is a brilliant way to meet the limit, balance the car and have no impact on the flex characteristics of the chassis at the same time. Another added bonus, is owners can change chassis or clean the car, and simply remove the receiver, transponder and fan simply by undoing one screw. If drivers are after more weight for the car, RC Maker have a 1.5mm option plate available weighing in at 20g which can either replace the 1mm plate to bring the overall weight up to 30g, or added to the 1mm plate to make a total of 2.5mm, bringing it all the way up to 42g. The set comes packaged in a high quality black magnetic lid box with RC Maker logo on a clear front window, ensuring the plate is kept in perfect condition in transit.
