Fastrace have introduced a range of new option parts for the Team Associated RC8B3 buggy. First up are anti-twist bushings for the rear suspension of AE’s latest 1/8th buggy. Machined from aluminium and coming in a shiny silver look the bushings prevent the A-arms pivot pin area from deforming under load, resulting in a more precise suspension action. The parts are a direct fit and do not require any modification.
O.S. Engines have introduced their limited edition 24K Gold-plated #80 glow plug. The release goes along with the the recently announced O.S. Speed Spec II Gold Edition and B2101 Las Vegas Edition engines with the #80 glow plug being a renamed #8 covered in a luxurious gold-plating in honour of O.S.’s 80th anniversary. The plug is usable just like a standard #8 and available for a limited time only.
Source: O.S. Engines [osengines.com]
Coming from JConcepts and made for the Team Associated RC8B3 buggy is the Strike 2 bodyshell. It samples elements from its famous relatives the Finnisher and Silencer bodies but packs a slightly refined image. Used in prototype form by Spencer Rivkin during the 2016 ROAR Fuel Off-Road Nationals, the Strike 2 was victorious the first event out. The base enhancements to the design come from the added “finger” channeling on the front-pod increasing mid-corner steering while a complete wicker section was added on the rear-pod to further plant the rear of the vehicle. The offset of the race proven shell provides a compact fit for fuel tank, linkage and air filter assembly and the heavy channeling on the front windshield and upper cab keeps the Strike 2 aligned at high-speed while the side-pods have multiple hard-edge angles that spill off neatly into 90 degree side-panels. Just behind the engine head, a sleek up-rising flows from the body like running water. As usual the clear body set includes window templates and a decal sheet.
The third and final round of the Swedish Cup was held this past weekend at the Höör RC Klubb. The race for the title was on between Kyosho’s Jessica Palsson and HB Racing’s David Ronnefalk. The latter had to win the race in order to take the overall title as he missed a round due to a date clash with the World Championship warm-up race. In the qualifiers the two youngsters would then battle it out for the overall TQ with the better end for David who took the top qualifier position from Jessica in second. In the main final Jessica started from pole position after winning the semi finals with a 13 seconds margin on David and he would lead until around the 18 minute mark when David was able to pass her but a different fuel stop strategy meant the fight for the win was still on until some 10 minutes before the end the tyres on David’s car started to become unglued on all four corners while he was in the lead. Jessica in second then was able to close the gap and to eventually take the win, nearly a lap in front of David. With the win Jessica grabbed herself the Swedish Cup and All Swedish Cup title, leaving David with the vice championship title.
Source: Kyosho [kyoshoeurope.com] & David Ronnefalk
The 2016 Bring the Heat was held at Flowood R/C Indoor Park in Flowood, Mississippi. In the 1/8th Expert Nitro Buggy class, Ryan Lutz would take the TQ honours and he would go onto dominate the 35-minute A-main event by lapping the entire field to take the win from Cole Ogden and Blake Boggs.
Round three of the Indonesia Buggy National Championship was held at the popular C-Netic Track in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia. A total of 81 drivers attended from Jakarta, Bandung, Jogjakarta, Surabaya, Batam, Bali, Palembang, Aceh, Kendari, Kupang, Banjarmasin, Balikpapan, Palangkaraya and Medan with the race format being six rounds of ten minutes qualifying with the four best rounds to count. Hot weather with 35 degree Celsius air and nearly 50 degree track temperature made things pretty challenging. After the six rounds of qualifying Xray’s Jason Nugroho would take the TQ with his Novarossi-powered buggy from Ery Setiawan (Kyosho/O.S.) and Hariadi Lie (Kyosho/O.S.). In the 60-minute A-main Jason would continue to be on top of the field and he took the win from Ery Setiawan and Hariadi Lie who maintained their qualifying positions.
Last weekend’s Siderwinder Nitro Explosion held at RC Tracks of Las Vegas not only saw 1/8th Nitro Off-road racing but also the running of an 1/8th E-Buggy class. Spencer Rivkin would set the TQ to put his buggy on the pole position for the triple A-main events what he would from Tyler Vik who started from the 2 spot into the finals. Tyler would take the win in the opening leg but commanding wins in A2 and A3 handed Rivkin the overall victory from Vik in second and Anthony Westergaard in third.
Image: Team Associated [teamassociated.com]
This past weekend the annual Sidewinder Nitro Explosion was held at RC Tracks of Las Vegas, host of the forthcoming IFMAR 1/8th Nitro Buggy Worlds. Excessive heat and a low turnout of drivers left the organisers with no choice but to make the usually very successful event a 1-day affair. In the Buggy Expert class TLR’s Dakotah Phend took the overall TQ only to experience a very messy start that saw Dakotah dropping down the field massively. Up front a fight between Ryan Maifield (TLR) and Ty Tessmann (HB Racing) arose but it was Maifield who was able to built a small margin on his competitor around mid-race that he would hold onto until the end of the race. Ty Tessmann had to settle for second while Dakotah Phend recovered to third overall.
Image: Reds Racing [reds-racing.com]
