July 2, 2015

Yokomo 1/12th pan car prototype spotted

Yokomo 1/12th pan car prototype spotted

Yokomo are currently working on the follow-up model of the R12 C3.1 1/12th pan car, according to some images released by Kimihiko Yano. The yet unnamed car is made up from rapid prototype parts and features a heavily revised front end that does not seems to share a single part with the C3.1. Especially the upper arms are of a totally new design with a dual pivot ball inner mount while the damping duties are taken care off by two spring-equipped damper elements that connect to the lower wishbones. Both the chassis and single bellcrank steering look to be a pretty standard  affairs but the rear end offers redesigned dual roll dampers with a considerably larger volume compared to the somewhat tiny tube dampers of the C3.1. Beside the images no information is available yet but we keep you up to date as soon as more information becomes available.

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July 2, 2015

LRP HiTemp pure silicone oil viscosity updates

LRP HiTemp pure silicone oil viscosity updates

LRP have expanded their range of HiTemp pure silicone shock absorber fluids to offer finer in-between steps. To the range of 15wt to 90wt fluids add 17.5, 22.5, 27.5, 32.5, 37.5, 42.5 and 47.5 oils which come in handy for off-road and on-road applications alike. The special formula of the fluids makes them very consistent even in temperature changes which also results in a more consistent damper action through the run.

Source: LRP [lrp.cc]


July 2, 2015

Rick Vrielijnck teams up with Shepherd

Rick Vrielijnck teams up with Shepherd

Shepherd have announced the signing of Dutch front runner Rick Vrielijnck for the remainder of the 2015 season. The 9-times Dutch national champion and multiple EC-A, World Championship and ENS finalist plans to race all remaining major 1/8th on-road events, such as the ENS and Euros in Ettlingen, the ENS final in Fiorano and the Worlds in Brazil. Rick had the following to say about the deal:

I’m very excited to join Team Shepherd and I’m very thankfull for this opportunity. As I was looking for a car that suits my driving style better and a team that is always working hard to support their drivers Shepherd has been the right choice and I’m glad that they were also excited to work with me. I’d like to thank Mugen for their support in the past year.

Source: Shepherd [team-shepherd.com]


July 2, 2015

Spanish 200mm Nitro On-road Nationals Rd3 – Report

Spanish 200mm Nitro On-road Nationals Rd3 – Report

The third round of the Spanish 200mm Nitro On-road Nationals was hosted by the Autet Club track in Almussafes, home of last year’s EC-A 1/10th 200mm European Championship A. The qualifying was dominated by young talent Ruben Olivares with his Novarossi-powered Shepherd as won four of the five qualifying rounds to take the TQ. The 2nd spot went to former Spanish Champion Jonnhy Pastor (Mugen/Novarossi) followed by Victor Pelaez (Serpent/Tesla) and Sergi Franch (KM/Novarossi). Nacho Lopez, who made the ENS final in Aigen and who grabbed the TQs at the two previous National rounds, struggled in qualifying due to a broken pipe and thus a lack of power.

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July 2, 2015

Dutch 200mm Nitro On-road Nationals Rd3 – Report

Dutch 200mm Nitro On-road Nationals Rd3 – Report

The third round of the Dutch 200mm Nitro On-road Nationals was held at the Baanbrekers track in Rucphen, home of last year’s 40+ European Championship. Weather predictions for the weekend were good and apart from a few rain drops it stayed dry all of the time with the track being in perfect condition which was reflected by the very quick times set in qualifying. The Dutch Nationals are run with mandatory Novarossi Sturm engines and Hipex low noise pipes and despite this being a somewhat “budget” solution it is a very powerful package as the times set were only a couple of tenth off of the current track record. In qualifying the battle for the four direct qualifier spots was very close, Daan Jacobs took the TQ with his Serpent followed by Pedro Rombouts (Xray). The 3 spot would be taken by John Bruins (Capricorn) with Serpent driver Julius Kolff only 0.13 seconds behind in 4th. Milan Holthuis would miss the direct final entry by only 4 tenths. Overall this was the closest qualification this year.

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July 2, 2015

Teamsaxo GT-300W 1/12th pan car bodyshell

Teamsaxo GT-300W 1/12th pan car bodyshell

Teamsaxo have introduced their latest 1/12th scale pan car bodyshell, the GT-300W. It features a low-slung design to provide exceptional handling characteristics with a focus on the new shape front fenders that will increase steering response while the rear end’s shape will increase stability at high speeds. The body is available in a 0.6mm variant first with a lightweight 0.5mm variant coming at a later date.

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July 1, 2015

Big Fat Turkey Race – Report

Big Fat Turkey Race – Report

One of the largest outdoor asphalt races in the USA, Big Fat Turkey Race went off in Camarillo, CA at the Roadrunners R/C Club. This marked the 9th annual running of the confusingly-named event, which used to be held on Thanksgiving weekend, hence the name. Racers from all over California and neighbouring states made up a field covering a wide range of classes. The track layout was fast and flowing which made for great racing under the SoCal sunshine all weekend long. An interesting twist to the race format saw the use of qual-points with no drops, meaning it was imperative for racers to complete all three qualifiers, cars intact. In the top class, Open TC, Randy Caster was the driver to beat all weekend. He drove to TQ in 2 of the three rounds of qualifying to secure the top spot on the grid, and then went on to sweep the first two legs of the A-Main to take the overall title. Steve Weiss and Jovan Madriaga came in 2nd and 3rd. Touring Car Superstock saw local favourite Oliver Clipper dominate the class, taking TQ and the first 2 A-mains as well.

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