Coming from Avid and made for the Xray XB2 2WD off-road buggy is a titanium ball stud kit. The 14-piece set includes high-quality 4.9mm billet 6Al-4V titanium ball studs to minimise weight without sacrificing strength. The ball studs sport a 2mm allen head on top of the ball for easy removal and they are about 40 percent lighter than the kit steel ball studs.
Source: Avid [avidrc.com]
US front runner and former World Champion, Jared Tebo has announced his departure from long-term tyre sponsors AKA. The Kyosho factory driver has yet to announce his new destination but for now, he has the following to say:
I will be making a big change in 2016, I will no longer be running for AKA tires. I started my relationship with AKA in 2009 when I made my HUGE career change, and they have been great the entire step of the way. Of course, you have ups and downs, like any relationship, but my memories are great working with them. We won countless races together, IFMAR World Champion, ROAR National Champion, The Dirt Nitro Challenge Champion, Silver State Champion, NEO Champion, Cactus Classic Champion, we had a great run for sure. I would like to thank them all, Joel, Mark, Gil, Brent, and Pres for all the hard work that must happen to create great products and win on the biggest stages. I wish AKA well, and I will never forget what we did in those 7 years together. We are ending on good terms, sometimes you just need a little change. 2016 will bring a new challenge and a new tire sponsor for me, I’m excited and ready to get back racing!
JConcepts have introduced a range of lightweight bodyshells for the Team Associated B5M buggy. The lightweight versions of the S2, S2 for laydown transmissions and the Warrior are around 12g to 15g lighter than their standard counterparts, making them ideal for 17.5T stock racing. They include standard weight wings for durability while for identification purposes, the LW bodies feature a green protective film.
Revelation Raceway hosted their annual Christmas Gifts for Kids Race this past Saturday. This year’s event was very successful with 12 heats and it was a great day of racing for a great cause. Mugen’s Adam would set the pace and was the overall TQ in Nitro Buggy and Nitro Truck. Drake led both finals from start to finish to sweep the event with JQRacing’s own Joseph Quagraine finishing in second in the Buggy class and Barry Pettit (Mugen) rounding out the podium. In the 40+ Nitro Buggy class Tim Long took the TQ but it was Miguel Perez who came out fastest in the main final.
View the Truggy & 40+ podium here
Mugen have introduced new optional front and rear centre universal driveshafts for the MBX7R and MBX7R Eco kits. The universal driveshafts have less friction, which allows the overall drivetrain to be more efficient while reducing heat build-up as well. The pre-assembled parts are also more durable and require less maintenance compared to a CVA-type driveshaft while providing better power transfer both on and off throttle making the buggy easier to drive during longer runs. The 78.5mm front and 110mm rear driveshafts are direct replacements on both the 7R and 7R Eco buggy.
The third round of the Lestr Cup was held in Dubec over the weekend. Right from the start everyone was struggling with the low-grip carpet and in the 2WD class Kaja Novotny (Xray) made the best out of the conditions, taking the TQ for the triple A-mains. In the 4WD Buggy class it was again Kaja who came out fastest after TQing all three qualifying rounds. In the 2WD finals Kaja then made a clean sweep, taking the overall win from runner-up Jiri Mara (Serpent) and Xray teammate Max Götzl.
The 3rd Annual South Valley Invert was hosted by Cottage Grove R/C Raceway in Cottage Grove, Oregon this past weekend. The event attracted some of the region’s fastest 1/10th off-road drivers and in the 2WD Modified Buggy class it was Kyosho’s Tanner Day who grabbed the TQ and win from Kyosho teammates Andy DiBrino and Joe Pillars.
Xray have announced the signing of young Joel Valander to their team. The Finnish Junior Champion will be part of Xray’s off-road team in 2016 and he plans to participate at events such as the EOS and the European Championship as well as Finnish national series beside other races. Joel has the following to say:
Xray has always been the highest quality of radio-controlled cars for me and their professional work on races is just outstanding. I choose Xray because I think at the moment they have most competitive cars for my needs and their dedication for ongoing improvements makes them standing out of the crowd. Support from Xray is perfect and I feel really honored to be part of the team. I want to say huge thanks everyone at Xray for giving me this opportunity. I can’t wait for 2016 season with Xray cars, I will do my best to achieve great results.
Source: Xray [teamxray.com]
