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]
Following a first teaser ST Racing Concepts have now released more information on their Izilla monster truck racing chassis conversion for the Axial Wraith. The kit uses stock Axial Wraith components and bolts right on in less than 30 minutes, however, this chassis was designed for more than just bashing, it was made with racing performance in mind as well, thanks to a low centre of gravity design with the heavy electronics of battery, ESC and receiver box placed just over the centre transmission. The chassis places the bulk of the weight right in the middle and as low as possible. Unlike other chassis kits the Izilla places the stock Wraith battery tray side by side with the included aluminium electronics plate, with plenty of space for mounting aftermarket ESCs. The battery is also placed on the opposing side of the motor for a better left/right balance while adjustable forward or rear bias weight distribution is possible.
Traxxas’ long-running Slash 2WD short course truck is now available in a new bodyshell variant, resembling the truck of former Indy driver and now off-road racer, Arie Luyendyk Jr. His GUNK-sponsored truck features a very recognisable blue, orange, and white paint scheme that sets it apart from the crowd. The truck itself comes with a 12T 550-size brushed motor, watertight and sealed electronics as well as a 2.4GHz radio system, 4-amp DC fast charger and a 7-cell 3000mAh NiMH battery pack.
Yuki Model have introduced the Unreal 45A brushed speed controller for 1/10th scale vehicles. The ESC is usable with up to 3S LiPo batteries or 5 to 10 cell NiMH batteries, it can handle up to 340A peak current and its internal BEC system delivers 5.6V of output voltage and a current of 2A. The safety features of the speedo that, measures 47x38x4mm, include a low-voltage and over-temperature cut-off and it comes pre-wired with Tamiya-compatible battery and motor connectors.
Source: Yuki Model [yuki-model.de]
The AZRCR Championship Series recently concluded with the fourth and final round. The 4-race series was held throughout the fall months with all raced being hosted by Fear Farm R/C Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. The first 3 rounds were held on the previous track layout while the finals were run on the US Open Fuel Championships layout. In the final round of the series, Billy Fischer took home the TQ and win in Nitro Truggy, as well as a 3rd place finish in Pro Nitro Buggy and when the points were tallied up, Billy was able to take the overall win in both classes.
Coming from X Factory and made for the Team Associated SC5M short course truck is the Infinity chassis kit. The set is made up of 2.5mm carbon fibre and saves about 70 grams to make for better handling and improved performance especially in 17.5 Stock classes. The carbon fibre chassis also flexes far more than the aluminium tub, with the flex is controllable so drivers can quickly adjust their truck to suit different tracks and lay-outs by tightening or loosening bolts on the side decks and side rails. The chassis will also not tweak as aluminium does, making for more predictable performance run after run. The kit includes the new lower deck, sandwich side rail, several small parts as well as mounting hardware and a manual.
View an image of the converted truck here
Team Associated have introduced a line of lightweight Factory Team 48 pitch pinion gears. Machined from 7075-T6 aluminium and coming with a hard-anodised finish for long wear the pinions feature two set screw holes, laser-etched tooth count and the larger sizes of 30 and up have holes for additional weight reduction. The pinions are available in a range of 17T to 35T sizes.
