March 11, 2025

Donnelly dominates 2025 Keilor Invitational – Report

Australian 4WD National Champion Lachlan Donnelly has won an action-packed 2025 Keilor Invitational.  The Reedy Race of Champions-style event, now in its 9th year, brings together the top ten Modified and Stock-class off-road racers from across Australia to battle it out on the unique oiled surface of Keilor Electric Offroad RC Association in Melbourne. competitors battle it out in 5 heads-up races over two days in each of 2WD and 4WD, with only one dropped result from each class. Donnelly headlined a Modified Invite field that featured 9 of the top 10 ranked drivers in the country, driving his Team Associated buggies to the win off the back of a dominant 4wd performance. Team-mates Lachlan Munday and Jordan Isergin rounded out the podium, with Munday earlier leading at the half-way mark after 2wd was completed. It was a powerhouse performance from Donnelly, travelling to the Invitational from Sydney’s Hills Offroad RC where he will next month tackle the IFMAR Worlds Warmup event. The 2025 win marked a defence of his first Keilor Invitational victory in 2024.

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March 11, 2025

PR Racing 5 Degree Aluminium Caster Blocks

PR Racing has released new optional aluminium 5° Caster Blocks intended for their B10R/S1 1:10 2WD offroad platform.  The CNC machined aluminium caster blocks increase durability and precision.  Compared to the stock kit blocks, the new 5° caster angle results in a buggy that feels more stable especially on large or high-speed tracks.

Source: PR Racing [pr-rc.com]


March 11, 2025

Nova Engines Ceramic Black Exhaust

Italian engine manufacturer Nova Engines has presented ‘Ceramic Black’ which it describes as the next step in racing exhaust technology.  Thanks to a high-tech ceramic coating, this new pipe maximises thermal efficiency, ensuring hotter exhaust gases, better resonance, increased power, lower fuel consumption, and enhanced tuning stability.  Another feature of the coating is its superior dirt resistance, it stays cleaner for longer.  The Ceramic Black Combo (Efra 2182 pipe + 55 mm manifold) will be available in a limited pre-series soon.

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March 11, 2025

Revolution Design Ultra Backplate for O.S .21 Engines

New from Germany’s Revolution Design comes this Ultra Backplate engineered to maximise fuel efficiency and enhance engine performance for OS .21 offroad engines.  A direct-fit upgrade for all O.S .21 offroad engines, including B2104, B2105, RNX, and Samurai models and their OEM versions, it is manufactured from high-quality 7075-T6 aluminium and PTFE hard-coated for durability and reduced friction, this precision-designed upgrade extends runtime by up to 30 seconds per tank.  The advanced internal design of the Ultra Backplate optimizes fuel dynamics by reducing flow resistance and improving fuel scavenging. When the exhaust port opens, the generated low pressure assists in drawing fuel more effectively through the crankcase, ensuring a smoother power delivery and increased efficiency, particularly in the mid-to-high RPM range.  At lower RPMs, the improved flow design maintains a more stable idle and smoother throttle response, contributing to an overall better engine feel and improved consistency.

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March 10, 2025

T-Works Quick Lock 4 & 5 mm Bullet Connecters

New from T-Works are these Quick Lock 4mm and 5mm Bullet Connecters.  The screw lock design makes it easy to securely connect to the battery by hand or using a 2mm hex tool.  With a larger connect surface giving less resistance and more efficient power delivery, the connecter set is available Red/Black for easy positive and negative connection identification while a Black/Black anodised colour option can be identified via the laser engraved +/- Polarity symbols.

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March 10, 2025

Maifield & VanDalen compete Tekno sweep at DNC

US manufacturer Tekno enjoyed a clean sweep at a weather interrupted Dirt Nitro Challenge, Ryan Maifield taking the Nitro Buggy win as part of triple victory while Seth VanDalen took the Nitro Truggy win in Perris, California.  The 26th edition of World renowned track builder Joey Christensen’s signature event, Joey and his team putting in some serious night shifts to prep the track after heavy rains, two rounds of qualifying saw Xray’s Dakotah Phend secure the Nitro Buggy TQ ahead of Maifield, Team Associated’s Spencer Rivkin and the Sworkz of European Champion Juan Carlos Canas.  In the 45-minute final Phend and Maifield would dual it out in very rough track conditions with Mason Fuller taking a turn at leading before Maifield delivered the victory by 5-seconds over Mason with Phend completing the podium.  In eBuggy it was Canas who took the TQ but it was Maifield from ninth on the grid who won 10-minute encounter ahead of Phend while the Spaniard completed the podium.  With Maifield also taking the eTruggy win, in Nitro Truggy the defending champion secured the TQ but a great battle with team-mate VanDalen saw the 8th place qualifier take win by just 6/10ths of a second.  Spencer Heckert completed the all Tekno podium.

Image: JConcepts [jconcepts.net]


March 10, 2025

Neo Vintage Racing Ultima LWB Chassis Set

Another new chassis set from Neo Vintage Racing this time tailor-made for the Kyosho Ultima.   Made using premium 3.5mm thick carbon-fibre for unrivalled quality and durability, it boasts an extended wheelbase of 280mm and a heightened front kick-up of 30 degrees, this chassis transforms the Ultima, rendering it remarkably more manoeuvrable.  The redesigned geometry, coupled with an optimised center of gravity, enhances cornering agility while maintaining exceptional stability.  On uneven terrain, the elongated wheelbase enhances control and adeptly navigates bumps with ease.  Equipped with a versatile battery holder system accommodating both stick and shorty Lipo batteries, alongside the option of longitudinal or transverse mounting positions for the steering servo, customisation reaches new heights. Engineered for stiffness, the chassis facilitates a streamlined arrangement of electronic components, ensuring a tidy layout.  A meticulously designed tunnel facilitates the speedo wire to the receiver, allowing for a lowered battery position and seamless cable management.  Tested by Neo Vintage Racing across various tracks and conditions, the performance leap against the original Ultima chassis is dramatic.

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March 7, 2025

GRP Ai-TECH 1:8 Buggy Tyre Range

Italian tyre manufacturer GRP have introduced their brand new Ai-TECH 1:8 Buggy tyres which are the first range in the world designed by Ai performing tools.  The Gandini brothers’ famed tyre brand has introduced four different patterns under the Ai-TECH range with the Pixel, Block, Triky and the Flexy.  A completely new concept, all the tyre parts have been redesigned: tread design, internal profile, insert, wheel and compounds, to improve performance in every race situation and on every type of track from traditional low-grip to modern high-grip.  With each new pattern design produced by new moulds, that themselves have been made with chromed special steel using new laser technology, the tyres are perfectly balanced and do not require balancing before use.  The internal profile has a new circular texture and lateral reinforced edge, calculated with Ai performing tools, to improve the deformation in traction and lateral grip.  In terms of compounds the Ai-TECH range is offered in 5 options, 2 different polymers formulation, synthetic rubber and natural rubber, each in Soft and Supersoft, and a mix compound in Soft.  The range gets a new orange closed cell inserts worked with CNC machines for perfect shape regularity, and very long life, with possibility to reuse for many times beyond the life of the tyre.  New wheels are produced with Dupont high quality material, and improved to withstand any temperature from use.

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