Serpent have released the webbed silicone shock absorber membranes for the Cobra buggy to help reduce shock fading. This membrane features re-enforced webbing and will keep its shape under higher pressure and higher temperatures. A direct replacement of the standard membranes, they may fit other brands of 16mm shocks too.
Source: Serpent [serpent.com]
Thunder Alley was the site of the 2010 Sidewinder Nitro Explosion race and the best in the world were in attendance racing their last big race before the upcoming World Championships. The entry list read like a world final – Pavidis, King, Cavalieri, Mayfield, Drake, Truhe, Tessman, etc. were all in attendance. For AKA the mains could not have gone any better. In the Sportsman Buggy A Main it was Sean Gaffney taking the win on AKA Gridiron soft tires, AKA wheels and AKA closed cell inserts. In the Intermediate A Main it was Colin Herzig taking the win on AKA Enduro Soft tires using the new AKA Evo wheel and AKA closed cell inserts. In the Expert Buggy A Main it was Cody King coming home with the win using AKA Enduro soft tires on the new AKA Evo wheel and AKA closed cell inserts. Mark Pavidis also made the podium coming home a strong third using the new AKA Impact tire in medium and the new AKA Evo wheel with AKA closed cell inserts. Cody King and Mark Pavidis both commented after the race the the new EVO wheel really made the high speed sweeper much more predictable compared to the older wheels.
Source: AKA [raceaka.com] / Photo: John Cary
The 4th and final round of the Bulgarian off-road nationals took place in Varna recently in cold, windy and wet conditions, proving an extreme challenge for all drivers. In the buggy class the fastest racer in qualifying was Mario Vutov followed by Sterian Folev and Kristian Vrajilov. The final started with Sterian Folev taking the lead but a little mistake knocked him to the back of the pack, while Mario Vutov had issues with his engine which flamed out 8 times during the 45-minute-long final. Sterian Folev and Kristian Vrajilov battled for the first place with Folev leading most of the time with Mario Vutov and Theodor Trunchev battling for third. At the end Folev lost concentration and Vrajilov swept through to win by 1.965 seconds. Folev needed to be in the top 5 in order to get the necessary points for the Championship and so with 2nd he became the National Champion. In the truggy class Mario Vutov was again fastest in the qualifications and in this class he also managed to win the final too. Borislav Ivanov, Sterian Folev’s teammate and top pretender for the title finished 2nd, which allowed him to keep the lead and also become National Champion.
Having shown you an action video followed up by CAD images of the new Cobra truggy, Serpent have released photos of the prototype which is being used for development work by Billy Easton.
The proto-test car still includes the current version radio plate, but this will be replaced of course by the new one, which is almost ready. The proto-type is also fitted with some optional parts, as the final version is still to be decided. The body shell is fully aimed at pure performance and not yet the final version.
View more images of the prototype here
Hot Bodies have a number of new tire releases for 1/8th scale, starting with the Megagrid. Suitable for a wide variety of off-road and on-road surfaces including loose topsoil right on down to hard-pack, this is our most versatile tire and should be used when you go to a new track because it will be a good starting point everywhere. With interlocking lugs that feature varied step height and a medium gap, these tires provide high bite even in the worst of conditions. Available in Pink, Red and White compounds. The HB Beams are suitable for hard & dry off-road surfaces such as hard-packed clay and ‘blue groove’ high bite conditions and also work great on indoor tracks. With criss-cross bars crossing the tire and small bars in between they resemble an unfinished skyscraper in appearance. Scraping up traction where there is none. Now available in Pink and Red compounds.
The Punisher body by JConcepts for the RC8B-e is now available. The slight cab-forward treatment is amongst the most aggressive in class giving the Punisher top notch performance. Blended wing / body design gives additional downforce to the side-pods and windshield which increases drivability, corner speed and jump control. The rear base of the cab area represents the latest offering for 1/8th E-buggy racing featuring a super low profile design for increased air flow, escape and body placement. The new Punisher T-shirt features background imagery loaded with various popular JConcepts key words, making a statement with powerful blue Punisher drip logo graphics on the front and large JC print on the side. Finishing off the back of the shirt is a large blue drip with pressed logo so you can show JConcepts pride while coming or going.
View the Punisher t-shirt here
Following yesterdays release of the video showing Billy Easton testing the new Serpent truggy, the Dutch company have released details and CAD images on the new Billy Easton designed Cobra-T. Sharing many of the same parts and design elements of the buggy, the Truggy is different in many aspects and requires quite a selection of specific parts as well. The larger wheel/tyres and different body-type style, together with longer wheel-base do require intensive testing to find again the right balance in the car, as well as the correct level of grip and to be very good on large jumps too. The end result is a very sleek and “low” design, with a perfect left to right and front to back balance, making it a very nimble car and easy to push very hard out on the track. The Serpent Cobra-T will most likely feature CNC machined 7075 T6 shock towers, instead of the carbon ones, as standard. Release of the new truggy is planned for early December 2010.
On October 4th Kyosho, Associated and Losi USA drivers/mechanics traveled from LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) to Bangkok, Thailand. From Kyosho was myself, Jared Tebo, Mark Pavidis, Cody King, and Paul King. From Associated was Team Manager Brent Thielke, Ryan Cavalieri, Louis Cavalieri, Ryan Maifield, John Faulkner from J-Concepts and Kurt Wenger. From Losi was Adam Drake, Mike Truhe, Billy Fischer, Matt Castellano and Dyno. Our flight left at around 2:00am from LAX and we would land in Hong Kong for our layover about 14 1/2 hours later. This was the longest flight I have ever been on. Since we left early in the morning, most of us slept allot of the flight and made it go by faster. We would have a layover in Hong Kong for about 2 hours, then fly the rest of the way to Bangkok that was 2 1/2 hours away. After arriving in Bangkok, all 3 teams went their separate ways to the track. Each of the 3 teams stayed at different hotels. The taxi ride to the hotel was about 1 1/2 hours located in Pattaya. This is known as a very popular tourist destination and it didn’t disappoint. There was many street side vendors, shopping malls, and many activities to do.
Continue reading the report here
