August 12, 2008

Wet track delays start to qualifying

Peter Jovanovic and rest of the Australians

Overnight rain here in Lisbon caused a delay to the start of proceedings as race organisers decided to wait an hour to allow the track to dry before starting the first qualifier of the 2008 IFMAR World Championships. Drivers from Groups 1-7 have just finished their two qualifiers for today, and are free to hit the beach, while Groups 8-15 are getting ready to kick start their battle for the Day 1 TQ honours. Peter Jovanovic, who was one of the stars at the last World Championships for 1:10 200mm in Brisbane where he claimed a podium finish, is loving the track here in Lisbon. The talented young Aussie says his car is working perfectly and he would rate the track as one of the best he has ever driven. Jovanovic says the circuit is a lot more flowing than he is used to back home and learning it has been his biggest obstacle so far. Now that he is mastering the bumps he’s really happy with his progress.

Check out the full coverage on our event site here.


August 12, 2008

Greyscale Racing MRCG 1/28 chassis

Greyscale Racing MRCG 1/28 chassis

Greyscale Racing have announced the upcoming release of the MRCG, their new 1/28 pan chassis conversion kit. Based on Kyosho’s venerable Mini-Z MR-02, the MRCG adds 1.5mm quasi-isotropic graphite throughout, a new rear suspension design, an extremely low CG and polar moment of inertia, as well as a 15% weight reduction over the MR-02 to bring 1/12 performance to a class less than half the size! The chassis also features several other small innovations, such as a quick-release battery system and true Mini-Z body compatability to preserve the aesthetic appeal of the Mini-Z series. The MRCG is compatible with both Mini-Z electronics or modular electronics, and requires 4 AAA batteries and a 130-can motor.

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August 11, 2008

Groskamp sets Worlds practice pace

Jilles Groskamp

He was the talk of the paddock when we arrived and he has made it official that he is the pace setter by putting his name at the top of the time sheets as 5 days of practice comes to an end and qualifying for the 2008 1:10 200mm World Championships beckons. Jilles Groskamp produced the fastest run over 10 minutes in the second of today’s two controlled practice notching up 32 laps in 10:12.223 with his Sirio powered Kyosho. Running a larger head shim for the practice, as Team Sirio played with run time, the Dutch star said the car was not as quick but they had plenty of fuel left after the run and the test would now help them to work out a better compromise between power and consumption.

Check out the full coverage on our event site here.


August 11, 2008

Team Trion Car stands

Team Trion Car stands

Team Trion have released this pair of car stands to help with car preperation. Available in green, and featuring the Trion logo, the stands are available in 2 heights, a low version for touring car and also a taller version for off road cars. Supplied with foam strips for both the top and bottom of the stand, your car will not slide of the stand and the stand will not slide of your workbench.

Source: Team Trion [team-trion.com]


August 11, 2008

200mm Worlds coverage begins

Monsanto track Lisbon

We have finally arrived in Portugal where conditions are overcast making for welcomed cooler conditions. After a quick walk around the pits to say hello to drivers the main talk is that of the blistering pace of the Sirio team drivers and in particular electric touring car ace Jilles Groskamp. The Dutch driver is fast and more importantly very consistent although a 2 speed one-way bearing failure in the warm-up for the first controlled practice means we will have to wait till this evening to get a true indication of his pace over 10-minutes. Groskamp is really happy with the combined pace of his engines and Kyosho chassis which he says are allowing him to comfortably run fast consistent laps.

Check out the full coverage on our event site here.


August 8, 2008

Marc Rheinard running TM at Worlds

Marc Rheinard running TM at Worlds

Told to us a few weeks ago, Team Magic have today confirmed that former World Champion and current 1/12th and 1/10th scale electric European Champion Marc Rheinard will compete at the 1/10th scale 200mm Worlds, which takes place this weekend and all of next week. A deal put on the table by Novarossi, Marc will partner current 1/10th scale 200mm European Champion Dario Balestri in running the Italian made engines together with the Taiwanese made Team Magic G4. This will be Marc’s first taste of on road nitro racing, having only tested briefly in Italy a few weeks ago, and Red RC will catch up with Marc to get his impressions on racing gas track when we begin reporting live from Portugal, beginning next Monday.

Source: Team Magic [teammagic.com.tw]


August 8, 2008

K-Factory E4 Alu 5-cell Battery Mount

K-Factory E4 Alu 5-cell Battery Mount

New from K-Factory is this E4 aluminium battery mount for 5 cell packs, specially designed to be used in the Team Magic E4FS and E4RS electric touring cars. Similar to the mount released previously for 6 cells, it too claims to make your car much more reliable and stronger, due to the increased hardness of the lightweight aluminium which when mounted acts as a structural part of the chassis. Hard coated for excellent surface protection, the battery mount features a milled battery tape slot that goes along the length of the mount to hold your cells in place.

Source: K-Factory [kfactoryracing.com]


August 7, 2008

Exotek RC18R GT-Z body shell

Exotek RC18R GT-Z body shell

New from Exotek for the Associated RC18R, is this GT-Z body shell, which not only looks good but also performs. This body screams performance with its high down force wing, sculpted fenders, sleek hood line and super low profile roof line. The GT-Z is designed with extra room in the wheel wells to eliminate wheel rub, a major downfall in the stock 18R bodies, which seriously destabilizes the handling. Add the included high down force wing and you’ll have the most balanced feel you’ve ever experienced with your 18R. Made in the USA of durable .03″.

Source: Exotek [exotekracing.com]