October 1, 2008

Simon Kurzbuch wins Swiss Nats Rd6

Simon Kurzbuch wins Swiss Nats Rd6

The final round of the Swiss 1/8th scale Nationals was run last weekend in Langenthal in the North of the country. Qualifying for the Expert class saw Simon Kurzbuch take the pole position by 2 seconds from Thomas Henzi, while Christophe Pethoud and Mattia Pesenti rounding out the top 4. In the 45 minute final, Simon was unstoppable, the Serpent driver winning by 2 laps from Henzi in 2nd and Pethod 3rd, a further 3 laps behind. The Amateur class was won by Shepherd driver Stephan Eschler, 3 laps in front of Angelo Albani in 2nd with Claudio Pasquin 3rd.

Thanks to Mattia Pesenti for the report and pics.


October 1, 2008

Robert Pietsch rejoins Mugen Seiki

Robert Pietsch rejoins Mugen Seiki

Robert Pietsch, the designer behind the successful Shepherd Velox as well as top international racer has made a shock return to the MID Mugen Team for the start of the 2009 season. The 2007 German Champion will compete with the MRX-4X and MTX-4 but he will not just represent Mugen as a driver but will bring with him his experience and design ideas and will work closely with the technical designers at Mugen’s Japanese Headquarters. This is big blow for Shepherd who not only lose a World class racer, but a product designer too.

Source: Mugen [mugen.eu]


October 1, 2008

Schaefer wins Rd3 in Central Germany

Schaefer wins Central German Rd3

Last weekend saw the 3rd round of the German Championship central regional qualifier was held at the beautiful Ettlingen track where the German Championship was hosted earlier this year. Under perfect weather conditions 34 drivers attended the race and on Saturday the track was open for free practice and nearly all participants were already at the track. On Sunday morning 4 rounds of qualifying were raced and although Patrick Schaefer made a safety run in the first round he could beat his record of the German Championship by one second and secure pole position. At the start of the final Patrick managed to defend his lead and pulled away while current Champion Stefan Hanauer and Philip Sting could pass Jörg Wäldle in the first lap and a tough battle for the second position started. Patrick constantly increased his lead and at the first pit stop after 5 minutes he was half a lap ahead of the rest of the field. Suddenly his Velox started to break out in right corners and the lap times got slower but he could manage to keep the lead for the remaining 25 minutes and won the race one lap ahead of Hanauer. Philip Sting decided not to change tires but he lost too much time with his small tires at the end and crossed the finishing line in 3rd position. After checking the car Patrick noticed that a pivot ball at the lower rear wishbone was completely off and the left upright was only held by the remaining pivot ball.

Source: Shepherd [team-shepherd.com]


October 1, 2008

Xray NT1 Lightweight Front Middle Shaft

Xray NT1 Lightweight Front Middle Shaft

For serious racers conscious of weight savings, Xray’s new optional front middle shaft is CNC-machined from world-renowned Hudy Spring Steel, and has been strategically lightened by 50% compared to the standard front middle shaft. This shaft is highly wear resistant at contact points, helping to increase the lifespan of the shaft bearings and rotating mass is reduced without sacrificing strength or durability.

Source: Xray [teamxray.com]


September 30, 2008

Hudy takes win, Liptak takes title

Hudy takes win, Liptak takes title

The final round of the Slovakian Nationals was held over the weekend at AutoRC-Trnava track in Trnava, Slovakia. The race was TQ’d and won by Worlds podium finisher Martin Hudy, but as the Xray driver was unable to participate in earlier rounds of the series the overall title went to one of the oldest RC drivers in the country, Igor Liptak who finished the race in 2nd place, while Tono Sloboda took 3rd.

Click more to see the final series standings… content


September 30, 2008

Dankel takes South German 1/8th title

Dankel takes South German 1/8th title

Following our report from the 1/10th scale South German Championship that was held on the track of the RCMSC Greuthof, the 1/8th scale racers were also in action. In qualifying Shepherd Velox race Erik Dankel was the only driver to do 31 laps and he improved the track record by 9.4 seconds. Local hero Manuel Dietrich secured the 2nd position for the final, with Shepherd driver Christian Dussinger lining up 3rd. The main final was dominated by Dankel from start to the finish and was constantly able to increase his lead and was even able to save some tires for the last minutes. Behind him it was Christian Dussinger who could secure the 2nd position and with this result the victory in the amateur class, while Bernhard Hummel rounded out the top 3.

Source: Shepherd [team-shepherd.com]


September 30, 2008

Francesco Tironi wins Italian Open UISP

Francesco Tironi wins Italian Open UISP

The 1/10th scale Open gas UISP event was held recently at the Melzo circuit in the north of the country with racers at this event able to use Can-Am style shells. Qualifying was dominated by Francesco Tironi who took pole position by 7 seconds and was the only driver to hit 18 laps, with Cristian Costanzo lining up 2nd, Guido Barbera 3rd and Walter Ossola 4th. In the 45 minute final, Tironi was pushed all the way by Barbera who was able to stay on the lead lap till the end finishing 12 seconds behind the winner Tironi, while Walter Ossola took 3rd, 2 laps down on the leading pair.

Source: Automodellismo [automodellismo.net]


September 30, 2008

Gara delle Castagne – Announcement

 Gara delle Castagne - Announcement

A quick announcement for the Gara delle Castagne race, to be held on the 2 Pista Verde track in Ferner close to Belluno in Italy. Organised by the Miniteknica, with the support of the MyCandy Team and F.V.S.S Racing team, the race is open to 1/8th and 1/10th scale gas on road. Taking place on the 25th (practice) to the 26th of October you can enter, as well as find more information, on the event site here.