Our Aussie site partners Rube Dude RC have another great interview, this time with young up and coming 1/8th scale buggy racer Dale Smulders. From Western Australia this 21 year old has been tearing up the tracks and been spotted on some very competitive looking podiums recently and Rube Dude caught up with him to ask him some questions.
Read the full interview here.
Source: Rube Dude [rubeduderc.com]
This week sees the European ‘B’ Championships held for 1/8th buggy at the German MSC Sand track, 1 hour west of Nuernberg. The track that the competitors have been introduced to, is one that is situtated on a natural slope and so offers many challenges for the racers present including plenty of uphill and downhill sections. Today saw 4 rounds of qualifying to determine the grid spots for Sundays finals and it was Czech Xray racer Petr Klatovský that claimed the top qualifier spot with some fast and consistent running today. In 2nd place it is German Carson racer Stefan Scheuenpflug while 3rd spot went to another Czech Xray driver Martin Bayer. The finals are being run tomorrow and we will hope to bring you the results at the end of the day, when we see who is crowned the new European ‘B’ Champion.
Click here to see the final top 10 qualifiers… content
Kyosho have released the full details of their new RTR version of the popular Lazer ZX-5 4wd buggy that we showed you back in February.
Kyosho – For nearly 20 years, the Kyosho Lazer has been part of the racing landscape. As the successor to the Kyosho Optima, which is largely credited with making 4WD electric racing popular, the Lazer is always at the cutting edge of technology and competes at the highest levels including the World Championship. Much of the same advanced technology that makes the Lazer such a formidable force on the world stage is now available in a ready to run package. The new Lazer ZX-5 ReadySet not only breaks new ground as a 1/10 4WD ready to run, it also shares the DNA of a racing champion.
Read more… content
Serpent have introduced the latest version of the Powerstart starter box, the follow up to their original pioneering compact starter box. Suitable for both conventional and in line engines, this new box features dual motors for great starting power and is perfect for all types of car, both circuit and buggy. The box’s adjustable positioning mounts mean you can make any car easily fit. Coming pre assembled, this new starter box features a composite casing and sports a small removable parts box, for spare plugs and clips, and a clip on the rear of the box to mount your glow plug starter. The Powerstart is supplied with a carrying case to protect it when being transported to and from the track and the bag also features a separate pocket for storing cables and other associated items. Expect to see it at the start of July.
Click here for more pictures… content
Team Losi have announced the release of a number of products including this quick change engine mount which works with the 8ight and 8ight-T Race Roller vehicles without pull-start or spin start engines. This effort saving motor mount has been crafted from hard-anodised 7075 aluminum and allows you to reinstall your engine without having to re-adjust the gear mesh. Other new items include thread lock, called Losi-Lok, and 2 new tools, a long reach flat head tuning screw driver, with a silicone tip to stop your engine by blocking the exhaust, and an exhaust spring tool, both of which sport a gold anodised handle Losi laser etched logo.
Click here to see the other products… content
Due to the first race of the Slovenian off road Nationals in Ljubljana being being cancelled due to rain, the second race of the season in Jesenice became the opening race of the year. In the 1/8th buggy class the event was won by Gačar Zdenko, driving a Laro, who was racing in his first off road race ever which makes his win all the more impressive. in 2nd place was Xray racer Popič Dean who finished ahead of Stare Marko racing a Mugen, who had problems before the end of the race which dropped him into his eventual 3rd place. In the 1/6th scale class it was Rok Bizjak leading home a HPI Baja 5B 1-2-3 who took the win from 2nd placed Janez Nebec with Jakopin Tilen in 3rd.
Click here for the final buggy results… content
Last weekend saw the Portugese EFRA GP for 1/10th 200mm held in Lisbon on the same track that will host next years IFMAR World Championship. An opportunity to gain knowledge of the track, the race was attended by 3 foreign racers representing the 3 top teams and those 3, Francesco Tironi for Kyosho, Martin Christensen Xray and young Kyle Branson for Serpent, qualified in the first 3 spots for the final with local Mugen racer Bruno Belho the final direct qualifer in 4th. In the 45 minute race Branson was the first retirement, clipping a tire on the perimeter of the track that took him out of the race and with Tironi also suffering some problems, this left Xray racer Christensen to take the win by 2 laps from young Bruno Coelho in 2nd while Tironi claimed the final podium spot in 3rd.
Click here for the full results and some photos… content
K-Factory have released yet more parts for the Team Magic M1B in a bid to increase the durability and performance of the car. First up are these front lower wishbones (above), which are both shorter and use a different stronger material than the original versions and so aims to improve durability and steering response times. Next up is stronger rear upper and lower wishbones which are similarly changed to be shorter in order to get the car to change direction quicker, a problem with the M1B it seems. Also released for the M1B are new stronger and shorter drive shafts to work with the shorter wishbones as well as new differential out drives that are more durable than the original versions.
Click here to see the other products… content
