Francisco Rinaldi has recently won at the Argentine 1/8th nitro on-road championships. He took the win with his Novarossi-powered Serpent ride in front of Agusto Quinteros (Serpent/Novarossi) and TQ Agustin Cutini (Mugen/Novarossi).
Source: Novarossi [novarossi.it]
The last round of the US Midwest Series took place in Toledo, Ohio. Racing started on Saturday with open practice, followed by three rounds of qualifying. On Sunday, one additional round of qualifying was run, followed by 30 minute finals for each main. In 200mm Sedan A-main Loran Whiting was able to take a solid lead some laps into the race after qualifying 3rd. Towards the end of the race, Loran failed to hear her dad/pitman call her into the pits for a fuel stop and flamed out at the end of the sweeper. But with a 2 lap lead and following a quick restart Loran kept her leading position. At the end she was able to take the win even with her car running out of rubber in the closing stages.
Click here to view the final result
Made for Traxxas’ XO-1 1/8th scale supercar is this carbon fibre chassis conversion kit from Xtreme Racing. Designed to replace the stock chassis and offering a short wheelbase configuration of around 324mm the converted car is usable with most 1/8th GT bodyshells. Included with the set comes a 3mm carbon fibre main chassis, a new shorter topdeck and new battery cups. The conversion will require some DIY work such as shortening the centre driveshaft by 80mm and some other minor modifications and beside the carbon fibre version there is also a black G10 fibre glass kit available.
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Following the re-release of the iconic Scorpion 2WD buggy Kyosho will soon also have the not-less desirable Beetle Off-Road Racer available for all of you who could not afford one back in the last century. Based on the same ladder frame chassis as the Scorpion the Beetle features a different tyre/wheel combination and of course the name-giving VW Bettle bodyshell. As with the Scorpion you can expect some redesigned and upgraded parts in the Beetle kit to make the kit usable with modern day electronics, but overall the distinctive 1980’s appearance will remain. We do not have definite information on a release date but it is understood that the kit, that was on show during the recent All Japan Hobby show, could hit the stores before Christmas!
Image: Hobbygarage RC [ameblo.jp/hobbygarage-rc]
During last weekend’s All Japan Hobby Show KO Propo displayed what appears to be a new intermediate level radio. The EX2 offers a EX-1-ish pistol grip but a simplified steering wheel unit that makes for a less-bulky appearance. By the look of things the EX2 will be usable as a basic 2-channel transmitter without a display or as bolstered-up version with an optional display unit. We do not have any information about features or specifications but we keep you up to date as soon as more details surface.
Image: YS Toda [twitter.com]
Ty Tessmann is the new 1:8 Offroad World Champion. Having stamped his authority on the Sicilian event in early qualifying, the HB driver would take victory in the Main in rather convincing fashion. Starting from second on the grid the Canadian would take control of the race following problems for pole position starter Ryan Maifield to win by a comfortable margin of Team Associated’s Ryan Cavallieri and Mugen’s Carson Wernimont. Leading the race a steering servo failure would rob Maifield a true shot at obtaining the one title that has eluded the American offroad star. The only other driver to look like a potential treat to Tessmann, having denied the 21-year-old the win 2-years-ago in Argentina, outgoing champion Robert Batlle would also hit trouble when his Mugen ran out of fuel just metres before a scheduled pitstop.
Read the full report here or our complete coverage here.
As announced some days ago Yokomo soon have the 2015 version of their highly successful BD7 electric touring car available. Based on the previous kit the 2015 model will offer both stability and cornering speed for both Modified but also Stock class racing where regulations restrict maximum speed. To achieve this the 2015 car offers greater flex in the bulkhead area, a configuration that pioneered with the BD7 series. The BD7 2015 further evolves that trendsetting concept by lowering the centre-of-gravity with the bulkhead covers, and enabling a variable adjustment of the front and rear grip balance by attaching or removing newly-designed cross bulkheads. These features give the car much higher cornering speed.
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Following the Zen-RS Gen2.1 conversion kit for the Team Associated R5 the UK company now also introduce the Gen2 kit. Common to both chassis is the option of inboard side spring locations on the cross braces and the lower pod plate. Having this option reduces the amount of side spring rate change giving a more linear feel. As a result this then allows the driver to use stiffer side springs with more adjustability and a more usable window of tuning. Different from the Gen2.1 this chassis is only usable with the Zen bellcrank system which has been updated to offer two Ackermann positions. The revised servo position moves weight forward and allows for better side to side balance. The forward chassis mounted shock locations again helps balance the chassis on and off power for a much smoother driving feel with the same corner speed.
Source: Zen Racing [zen-racing.co.uk]
