The first round of the Portuguese Touring Car Nationals was held at the track of Maiorca close to Figueira da Foz in the North of Portugal. The weekend started on a pretty green track but once racing got underway the grip came up making for good racing conditions. At the end Jorge Simoes took the win with his Xray in front of TOP driver Jose Figueiredo and Helder Silva (Capricorn).
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Pro-Line have introduced 1/10th buggy versions of their Pro-Spec high-performance shock absorbers. Previously only available for 1/10th short course trucks the shock Pro-Spec dampers now also come for today’s most popular buggies. They are of a 12mm Big Bore design with a single low friction X-ring seal while the pistons and shaft guides are made from smooth white Delrin for low stiction. The threaded aluminium bodies house 3.5mm thick shock shafts with hard chrome coating, just like full scale racing shocks. The shocks also feature an easy access bleeder cap screw for consistent shock builds every time and each pair includes three different piston options of 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 sizes as well as a blank piston for drilling to a custom size. Custom shock tightening tools and optional shock limiters are also included. The dampers accept most 12mm big bore buggy springs and included are also several upper and lower shock pivot balls as well as optional +2, +4 and +6mm spring perches to fit a wider range of vehicles right out of the box. Coming as separate front and rear sets the shocks are known to fit the Team Associated B5, B5M and B44.3, the Kyosho RB6 and ZX-6, the TLR 22 2.0 and 22-4 as well as the Yokomo B-Max2 and B-Max4.
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Tamiya is busy adding more new kits to their release list of items that will be on show at the forthcoming Shizuoka Hobby Show. Beside a new (mid motor?) 1/10th 2WD competition buggy we will also get to see the TRF102 formula kit. Rumours have it that the vehicle sports a new-type T-bar rear suspension which is meant to be better suited for rubber tyre formula racing, as it becomes more and more popular these days. The redesigned chassis is likely to see a floating battery mount to allow for improved flex, again to try and extract the maximum grip from rubber tyres while allowing for more battery and electronic layouts at the same time. It is also understood that the front end received a revision, possibly to allow for an improved adjustability compared to the TRF101. More information about Tamiya’s latest formula kit should become available in time for the Shizuoka show in mid-May.
Source: Tamiya [tamiya.com] & Kentech Blog [kentech.blogs.se]
Pro-Line introduce the Suppressor 1/8th off-road tyre for 1/8th buggies and truggies. The company’s latest race tyre was designed specifically for medium packed to loose outdoor tracks. The tread design takes inspiration from tyres like the Hole Shot, Lock Down and Tazer. The tyre features a smooth transition from the sidewall to the tread to prevent catching the sharp edges in the track, which can cause violent roll overs and lost time. The long centre bars on the Suppressor will provide massive forward bite and have a Hole Shot style relief cut for added side to side tread flex. Below the centre tread is reinforcement webbing that mimics the outside pattern for a cohesive Suppressor look. The buggy tyre will become available in X3, X4, M3 and M4 compounds with the VTR truggy variant coming in X3 and M3 rubber.
Click here to view the truck tyre
Xray have announced the re-signing of multiple USA champion Eric Anderson to the team for the 2015 season. Eric is focused on electric on-road racing and will attend at all the major national and international races in touring car and 1/12th classes including the ROAR Nationals, the AOC and the ETS season final. The Snowbirds, IIC, ROAR National and AOC International Champion has the following to say about the deal
I am honored to be part of the Xray team for another year. I have been running Xray cars exclusively for the past 5 years and have owned every Xray 1/10 touring and 1/12 scale ever made. I am extremely happy with their on track performance and the way that Xray’s team works together to ensure everyone is always up to speed. The quality and factory support from Xray is second to none and it shows in their products, on track performance and customer support. I look forward to promoting all of Xray’s products and helping to refine the performance even further with future models.
Source: Xray [teamxray.com]
Tailor-made for Tekno RC’s NT48 1/8th scale nitro truggy is Pro-Line’ latest Enforcer-seried bodyshell. From the mind of Ty Tessmann and inspired from the success of the Type-R buggy body, the Enforcer has a meaner and more angular front end look with swooping roof and bed sections for improved airflow and high-speed stability. The hood of the body is steeper to create more downforce over the front wheels for more steering and faster lap times. On top of that the body is meant to be more durable than the kit body, allowing you to hit the track harder. As usual the body comes made from high-quality clear Lexan material and including window masks and decal sheets.
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The third round of the 2015 Speed King Tour was held at the Twin Ring Honguu outdoor tarmac track in the Aichi prefecture. The race marked the first outdoor round of the year and fortunately the weather held up fine. Current series leader Akio Sobue showed great speed from the first practice on and he was able to take the TQ in the Touring Car Modified class after the qualifiers. Track owner and veteran Yokomo racer Masayuki Oyaizu took the 2nd position on the grid and Hayato Ishioka came in 3rd with his VBC.
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This weekend (17-19 April) a new season of the Euro Nitro Series fires into action at the home of one of the sport’s all time legends Lamberto Collari as the 9-time World Champion owned L.Collari RC Raceway plays host to Round 1 of what is expected to be a fiercely contested second year of the championship. Again starting in Italy, the success of the maiden ENS season can be gauged by the entry for the first of the championships four rounds with the number of drivers up 25% on last year. With this a 1:8 World Championship year, the class widely recognised as the F1 category of rc racing, the opening race has attracted a world class entry with Europe’s best drivers being joined by racers from Japan, the United States and Taiwan.
Continue reading this announcement here
