After many tests F.V.S.S. have introduced their new transmission with 0.8 module. The new gearbox will give you more traction and torque in all conditions, ensuring lower fuel consumption and better corner speed. Available for the new Velox V8 Pro and the Mugen MRX5 it comes in two variants, with an aluminium or steel clutch bell.
Source: F.V.S.S. [fvssshop.it]
Last weekend the first round of mid German regionals was held at the Kirchhain track. For the first time this year the weather forecast was good for the whole weekend so nice racing could be expected. About 50 racers, separated into the 1:8 and 1:10 classed were presented with a well prepared race track. In Qualifying everybody had more or less problems to run 5min on one fuel tank. Qualifying saw Dirk Wischnewski able to TQ the race in front of teammate Simon Balk. The semi finals were run with no big surprises. Simon won his Semi and Dirk was able to win his in front of Patrick Schäfer. At the start of the final Wischenwski was able to build up a good lead right after the start. Simon and Patrick had a good fight for second spot at the start of the 30min final but unfortunately Simon chunked a tire and so he had to slow down a little bit. Dirk would go on to win the race by 2 laps from Patrick and Simon.
Source: Xray [teamxray.com]
JConcepts have released the Silencer body for the Hot Bodies D812, a brand-new, ground up design which has new elements created for the highest speed circuits. A narrowed, Finnisher stance cockpit allows more fuel tank access a smoother high-speed transition and increased flow around the engine heat-sink. A deep recess around the heat-sink area with dual channeling out the rear provides air escape along with rear-end stability, while the Silencer side-pods have a clipped rear-end, narrowing the rear by angling just in front of the rear tires. The extended runner features are placed on the rear-end of the body enhancing the force placed on the rear pods during high-speed acceleration. The main pods are heavily chamfered and a more heat-shrink design over the pipe, fuel tank and electrical / linkage make up the main pods. The end result has the body looking extremely low-profile with heavy JConcepts edginess and appeal. The Silencer is capped off with a cock-pit “shark fin” for more high-speed tracking stability and increased roof stiffness.
View more images of the body here
The first round of the Swedish Cup 1/8 took place at Staffanstorp in the south of the country. The final was a close affair between Marcus Lindner and Mikael Fransson both quickly increasing the gap to the rest of the field after the first laps. Fransson was a little bit faster but Lindner was always close, waiting for a chance to take over the lead. As the tyre wear was quite high Lindner decided to do a tyre stop at the 25min mark but the fresh tyres made the car hard to drive and he lost some time in the following laps. Before the last pitstop Fransson had built up a small lead over Lindner but he flamed out at the last pitstop handing over the lead to Lindner who cruised to the victory at his first outing with Shepherd. Fransson recovered and finished on second place followed by Patrik Johansson in third.
Source: Shepherd [team-shepherd.com]
Last weekend the “Freedom Cup” took place at Teverola R/C track in Italy. It was a fantastic race with over 80 entries in both 1/10 and 1/8 categories and a temperature of up to 35°. In qualifying Alessio Forte got the pole position with Mario Spiniello in second place and Deneroso Mazza in third. In the main final, Spiniello had a great start and immediately overtook Alessio to take the lead. The Xray driver would extend his lead, producing a new track record along the way. With no mistakes and no trouble Mario crossed the finish line in first place ahead of Mazza in 2nd and Francesco Maddaloni in 3rd.
Source: Xray [teamxray.com]
Last weekend the 4th race of the Portuguese On-road Nationals for 1/8 and 1/10 took place at the Vila Real track at the north of Portugal, one of the most fantastic on-road permanent circuits. The track has a huge layout and the best conditions to archive the best on-road races possible so the whole Xray team worked since Saturday practice to get the best possible out of their cars, fortunately the expected rain didn’t come so we raced in dry conditions. This time Xray had a new member Mario Miranda who drove the NT1 2013 Spec for first time and for him it was a new and positive experience for sure.
Continue reading the report here
For the 977 and 966, Serpent now offers front and rear CVD driveshafts in hard anodized 7075-T6 aluminium. Laser engraved with the length and Serpent logo these are around 50% lighter than the same durable units in spring-steel meaning an important reduction of rotational masses to improve acceleration and braking. The pair of front shafts are 7.15 grams, while the rear are 7.8 grams.
I was fortunate to spend a day last week at another sporting event in the UK. One which was interrupted throughout the day by rain showers. During one of the numerous showers, during which the event was stopped, I thought about how the rain also affects our sport. Racing outdoors, which forms the majority of the important races in almost every R/C class, always has the potential to be affected by the weather. Obviously, some classes, such as the offroad classes, can be less affected, but generally a change in weather means a change in set-up, a change in attitudes and often, a change in results. Of course, we’d all love to have facilities like this weekend’s ETS venue in Austria, or the ROAR Nationals track in Texas – an “outdoor” track with a roof!
Continue reading Oli’s column here
