June 4, 2024

SMJ 1:10 Formula 1 body, wings & driver helmets

Japan’s SMJ has released a new Formula 1 body shell together with a number of front & rear wing options and F1 driver’s helmet for 1:10 Electric Formula use.  The body is designed to match wide tread and foam tyres.  In terms of wings SMJ gives you two type options.  The Type-A wing is created in 90s F1 style, the front wing is a narrow type with a width of approximately 133mm.  The matching rear high downforce type wing has a width of approximately 110mm.  The Type-B front wing is 133mm wide and fits well with any body in terms of appearance and driving characteristics, making it a user-friendly.  The matching rear wing has a V-shaped second flap, featuring three adjustable angles for the main flap.  The driver helmet set has an emphasis on scale realism and includes two types: visor type and open type.

View more images here


June 3, 2024

Harper leads Schumacher 1-2 at British Nationals Rd2

Having announced his return to racing competition last September following a 3-year break, Elliot Harper led a Schumacher 1-2 at the second round of the British 1:10 Electric Touring Car National Championship over the weekend.  Racing at the West London track, the former World Championship podium finisher secured the TQ with fastest times in 2 of the four qualifiers.  Topping Q2 multiple Champion Chris Grainger secured P2 with teenager Daniel Robins making it a Schumacher Top 3 on the grid.  Having made history recently as she became the first female driver to make a BRCA Offroad A-Main, Xray’s Harley Eldridge lined up P4 followed by Andy Murray and the Mugen Seiki of Alex Thurston who secured his first ever National win at Round 1 last month at Halifax.  In the double mains,  Harper lead home Grainger in A1 and Eldridge in A2 for the overall win from Grainger and with his third from Round 1 now leads the championship standings.  After an intense battle in A2 to take second from Grainger, Eldridge would completed the podium ahead of Thurston with Robins finishing up P5.

Image: Schumacher [Facebook]


June 3, 2024

Sawada wins Hobbywing Cup

Attracting a number of international factory team drivers, it was Xray’s Shin Sawada who took the big win at the Hobbywing Cup which took place at the Shanghai International Model Auto Racing Arena (SIMARA) in China over the weekend.  Qualifying would see the Japanese driver top 3 of the 4 rounds of qualifying to secure the TQ ahead of team-mate Alexander Hagberg who went fastest in the final qualifier.  Team Yokomo’s Nicolas Lee would complete the Top 3 in the feature Open Brushless class ahead of China’s very own JJ Wang.  Representing Awesomatix and a driver who does a lot of development work for Hobbywing, 1:12 Spec World Champion Max Mächler lined up 6th on the grid.  In the triple final Sawada continued his form setting the fastest lap of the race to win A1 repeating the feat again in A2 for the overall win.  Winning A3, Hagberg would finish runner-up while P2 in A3 promoted Wang to third overall for an all Xray podium. Lee was best of the rest taking his Yokomo to fourth ahead of Mächler who moved up one spot to finish fifth.

Source: Hobbywing [hobbywing.com]


June 2, 2024

Senesi crowned 1:8 GT European Champion

Natanaele Senesi is the new EFRA 1:8 GT European Champion claiming the title for the very first time at the Naxos World track in Sicily, Italy.  Lining up P5 for the 45-minute title decider, the World Championship finalist took his Senesi Motorsport S21 GT car to victory by a 10-second margin from the Xray of Top Qualifier Edoardo Repetti with Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani completing the nitro podium.  Only the third running of the European Championships for the category, there was plenty of drama at the start of the final.  Set to start P3 on the grid for the 45-minute encounter, Capricorn’s Alessio Mazzeo called a technical timeout in the warm-up which put him to the back of the grid.  On the race start Repetti suffered a flame out.  Taking the lead of the race after a few laps, during his first fuel stop Senesi would flame out handing Catanzani the lead.  Chased down by a recovering Senesi, with three minutes to go Catanzani would lose 2nd gear allowing Senesi back to the front where he would stay to the finish to end Bernard-Alain Arnaldi reign over the category.  Arnaldi  would give up his back to back title finishing P6.  In the 1:8 GTE title race, Top Qualifier & Schepis Model team driver Rosario Giaimo was able to complete the job and wrapped up the championship with wins in A1 & 2 of the triple finals with Senesi and 2023 Champion Mazzeo completing the Top 3.

Image: Natanaele Senesi [Facebook]


May 31, 2024

Xray X4F‘25 FWD Touring Car

Xray has presented its latest FWD Electric Touring the with the 2025 iteration of the X4F.  Key features of the X4F‘25 start with an all-new chassis redesigned to work with the new bulkheads & lower arms and which moves motor mount location 5mm forward for improved traction.  It also integrates with the new one-piece aluminium servo/steering mount and battery holder systems.  Narrowed 5mm in the front and 10mm in the rear for improved flex characteristics that improve steering and rotation while also reducing chassis drag for improved cornering speed.  The car also gets an all-new one-piece servo mount moves the servo 5mm forward for more traction.  A Single steering arm mount reduces weight and works together with the new battery holder system to move the battery position further forward for maximum traction.  The one-piece design eliminates servo movement in hard crashes and the ultra-low profile design reduces weight and lowers the CG as much as possible.  A brand new steering arm redesigned for weight savings with new geometry creates clearance to move the motor mount and servo mount 5mm forward for improved traction & improved in-corner steering.  The X4F’25 is 25g lighter than X4F’24 with strategic lightening of the rear suspension to move the weight bias further forward.

View the full X4F‘25 presentation here


May 31, 2024

Repetti is 1:8 GT European C/Ship Top Qualifier

Italy’s Edoardo Repetti is the Top Qualifier at the 2024 EFRA 1:8 GT European Championships which are underway at the Naxos World track in Sicily, Italy.  The former European Large Scale Champion took his Ielasi Tuned powered Xray to the TQ honours with TQ runs in Q3 & 4 together with a P2 in the fifth & final round.   Also registering two TQ runs and a second, but losing out on the tie-breaker, Schepis Model driver Rosario Giaimo, winner of the recent Italian National Champion round at the same track, qualified 2nd having taken the Electric GT overall TQ earlier in the day.  Former 1:10 Nitro Touring Car Champion Alessio Mazzeo completed the Top 3 for Capricorn.  Top Qualifier at last year’s European Championship in Croatia, Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani ended qualifying P4.  Only the third running of a European Championship for the category, defending back to back Champion Bernard-Alain Arnaldi took his Genius Racing chassis to 6th as the fastest non Italian driver.

Image: Xray [Facebook]


May 31, 2024

MR33 Awesomatix A800R Organiser Box

MR33, the brand of multiple World Champion & current Awesomatix factory driver Marc Rheinard, has released this parts Organiser Box for the popular A800R Electric Touring Car.  The organiser is made with attention to detail and allows you to store everything in one box.  The box can fit stabilizers, PSS system, springs and top deck screws.

View parts list & more images here


May 30, 2024

MyCandy IF18-3 Battery Plate weights

More option parts from Italian brand MyCandy for the Infinity IF18-3 1:8 Onroad Chassis are these battery plate weights.   Offering two options of the weight for the the World Championship winning,  the tungsten versions is 100grams while the brass version weights in at 45 grams to give to two distinct balance set-up options.

View Brass option here