Red RC

The tire treatment debate in 1/8th and 1/10th gas on road has certainly divided a lot of racers and the widespread use and inability to consistently and effectively test for these substances has pushed rule makers to allow the use of additive. Some people are tired of waiting for rule makers to do something about it so are taking this matter into their own hands. For example there is a new gas on road race series about to get underway in Europe this season that uses hand out tires and in Switzerland there is the moral commitment movement to not use tire additives. The latter is signed by a number of the top gas racers in the country, and will see the drivers carry the ‘Clean Tyres’ decal on their cars to show that they are against, and do not use, additives and it is a campaign that they wish to spread across Europe.

Tyre treatment in the 1/8 track class is a “unwelcome” development.

Most of the passionate RC drivers are strongly against it.

Top 1/8 Swiss Drivers like Kurzbuch, Hächler, Pesenti, Nydegger, Hulliger, Henzi & Martinelli, to name a few, have decided to counter this development by introducing a “moral commitment movement” to not use tyre additives. They are going to participate at the 2012 Swiss Championship with the newly created sticker “Clean Tyres” applied to their car body.  This sticker will show who is racing “clean” on the track. This fact should reduce the “incentive” for drivers to use additives to beat the so-called “clean drivers” and attract them to join the “clean tyres” movement.  In practice, this means that we are building a committed “clean” new class into the class.

There are always going to be people, who wish to test the limits of the rules, even whilst carrying a “clean tyres” sticker….but at least, as the spokesman of the group said, most of us are out there on the track to enjoy ourselves without additional time and money expenditure.

Our goal is to have “clean” regional races!

Should anyone be interested….stickers are available in A4 format (per sheet: 24  stickers). As the stickers are currently in production, the price has not yet been fixed, but it should be around Euro 5.- a sheet.

Please contact: Mattia Pesenti (mattia.pesenti@swissadsl.net) for payment and delivery instructions.

For drivers taking part in the Swiss Championship, the sheets will be available at the race track for the first race of the season at production cost.

Luca Martinelli and Mattia Pesenti

January 2012

Top Italian 1/8th scale racer Michele Romagnoli joins Team Sonic for the 2012 season. The Italian vice-champion of 2011 will be a strong addition to the team helping to improve the Sonic product line with his experience. Having finished 4th at the last European Championship in Luxembourg he is aiming to improve his result at the upcoming Euros in Portugal. Additionally he will attend all national championship races as well as some regional events.

Source: Sonic Engines [sonic-engines.com]

Last weekend Round 4 of the Israeli League took place at the Speed racing track in southern Israel. Top drivers from all over the country came to participate in the event and the weather was excellent for racing and after qualifying it was Adir Zvolony that took the TQ position with his Kyosho MP9 WC. The A main final started with Zvolony taking the lead, a bad start for Yaniv Sivan who started from second position meant he had to work his way through the field. With fast driving he managed to take back the second position and a few second behind Sivan was Meir Azolay. Two minutes to the finish, Adir Zvolony hit clutch problem and lost valuable time allowing Yaniv to come through to take the win followed by Meir Azolay and Itay Atedgi.

Source: RC Zone [rczone.co.il]

Futura 2012 have released their new tyre additive for wet surfaces. This new additive has been made with special components to improve traction on tire treads on slippery wet surfaces. It is enough to apply the additive on the tyre 2 minutes before the race or apply 2 coats for better traction, leaving couple of minutes between applications. Also Futura Wet comes in handy airtight cans with application brush, suitable for foam and rubber tyre.

Source: Futura [tyreadditive.com]

Spec-R have released their new 64P touring car spur gears. Made from high quality nylon with carbon, they are smooth, durable and lightweight and can fit a wide range of popular cars. Available from 105T to 116T.

Source: Spec-R [spec-r.com]

The first round of Finnish 12th scale nationals were held in the city of Seinajoki, close to Vaasa city where 1/10 electric offroad were held last summer. This year’s famous FinTrack Tour has been divided in to both 12th and touring car series separately, which means both classes get more suitable tracks to race on. The 12th scale national championship series consists of 4 races held from January to April. Also new for this year is 10.5t blinky class which is now run as its own and not combined with modified like last year.

The practice saw regular faces on top with V-Dezign drivers Vesa Yli and Panu Vehniainen driving the new Carpet Ripper V as well as current Euro champ Simo Ahoniemi and many others, very high level action was to be seen. After 4 rounds of qualifying it was Team V-Dezign’s Vesa Yli who took the TQ by dominating every round of the qualifying session. In stock class team mate Janne Valtanen took the TQ ahead of another Carpet Ripper V driver Janne Aspinen, who just did his first ever 12th scale race! Janne is well known and fast guy from electric offroad.

In modified A mains Vesa kept his cool and took the overall win by leading from start to finish in the first two final legs to ensure the victory in this years first nationals. Simo Ahoniemi took 2nd and Teemu Saarinen finished 3rd. Another top V-Dezign driver Panu Vehniainen took 5th with some unlucky finals.

In stock A mains Janne Valtanen also took the win in the first two final legs and ensured the double TQ&Win for V-Dezign.

Source: V-Dezign [v-dezign.net]

Advantage Racing Products is now offering high quality air filters for many popular 1/8 Off-Road Buggies and Truggies. After several months of testing in a variety of conditions, they are very happy with the final product. These Air Filters provide an excellent balance of protection, performance, and cost. They come Pre-Oiled for the ultimate in convenience, and are also available dry for those who prefer to use their oil of choice. Available in packs of 4, 9, and 18 filters they are now available for the Losi 8ight/8ight-T, Serpent S811/S811T, Kyosho MP9 TKI2, Hot Bodies D8/D8T, Durango DNX408 and Mugen MBX6/MBX6T. They are currently working on filters for additional models and expect to have more available this spring.

Source: Advantage RP [advantageracingproducts.com]

The 18th running of the Reedy International Off Road Race of Champions showcases the best drivers in the World with both an Open and Invitational category. Both categories only have two classes, 2WD and 4WD buggy. With a total of nine podium spots available, Team Associated drivers occupied a stunning seven positions and took the win in two of the three classes. In the 2WD Open class, third qualifier and Team Associated/Reedy/LRP driver Chad Due claimed his first major victory by winning the tie-breaker over Team Manager and teammate Brent Thielke. Due’s finishing positions of 3-1 in the two 10-minute main events beat Thielke’s score of 2-2 and earned him an invitation to the prestigious Invitational class for 2013.

In the 4WD Open class, it was Team Associated/LRP/Reedy’s Josh Numan who started on pole and was never challenged during the 20 minutes of A-main competition. With a wire-to-wire victory, Numan also earned a position in the 2013 Invitational class. This is Numan’s third time winning an open class at the Reedy Race; two in onroad and one in offroad. Rounding out the podium spots in 4WD Open were Team Associated/Reedy/LRP teammates Michael Schoettler (second) and Rob Gillespie, Jr, (third).

Source: Associated [teamassociated.com] / Image: LiveRC.com

KM Racing continue to release parts for the Xray NT1 with the introduction of their own range of 2-speed spur gears. Made from a durable high grade plastic, they are available in 53T, 54T & 55T for 2nd gear and 58T, 59T & 60T for 1st gear.

Source: KM [km-rc.com]

Italian company Capricorn have released this rim reamer tool for 1/8th and 1/10th scale wheels. The tool is simple to use, fitting into the back side of a rim and using the axle hole as a central rotation point, it allows your to change the thickness of the wheel by shaving the material away. A rim with thinner material is softer and so provides more traction.

Source: Capricorn [capricornrc.com]

Round 4 of the FSEARA (Florida State Electric Auto Racing Association) took place at Minnreg in Largo, FL. Minnreg is an indoor carpet track, one of the few in Florida. Every year, Mike Boylan hosts this race as the warm up to the annual Snowbird Nationals in Orlando, FL and this warm up race attracted many locals & out of town racers. From Friday to Sunday, there are both oval & on road events to prepare for the 400+ entry Snowbird Nationals. This on road event alone had about 70+ entries, making this an important on road race to attend.

In Stock Touring, the 2010 ROAR National Champion Mark Burt was able to use his “very old” equipment to grab the TQ over the current Stock Touring point leader Kyle Eden. Mark Burt’s smooth driving style allowed him to set the bench mark in qualifying, but Kyle was just a couple of seconds behind Mark. In the A final, Mark Burt was able to hold off Kyle’s intense charges. Kyle had the faster car in both speed & cornering, but every time Kyle got close to Mark, the smallest mistake cost Kyle. In the end, it was Xray 1 & 2, with Mark winning the race, Kyle in second place, just 3 seconds behind and Eddie Shaffer finishing 3rd.

In Pro Stock Touring, it was another battle of the Xrays. Young Xray team driver Cory Parsons set a blistering pace in qualifying with a 32 lap run, taking the TQ. Cory was followed closely by 2nd qualifier Austin Harrison and 3rd qualifier Dave Bowser, another Xray team driver. In the A final, the top 3 qualifiers had a great start, with a tight battle between all 3. While the back of the pack were having some issues, Bobby Horan slipped by for the 4th position. Out in front, Cory continued to lead, while Austin made a mistake and got stuck on a pipe, Dave took advantage and moved to 2nd. A few laps later, Austin made another mistake and flew off the track, allowing Bobby to grab 3rd. Cory Parsons took the win, beating his own TQ run from qualifying, with Dave Bowser finishing 2nd and Bobby Horan finishing 3rd.

In Modified Touring, it was the battle between Austin Harrison vs Hot Bodies team driver Felix Law all weekend. In qualifying, Austin was able to put down an impressive run in the 2nd round of qualifying, taking TQ honors with a 4 second lead on Felix Law. Michael Bruce qualified 3rd, with a gap between him and Felix. In the A final, Felix was bumper to bumper against Austin. 4 laps into the race, both drivers hit lapped traffic. Felix saw an opening while Austin dodged traffic, and Felix made a pass after the switch back. Around the same time, Xray team driver T.J. Lathrop made a pass on Michael Bruce for the 3rd position. After passing Austin, Felix continued to pull away from the field. By the 4 minute mark Austin made a charge to catch Felix but a small mistake didn’t allow him to get by Felix. In the end Felix Law finished 1st with Austin Harrison 2nd and T.J. Lathrop 3rd.

Source: Hobby Crap [hobbycrap.com]

Following the announcement earlier in the week that Paolo Maorganti had joined Team Titan, today they have announced the signing of former European Champion Dirk Wischnewski. The German factory Xray driver had the following the say about the deal:

After some intensive testing I was really impressed by the performance and quality of all Blitz body shells. So I decided to join Team Titan for the 2012 racing season. I will use Blitz body shells in all major international races including WC in Bangkok and EC in Cassino. Further I will help Team Titan to develop new innovative products.

Source: Team Titan [team-titan.com.tw]

A little bit short notice but the organisers of the Open Challenge Brandys race in Brandys Nad Labem in Czech Republic have got in touch to announced their event. Open to 1/10 open, 1/10 hobby, 1/10 GT and Formula 1, the race is a one day event which takes place on Saturday the 11th of February and will see Serpent Factory driver Marc Fisher competing. Entries are now open and you can find more information here.

Thunder Power RC were showing the latest editions to their range of high end LiPo packs with the introduction of the Advanced Energy 6200mAh 65C 1S pack. The Advanced name means it has the lowest internal resistance and lowest operating temperatures and boasts more voltage, more run time and lightest weight in its class. Other packs include the Short 3800mAh 65C 2S Pro Race pack and the 5000mAh 65C Pro Race saddle pack. For the motor range there is the new Z3R4X 550 sized motor with balanced neodymium rotor and 0-50 degree adjustable timing. In the 1/8th BL category they have the Z3R8 with a ribbed aluminium heat sink can, balanced 4-pole neodymium rotor and will be available in 1400kv, 1900kv, 2100kv and 2400kv. Finally TP showed of their new TP1430C charger with 1000W/30A max charge and 100W max discharge.

Max Power have their latest engines on display here in Nuremberg with new .12 XP3.9 Worlds edition featuring a new 11.9mm crankshaft. For offroad there is the new Twister 5 port 2012 .21 motor which features a special intake bushing made from ergal  that has been fitted into the shaft to increase bottom end response and fuel mileage.

Team Magic have their all new 190mm electric touring car on display here on their distributors stand. A more standard configuration compared to previous versions we got shown the full option E4 RS II. The car will come supplied with rear gear diff and has a narrow chassis and dual pivot steering system. Team Magic also have a new EP powered 1/8th scale GT car called the B8 EP, which is still in prototype form and is designed to handle up to 4S LiPo packs. Finally there is the E4D MF drift car that is a front motor 4wd car that will be available as a conversion set for the E4 car and will be available at the end of the year.

Image Gallery

RB have their new line of Xtrem engines on show with a simplified naming structure and reduced number of motors. In the buggy line up there is the new BX, a 5+2 port .21 engine with a 14.5mm crankshaft and CNC machined piston. The BXR is the high end version of this motor with balanced and lightened crankshaft and ceramic main bearing. For on road there is the CX which is a 9+2 .21 port engine again with 14.5mm crankshaft and CNC machined piston. It is also available as an R version with 2 additional lubrication holes, ceramic bearing and lightened balanced crankshaft. Finally for 1/10 touring there is the TX which has 3 ports and an 11.9mm crankshaft and the R version has the extra lubrication holes in the liner as well as the additional R benefits of the other engines.

On the car front RB have their new competition based RB One R 1/8th scale buggy. It has a machined and hard anodised chassis plate with carbon shock towers front (5mm) and rear (4mm), carbon brake discs, racing geometry & adjustability and 16mm aluminium big bore shocks, CVD shafts throughout and 3 differentials with conical gears. Other items of note are the CNC machined aluminium engine monoblock and centre diff mounts and to top it off there is an all new body shell. There is also a prototype of the new brushless version of the car called the E One R and while it shares many of the same parts as the One R it is not ready to show.

Other new items on the booth is the company’s Pro Lock exhaust system that does away with the need for the small exhaust springs between the manifold and the pipe. Shown here on the new 2097 offroad pipe it is a simple twist and lock movement and this removes all distortion and seals this connection  perfectly. There are also new V3 turbo glow plugs made with new wire which improves stationary RPM and last longer. Their line of fuel will also get an updated oil mixture. For working on the engines there is the new ball bearing extraction tool set which comes with the adaptor for 3 different sizes. Finally there is a new 4000mAh LiPo batter with Venom multi connector and a new line of tire balancing putty.

Image Gallery

KM Racing/Novarossi factory driver Dario Balestri took us through his new prototype 1/10th 200mm chassis, based on the H-K1. The overall idea for the new car was to reduce weight and car features new front and rear blocks, new POM plastic pulleys, a lot of lightened parts throughout and a new narrower chassis with the option of titanium drive shafts and wheel axles to be available. The bearings in the middles shaft holder and gearbox shaft are now set into plastic inserts for vibration reduction. There is a new radio plate with adjustable flex through 2 screws on the front and on the rear of the plate depending on where you want the flex and the RX battery is now mounted on the exhaust side for perfect balance. Final updates include a new fuel cap and a new side belt tensioner.

Image Gallery

Arrowmax have their own stand here at the fair this year and they are showing the most bling items accessories at the show. We have written about it before but seeing their aluminium and carbon fibre setup board in person you can see the quality of finish on this very unique product. Also on show was their prototype car stand with machined aluminum sides and carbon top surface. The final dimensions of the stand is likely to change but the materials will stay the same.

Image Gallery

Xceed have a number of new items on their stand including a new range of starter boxes for 1/8th & 1/10th on road and 1/8th off road. These extremely compact units feature an aluminium case and single motor, belt driven starter wheel and can take twin 2S LiPos. Xceed too have a new line up of servos with metal gear servos and full or partial metal cases. They also are showing their new super lightweight carbon fibre setup boards with honeycomb internals.

On the body front there is the new 1/8th scale Lola 012 which we had a sneak peek of some days ago. For touring 190mm there is the new Kruzer shell and for 200mm there is the Spark shell. Final items include an updated range of silicone oils with larger 100ml bottles, new magnetic tray, LiPo charging case, engine case, parts boxes, tweezers and finally a new line of fuel called XF-Pro which features a new mixture and will be available in 25% and 16%.

Image Gallery

Robitronic have shown of their new line up of servos under the ‘Highest’ name. They say that the price and quality is somewhere in the middle between the Savox and KO brands and fall under two categories called Speed and Torque. All have full or partial metal casings and the car versions are aimed towards the 1/8th offroad category. Robitronic also have new competition LiPos including a 6000mAh 2S 70C, 6000mAh 2S 50C, 5500mAh 3S 60C and a 5000mAh 70C saddle pack.

Turkish large scale manufacturer MCD, which are distributed by Robitronic, have their products on the stand including their new RR V4 Factory 1/6th scale buggy. The competition based car features a machined aluminium chassis, CVDs, long travel shock absorbers and their new air-flow system which helps channel the heat out of the car from the engine. MCD also have a brushless conversion for the same car which includes a motor mount and battery mount that can hold up to 6S 2P. They recommend to use a 750-850kv motor and a 150A speedo. MCD also have their newly released W5 Short course on display.

Other new items on the Robitronic stand are the line of Helion cars including the Dominus 10SC 4wd short course RTR truck that comes with a 7-cell pack, charger, 2.4Ghz radio system and is also waterproof. Two other cars in the range are the Animus 18SC and the 18TR, both are 1/18th scale 4wd vehicles with a combo servo, RX and ESC unit and feature a pre painted SC and truck body shell respectively.

Image Gallery

LRP released most of their new products before the fair but did show their S8 Rebel TX which has fully adjustable race suspension, the extra powerful LRP Z.28R Sport engine, VTEC Kamikaze truggy tires and a cab-forward competition body shell. It comes with a metal gear steering servo and big bore oil filled shocks. They have also introduced their new S10 Twister truck which is fully ball-raced, and has a slipper clutch and fully adjustable suspension geometry. Other items on display are the company’s new flagship competition brushless modified motor, the X20, the new LRP 20A power supply and an upgrade kit that turns your SXX speedo into a modified and stock speed controller. Finally on the battery front there is new range of competition LiPos with a higher C rating as well as higher capacity for longer run times.

Sanwa, which is distributed by LRP, have their new TLS-01 telemetry system. Bind the system to the Sanwa transmitter and you are immediately able to view the data directly from the car in real time or have it save, with a capacity of up to 500 minutes of action. It is able to display throttle/brake, steering, lap times, receiver voltage, RPM and temperature. You can also use the system if you don’t have a Sanwa radio system by using an additional receiver in the car.

Sanwa also have the new entry level MX-V pistol transmitter. Featuring the same design as the MT-4. It features the basic set of functions such as dual rate, expo, trim/sub trim, servo reverse and end point adjustment and it can store the settings for up to 10 models, which are easily selectable on the radios large LCD screen. Finally from Sanwa there is 2 new high end metal gear servos, the SSR-BRX high speed coreless servo and the low profile SRG-BLS, and an entry level servo called the SX-131.

Image Gallery