Schumacher Racing introduce new hard tire inserts for Short Course trucks. The hard compound foams are designed for rims with equal inner and outer diameter and suitable for nearly all Short Course truck tires. They are sold in pairs and available now.

Source: Schumacher [racing-cars.com]

CML Distribution announce that Mugen factory driver Simon Willets switched to Pro-Line tires and accessories. The 2011 and 2010 UK BRCA National Series runner-up, one of the most consistent drivers in the UK and Europe, is hoping the switch will improve his chances of a top finish as well at this years 2012 European Championships in Austria and World Championships in Argentina. This is what Simon has to say about the deal:

Regardless of the many new tyre brands that are now on the market, I still see Pro-Line as the leaders and original innovators in tyre and accessories. Their dedication to their product means I have every confidence in Pro-Line giving me the best opportunity to improve and become faster.

Source: CML Distribution [cmldistribution.co.uk]

Serpent release several option parts for the Cobra-B 1/8 scale off-road buggy. Already included in the TE Team Edition kit are light aluminium front and rear shock towers, hard coated shock-caps  and new lower rear wing. Also included in the Team Edition and usable to upgrade earlier Cobra buggies are the transmission input parts with larger bearings and new differential coupler system, larger bearing rear up-rights with larger shafts and larger bearing front steering block, again with larger shafts.

Source: Serpent [serpent.com]

Novarossi are pleased to introduce the new C9TGH hot weather glow plug. Recommended for the use in ambient temperatures of 30°C and above the custom-made plug is specially manufactured to meet the particular requirements of the racers and is capable to withstanding the rigours of racing in very high temperatures.

Source: Novarossi [novarossi.it]

Round 1 of the 2012 Speed Passion R/C Championship was held at the Twin Ring Honguu circuit in Toyokawa-city, Japan last weekend. The circuit is owned by one of the top driver in Japan, Masayuki Oyaizu from Team Yokomo/Speed Passion and he got 68 racers to joining the event with 15 entrants in the Mini class, 35 entrants in the Touring Car Open class, 27 entrants in the Touring Car Stock class, and 18 entrants in F1. Come the A finals, Nobuo Tanii was successful in the Mini class, with Tatsuya Hibino winning F1 and Inakakata the Touring Car Stock class. Tamiya Racing Factory/2010 JMRCA 1/10 Touring Car Open class TQ & Champion Akio Sobue won the Touring Car Open class using a Speed Passion GT2.0 Pro controller and Competition Ver3.0 motor. After the award ceremony, Japanese Speed Passion distributor Tresrey held a prize draw which included many ESCs and motors and would like to thank Twin Ring Honguu and Speed Passion for the event.

Source: Tresrey [tresrey.com]

Here are some pics of Cody King’s Nitro Buggy and Truggy. They are all ready for the 2012 “The Dirt” Nitro Challenge! Cody is the  current IFMAR World Champion in 1:8 Nitro Off-Road Buggy. His father and mechanic Paul King posted these pics on his facebook page earlier today.

Both the truggy and buggy with bodies off…

Buggy with body off…

Buggy with body on…

Both tuggy and buggy with bodies on…

Source: (Paul King Facebook)

Futura cleaner has been developed to solve the problem of traction build up on your tires to keep the performance similar the next time you use them. The only way to do this is to remove the traction buildup to keep them consistent from run to run and this cleaner will remove that buildup from the tires. Cleaner is formulated for both rubber and foam tires and especially on foam tires it’s able to open the foam pore, making the tire softer and prepare it for the application of new additive.

Source: Futura [tyreadditive.com]

Thousands of spectators flocked to the 2012 Motorama event watching and participating in everything from motocross to karting to sprints and RC. The event featured two different racing tracks. One was designed for competition among traditional 1:10 offroad vehicles including 2WD buggies, 4WD buggies, and stadium trucks on a clay surface. The other, larger track featured racing for 1:8 electric buggies and truggies along with 2WD and 4WD Short Course. With spectators filing through the event throughout the two-day period, many were witnessing competitive remote-control car racing for the first time.

On the 1:10 track, Chad Due was on fire with his Team Associated B4.1 WE and B44.1 buggies, taking the victory in the two premier classes on that track, 2WD and 4WD Modified. Chad used Reedy LiPo batteries and Reedy Sonic motors combined with LRP SXX V2 speed controls to bring home the double victory. Also taking a class victory in 17.5 Stadium Truck with his Reedy Sonic/LRP-powered Team Associated T4.1 was Dave Duncan from JConcepts.

Not to be left out of the winner’s circle was one of Team Associated’s latest signings, Max Flurer. Max took his FT SC10 truck to the top step of the podium and backed up his top-qualifying effort with a victory in the 2WD Modified Short Course class on the larger 1:8 track. Max also used a Reedy 5500 mAh 60C battery and a Reedy Sonic 7.5 motor with a LRP SXX V2 speed control to power him to victory.

Congratulations also goes out to podium finishers Steven Hartson (4WD Buggy), Chad Due (2WD Modified Short Course) and Brent Thielke (1:8 Expert eBuggy). With such a large opportunity to showcase RC cars to a massive group of potential customers, Motorama represents an event unlike any other. If you have the opportunity to attend, it’s a highly recommended experience to interact with people discovering the fun of remote-control cars for the first time.

Source: Associated [rc10.com]

Four Victories at Motorama for Team Associated/Reedy/LRP

Thousands of spectators flocked to the 2012 Motorama event watching and participating in everything from motocross to karting to sprints and RC. Team Associated was there supporting our customers, promoting remote-control car racing, and competing in each class offered.

The event featured two different racing tracks. One was designed for competition among traditional 1:10 offroad vehicles including 2WD buggies, 4WD buggies, and stadium trucks on a clay surface. The other, larger track featured racing for 1:8 electric buggies and truggies along with 2WD and 4WD Short Course. With spectators filing through the event throughout the two-day period, many were witnessing competitive remote-control car racing for the first time.

On the 1:10 track, Chad Due was on fire with his Team Associated B4.1 WE and B44.1 buggies, taking the victory in the two premier classes on that track – 2WD and 4WD Modified. Chad used Reedy LiPo batteries and Reedy Sonic motors combined with LRP SXX V2 speed controls to bring home the double victory. Also taking a class victory in 17.5 Stadium Truck with his Reedy Sonic/LRP-powered Team Associated T4.1 was Dave Duncan from JConcepts.

Not to be left out of the winner’s circle was one of Team Associated’s latest signings, Max Flurer. Max took his FT SC10 truck to the top step of the podium and backed up his top-qualifying effort with a victory in the 2WD Modified Short Course class on the larger 1:8 track. Max also used a Reedy 5500 mAh 60C battery and a Reedy Sonic 7.5 motor with a LRP SXX V2 speed control to power him to victory.

Congratulations also goes out to podium finishers Steven Hartson (4WD Buggy), Chad Due (2WD Modified Short Course) and Brent Thielke (1:8 Expert eBuggy). With such a large opportunity to showcase RC cars to a massive group of potential customers, Motorama represents an event unlike any other. If you have the opportunity to attend, it’s a highly recommended experience to interact with people discovering the fun of remote-control cars for the first time.

Source: www.rc10.com

Pro-Line: Flo-Tek Ford F-150 Raptor SVT Clear Body

Description:

This is a Pro-Line Flo-Tek Ford® F-150 Raptor SVT Clear Body for Short Course Trucks. Are you a die-hard Ford® fan who needs the benefit of Flo-Tek technology to make that huge triple without blowing over? Now you can have the newest in race body styling technology and show off your love for Ford® with Pro-Line’s new Flo-Tek Ford® F-150 Raptor SVT body for short course trucks. This body features ultra-low, sleek body lines and distinctive Ford® details blended with Flo-Tek technology that will make your SC truck look good going around the track. All Ford® fans need Pro-Line’s new Flo-Tek Ford® F-150 Raptor SVT Clear Body!!!

Don’t forget to submit your finished Pro-Line Ford® F-150 Raptor SVT body to Reader’s Rides when you are done. Who knows, you could get your ride posted on the blog and you could even win a prize!

Features:

Bold Ford® F-150 Raptor SVT styling
Flo-Tek technology specifically designed to minimize parachute effect
Bolt on modular number and side dam plates
Exceptional detail and style
Made with Crystal Clear Genuine GE Lexan®

Four step to Race Ready:
1.) Clean Body and apply included window mask
2.) Paint then peel the over-spray film off
3.) Sticker your body (decal sheet included)
4.) Mount your new Ford® F-150 Raptor SVT onto your Short-Course Truck
Made in the USA, since 1982 – Read about Pro-Line Racing’s History

What’s Included:

Flo-Tek Ford® F-150 Raptor SVT Body (1 pc)
Number and side dam plates (4 pcs)
Aluminum Hardware Packs
Window templates
Decal Sheet

Fits:

Traxxas® Slash
Traxxas® Slash 4×4 [shown]
Associated SC10
Associated SC10 4×4
Losi XXX-SCT
Losi TEN-SCTE 4WD
HPI Blitz
Ultima SC

Specs:

Length: 21.1″ (536mm)
Width: 9.0″ (229mm)
Height: 5.8″ (147mm)
Wheel Base: 12.6″ (320mm)

Source: www.prolineracing.com

TLR and JConcepts driver’s Frank Root and Ryan Dunford, along with Tamiya Driver Jake Thayer, were on hand at the 3rd round of the TLR Series Sunday at Orange Country R/C Raceway (OCRC). The track had fantastic traction and a very fast layout. The entry count was very strong at over 110 and a great day of racing was had by all.

2wd Modified Buggy – There were 2 heats of modified buggy and the qualifying action was intense. Jake Thayer had a great run in the first round nearly taking the early TQ, but Frank Root would charge back hard in the round 2 to take a strong TQ by over 4 seconds. When the tone went off, Root jumped out to a quick start to gap the field. About 4 minutes in, Frank had a slight interaction with traffic, and surrendered the lead to Jake. The 2 JConcepts drivers would then have an intense wheel to wheel battle for the next 3 laps until a little bobble by Jake allowed Frank to take the lead for good. After regaining the lead, Frank would make it by for his 16th lap, and cruise home for the win. Both drivers ran JConcepts Gold Bar Codes front and rear, with JC closed cell inserts in the rear.

1/8 Electric Buggy – Jake Thayer was debuting his new Tamiya 1/8th electric buggy in preparation for next week’s Nitro Challenge. His car was fast and easy to driver on 1/8 Gold Bar Codes, and took strong TQ. When the tone went off in the main, Jake quickly pulled away and sailed off into the sunset taking his first win in 1/8 electric buggy in his first race in the class!

Pro4 (Modified SC) – Ryan’s Losi Ten-SCTE equipped with the JConcepts Gold Bar Codes was untouchable all day. Ryan would take the TQ in both rounds of qualifying, earning the overall TQ by almost 10 seconds! Ryan started on form at the sound of the tone and quickly pulled out from the field, leaving the battle for 2nd place. Doug “Casper” Nielsen also had a strong run finishing on the podium in 3rd, but the day belonged to Ryan with a statement TQ and Win!

The JConcepts team won using the following equipment:

1/10 Buggy Gold Bar Codes – JCO301605
1/10 2wd Buggy Fronts, Gold Bar Codes – JCO301705
Short Course Gold Bar Codes – JCO304405

Source: www.jconcepts.net

HOFER WINS KÖNGNER INDOOR OFFROAD MASTER 4WD

Pro-Line‘s Patrick Hofer participated the Könger Indoor Offroad Master on February 11th & 12th 2012 in Germany.

The track was very fast with great flow and perfect grip. Patrick quickly found a setup and adapted his handling for this particular track. During the qualifications, he dominated the 5 runs in 4WD, and obtained the TQ in this class. Patrick placed 2nd in 2WD. On Sunday, Hofer won two 4WD finals and claimed the overall win. In 2WD, he finished on the podium with 3rd place.

Source: www.prolineracing.com

Patrick Hofer, Team Associated / Pro Line factory driver has won the 4th round of the 2011-2012 SIC Swiss Indoor Championship in the 1/10 Modified Touring Car category. The 4th round was held on the fantastic RC facility of ModellTech in Sion.Patrick managed to takes the pole position during the qualification rounds. For the finals, Corally ace Philipp Huber and Team Magic Driver Matthias Meier found a very strong setup and tried to pass Patrick on every corner. Philipp won the first final, showing his potential to the other competitors. In the second and third legs, after very hard battles, Patrick managed the overall victory by winning both of the 2 final with his TC6.1 touring car with Huber taking 2nd and Matthias Meier completing the podium with his Team Magic E4RS II. This win gave the Hofer, an Champion offroad racer, the Swiss Indoor title having never driven a touring car 4 months ago.

Source: HRC [hrcdistribution.com]

The development of the Centax clutch continues with the release of Serpent’s new true motion clutch. Serpent’s designer Ron Ton was the innovator of this revolutionary clutch system in the mid nineties and soon it became the industry standard in onroad racing as all other brands adopted similar systems. Many variations have been tried, but in the end it still comes close to the original idea. In the latest development the tapered shape has been moved from the flywheel to the pressure plate instead, improving punch and reliability. Serpent continues the use of the hard Centax spring to set preload, as its less critical and fast to adjust. The 1/10 scale Centax True motion clutch has the red shoe and steel clutch housing, while the 1/8 scale Centax True motion clutch has the black shoe and aluminium clutch housing as standard.

Source: Serpent [serpent.com]

Matrix Tyres have released their own line of additive, developed as a result of their knowledge of the rubber and a thorough search of raw materials. Tested using the best drivers in the world, both in 1/8 and 1/10, it will ensure maximum grip, ease of driving and maximum cornering speed. Absolutely not harmful, it does not contain any solvent hazardous to human health (see safety sheet here (PDF)).

Source: Matrix Tires [matrixtires.it]

The event featured two different racing tracks. One was designed for…

Chad Due, Matt Chambers, Max Flurer and Dave Duncan win with JConcepts at 2012 Motorama Extravaganza.

For the 3rd year in a row the JConcepts Racing Team made their way to the popular Motorama event in Harrisburg, PA. Paul Wynn had the JConcepts pits in order while the drivers prepped and readied for racing. 

The Motorama events crew elected to have 2 separate tracks with completely different surfaces, conditions and track layouts for 2012.

An all electric event brought an amazing turnout of roughly 600 entries filling the respective track areas. The main man himself Scotty Ernst handled the 1/8th and SCT track while Charlie Suangka kept things running smoothly on the 1/10th track.

JConcepts drivers Dave Duncan, Matt Chambers and Chad Due led the way on the 1/10th track TQ’ing stock truck, modified truck and 4wd modified respectively. On the 1/8th and SCT track it was Barry Pettit taking TQ honors in the 1/8th e-truggy class while Max Flurer showed everyone how it’s done in the SCT 2wd modified class. Those drivers relied on JConcepts to put their vehicles on the pole position.

With the large entry count, drivers chased tire and insert combinations all day, going from treaded tires to slick tires and then back to tread as the 1/10th track started to dry out. On the 1/8th and SCT track the wet track conditions produced traction but also led to a bumpy surface making things a little more difficult on the SCT trucks and the 2wd’s in particular. An array of tires were popular for the JConcepts crew starting with Subcultures and moving on to either Hybrids or Double Dees as the light loamy dirt turned into extremely bumpy holes.

Drivers packed it in Saturday night and had an opportunity to get some dinner and a good night’s sleep for Sunday’s main events. Sunday started bright and early and a long wait produced some tense moments as track conditions continued to dry out. Drivers second guessed themselves constantly but could only make one choice heading into the single 5 minute main.

The Stock Truck A-main quickly took the track with Dave “Double Dee” Duncan getting off to a slightly rough start but quickly recovering on lap 2. Duncan looked great as he pulled a small lead after the first several laps and locked into a cruise mode holding a gap on 2nd place. Dave pushed out to a 3 second lead taking a well deserved victory. Mark Smyka finished 2nd and Mike Speranza 3rd.

Matt Chambers TQ’ed the modified truck class and got an extremely clean start in the A-main. Matt’s TLR 22-T with JConcepts Bar Codes looked on point as Matt made quick work of the first few laps. Stretching the gap out to roughly a 4 second lead over Brent Thielke, the 5 minute A-main was all Matt as he looked to sew up one of the first big mains of the day. Crossing for the win Matt Chambers took 1st place, Brent Thielke 2nd and Phillip Atondo in 3rd.

At the start of the 2wd modified main it was Matt Chambers taking the early lead with Steven Hartson in 2nd. A small mistake by the leader put Chad Due into 2nd place where he hunted down the leader and maintained smooth and consistent laps. Out front, Chambers looked comfortable but a small mistake allowed Due to take his first lead of the race. Due, running his trusty Bar Codes in blue compound, maintained the lead to the finish line taking his first win of the day. James Schlick finished 2nd and Matt Chambers 3rd.

The last main of the day, 4wd modified started with TQ Chad Due taking the first few turns very smoothly and maintaining a small gap over Steven Hartson. Hartson made a small mistake and allowed Rob Betts to enter the race and run among the top 3. Just when things were looking smooth, Due encountered a steering problem and had to drop back a few places which allowed Betts to take the lead. Hartson put on a charge but made a small mistake which allowed Due to go by. With only 2 laps to go Betts was in the lead but made a small bobble which put Due back out front. Chad Due showing the patience made the last lap on cruise control to take 1st place. Rob Betts finished 2nd and Steven Hartson 3rd.

The A-mains just started to crank-up on the 1/8th and SCT track and it was Max Flurer sitting on TQ in the SCT 2wd modified class who appeared confident. Leaping out to a comfortable lead, Max was just laying down laps with his JConcepts equipped SC10 FT and pulled away. Chad Due and Matt Chambers had a great race swapping positions on several occasions. The bumpy conditions made the race even more exciting but extremely difficult for the battling drivers. With Max out front and cruising, 2nd and 3rd continued to battle. At the finishing line, Max Flurer took 1st place, Chad Due 2nd and Matt Chambers 3rd. All 3 drivers relied on JConcepts all weekend with Subcultures tires providing the winning grip on the somewhat loose and lightly loamy conditions.

In the 1/8th e-buggy main JConcepts / Mugen driver Barry Pettit held a comfortable lead over TQ driver Taylor Peterson deep into the race. The 2 drivers would battle to the end with Barry suffering a crash in a really rough section with only 2 laps to go which gave the lead to Taylor. It was a mad dash to the finish line with Taylor taking 1st place, Barry Pettit 2nd and Brent Thielke 3rd.

In the 1/8th e-truggy class, TQ driver Barry Pettit got off to a great start and looked comfortable and quick in the early moments. A slight bobble by Barry put Mugen teammate Taylor Peterson into the lead. Barry was in attack mode and making up ground when a difficult landing off the large table-top jump broke the rear camber link and forced him out or the race. Toward the middle of the race, Taylor Peterson started having some shut-down issues which allowed TLR driver Anthony Mazzara to take the lead. Anthony was on a stellar drive and took the victory, Taylor Peterson finished 2nd and Christopher Sytsma 3rd.

Source: www.jconcepts.net

Horizon Hobby is proud to welcome Steve and Brad O’Donnell to the organization. Steve will assume the role as Technical Advisor for Race Chassis Development and will work alongside his son Brad, Team Losi Racing Engineer Dan Hissam, and drivers such as Adam Drake and Mike Truhe. Steve will be instrumental in developing new products for the Team Losi Racing vehicles. Steve’s vast experience, including 5 IFMAR World Championship titles, CNC machining knowledge, and over 25 years of RC and engineering experience, will help continue the dominating presence of Team Losi Racing in the 1/8th off-road nitro category. Steve’s first race with the team is this week at the 13th annual Dirt Nitro Challenge at the Fear Farm R/C Raceway in Phoenix, Arizona. Steve will support the entire team and the Team Losi Racing 8ight 2.0 buggy and 8ight-T 2.0 Truggy platforms.

Source: TLR [tlracing.com]

Round #1 of the TLR Winter Series was this past weekend at Revelation Raceway. The event had 10 heats. TLR, Nova Rossi, Pro-Line driver Adam Drake tq’ed both rounds of qualifying in the 1/8th Pro Buggy class. JQ was the only other driver to turn 8 laps in qualifying, but was 7 seconds behind Drake. In the 30 minute buggy final Adam Drake checked out on the field and won by more than one lap over JQ and Drew Moller. Drew Moller won the 20 minute truck final. Drew and Adam had a good battle until Drake ran out of fuel. Moller cruised to the victory followed by Cody Smith and Adam Drake.

Source: www.losi.com