Destiny have announced the signing of up and coming Japanese drivers Shin and Jin Sawada. At 17 years old, Jin already made several A-mains at the Japanese Nationals while 12 years old Shin already showed some very impressive speed and results. The first big race for the two was the recent AOC finale at Yatabe arena where Jin achieved a fine third place after the qualifiers.
The 37th running of the US Indoor Championship was held at the Embassy Suite/Hilton in Independence, Ohio. The race has slowly grown over the last few years to reach a peak of 413 entries this year, making it one of the largest indoor races in the country. This time the format was special as the organizers left the track open all night so you could get in a lot of track time. Still, most of the testing took place on Friday during the seeding rounds and controlled practice. In true US Indoor Champs fashion, qualifying went on Friday from 7pm to 2am and Saturday from 7am to 3am, with main events on Sunday finishing at 3:30pm for those racers wanting to get on the road home. Once again Keven Hebert proved to be the man to beat. Taking the top qualifying honors in both Modified Touring and 1/12th scale, Hebert was in the best position possible for Sunday’s main events. In 1/12th, Hebert was able to win the main event by over a lap and in the Touring Car main event he was again able to take the win, even after an altercation with backmarkers close to the end of the race.
Source: Team Associated [teamassociated.com]
Team Losi Racing have introduced the Dirt laydown transmission conversion kit for the TLR 22 3.0 2WD buggy. The chassis and gearbox conversion moves the motor forward which greatly improves corner speed and consistency on higher grip tracks. The updated weight bias is around 39 percent front and 61 percent rear, giving the car more corner speed and stability. Optimised for clay and dirt surfaces and ride heights between 22mm to 24mm, the laydown conversion kit includes the Dirt laydown transmission and utilises the standard rear hubs. The parts were used by the TLR race team during this season, culminating in Dakotah Phend capturing the 2016 ROAR National Championship in 2WD Buggy. Designed as a complete conversion kit, no additional parts or modifications are needed to convert an existing 22 3.0.
The second round of the Washtenaw RC Raceway Points Race Series was held at the Washtenaw County Fairgrounds between Ann Arbor and Saline, Michigan. Conditions were great for a perfect day of racing on the indoor 1/10th scale off road track. The atmosphere was electric and racing was fantastic. This season the WRCR track has a number of detailed sections such as the option lane, an inside line heading to a tight S-Turn with four wood strips with dirt smoothing them. This round most of the classes were using the option lane as it became faster after track updates from round 1. The 4WD Buggy class is most impacted by the bumps but those willing to risk the trip through this lane may gain time on their competition. Conner Stanley was one of those drivers who took the advantage and was able to qualify into the top spot. Ben Belote was the next fastest driver starting in the second position only a few seconds ahead of Tom Erickson.
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The German ESV Bischofsheim club has announced the 11th edition of their iconic International Warm-up Race for the 28th to 30th of April 2017. After a one year break the event is back and reloaded and it will be held in the usual classes of Nitro Buggy, Nitro Truggy and E-Buggy. The popular Rhein Main Circuit near Frankfurt will feature some improvements for 2017 and all information on the event together with sign-up, that starts on the 4th of February, can be found on the official website here.
Muchmore have introduced the Fleta M8.1 Black 180A brushless speed controller for 1/8th scale applications. The 6S LiPo-compatible ESC measures a compact 44.8x45x23.2mm and it is housed in a machined and black anodised aluminium case with Flow-Max design for maximised cooling. The triple power capacitor ensure high power output and a linear throttle feeling while the included ultra high RPM fan is protected by an aluminium guard. The controller comes with the new M8 V2.0 firmware that is adjustable using the optional Fleta Super High Response programming card. The speedo is usable with sensored and sensorless 2 to 6-pole motors and it will hit stores soon.
Since 2013, the Asian Onroad Championship has grown through the years and has become the premiere onroad racing event in the Asia Pacific. Making five stops throughout the calendar year in various regions across Asia, the AOC continues to grow and gain momentum from each and every event bringing with it a world class level of competition wherever it goes. The final stop on the 2016 schedule was held at the historic Yatabe Arena in Tsukuba, Japan. With heritage and history like the Yatabe Arena, the final AOC event was sold out within a few days and has become the biggest race in Japan attracting many international racers from across the world including from countries like Germany, France, America, and other neighboring Asian countries like China, Taiwan, Korea to name just a few. Not only were racers on hand, the event attracted over 20 RC vendors that setup a display/support booth and transformed the atmosphere into a mini RC Expo.
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3DRC have introduced a new shorter version of their Fan Booster cooling fan mount. Designed for most 30mm fan units, the mount incorporates a shorter air channel that guides the air towards the motor can for improved heat dissipation. The updated shorter design not only allows to mount the unit in more crowded environments, but it also improves cooling efficiency over the standard version at the same time. The 3-D-printed part is available through 3DRC’s Shapeway store.
Source: 3DRC [shapeways.com]
