May 10, 2023

Factory Team RC8B4 RWB Chassis

New from Team Associated’s optional parts brand Factory Team is the RC8B4 FT RWB Chassis. It began development ahead of the 2022 IFMAR World Championships and saw race winning results with Spencer Rivkin at the 2023 TNR Challenge and Brent Thielke at the 2023 Dirt Nitro Challenge, along with A-Main performances from other team drivers during this time.  The Factory Team RWB Chassis, the RWB standing for Rear Weight Bias, shifts engine, tank, centre differential, and radio tray rearward 10mm.  This leads to increased rear grip in low traction,  improved predictability on rough track conditions and increased rear chassis stiffness.  The chassis is made from durable CNC machined 3mm 7075 aluminium with hard anodised finish and laser etching.  Use of the RWB chassis requires additional #81580 front and #81581 rear centrr bones and the new RWB radio tray brace or #81433 servo spacers.

View graphic of weight change here


May 8, 2023

Widmaier double at Austrian ‘Dirt’ Nationals

Fresh from his Truggy win and Buggy podium at the Philippine Masters in Manila last weekend, Sworkz’ Micha Widmaier was back in action in 1:10 Buggy completing a double victory at the Austrian ‘Dirt’ Nationals.  In 2WD Widmaier would secure the TQ from LRP’s Moritz Lautenbach and his Schumacher buggy while in 4WD his closest challenger on the Max RC Racing track situated in Perg was the Team Associated of Lucas Grainer.  In the finals, the defending champion would lay claim to both titles in grip dirt conditions after 2 of the 3 A-Mains with the 2WD podium completed by Lautenbach and Grainer while in 4WD Grainer got second with veteran Austrian offroad racer Peter Pinisch completing the Top 3.

Image: Micha Widmaier [Facebook]


May 8, 2023

Barufollo takes the big win at Silver State Indoor Champs

Marco Barufollo took the big win at the Silver State Indoor Championships, the Tekno driver winning the Nitro Buggy final from young talent Phi Long Nguyen and Mason Fuller.  Qualifying for the Las Vegas event, that this year attracted a record 1100 entries, saw TLR’s Dakotah Phend leave his mark on proceedings as he TQ’d all three categories he was contesting including the big one, Nitro Buggy.  On Saturday, he would take the win in eBuggy over Spencer Rivkin but suffered some issues in Nitro Truggy before recovering to finish 4th,  the win going to Ryan Maifield over Ryan Lutz.   Sunday’s Nitro Buggy encounter started with Phend out front as second place started Cole Ogden hit issues early on and dropped down the order.  Just after the 9-minute mark Phend would suffer a flame out coming in for fuel that would drop him on a lead he would never regain.  Up front it was a battle between Barufollo and Long Nguyen, the Louisiana driver showing no fear against the Italian driver and putting a pass on him for the lead at the halfway mark.  Barufollo would get back to the front and eke out a lead over the HB Racing driver, the winning margin for the Hotrace Tyres team driver 9-seconds at the end of the 45-minutes.   With the Top 6 all finishing on the lead lap, it was Fuller who would complete the podium ahead of Lutz, Phend and Rivkin.

Image: Marco Barufollo [Facebook]


May 6, 2023

TQ hat trick as Phend tops Nitro Buggy at Silver State

Dakotah Phend has completed a TQ hat trick at the Silver State Indoor Championships claiming the overall TQ in the big one, Nitro Buggy, on Day 2 of qualifying.  The opening day of qualifying at the Las Vegas event saw the TLR driver crowned Top Qualifier in both eBuggy and Nitro Truggy before the switch to Nitro Buggy and eTruggy for the second day of quali action.  The opening round would see HB Racing’s Cole Ogden top the times from Phend and the Tekno of Ryan Maifield.  In Q2 it was Team Associated’s Spencer Rivkin who set the pace ahead of Sworkz’ Camden Lime with Phend down in P6.  The third & final qualifier however saw the Michigan driver hit the top with the fastest time ahead of the Tekno of Italy’s Marco Baruffolo.  Overall this left Phend with pole for the A-Main ahead of Ogden, Rivkin, Baruffolo and Lime.  With Phend not contesting eTruggy, the TQ would go to HB Racing’s Mason Fuller ahead of Rivkin and Phi Long Nguyen.

Image : Jconcepts [Facebook]


May 6, 2023

VP-Pro Wedge Evo and Cleat Evo 1:10 Astro tyres

VP-Pro has extended its range of grass/astro track 1:10 Offroad tyres with the addition of two new patterns, the Wedge Evo and the Cleat Evo.  A 4WD front tyre, the Wedge Evo is made using improved tyre compound and diameter.  The Cleat Evo is a rear tyre for both 2WD and 4WD use with both tyres said to offer excellent grip and stability without sacrificing agility.

View Cleat Evo here


May 5, 2023

Phend kicks off Silver State with TQ double

Team Losi Racing’s Dakotah Phend led the way on the first day proper of the Silver State Indoor Championships taking a double TQ in Las Vegas.  This year’s Joey Christensen run event has attracted a record 1100 plus entries with Day 2’s action made up of qualifying for eBuggy and Nitro Truggy.  Running 3 rounds of qualifying with the best two to count, it was Team Associated’s Spencer Rivkin who took the opening eBuggy round from Phend.  The second time of asking it would be Phend at the top from the Xray of Ty Tessmann.  Making it three different chassis manufacturers to post a TQ round but all running on JConcepts tyres, Mason Fuller set the pace in Q3 for HB Racing. Overall this secured Phend the TQ from Rivkin, Fuller and Tessmann.  In Nitro Truggy, Phend sealed the No.1 spot for the A-Main with TQ runs in the opening two rounds ahead of Tekno’s Ryan Maifield.  Having opened with two disappointing rounds, Sworkz Camden Lime hit the top in Q3 ahead Kyosho’s Ryan Lutz, but overall it Maifield who secured second spot on the grid ahead of the Kyosho of Portugal’s Joao Figeuiredo, Lutz and Rivkin.  Next up for the more than 400 drivers is a long day of Nitro Buggy and eTruggy qualifying.

Image : Jconcepts [Facebook]


May 4, 2023

Hudy Tiny Hardware Box

Hudy has added this box for tiny parts storage to its range.  The tough, durable, translucent plastic box has 10 compartments, each with a separate latching cover with easy, quick-access storage for small parts.  Measuring 130 x 57 x 20mm, it is finished with high-quality HUDY graphics.

Source: Hudy [hudy.net]


May 3, 2023

Philippine Masters 2023 A-Main Videos

After more than two-years of a break following Covid, Asia’s premiere Offroad race returned on April 28-30th with a challenging track layout in the capital of Manila.  A bucket list destination race, the Philippine Masters attracted drivers from 15-nations across the globe with the sell out entry enjoying the country’s amazing hospitality and fun atmosphere of the race at the Circulo Verde track.  Watch all the action from both the Buggy and Truggy A-Main encounters on our Youtube channel and see how both finals unfolded in these Asian Buggy Championships productions with commentary by the one and only Scotty Ernst.

Source: Philippine Masters [philippinemastersrc.com]