March 27, 2025

2025 Asian Buggy Championships Rd 1, New Zealand – Chassis Focus Index

Last weekend New Zealand played host to the opening round of the Cayote backed Asian Buggy Championships.  Now in its third season, the 2025 four round championship kicked off at the Counties RC Car Club track in Pukekohe where almost 200 entries took part in the four day event.  The weekend would prove a major break through for Mayako’s Jayden Edmunds as the talented 19-year-old who saw off the challenge of 2024 Asian Buggy Championship race winner Caleb Noble to secure the biggest win of his career to-date.  In terms of manufacturer representation, the team photo session ahead of Day 1 of qualifying clearly showed HB Racing to be the most popular chassis of choice among the Kiwi’s thanks to efforts of Shane O’Connor, the same guy who was also instrumental in bringing Scotty Ernst’s Asian Buggy Championships to the country the last two years.  Another standout was the variety of buggy brands with qualifying seeing buggies from 6 different manufacturers filling the top half of the 12 car grid.  We got the chance to photograph 8 buggies from 6 different manufacturers including the podium finishers in both Nitro Buggy and eBuggy.  In case you missed any of the Chassis Focus’ during our coverage of the race, we have compiled them all in our latest Chassis Focus index.

View Chassis Focus Index here


March 27, 2025

Leadfinger MSB1 Retro-Mod Buggy Body

Southern Carolina based Offroad bodyshell manufacturer Leadfinger Racing has released its Retro-Mod Buggy Body for the Mugen Seiki MSB1 1:10 2WD Buggy.  The Retro-Mod Buggy Body is a nostalgic throwback that pays homage to the golden era of RC racing with its design capturing the essence of classic RC aesthetics while incorporating modern engineering and performance enhancements.  Perfect for enthusiasts and collectors alike, the Retro-Mod Buggy Body brings back the iconic style of yesteryears.  The body is sold clear and ready for paint with included window masks and LFR logo stickers.

View more images here


March 26, 2025

Xray XB8 Multi-Adjustable Alu Rear Upright Set

Xray has introduced this new Multi-Adjustable Aluminium Rear Upright Set for the XB8 1:8 Buggy platform. The set features rear aluminium hubs, carbon fibre extension plates for camber link adjustments and eccentric roll center bushings for lower roll center adjustment. The eccentric bushings allow four different directions upper/lower & inner/outer roll center adjustments positions. The upper roll center position provides more traction in all conditions while the lower roll centre position makes the car more free in corners and is suggested for high traction conditions. The outer position provides more stability and inner position provides more rotation. The composite eccentric bushings can be easily exchanged once worn in the dusty conditions to reduce maintenance costs. The upper carbon fibre extensions are machined from lightweight carbon fibre to reduce the weight and feature 3 camber link positions. CNC-machined from high-grade Swiss 7075 T6, the aluminium uprights are stronger thus ensuring higher reliability and increased life time. The complete set includes outside 8x16x5mm ball-bearings and inner 13x20x4mm ball-bearings.

Source: Xray [teamxray.com]


March 26, 2025

Klinik RC Multi-Spoke Wheels

While all wheels are round, they are not equal when it comes to people’s option on look & colour, and US racing upgrade parts producer Klinik RC is set divide option with the release of their new Multi-Spoke Wheels.  Completely redesigned, updated and re-tooled to current IFMAR, ROAR, EFRA, FEMCA etc specs. Klinik RC Multi-Spoke Wheels are a lightweight, high-end race design, loaded with Klinik RC style, fit and function and available in dyable white and fluorescent yellow.  By introducing spokes instead of a dish wheel, they strengthen the wheel many times over dish wheels with no overall weight difference and create a more true running, durable wheel.  Typical dish wheels have 5, 6 sometimes a few more ribs inside the dish to stabilise the circumference.  These have 16! 2-3 times more ribs adds an equal amount of increased durability and runout stability in bumps and jumps. An added benefit in having a much more round, true running wheel is balancing becomes much easier and effective.  They also have pushed the inner diameter providing max clearance for steering and camber links.

View wheels mounted here


March 24, 2025

GRP Ai-TECH 1:8 Buggy Tyres go into full production

Having recently announced its new range of Ai-TECH 1:8 Buggy tyres, Italian manufacturer GRP has begun full production of the four different tyre patterns on offer.  A completely new concept, all elements of the tyres have been redesigned with new tread design, internal profile, insert, wheel and compounds, to improve performance in every track condition from traditional low-grip to modern high-grip.  The internal profile has a new circular texture and lateral reinforced edge, calculated with Ai performing tools, which improves the deformation in traction and lateral grip.  With each new Pixel, Block, Triky and Flexy thread designs produced using new moulds that have been made with chromed special steel using new laser technology, this ensures the tyres are perfectly balanced and do not require balancing before use.  Each Ai-TECH thread pattern is offered in 5 options, 2 different polymers formulation, synthetic rubber and natural rubber, each in Soft and Supersoft, and a mixed compound in Soft.

Source: GRP [grpgandini.it]


March 23, 2025

Edmunds earns biggest career win at Asian Buggy Championships opener

Mayako Youth Mentoring Program driver Jayden Edmunds earned the biggest win of his career today with victory in New Zealand following an exciting season opener to the Cayote backed Asian Buggy Championships.  With the Counties RC Car Club track hosting the first of the four encounters that make up the third season of the 1:8 Offroad Championship, Edmunds sent the first hint of his potential when he topped the second round of qualifying before the highly experienced Kyle McBride hit his stride to take the final two qualifiers and the overall TQ.  Lining up P3 for the 45-minute final behind Sworkz’s Jayden Jamieson, after plenty of shuffling for position at the start, four different leaders in the opening four minutes, Edmunds would settle into serious contention when he took the lead from HB Racing’s Logan Toia on lap 33.  With McBride and Toia, who had three stints at leading, both suffering multiple flameouts ending their challenges, Edmunds would find himself under attack from fellow countryman Caleb Noble.  With a very fast car, his Tekno posting the fastest lap of the race, Noble went to the front with a nice pass coming onto the main straight however as both drivers made their final pit stops, Noble pitting a lap earlier, Edmunds’ stop helped him to retake the lead.  Again Caleb appeared quicker but Edmunds played it cool.  As they came around to start their final lap, a mistake by Noble gave Edmunds the breathing room he needed to secure a very popular first international race win.  Finishing 6-seconds back, Top Seed Noble was clearly unhappy with his second place.  Opening the event strongly with a TQ in the opening qualifier, before starting to feel under the weather on Saturday, Jamieson was happy to survive to finish P3 and claim the Kiwi’s first Asian Buggy Championships podium finish in Nitro Buggy.  Just 3.6-seconds back, the WIRC of eBuggy podium finisher and local racer Kasey Dawson capped off an impressive weekend with fourth while Dylan Toia completed the Top 5.

Continue reading here


March 23, 2025

LC Racing LC10B5 V2 Front Arms & Driveshafts

LC Racing has released new Version 2 Front Arms and Driveshafts for their LC10B5 1:10 4WD Buggy.  The new arms are shorter giving the buggy a slightly different suspension geometry and making the front track width legal for sanctioned races.  For use with the shorter V2 arms they have also released 72mm CVD driveshafts for the buggy.

View driveshafts here


March 23, 2025

McBride wins eBuggy at Asian Buggy Champs

He may have got off to a slow start in eBuggy, but Kyle McBride came away with the win at the opening round of the Cayote backed Asian Buggy Championships in Pukekohe, New Zealand.  After two exciting A-Main encounters on Saturday, it was a three way battle for the overall win going into A3 on Sunday – McBride having won A1, Top Qualifier Logan Toia winning A2, and a second place in A1 putting Caleb Noble in contention.  With Toia leading them away, he and McBride would tangle on the opening lap causing chaos in the chasing pack.  Starting from the 3rd spot, it was WIRC’s Kasey Dawson who came through that the best to lead at the end of the first lap.  From there the top seed & Q1 winner managed to see off the challenge of Mayako’s Jayden Edmunds to take the win with McBride crossing the line in third.  Overall with his A1 win and second in A2 it was McBride’s victory ahead of Toia, who pulled off in A3 in frustration of the driving standards, while an over the moon Dawson completed the podium at his home track.

Continue reading here