December 30, 2024

Xray announces Coelho departure

One of the most anticipated driver market changes for 2025, Xray has officially announced the departure of star driver Bruno Coelho with the current Electric Touring Car World Champion following it up with his own video announcement.  In the decade the Portuguese driver has raced professionally for the Slovakian manufacturer, his signing the result of his ultra impressive showing at the 2014 ISTC World Championship in Florida with one of their cars, the combination went on to win 5 World Championship titles both in onroad and offroad.  With speculation of Coelho moving to start a new project, he gave them the ultimate departing gift last month when he won his and Xray’s 3 consecutive IFMAR Touring Car World title in the United States.  With his current contract due for renewal at the end of 2024 and a new 6-year term on the table it is understood that Coelho’s decision to not re-sign was influenced by the departure of his long time touring car mechanic & close friend Francesco Martini who left the Xray project back in February.  Martini is also the owner of Coelho’s long time sponsor Monaco RC and Coelho has openly talked about how influential he has been on his career.  Coelho’s own desire for a new challenge is also thought to be a key reason behind the departure from Xray with news of the new manufacturer he will work with expected in the coming days. You can view Coelho nicely produced video here.

Read Xray announcement here


December 27, 2024

Phend officially announces the end of an era with TLR

After months of speculation and being the centre of endless social media posts on the subject, Dakotah Phend has just officially announced that his time with TLR has come to an end.  With TLR making the decision to discontinue their ‘Factory Team’, the official news from Phend sees the end of an era that lasted 19-years, the American having represented the brand his entire professional career.  Having first hinted at the widely expected news just before the Nitro Buggy Main at the recent U.S. Open Fuel Championships, Phend went into more detail in his latest post which was accompanied by the video that ends with the statement, ‘After 19-years of dedication to the brand my time with TLR has come to an end. My new journey of dedication and commitment will be announced soon’.

View Phends full announcement here


December 27, 2024

Australian Offroad Champion Lachlan joins Power HD

Servo manufacturer Power HD has announced that top Australian Offroad racer Lachlan Donnelly has joined their team line-up for 2025.  The 20-year-old from Sydney who has raced with Team Associated for a decade took one of the biggest wins of his career recently when he won the Australian 4WD 1:10 Buggy National title ahead of a visiting Spencer Rivkin – the 2-time World Champion attending the race as preparations for the Hills Off Road RC track hosting the 2025 World Championships.  Donnelly will equip his 1:10 buugies with the GTS-3 servo while using the  GTS-6 for 1:8 offroad program.

Source: PowerHD [chd.hk]


December 27, 2024

Tollard latest driver to confirm TLR exit

Cole Tollard is the latest driver to announce their exit from the TLR/Horizon Hobby race team.  A long time Team Associated driver, the America racer joined TLR at the beginning of 2023 after an impressive 11-year stint with AE with whom he won a ROAR Mod Truck National title.  Having topped a round of qualifying at the 2023 IFMAR 1:10 Offroad Worlds and made the 4WD final in his first season with TLR, on his departure Tollard posted on his Facebook page, ‘I hope everyone had a great Christmas! As 2024 is coming to a close I’ve decided to go in a different direction next year.  I would like to thank everyone at TLR for the support the last two years. As this time was shorter than what I anticipated. I’ve gained a lot of friends and created many memories. I’m hoping to continue making memories with everyone in the future. I wish nothing but the best for TLR/Horizon as they create their new vision.’

Source: Cole Tollard [Facebook]


December 26, 2024

T-Works IFB8 Alu Rear Tension Rod Mount

T-Works has released this Aluminium Rear Tension Rod Mount for the Infinity IFB8 1:8 Buggy.  Made from 7075-T6 Aluminium that has undergone a black hard coating process for the best strength and hardness possible,  the mount enhance the rigidity of the rear of the buggy and improves cornering performance.   Also for the IFB8 are Brass Front Upright Adjust Nut with Teflon Spacers to add weight and change the front end weight distribution.  The Teflon Spacers can effectively reduce friction and improve the smoothness of steering enhance the handling performance of the buggy.

View more images here


December 26, 2024

Yokomo RO2.0 1:10 2WD Buggy

Following the release of its newest competition buggy offering the SO3.0 last month, Yokomo has announced the latest kit offering in its Rookie range, the RO2.0.  The RO series, which has become a very popular machine due to its easy handling and high driving performance has evolved even further to now be released with a drivetrain that can handle dirt surfaces, and at a more reasonable price.  The biggest change is in the rear end of the 2WD Buggy.  A gear cover has been installed to protect the drivetrain when driving on dirt surfaces enabling daring driving without hesitation, even on surfaces with lots of sand and pebbles.  The gear case also features a gearbox that emphasises rear traction, and the motor position is set closer to the rear to keep the weight closer to the rear axle.  The battery position also has a wider adjustment range, allowing for even higher rear load depending on the situation.

View Kit Features & more images here


December 26, 2024

VP-Pro 1:8 Buggy Tire Sticks

Adding to its offering of RC accessories, VP-Pro has introduced their new 1:8 Buggy Tire Sticks.  Made from durable ABS material that will not warp due to high heat, the one-piece snap-on design works without any additional locking nuts.  This allows you to insert/remove the tire on the stick easily, and ensures the tires will not fall out from the stick during storage, transport and while handling with the tires sets.
Available in black/blue/pink colours they comes as a bag of 12 sticks.

Source: VP Pro [vp-racing.com]


December 24, 2024

ProMotion QuickTime 1:10 Pin tire

US Offroad tire brand ProMotion has release a new 1:10 Offroad pin tire it is calling QuickTime while also adding a new compounds to its range.  The Quicktime tire was designed to work on both loose dirt ovals as well as outdoor off-road tracks.  Taking some pin layout ideas from their 1:8 MIG tire as well as using their extensive background in full scale dirt oval racing to come up with the Quicktime pattern, the inline center pins provide maximum forward drive.  The outer rows of pins are off set from the center pins to help the tire slide when needed in the corners.  The aggressive long pins on the outside of the tire provide the grip you have always wanted.  ProMotions new Tan family of compounds are featured in T1-T4 compounds and is the result of 8 months of testing in various conditions, climates, and tracks. The results of these test have produced better wear rates while still maintaining the grip levels of our original compounds.  Along with the completely new compound makeup, the compounds are also closer together on the durometer scale for finer adjustments when changing compounds.

Source: ProMotion RC [promotionrc.com]