SMJ have added a 1.5mm option of their rubber mount spacers. Since its release, the “Rubber Body Mount Spacer” has been well-received for its easy body height adjustment. Now the ‘Rubber Body Mount Spacer’ is available in a 1.5mm thickness in 10, 12 and 14mm options. Combined with the existing 1.0mm version, it allows for easier and finer height adjustment of the body.
Source: SMJ [smj-rc.com]
Tadahiko Sahashi has topped the first round of seeding practice at the IFMAR 1:10 Nitro World Championships in Bangkok. The first of the day’s four seeding rounds threw up a number of surprises as the sun appeared for the final heat of the round leaving a number of the pre race favourites well down the order. 2013 1:8 World Champion Sahashi recorded the fastest 3-consecutive laps with a time of 46.351 seconds followed by his Infinity team-mates Jilles Groskamp and Milan Holthuis. Shinnosuke Yokoyama added some variety to the top of the times using his Mugen to post fourth fastest ahead of Andy Moore. For reigning Champion Naoto Matsukura a mistake cost him track time and he was only able to post the 14th fastest time just ahead of team-mate Dario Balestri. Having been fastest at the end of controlled practice Dominic Greiner found himself only 9th quickest.
Ruddog has introduced their new Drivetrain and Ball Bearing Oil. Drivetrain Oil is a PTFE lubricant for your RC car’s drive shafts and similar metal parts. Thanks to its special formula, it ensures low friction and does not attract dust and carpet fuzz. The convenient sized 10 ml precision oiler fits into every tool bag and makes maintenance work a breeze. The Ball Bearing Oil is the ideal lubricant for ensuring low friction and a long service life of your ball bearings.
Source: Ruddog [ruddog.eu]
Having waited four years for it to come around, it is go time at the 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championship in Thailand with Dominic Greiner at the top of the time sheets as controlled practice concludes at RC Addict. After the 14-rounds of practice over the past 2 days, the Capricorn driver set the fastest 3-consecutive laps followed Infinity’s Jilles Groskamp. Reigning Champion Naoto Matsukura completed the Top 3 just ahead of team-mate Jesse Davis while behind it was a trio of 1:8 World Champions. 2017 winner Dario Balestri posted the fourth fastest time from 2013 Champion Tadahiko Sahashi with reigning 1:8 Champion Shoki Takahata completing the Top 6 before the go into four rounds of seeding practice tomorrow (Tuesday).
Continuing his successful Swedish tour, Michal Orlowski took the 4WD win at Euro Buggy Masters indoor offroad event in Furulund. Having won at the Indoor Touring Car Swedish National Championship at David Ronnefalk’s DR Racing Arena the previous weekend, the factory Schumacher driver travelled to the home club of another leading Swedish racer Jessica Pålsson. Taking the TQ from Alexander Landén and Joona Haatanen, in the finals he would take the win ahead of Team Associated’s Haatanen with Pålsson completing the podium. In 2WD, it was Pålsson who led proceedings securing the TQ from Orlowski and Landén on the fresh EOS carpet track. In the final she took her Schumacher to victory in all three finals ahead of Orlowski and Landén which is how they lined up on the final podium at the Furulund RCK hosted event.
Image: Michal Orlowski [Facebook]
Simon Nicolson is the 2022 Australian Electric Touring Car National Champion. The Yokomo driver took the Mod win of the KWR Engineering sponsored event at the ACT Model Car Racing Club track in Canberra over the weekend. Having won the Queensland State Championships back in August, Nicolson would secure the TQ after taking three of the five rounds of qualifying. Behind, having topped Q5, team-mate Antoni Caretti lined up second with the ARC of Jeffrey Mackie, fastest in Q3, P3 ahead of Serpent’s Jeff Hamon. In the Finals, Nicolson took A1 but with slight rain at the start of A2 he would crash out allowing Mackie to take the win from Hamon. In A3, the Top 3 would remain static allowing Nicolson to secure the title ahead with Mackie second and Hamon completing the podium. Unfortunately it was to be a tough run of finals for Caretti as he got hit each outing leaving him 5th overall. It was also victory for Yokomo in 13.5 Touring Car, Alex Ilievski taking the win from Cristian Silva and Nathan Tanti.
Image: Castle Hill RC Onroad [Facebook]
Outgoing EFRA President Javier Garcia has announced on social media that he is to completely exit the sport having served with the European governing body since 2015. The likely Spaniard made the announcement following the EFRA AGM which took place in Belgium over the weekend where long serving EFRA board member Jacqueline Aebi took over as the new President, a role that was filled by Garcia for the last 5-years. In his message on Facebook, the very amenable figure outlined a lack of progress and interest in change within the organisation and RC Community had led him to loose his passion and motivation. He also goes on to highlight that major changes are required within EFRA for it to be able to progress – a view that has been widely held for a number of years now. RedRC first met Javier at the 2016 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championships when the late EFRA/IFMAR President Dallas Mathiesen personally told us that he had found someone who could be a huge asset to the sport. Having tried to work on a number of projects ourselves with EFRA prior to Javier’s arrival within the organisation, we can fully empathise with the frustrations he outlines in his message. Our sport’s loss is Javier’s family’s gain. Thank you Javier for your efforts.
The first ever event Red RC covered was the 2007 1:10 Nitro Touring Car European Championship in Madrid, Spain. The class was still the new kid on the block and there was plenty of hype about the category. The race would be Xray’s first venture into nitro with them bringing in star names Teemu Leino and Jilles Groskamp from electric touring car in their quest to win with their new NT1. Dario Balestri was the defending Champion and the real star of nitro onroad. He was Italian, he exclusively raced nitro, and he was one of chosen ones for iconic Italian engine manufacturer Novarossi. This was a time when your engine sponsor was the most important element of your race package – without the right power you weren’t going to win and the makers of these little engines were very selective about who got one of the ‘special’ ones! The market also had a newcomer in the engine department in Team Orion, headed up by a certain Adrien Bertin, who to this day is still the only driver to have achieved the double of being World Champion of both 1:8 and 1:10. This was a golden era of 1:10 nitro onroad.
