December 20, 2011

JConcepts +3mm Hazard 12mm hex wheel

JConcepts have introduced their Hazard 12mm hex wheel for the SC10 4×4 and SC10 with 3mm wider off-set. By nature, Short Course trucks have a high center of gravity and tend to feel light or tippy in high-speed sections. There is no better way to improve on-track stability than to add width and with the Hazard wheels sweeping through the high-speed corners gets a little easier. The hassle-free and lightweight 1-piece design creates the ultimate race and show wheel for any competition.

Source: JConcepts [jconcepts.net]


December 20, 2011

JConcepts Pressure Points SC tires

JConcepts has introduced the Pressure Points, the latest low-height tread option specifically designed to tame high-speed courses with either wet or blue groove traction conditions. The design starts as an angular, low pin design as a carryover from the successful Bar Codes front tire line-up. The small “points” combined with ‘lower case’ Y elements developed on the original Bar Codes V1 rear tire provide the ultimate in surface area pressure penetration and tack. The inner side-wall has built-in ribbing which limits carcass collapse and increases support on the outside during hard cornering and driving. Designed to be driven hard while maintaining the grip necessary to drive at the limit, the edges of the side-walls have been carefully rolled for a smooth transition during corning which limits traction-roll characteristics and allows the driver control during the all important tipping point every driver has experienced. Available in Soft (Blue), Super Soft (Green) Indoor Soft (Gold) and Outdoor hot (Orange) compounds.

View a video about the new tires here


December 20, 2011

1/12th coming soon to VRC Pro

1/12th coming to VRC Pro

VRC Pro have announced the highly anticipated release date for the new 1:12 class which will be December 22nd at 16:00 hours. The development team is now in the final testing stage and some last minute adjustments are being made to the sound system, causing a 2 day overshoot of the initial expected launch date of December 20. The first release will be limited to the spec chassis and 10.5T untimed motor. The chassis setup options are restricted to toe angle and gear ratio while the speed controller has options available for throttle and brake settings. The full-option modified chassis, motors and speedo’s will be made available at a later stage.

Source: VRC [vrcpro.com]


December 20, 2011

Hébert takes Midwest Grand Slam Series Rd2

Hébert takes Midwest Grand Slam Series Rd2

Rapid Competition Raceway in Grand Rapids, Michigan was the site of the second leg of the 2011/2012 Midwest Grand Slam Series and Keven Hébert gave this report. “A slightly different race format than the previous round meant that the entire program would run on Saturday and Sunday. Practice early Saturday morning was followed by three rounds of qualifying. A final round of qualifying and the main events were scheduled for Sunday. Some of the best names from the Midwest were in attendance in both TC and 1/12. The largest class was Stock 17.5 TC and after a few practice rounds I already felt comfortable with my Reedy-powered TC6.1. Only a few small changes from my US Indoor Champs setup were needed to lock her down.

Continue reading the report here


December 19, 2011

Cavalieri & King win at KO Offroad Champs

Cavalieri & King win at KO Offroad Champs

The 2011 KO Off-Road Championships were held December last weekend at West Coast R/C Raceway in La Mirada, CA. This years event brought in over 180 entries, which included 5 IFMAR World Champions, Ryan Cavalieri, Jared Tebo, Cody King, Brian Kinwald and Hayato Matsuzaki. The race program would run 3 rounds of qualifying on Saturday taking each drivers single fastest run to determine the overall qualifying order. Then the top 8 drivers would go straight into the A-Main, with 2 car bump-ups from the lower mains to make a full 10 car field. Triple A-Mains were ran to decide the Champion in each class.

Continue reading the report here


December 19, 2011

ProTek R/C TruTorque tools

ProTek R/C TruTorque tools

ProTek R/C ‘TruTorque’ tools are offered in a variety of metric and standard sizes to suit even the most demanding hobbyist. Each tool features a lightweight, machined aluminium handle that has been knurled to provide a high leverage, non-slip surface that will be comfortable to use during long wrenching sessions. The tool size is etched into the handle for easy identification and a black rubber cap is fitted to the end to increase comfort during use. The precision cut steel tips provide an exceptional fit with the fastener, and feature a bronze colored finish that not only looks good, but also helps to protect the steel from corrosion.

Source: A-Main Hobbies [amainhobbies.com]


December 19, 2011

Philip Tschupp wins Stock at Italian Charity race

Philip Tschupp wins Stock at Italian Charity race

The annual Charity Race Italy took place at Scandiano recently, the location for round 2 of the ETS which will be held there in January. In Pro stock qualifying TOP Photon race Philip Tschupp, using the new Photon EX prototype brought it all together in the final round to take the TQ spot. In the first final Philip had very little steering and got pressured by Franceso Martini and Diego Macchioni. He had to block in every corner until Francesco made a mistake. Then it was Diego who put Philip under pressure. It was a very close race until Diego touched a curb and lost control of his car, so there was a gap between Philip and the other two local drivers and he could take the win. In the second final Philip changed his tire treatment and had much more steering and so could hold a little gap between his and Diego’s car. After a few minutes the Italian Champion closed up to the Swiss driver and they had a great battle but in the end it was Philip Tschupp who won the final to take the overall title ahead of Diego Macchioni in 2nd and Francesco Martini in 3rd.

Source: TOP [top-racing.jp]


December 19, 2011

Orcan BT5 Plus .21 off-road engine

Orcan BT5 Plus .21 off-road engine

A year after the release of BT5 engine from Orcan the .21 off-road engine has undergone further development and will be offered in an optimised version called BT5 Plus. Beside a couple of detailed improvements, the most important step comes from a new carburetor. A special idle needle screw makes the adjustment easier and also creates better response characteristics especially at low revs which is a very important aspect in off-road racing. Featuring five ports it comes with a combustion chamber for turbo plugs. As usual for Orcan engines, which are exclusively produced by Novarossi for SMI Motorsport, the BT5 Plus power plant comes in a handy Orcan multifunction bag.

View another image of the engine here