Team Orion have announced that top Team Losi driver Mike Truhe has chosen to use Team Orion nitro engines to power his buggy and truggy chassis’. Mike, who used to run GRP power plants, will be making his international debut for the team at the upcoming European championships warm up race in Austria. Team Orion now have a formidable off road team in the form of Truhe, Tebo, Kanai, Cavalieri and Pavidis to name but a few.
Source: Team Orion [teamorion.com]
The 4th round of the Japanese F1 RCGP series was held at the RC Stadium Seiki indoor circuit recently. This indoor track allows drivers to concentrate on setting up the car without worrying on the weather conditions which had caused problems at previous rounds. For this round of the championship Japanese gas racing Champions Tadahiko and Yuya Sahashi entered the race. In the F1 GP class pole sitter Kamibayashi Hiroshi took the 1st corner and led the race followed closely by the Sahashi brothers. Tadahiko started to put pressure on the leader but was passed by brother Yuya after he made a mistake at the chicane. The tail to nose battle between Kamibayashi and the Sahashi brothers lasted for a while with Kimura Shinya sitting in 4th. Kimura waited his time and then sensationally got passed both brothers and almost managed to take the lead but for a small mistake in the last corner of the last lap. So Hirosho Kamibayashi took the win from Kimura Shinya in 2nd and Tamura Hideki in 3rd driving the brand new Tech F125.
The 2nd round of the French 1/8th scale buggy Nationals was held at the Angouleme track in the west of the country. Qualifying for the Elite class went the way of European Champion Renaud Savoya, lining his Mugen up ahead of Yannick Aigoin and Guillaume Vray in 2nd and 3rd respectively. In the hour long race it was a battle of attrition that Savoya won, taking the chequered flag 4 laps ahead of Losi driver Y. Aigoin, whose had hit troubles during the race losing him a lot of time. Mugen driver Nicolas Reynaud took the final podium step in 3rd.
Source: RC Mag [rcmag.com]
The Tiverton Model Car Club played host the round 2 of the BRCA 1/8th Off Road series and their fast Astroturf track provided a very difficult challenge. The high speed nature of the circuit, coupled with the very high traction levels on this surface, made for a un-forgiving combination. Mistakes were punished heavily, either by time loss or breakages. The qualifying sessions were also slightly affected by light showers, with the early and middle heats both having a blow out round where the track was too slick for quick times. At the end of qualifying it was round 1 winner Elliott Boots driving his Mugen MBX-6 who took the pole with 3 round wins and some very impressive runs. Neil Cragg took 2nd on the grid with his Associated RC8B ahead of Simon Willetts and Dave Bailey. The main final saw an early battle between Elliott and Neil until the first round of stops. After that Elliott started to make a series of errors in trying to keep up with Neil and dropped back into the chasing pack. This left Neil to put the hammer down and build a massive lead which he maintained until the end to record a comfortable victory ahead of Losi man Darren Bloomfield in 2nd, with Simon Willetts taking 3rd.
Source: CML [cmldistribution.co.uk]
New from Xray is their team windbreaker jacket. Handy for cloudy, windy, and rainy days, the lightweight windbreaker has double-layer construction to keep out the elements. A rain-resistant nylon protective shell matches with a soft netted liner for the ultimate in comfort and breathability. The two ‘through’ pockets on the sides allow easy access through the windbreaker to your layer of clothing beneath, while an integrated hood is kept secure in its hidden neck compartment until needed. When not in use, the entire windbreaker can be folded into a pocket, to create a self-contained bag that is easily secured around your waist with an adjustable strap. Emblazoned with Xray and Xray Racing Team logos on front and back, it is available in all popular sizes.
Source: Xray [teamxray.com]
The 2nd round of the Spanish 1/8th sale buggy Nationals was run at the weekend at the Montjuic track in Barcelona, close to the Olympic Stadium. 107 drivers attended the race and following qualifying on Saturday, it was Associated driver Robert Batlle that took the TQ spot from Javier Puché in 2nd and Jesús Gómez Salmerón in 3rd. On Sunday during the 1/16th final, the sky suddenly turned dark and the rain started, flooding the track. Due to this the organizers cancelled the race and the results were called from the qualifying positions, which gave Batlle the win from Javier Puché and Jesús Gómez Salmerón.
Source: Merlin [merlinfuel.com]
JConcepts have released this long sleeve tee, featuring the familiar combination of the blue stone color, splatter and JConcepts bull horn logo printed on the chest. Black in colour, the rear of the shirt features a similar logo to that on the front, printed just below the neck. Available now in the usual range of sizes.
Source: JConcepts [jconcepts.net]
The second round of the Schumacher BTCC at West London Racing Centre saw the debut race for the prototypes of the soon to be released Mi4. With a massive 13 heats the race was seen as a warm up for the up coming national at the same venue in a few weeks time. The race proved to be a massive success for the car taking TQ and win in the modified class for Chris Grainger in an almost national grid line up and 3rd placed qualifier and a win in the Pro Stock Class with Schumacher’s own Mark Musgrove. The cars proved to be extremely well balanced with great corner speed and traction with Chris winning the last final by a massive 6 seconds over his rivals.
Source: Schumacher [racing-cars.com]
