October 23, 2023

Phend is 2023 Masters of Dirt Master

The ninth annual Masters of Dirt took place at BeachRC in South Carolina over the weekend where Dakotah Phend was crowned the overall Master of the event for his combined results in 2WD & 4WD Buggy and Stadium Truck.  Attracting over 450 entries, qualifying for 4WD saw three different drivers post TQ runs with TLR’s Brennan Schimmel the overall Top Qualifier on tie break from team-mate Phend with Team Associated’s Aydin Horne securing P3.  In 2WD, Phend secured pole having TQ’d Q2 & 3 from new World Champion Tater Sontag whose TLR topped the opening round.  Rivkin’s Associated completing the Top 3.  With single 10-minute A-Mains, Phend led 2WD from start to finish as Schumacher’s Broc Champlin came through from P5 to finish just ahead of Rivkin.  With the event concluding with the 4WD A-Main, it was Rivkin who came through for the win over 3-seconds up on Ryan Maifield and Phend with both Schimmel and Sontag non finishers.  In Stadium Truck, Phend took both the TQ and win with Rivkin and Horne completing the podium.

Image: Masters of Dirt [Facebook]


October 23, 2023

Kinwald Klassic double for Gonzales

1Up Racing/Team Associated driver Matthew Gonzales completed the double at the Kinwald Klassic at Hobby Action in Arizona over the weekend winning both 2WD and 4WD Buggy.  The fourth annual running of the race that is held in honour of Offroad RC great Brian Kinwald and helps raise funds for the Crohn’s Foundation, qualifying at the recent World Championship host venue would see Gonzales reign.  Securing the 2WD TQ in the final round of the three qualifiers ahead of Kyle Davis who also set his fastest time in Q3, in 4WD it was a similar story as he took the TQ ahead of Riley Wortman.  In the finals, Gonzales continued his form winning A-Main encounters to win 2WD from Scott Spear while in 4WD 4WD Wortman and Davis completed the podium.  After his sterling work with the track preparation and maintenance for the World Championships last month, Jake Thayer was back enjoying his racing taking the TQ and win in 17.5 2WD Buggy.

Image: 1up Racing [Facebook]


October 21, 2023

Team Associated ‘crystal clear’ RC10

With Team Associated attending this year’s famous SEMA Show, the leading automotive aftermarket trade fair for the United States, and using that as the starting point for the pending 60th Anniversary of Associated Electrics (1964) and 40th Anniversary of the RC10 (1984) they have created some a little special. To pay homage to the RC10, they decided to make a special display piece, and since AE know its racers love the SLA prototype race cars they have shown over the years, they decided to make an RC10 version the same way. Utilising the RC10 Classic SolidWorks models, they were able to produce crystal clear parts. They have also kept the chassis, nose plate, motor plates, and shocks silver to give that prototype feel and awesome wow factor.

View more images here


October 20, 2023

2024 Asian Buggy Championships calendar announced

Scotty Ernst has announced an expanded calendar for his Asian Buggy Championship with the 1:8 Offroad race series set to travel to New Zealand, the Philippines, Australia and Indonesia in 2024.  Red RC travelled to the Philippine Masters earlier this year where we reportred on World Champion Davide Ongaro taking victory for the opening round of the inaugural Asian Buggy Championships.  New Zealand kicks things off the second season when the Countries RC Car Club host Round 1 on February 8-11.  An event that has become famed across the World for its outstanding hospitality and welcoming atmosphere, the Philippine Masters is the second stop on the calendar on April 18-21.  Round 2 of the 2023 calendar, Australia also returns with Pine Hills Dirt Racing again the hosts in July.  Extending the ABC’s reach, an overall point series be introduced for the new season, Indonesia will conclude the action with Westside Raceway hosting the final round in early September.

View 2024 Calendar here


October 19, 2023

Yokomo ‘Super Dog Fighter’ re-release

Yokomo has announced details of the upcoming re-release of its late 1980’s ‘Super Dog Fighter’ 1:10 4WD Buggy, the Japanese brand the latest manufacturer looking to enter the retro market.  If you are a long-time RC car user, you may be familiar with the ‘Super Dog Fighter’ kit which became the foundation of modern racing off-road cars.  The not only had a great record in Japan but also in world-class races, and is known for having fans all over the world.  There have been many requests from passionate fans for a long time, and commercialisation has been considered many times, but now the reprint has finally been realised.  However, there are no resin part molds left from that time, and the design is based on measurements of existing machines, and the current release date is scheduled for December 2023.

Continue reading here


October 19, 2023

VP Pro Liquid Mask

Adding to its line of RC accessories, VP Pro is now offering Liquid Mask.  Supplied in 100ml bottles with a convenient flip-up cap it is ready to spray or brush with no thinning required.  Allowing for precise & detailed designs, the easy to apply liquid gets into difficult areas of your body shell and is blue in colour for clear distinction between masked and unmasked areas.

Source: VP Pro [vp-racing.com]


October 19, 2023

STRC SCX10 Pro machined Brass Option Parts

In their second wave of option parts release for the Axial SCX10 Pro 4×4 Crawler, ST Racing Concepts has produced Front and Rear CNC Machined Brass Axle tubes as well as Brass shock components.  While the kit already includes steel axle tubes, the Brass components provide an approximately extra 10-11% in weight to further improve the crawler’s capabilities.  The brass shock components adds the final touch to the shock absorbers and provide further weight to the axles.

Source: STRC [teamstrc.com]


October 19, 2023

RUDDOG 35mm Alu HV 4WD Direct Mount Fan

New from RUDDOG is their 35mm HV 4WD aluminium fan that is specifically designed for shaft-driven 4WD buggies.  It enhances cooling efficiency and can be directly mounted onto the chassis brace, eliminating the need for an additional fan mount.  It’s seamlessly compatible with top-tier 4WD buggies, including Team Associated B74.2, Xray XB4, TLR 22X-4, and Yokomo MO 2.0.  With a unique aluminium Direct-Mount Fan Case, the 35mm fan diameter ensuring high airflow and dual ball bearing improve durability and Ultra High Speed for optimal cooling. The direct mount design minimises space and weight.

Source: Ruddog [ruddog.eu]