British 1:10 Offroad conversion kit and after market parts specialists Willspeed has released its Osprey body shell for Xray’s XB2’25 2WD Buggy. Manufactured from high quality polycarbonate, the low profile, sleek and stylish body design is available in Standard (1mm) and Lightweight (0.5mm) material options.
US RC accessories brand 1up Racing has introduced the world’s first tool-free adjustable bullet plugs which they calling their Lockdown Bullet Plugs. The new connectors are designed to revolutionise power delivery and convenience and with a simple twist, racers can now achieve a secure connection in no time and without requiring tools. Unlike other adjustable bullet plugs that require tools for adjustment, Lockdown Bullet Plugs feature an innovative compression system that ensures a tight, reliable fit in your choice of 5mm or 4mm battery socket sizes. This not only eliminates the risk of loose connections, it also provides maximum efficiency and minimises resistance, giving you more power from start-to-finish of your run. The Lockdown Bullet Plugs are available in 10 vibrant colours allowing you to personalise your electronics.
180 Raceway in Maryland played host to the second stop on the 2025 Tamiya Championship Series Race Schedule last weekend with the race attracting 138 entries. A track that has hosted TCS races since 2017, track owner Casey Young has been involved with hosting races for Tamiya on the east coast since 1997. This year the track instituted closer motor tech, and the racing was fabulous with door to door racing in all classes. With 2 qualifiers and a single main per class it was a packed program. In Novice Spec, youngster Gabby Nano overcame some early challenges and raced her way into a lead late she held to take victory. In GT-2 Track owner Case Young and Manny F. had a great battle, then Manny donated his winning kit to a young racer. From NYC Jone Kim won the very closely contested ProSpec, which was the class most effected by the new tech procedures, and this resulted in very close racing.
MRO Racing, the company behind the radical ultra low profile design Inspire4 1:10 4WD buggy project has announced that well respected car design Gerd Strenge will join the project. Strenge who is probably best known for his time at Durango and for work with top German offroad racer Joern Neumann. Making the announcement on their social media MRO Racing, who started the Inspire4 project 6-years ago, posted, ‘We at MRO would like to inform you that there are now 4 of us in our team again. Unfortunately, we had to put you off for a while, which made some people smile, and rightly so. We had an idea and after a brief discussion with our private investor, we realised that this could be the right way forward. Through open and direct dialogue, we managed to win Gerd Strenge over for our MRO project. We are convinced that with him we have another designer in the team who will help us with his experience and success with Durango and Serpent. We will be realising our current ideas in the foreseeable future and then it’s back to testing, testing and testing again. We will inform you about further news in the foreseeable future. Thank you for your patience.’ In the photo for the announcement, Strenge teases a little the car which is displayed with a clear body shell.
Italian engine manufacturer Nova Engines has announced a new partnership with Maxima Motorsports that will see top Thai racers Meen Vejrak and Charlee Phutiyotin powered by their engines in 2025. Maxima is well known globally as a producer of nitro racing fuel and now becomes the official distributor for Nova Engines for Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Former 200mm World Champion Vejrak is one of Thailand’s most successful and versatile international racers with Phutiyotin also representing his nation well with a podium finish at the inaugural 1:8 GT World Championship and making the 1:8 Onroad World Championship final.
Source: Nova Engines [nova-engines.com]
Following the news it was to enter the Large Scale racing market with the release of its GT5 back in October, nitro onroad chassis manufacturer Capricorn has confirmed Alex D’angelo will lead driver duties on the new project. The 2023 1:8 GT World Championship Top Qualifier joined the Italian company’s 1:8 GT program last Summer, and as expected when the GT5 was launched, will now have double duties racing for Capricorn owner Patrizio Rossi. On the announcement of D’angelo, Capricorn posted, ‘We can only be proud to announce that the official drivers of the Sport category will be Alex D’Angelo together with his teammate Damiano Giolitti!! Alex, after joining us in 2024 for the GT category, has always demonstrated impeccable commitment, his driving career is driven by great passion and we are sure that his talent will allow him to do well in this category too. Damiano Giolitti, our first 1:5 tester, is very happy to have such a strong teammate!
Source: Capricorn [capricornrc.com]
JConcepts has released more new option parts for Team Associated RC10 2WD Buggy, this time in steel. The front bulkhead is one of the most crucial design items on a 1:10 Offroad buggy and the Florida company is offering a steel option to replace the stock unit with some additional considerations for durability and added weight. The all-steel machined item is offered in 0 degree and 2.5 degree variants with both allowing the buggy to maintain its original kick-up angle. Featuring laser marked etching for directional operation, the 25-grams weight is also displayed for the technical racer. Also new are a steel C Mount and D Mount which are both offer in the black oxide steel colour. The heavier 10.3 gram C-Mount provides a new setting adjustment that provides more weight on the rear. The item is designed as a -1 degree so it’s possible to realise alternate adjustments compared to the stock suspension mount. The D-Mount at 9.2 grams makes it a tuning adjustment for the rigors of high-end buggy racing.
AMain Hobbies has announced the signing of João Figueiredo as contracted member of their ProTek RC Race Team. ProTek RC is now sold in Europe via HOECO Distribution, and Figueiredo joins the team as the brand’s first European professional driver for both 1:8 and 1:10 Offroad racing. The 28-year-old all round nice guy will run ProTek RC servos, batteries, tools, and accessories in his race program. A 12-time Portuguese National Champion, Figueiredo, who is a team driver for US manufacturer Tekno, had an impressive 2024 season making the IFMAR 1:8 Offroad World Championship final in Redovan and he will be looking to build on that performance when the the inaugural 1:8 Electric Offroad World Championship is hosted by his home track in Barcelos, Portugal in August this year. On the announcement Figueiredo said, ‘It is very exciting to represent ProTek RC as the brand continues its growth into Europe. ProTek RC has been a proven winner in the United States for many years and now the European racing community will have a chance to see how reliable and competitive the entire ProTek RC product line is. I am really looking forward to running the ProTek RC servos, batteries, and great line of tools and accessories in my race program.’
Source: A-Main Hobbies [amainhobbies.com]
