September 11, 2023

Phend heads seeding at 4WD World Championship

Dakotah Phend heads seeding at the 4WD Offroad World Championship at the end of the opening day of action in Arizona.  The TLR driver’s opening time remaining the quickest as 1:8 Buggy World Champion David Ongaro set the pace in the second seeding to move up to P2 with one more seeding round in the morning.  Despite improving on his second fastest time set in the opening round, Broc Champlin dropped to P3 while Dustin Evans enjoyed a good run to jump up to fourth.  Another to make a big improvement was Joern Neumann whose Sworkz means four different manufacturers in the current Top 5 seeding.  For defending Champion Bruno Coelho it was a tough first day at Hobby Action with the Xray driver currently set to line up in the second fastest heat for qualifying and in need a good final practice in the morning.

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September 11, 2023

Champlin fastest in 3rd practice

The third round of practice at the 4wD Electric Offroad World Championship saw Broc Champlin set the pace, the Schumacher driver fastest over 3-consecutive laps ahead of Spencer Rivkin.  As expected US drivers are featuring strongly.  Ryan Maifield completed the Top 3 ahead of Dakotah Phend and Dustin Evans with defending Champion Bruno Coelho the best of the overseas visitors to Hobby Action RC Raceway with the 6th fastest time ahead of newly crowned European 2WD Champion Marcus Kaerup, David Ongaro and Michal Orlowski.  Commenting on his latest run Champlin said, ‘We made a lot of improvements that round.  I changed back to my testing set-up after making a few changes earlier than were not very good’.  Asked how he is getting to grips with the track, he replied, ‘you definitely need to be patient on entry into some of the corners.  It will be better with new tyres but I’ll make a small change to get a bit more bite on throttle and go from there’.

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September 11, 2023

Offroad Worlds is GO in Arizona

The IFMAR 1:10 Electric Offroad World Championships are finally underway in Arizona, USA.  With Hobby Action RC Raceway rising to the occasion of hosting the 19th running of the Championships with its brilliant presentation of the track and pits, drivers would find themselves having to wait a further 3-hours than originally scheduled for the first buggies to hit the track.  A Championship for which the slick tyres have been the big talking point it was the black rubber rings that would cause the delay.  With no limit on the number of front tyres for 4WD and an open tyre in 2WD, some drivers stocked up on the front AKA tyre leading other drivers short.  After meetings the decision was made to limit all drivers to 5 sets of front tyres.  Those who purchased more based on the no limit rule forced to return tyres for re-distribution for those in need.  While some drivers still only ended up with 3-sets, AKA are having extra tyres delivered to the track tomorrow and to ensure fairness all drivers are limited to running a maximum of three sets today.  With the first buggies taking to the green track at midday it would be Dakotah Phend, running in the 14th and top heat, who would top the timing screens over 3-consecutive laps from Ryan Maifield and Dustin Evans but with the track expected to change considerably over the next 3 rounds of practice little can be read into the times.

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September 10, 2023

‘Silly to bet against Rivkin’ – Tebo

Former 2WD and 4WD World Champion Jared Tebo says it would be ‘Silly to bet against Rivkin’ retaining his 2WD World Championship title as the event gets underway in Arizona.  Having announced 2023 would be his own final season as a Pro racer, Tebo believes Rivkin’s advantage at his home track of Hobby Action RC Raceway will be too much for his rival adding ‘he’s also good at 1:10’.   Winning his first title in 4WD in Japan against all time great Masami Hirosaka in 2007 and then adding the 2WD 10-years ago when the USA host its last 1:10 Offroad Worlds, Tebo thinks one surprise over the next week could be Aydin Horne.  ‘I thought he was one of the fastest at Warm-up but he maybe struggled with his nerves.  I think he could upset Rivkin.  I also think Aydin has been at a tyre disadvantage but they’ll all be on the same here and that will be a leveller.  I want to see Aydin do good’.  Another fellow countryman to impress him with his pace at the Warm-up was Broc Champlin, ‘Broc took time to get the Schumacher working on dirt but he’s found it now’.

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September 9, 2023

‘It’s going to be super hard’ – Coelho

This time last year Bruno Coelho successfully defended his Electric Touring Car World Championship title with a dominant performance in Italy.  His rivals were always battling for second place.  Tomorrow he will begin the defence of another of his World Championships when he looks to retain the 4WD Offroad title he won for Xray at their home track in Slovakia in 2019.  This time however one could say the Portuguese ace is the one on the back foot this time as the battle will take place at the home track of Spencer Rivkin on a surface that generally should favour US drivers over the Europeans.  Coelho is fully aware of this admitting, ‘It’s going to be super hard’.

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September 9, 2023

‘There is no extra pressure’ – Rivkin

Spencer Rivkin will defend his 2WD Buggy World Championship title over the coming week.  It’s something the Team Associated driver has successfully done before but this time the offroad star gets the opportunity to do it right at home – literally.  HobbyAction in Chandler is the venue for the return of the 1:10 Offroad World Championships following its forced Covid break and it has been the home track of the offroad star who has just recently bought himself a house in Chandler.  Speak to anyone with an ounce of knowledge about RC racing and few would bet against Rivkin delivering a third title.  For many that weight could be overwhelming but not Rivkin, excited for track owner Larry Tom to get to host the World Championship, he says the 19th IFMAR Worlds presents ‘no extra pressure’ for him as a racer.

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September 8, 2023

1up Racing X-Gear 13mm 1:10 Buggy Springs

1up Racing has introduced new X-Gear 13mm Buggy Springs, crafted in collaboration with the renowned spring manufacturer, X-Gear Co. of Japan.  These springs are the result of Randy Caster’s commitment to delivering a game-changing performance upgrade for your 1:10 RC buggy.  Meticulously designed in Japan and rigorously tested by pro 1up Factory Drivers in the United States, these springs offer a unique combination of quality and race-proven performance.  Drivers report their cars feel more “in the track” meaning overall improved grip and response.  In addition to the extra grip, you can expect improved handling over bumpy areas, and a car that’s more predictable over jumps and smoother on the landings.  6 front tensions and 4 rear tensions tested on dirt, clay, glued, astro and carpet surfaces are offered to ensure optimal performance in all conditions.  Available in pairs or as Pro Packs offering complete Front or Rear Spring Sets.

Source: 1up Racing [1upracing.com]


September 8, 2023

AKA Lux 1:8 Buggy Tyre

AKA has released the new Lux tyre which it is describing as a whole new breed of 1:8 buggy tyre.  It combines the best of both worlds by seamlessly integrating bar and pin-style treads, setting a new standard for performance and versatility.  The Lux is engineered to provide unparalleled traction, control, and durability on a variety of racing surfaces.  Its unique hybrid tread combines the aggressive bite of pin-style treads with the stability and consistency of bar-style treads, resulting in a tire that excels across different track conditions and terrains.  By strategically positioning rectangular pins both laterally and radially throughout the tire, the Lux not only ensures maximum traction even in the harshest dust-filled environments but also promotes even tread wear, extending the lifespan of the tire.  The Lux is currently available in AKA’s most popular rubber compounds for 1:8 racing: Clay, Super Soft Long Wear, Soft, and Soft Long Wear.

Source: AKA [horizonhobby.com]