July 13, 2014

Chassis Focus – Drew Moller

Sun-DrewMoHB-2

Chassis – HB D413
Motor – LRP X20 6.5T
ESC – LRP Flow
Battery – Protek RC 4700 shorty
Tyres – Pro-Line Electron MC
Radio/Servos – KO Propo
Body – Pro-Line Type-R
Remarks – Having only received the HB D413 3-weeks ago Drew Mo has put in some testing near his home before coming to Chico for the JConcepts Summer Indoor nationals. Starting with Ty Tessmann’s Reedy race setup he says it is working very well and hasn’t changed much all weekend with the focus on tires and tire prep, finally deciding on Pro-Line Electron tire in MC compound.

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July 13, 2014

New in the Pits – Team Orion & VBC Racing

Sun-OrionVortexR10Pro-3

Team Orion are making their race debut with their new Vortex R10.1 Pro ESC which while retaining the same casing as its predecessor has a new PCB for lower internal resistance. Used by the Orion team here in Chico, other new features include new firmware, new heatsink design and a new cooling fan with the speedo said to offer more punch for stock racing. Team Orion also have their recently released Touch Duo which features dual outputs and a built in power supply.

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VBC Racing importer EMR Factory have a number of their all new Firebolt in use here. Set to go on sale in the coming weeks the US developed chassis comes standard with a ton of carbon and aluminium in what is a pretty unique looking 2wd mid motor buggy from the onroad manufacturer.

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July 13, 2014

New in the Pits – Schelle, AKA & Team Powers

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Schelle Racing have their new shorty pack conversion in use here in Chico, with designer Kurt Wenger racing it. Designed to be used with their previously released aluminium B44.2 chassis plate, the new set includes the carbon top decks, battery mounting plates as well as the central motor mounting brackets. The conversion allows the shorty pack to be used in the car and to accommodate this the central drive train has to be reversed with the motor placed parallel to the battery pack behind the centre slipper on the left side of the car. With the use of the shorty pack and the conversion parts being similar in weight and weight distribution to the parts they replace the car can be lightened by around 80 grams. The parts we were shown are prototypes with the final aluminium parts being anodised blue to match the rest of the car. Schelle Racing also have a new rear ball stud mount for the B5 which features an extra mounting hole which while shown to us in black finish will be available in anodised blue.

Sat-AKATool-1

AKA gave us a preview of their new nut spinner which has a neat feature that allows it to have two heads in one tool. Mounted to a lightweight machined handle, the tool’s standard use is with 7mm nuts like those used for wheel nuts, then with the press and twist of the red anodised tool tip it unveils a 5.5mm nut head which is great for shock mounting and other uses. The tool we were shown is a near final prototype with the final version expected to be available in a months time.

Sat-TeamPowersXBooster

Team Powers have their new X Booster Cap, made from aluminium, which when connected to the ESC gives the driver more bottom end power thanks to the different way that it releases energy compared to a basic capacitor. No setup required it is seeing a lot of success here in Chico, with 8 of the top 10 drivers in the 17.5 class using it.

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July 12, 2014

Chassis Focus – Ryan Maifield SC

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Chassis – TLR 22 SCT 2.0
Motor – Team Orion VST2 7.5
ESC – Team Orion Vortex R10 Pro
Battery – Team Orion 4000 shorty
Tyres – JConcepts Dirt Webs Gold
Radio/Servos – Airtronics/Spektrum
Body – JConcepts Hi Flow
Remarks – Making his debut for TLR this weekend Ryan Maifield is also running the all new 22 SCT 2.0 short course truck. Having only received the truck last week, he drove it in Florida prior to coming to California and so far he is very happy with the truck with its lap times very close to buggy. Focussing on his buggys so far in practice, the 2 runs he has had with the SC truck have been really good and to remove some steering he may choose to change tire but he will make that decision later today.

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July 12, 2014

New in the Pits – Schuur Speed & SLRC

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Schuur Speed motor man Ron Schuur showed us his new Extreme Stock Spec V3 17.5T motor which has recently received its ROAR approval. An all new motor from its predecessor only the bearings, screws and the grey aluminium is carried over from the old motor. Also available in 13.5T it features a 12.5 high torque rotor, is fully adjustable timing and is also fully rebuildable and thanks to the new machined end plates it has more airflow through the motor. Other features include 2mm solder tabs for low resistance and the plastic which is normally found on a motor’s stator has been removed to withstand heat buildup.

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New from Sticky Liks Racing Components SLRC comes this range of lightweight alloy chassis plates for both the Associated B5M and the TLR 22 2.0. With the standard chassis’ made from 7000 series aluminium, the SLRC plates have been made from 6061 T6 aluminium and are also 0.5mm thinner than standard for a saving of between 23 to 26 grams. The chassis plates are also hard anodised with the 22 plate available in regular and -3mm version with both sporting two extra battery brace mounting holes.

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June 22, 2014

New in the pits

linx4s

Walking around the pits here at the 2014 ROAR gas offroad nationals we caught up with Hitec’s Billy Tompkins, who introduced us to their latest high end radio called Lynx 4s. The transmitter will be available for purchase with a receiver to be chosen between two options: together with the Axion receiver the radio would provide a very fast transmission, with a latency of 4ms, while the Tachyon receiver would feature a GPS system and telemetry capability. A 30-model memory – expandable with the aid of a Micro-SD card, 7 assignable switches, left handed capability and a fully adjustable ergonomics would complete the list of main features for the new Hitec flagship car radio.

trifecta

Next we met up with Daniel Adams from Pro-Line. He had a new wing to show us, named the Trifecta after the three big vertical fins that are its distinguishing feature. Its completely new design is meant to maximise look and performances, while the fins in particular are meant to confer more side stability to your car especially throughout long fast sweepers. It also comes with two different whickerbills that will help you adjust the downforce.

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After a lot of experiments, studies and testing about aerodynamics, Carson Wernimont got all his feedbacks together and designed, together with his father Russ, a new bodyshell. Characterised by very tall sides that end up becoming vertical fins, it is shaped to make the buggy more stable and aggressive at the same time, and will be available mid-july for the MBX-7 owners.

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