New in the Pits – Part 1

RB have their new Scorpion tire making its competition debut here at the European Championships and so far it is doing very well, setting the fastest time yesterday mounted on the Mugen of former World and European Champion Daniel Reckward. Available at the end of August, the new tire will come either pre glued on new RB rims with new black insert or un glued. Available in medium, soft and super soft compounds, they will be reasonably priced when they do go on sale and we are told there will be 3 other patterns to be released in the coming months.

Hobao Europe are also debuting their all new tires, the new Viper thread pattern being suited to the dusty track conditions we have here in Sand, Germany. Coming mounted on new Hobao wheels, they will release another new thread pattern in the coming weeks. Hobao also have a new 6mm longer chassis for their Hyper 9, extended behind the engine for better stability of the car. Other new items include a high flow air filter connector, new machined aluminium throttle connector and optional centre diff gear which comes with 41 teeth in place of the standard 40.

Adrien Bertin informed us of some new updates to the nVision line of engines. Being used here by top drivers Martin Bayer and Yannick Aigoin, the engine sports a new cooling head which is no longer tapered but straight for increased surface area to improve the cooling, something that we are told was needed for hotter conditions. Also for the new motor and especially for the Losi car, the crankshaft features updated timing which improves the drivability of the motor, something the drivers of the 8ight chassis have requested.

Spanish company Pro Circuit also have a new tire, the as yet unnamed addition to their already extensive line-up it is similar in design to the Blockhead from Losi and will be available in medium, soft, super soft and extreme soft. Although being tested here it is not yet ready with the release date expected to be closer to the end of the year.

Seen on the Mugen MBX-6 of former European Champion Robert Batlle, the new updated Novarossi 9901 muffler pipe which was announced just yesterday features a new reinforcement brace on the stinger to help it further withstand the rigours of racing.

Durango have brought along a new steering system, the first samples of which only arriving on Monday giving drivers no time to test the new unit prior to the event. Featuring a new steering plate, it allows the adjustment of the Ackerman with the addition of 2 extra mounting holes to give the car more progressive steering, its current configuration being very direct and nonadjustable. Expected to come fitted with bearings when it’s released in the coming months, the new plate also allows the adjustment of bump steer through the use of spacers.

View our event image gallery here.