New in the pits – Part 2

We already had Serpent chief designer Michael Salven run you through the new Serpent 966 Evo update package. Alongside all those new features listed, he forgot to mention the new front wheel axles as well as the new aluminum clutch bell which they have been trying out to see if it will go into production.

Mugen have a number of new parts here in Homestead including this all new clutch. The new configuration has the flyweights reversed compared to normal with the taper facing the clutch bell. They say this gives the clutch more punch as well as making it easier to adjust. Also new for the MRX-5 are some steel front bearing blocks which give additional weight to the car without the need to attach extra weights. New brake pads and a soft aluminium brake cam help give the car a smoother braking feeling as the previous version was a little too powerful and therefore aggressive. Finally Mugen also have some harder plastic parts specifically for this race, but racers like Robert Pietsch have opted not to run them as they prefer the flex from the softer parts.

Kyosho have their prototype Evolva chassis here which is sometimes being used by Lamberto Collari as well as by Takashi Miyashita. The Japanese driver is the main designer of this car but has left the company and so believes that this car will never be made.

Italian company Capricorn are giving their all new LAB-C801 1/8th scale chassis its big race debut at this event and so far it has been doing very well in the hands of factory driver Dario Balestri, who is currently sitting in the top 4.

Used by Atsushi Hara, Takaaki Shimo and Josh Cyrul, OS Speed have their new .21 engine here called the 21XZ-R. Featuring all new crankcase internals, as well as new crankshaft and piston liner, they have created a motor with more torque and better fuel economy. The fuel economy is proving an advantage as Hara and Shimo are inside the top 4, running only one stop. The engine also sports a lightweight cooling head which is lower than its predecessor, coming down over the crankcase. It’s available from next month.

Sanwa’s new SRG-BRX high end competition servo is making its international competition debut. Fitted in the car’s of their team drivers including Keisuke Fukuda and the rest of the Japanese Mugen team, the X in the name stands for extra torque, especially in the furthest points of the rotation. This high speed servo also features metal gears and is ideally suited for steering and throttle for both 1/8th on road and off road.

Japanese company ZAC Project have released some new brass weights for the Mugen MRX-5, which are being run here by Atsushi Hara. They also have some new rear body stiffeners which are in use by a lot of the Japanese drivers.

View our event image gallery here.