October 5, 2016

Chassis Focus – Darren Bloomfield

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Chassis – Agama A215
Engine – Bullitt B220
Tyres – Beta Cubez Ultra Soft
Fuel – VP
Radio/Servos – KO Propo
Body – Kit Body

Remarks – Current British National Champion Darren Bloomfield is racing the A215 from Agama here in Vegas. Starting the event with the setup he left the warmup race with they went in a different direction with the car but eventually reverted back to the starting setup but are still searching for more steering. Feeling he has the right tire, but just hasn’t put them on at the right time of day, he is switching between Cubez which work well in damper conditions and Freeride which are better in dry powder dust conditions.

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October 5, 2016

First day of qualifying belongs to Boots

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Elliott Boots stamped his authority on the opening day of qualifying at the 1:8 Offroad World Championships, the Kyosho driver making it two from two in Vegas as he took the second round of qualifying.  Having taken the opening qualifier from team-mate Jared Tebo, the former Worlds Top Qualifier set the pace on a much slower track ahead of Ryan Cavalieri, his time advantage similar to that of Q1.  Behind them, star of practice David Ongaro made up for a disappointing first qualifier to complete the Top 3 ahead of Dakotah Phend and Ryan Lutz with Joern Neumann 6th.  For reigning champion Ty Tessmann, 9th was the best he could do after he went with a wrong tyre compound choice.

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Summing up his run, Boots said, ‘I kept the car the same as before and again it was really good.  Unfortunately I had a crash with a car out back but apart from that all was good’ – that car being former European Champion Renaud Savoya.  He continued, ‘The times are dropping a lot, there are a lot more bumps.  They are in the same place but just more of them’.  Looking to tomorrow he said, ‘the track is changing fast but I have no plans to change anything on the car as I’m really comfortable with it’.

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‘We made a couple of good adjustments and found speed. Its something to build off’, was Cavalieri reaction after Q2.  8-seconds off Boots in the opening qualifier in which he got a P4, he continued, ‘We were quite a bit closer to Elliott that time too’.  Asked about the traction he felt he lacked in Q1, the 2014 World Championship Runner-up said after the changes ‘it was better all round now’. For tomorrow’s second day of qualifying, the Team Associated driver said, ‘there are a few spots (on the track) I can work on to get better’.  Next best of the RC8s for the round would be Spencer Rivkin, the US National Champion getting a P8.

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Admitting anxiety got the better of him in the opening qualifier, 15-year-old Ongaro said ‘the second one was a lot better as I was more relaxed’.   Describing the track as a lot tougher and which he doesn’t prefer, the Mugen driver ‘had to adapt (his) driving style a lot’.  Not comfortable with his LRP powered MBX7R in Q1, his mechanic would make a number of changes for the second including a wing change.  Having run the standard Associated kit wing he reverted back to the JConcepts Lexan wing he ran in the first 2 rounds of practice.  The change, together with increased front camber, would give the car better rotation and for Q2 he will add a JConcepts front wing in an attempt to get more steering.

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‘That went better’ was how Phend described his second qualifying attempt.  Having lost a lot of time through mistakes in Q1, he said changes to his 8ight had made it ‘safer’ resulting in less mistakes although he ‘traffic cost (him) a couple of seconds’.  Switching tyres from Holeshots to Blockades he said ‘they were OK but caught the bumps a little more so I’ll probably not stick with them but it depends how much the track slows down’.  In terms of car set-up, the 19-year-old said ‘we’ll continue to make subtle changes to the car as the track gets rougher’.

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Having had two marshals in the morning and being ‘off the pace’ as he still looked for a good set-up, Ryan Lutz said after Q2, ‘its getting better’.  The Tekno driver, said ‘a few changes to the car made it better but the track is also coming to me as its getting rougher’.  The 2012 & 2014 Worlds finalist, added, ‘mid corner it stepped out on me a few time so thats something we’ll try to get sorted for tomorrow’.   Standing on the opposite side of the drivers stand for the second quali he said he had to learn how to deal with that but added ‘I actually liked it eventually’.  Running AKA Grid Iron 2 in super soft compound he plans to continue with that for now.

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Running in Heat 6 of 18, Neumann’s P6 in Q2 came as a bit of a surprise.  Only 26th in Q1, the Serpent driver put that result down to trying to put in a safe run but being too safe.  Pushing harder second time round he would also copy the set-up of team-mate Shin Adachi.  Going from 13 degree caster blocks to 17 degrees on his MX powered SRX8 as well as to different shock piston and springs, the German said the changes gave him a car that ‘overall felt faster and was much easier to driver over the bumps’.  For tomorrow, the former 1:10 4WD Worlds Top Qualifier said ‘they will change the order (of the heats) so I will wait and see how the track is but maybe we will run a softer tyre’.

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Posting the 7th fastest time, Tebo said ‘I screwed myself’.  He continued, ‘I changed tyres and didn’t like it.  I copied Elliott but it wasn’t for me’.  The Kyosho driver said, ‘It was probably the best I have driven and the track is now fun. I just screwed up with tyre choice but its alright’.

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‘It wasn’t especially good and I had such a wet track again I was just sliding around for the first bit’, said Tessmann after Q2.  Running M3 Electroshots, the HB Racing driver said ‘I went with the wrong compound in the tyre’.  Happy that he still has a good car if fitted with the right compound, he said ‘with them shuffling the order (of the heats) a bit it should be better tomorrow’.  It was also not a good round for Tessmann’s team-mate David Ronnefalk.  The qualifying top seed, the Swede was only 23rd saying ‘I felt something was strange on the car. It was like ice out there with the rear end just swinging around’.  Asked what he thought was the cause of the problem he said, ‘I need to check but i think there was too much oil in the centre diff’.

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October 4, 2016

Chassis Focus – Elliott Boots

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Chassis – Kyosho Inferno MP9 TKI4
Engine – Reds R7 Worlds Edition
Tyres – Pro-Line Holeshot M4
Fuel – Byron Fuels
Radio/Servos – Sanwa
Body – TKI4 High downforce

Remarks – Reigning European Champion and Q1 pace setter Elliott Boots is running the TKI4 version of the Inferno MP9, powered by his new Reds Racing R7 Worlds Edition engine. Using a modified setup he tried at the Worlds warmup they have since made the car softer all round with softer shock and diff oils, having also tried different roll centres but reverted back. Up front Boots tried a new front upper suspension mount with higher roll centres but found he liked the feel of the standard part better. In terms of tires he has tried both ElectroShot and Holeshots but settled on the latter in M4 compound as the traction is quite low.

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October 4, 2016

New in the Pits – JConcepts

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JConcepts have introduced a number of new items here at the World Championships in Las Vegas, starting with 2 new bodyshells, called the S2 and the Strike 3. The Strike 3 is a development of the body used by Spencer Rivkin to win the US Nationals earlier this year, a design that sees increased height at the rear for more downforce while reducing the chamfers on the side of the body compared to the Strike 2. The addition of a kick up to the back of the body to cover the hole in the rear shock tower provides clean air to the wing, while up front there is a small front scoop included to help increase front downforce.

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The S2 for the TLR 8ight 4.0 is being run here by factory driver Ryan Maifield, the first specifically designed for the 4.0 using design cues from the popular S2 1/10th body. The side scoops have built in fins for stabilisation with ribs built into the front of the shell for looks while also helping to strengthen the body in key areas. This body also comes with a front scoop which is mounted directly to the shock tower, fitting between the front shocks, with Maifield testing this shell at the Fear Farm before this event and was happy with the results.

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Finally from JConcepts are these new Rehab tires, which are a smaller pin version of the Detox tire, a tire that won this year’s ROAR Nats, Silver State and Psycho Nitro Blast. With Cole Ogden currently running them it is a tire that works best as the track dries and gets bumpier, with durability to make it a good semi final tire.

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October 4, 2016

Boots takes opening qualifier at WC

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Elliott Boots has taken the opening qualifier at the 1:8 Offroad World Championship heading a Kyosho 1-2 in Las Vegas.  The reigning European Champion was fastest over the 1o-minute qualifier by 3-seconds from Jared Tebo, both drivers running in the same heat.  Behind them it was Ryan Maifield who would complete the Top 3, the TLR driver laying down the TQ pace for his heat after bettering the opening time set by reigning Champion Ty Tessmann who would end up 5th fastest behind Ryan Cavalieri.  Having topped seeding yesterday, David Ronnefalk would suffer a last lap mistake to end up with a P8 for Q1.

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‘That’s the way you want to do it’ was Boots reaction after his TQ run.  The British driver said, ‘I was driving the same as yesterday when I was going for the long run and I brought it into today. It was really good’.  Having complained yesterday that traffic had cost him a higher seeding spot, he continued, ‘I had no traffic today’.  In terms of his Reds Racing powered MP9, he said, ‘the car was working really well and had no problems taking the bumps, my tyres (M4 Holeshot) were good and the engine was on point. It’s all working as a package’.  Asked about track conditions he replied, ‘I didn’t think it was different to my last run but I ran at the end yesterday and earlier today’.  He added, ‘there is bumps but you allow for them and go steady where needed and then fast in the spots you can’.

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‘It went awesome’, was how Tebo summed up his opening qualifier.  The 2010 Worlds Top Qualifier continued, ‘my car felt good and I was really happy with my driving.  It was really what I wanted’.  Looking to the next round, the American said he plans no changes to the car but will ‘possibly change tyres’.  Running Pro-Line Holeshots, he said the set he ran already had 10-minutes running on them but he wants to think more about ‘tyre stuff’ for Q2 as ‘it was really loose at the start when the track was wet’.

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Suffering with traffic at the end of the 10-minutes, getting tangled with another buggy, Maifield said, ‘I had bad traffic at the end but overall I’m happy with a Top 5 to start with’.  He continued, ‘I had a better track than the first race and the next had a better track to me’.  On his Reds Racing powered 8ight he said ‘The car was good.  (For Q1) I went back to old parts I had used in testing and they worked good.  My motor had crazy power’.  For the day’s second qualifier he said, ‘I’ll keep driving as I am and hopefully have better luck with traffic’.

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Cavalieri said ‘the car felt good, (it) just needs to generate more traction’.  The 2014 Worlds podium finisher continued, ‘driving wise it feels fine but just need to find that extra grip so I’m going to discuss with Dyno (AE designer Dan Hissam) to see what we can do.’  With his MX powered RC8 having ‘plenty of steering’ he said ‘we can give up some of that for more forward and side bite’.  He concluded, ‘It was a good clean run so it was a good start (to qualifying)’.

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‘It was an OK start to the week’ was how Tessmann summed up his P5 for Q1.  He continued, ‘It started slow and I had a mistake at the bricks but the car got better as the track dried out and it finished good’.  Running in the first of the 18 heats, the HB Racing driver said, ‘it was really wet for our heat but I think it will be even more in Q2’.  Asked about the wet track at the start of the 10-minutes, the track being watered before every heat, he said ‘we’ll just have to deal with it’ but added, ‘we’ll make some adjustments to the car for the bumps which keep developing’.

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Completing the Top 6, with what he described as ‘safe run’, Riccardo Berton said ‘I’m happy’.  Suffering one mistake which cost him 2-seconds, the Kyosho driver said his MP9 could have had more corner speed and for Q2 he will switch from Blockades to Holeshots adding ‘I think the Holeshot should be faster’.  Commenting on the track, the 17-year-old said, ‘its more bumpy but its not a problem and there is no need for (set-up) changes yet’.

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Behind Berton, Dakotah Phend said, ‘the car felt ok but I had a couple of mistakes and lost a lot of time’.  The TLR driver said he needs to make changes for Q2 to give his 8ight ‘a little more traction as it drys out to make it safer’.  He continued, ‘the track changes so much starting wet and then going to dry and dusty which makes it hard finding a good balance’.  Running M3 Holeshots he said ‘I’m not sure on tyres yet for Q2 but as it’s hotter already this morning I think I’ll go to a bigger pin’.

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‘It was going good until I crashed at the last corner of the last jump on the last lap’, was Ronnefalk’s summary of Q1.  The HB Racing driver continued, ‘Without this I could have topped the heat but I knew I wouldn’t be fastest as the first heat is always slower’.  Admitting ‘maybe in the end being top seed was a disadvantage as it put me in the top heat’, the Swede continue, ‘I just went out with the aim of putting in consistent laps and it was a decent run’.  In terms of his Orion powered D815V2 he said, ‘the car felt good but the conditions will change a lot between now and Q2’.  Behind Ronnefalk, 2010 World Champion Cody King would take his Kyosho to 9th for the round with Portuguese Kyosho driver Joao Figueiredo completing the the Top 10 ahead of 2012 World Champion Robert Batlle.

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