October 7, 2015

New in the Pits – JConcepts Part 3

In the third part of our New in the Pits with JConcepts, we focus on option parts specific to the Associated B5M. First up are new steering blocks made from aluminium which feature a fixed 4mm trailing position. Using an adapter sleeve for the axle bearings it makes it easier to get better alignment for the bearings over the stock part. Lightweight, it has machined pockets in the part’s surface and will be available in blue or black.

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At the back of the car there is new 2-piece rear hub carriers with vertical mounted ball stud. Lighter than the standard hub carrier it also features a smaller outer bearing than the stock version. The top bracket offers 2 stock locations for the camber mount as well as the ability to have 3 locations on the bracket itself allowing you to easily change the camber gain.

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Also new for the B5M is this new honeycomb milled chassis plate which has been made out of hard anodised 7075 aluminium. The machining removes 23 grams of weight compared with the stock B5M chassis while the way it has been milled further helps its rigidity. To complete the looks it has machined chamfered edges and laser etched JC logos.

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For the B5 range of vehicles there is a new carbon fibre front shock tower similar to what JC had available for the B4 range of cars. Machined from 4mm thick carbon it sports an aluminium front camber link brace that stretches across the front of the tower and which offers multiple camber link mounts, 3 instead of 2, and the ability to move the whole mount up and down in 2 positions. Further to this there is two different brackets, a standard wider version and a narrower version that moves the ball stud mounts closer together. Also for this assembly there will be 2 different shock towers, one for standard front arm and one for gullwing arm configurations.

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Finally for the rear of the B5M is a new rear bulkhead which was inspired by a version that JConcepts made for the C4.2 buggy. A slim stance rear bulkhead, this lightweight aluminium part has integrated sway bar mounts and comes in anodised black or blue and sports chamfered edges for looks. Mounted to a 4mm thick carbon fibre rear shock tower, it along with all the other parts will be available in the next few months.

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October 6, 2015

New in the Pits – Yokomo YZ4

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Debuted at the opening round of the EOS in Germany 2 weeks ago where it won in the hands of Lee Martin, the new YZ4 from Yokomo has been designed by Shin Adachi and is a big departure from the previous model. Featuring a dual belt design, replacing the previous shaft drive version, both belts drive a 2wd style 3 gear transmission at either end of the car. This allows the use of small gear driven differentials, the size of the diffs being the basis of the new car, but with small belt pulleys prone to slip this gearbox idea was developed. The result is a car that is easier to drive in the way the power is delivered .

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The new configuration sees the motor centrally mounted under the top deck and allows for multiple battery mounting positions for adjusting the weight distribution in the car and can even accept saddle packs in both orientations. Developed on Astro and carpet, but set to work very well also on dirt, it sports an aluminium chassis with a 15 degree kick up with very little overhang so that it can clear jumps without catching at the front. The top deck has touring car inspired flex adjustment and apart from the uprights, c-hubs and shocks is a completely new car. Expect it to be released in November.

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October 6, 2015

Dreams do come true – Rivkin is World Champion

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His team-manager Brent Theilke has been using the hashtag #dreamsdocometrue to highlight the progress of his young driver’s first World Championship and the use of wording couldn’t have turned out to be more true with Spencer Rikvin your new 1:10 2WD World Champion. The 16-year-old claimed the sport’s greatest accolade by backing up his A2 win with an even more impressive drive to victory in A3.  Going up for the title against two of the sport’s biggest names, Jared Tebo and Ryan Cavalieri, what was special about the performance in Japan was how the new star of offroad dealt with the pressure of the occasion like water off a duck’s back.  Behind Rivkin, outgoing champion Tebo would claim second overall with Cavalieri completing the podium at the Yatabe Arena.

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‘I’m really speechless’ said a tearful Rivkin.  ‘I stayed patient behind Jared justing following him around.  He had a crash and I never looked back’. Asked what was going through his mind as he completed his final few laps, he said ‘I didn’t feel any pressure, I was just having fun.  It might mean more because it has Worlds in the title but to me it was just like driving any other race’.  Thanking his dad Ronnie, Thielke, and Associated designer Kody Numedahl for their support at the event, he said there were two people without whom he wouldn’t have ever got the opportunity to have reached the level where attending a World Championship would be possible those being Humpty Helms and Ryan Maifeld.  ‘Without Humpty I wouldn’t be racing and without Maifield I wouldn’t have got to take it to the next level’.  Receiving congratulations on his win from Maifield, the offroad ace having mentored the youngster, Rikvin was very emotional saying ‘I couldn’t have done it without you Ryan’.

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Finishing A3 third but getting second overall on tie break thanks to his A1 win, Tebo said, ‘It was going good, I just made two very costly mistakes. I did my best’. This statement backed up by him being the only driver to run a 16-second lap over the three mains. Keeping his Kyosho at the front for 9 laps in A3 before Rivkin took the lead, the Top Qualifier said ‘I’m disappointed not to win but I got the TQ and 2nd and I can be proud of that, I left it all out on the track’. He added ‘At the Warm-up I only qualified 20th so we made a lot of progress and I’m excited about getting 4WD started – the 4WD Worlds starting on Thursday.

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Saying he was ‘surprised it ended up an all American podium considering our performances at the EOS were pretty shit’, the Euro Offroad Series running carpet tracks similar to that used for this Worlds, it was clear from Cavalieri he was here for more than a podium finish.  A former 2WD champion and 3-time 4WD World Champion, and proud of the fact he won his first title at a younger age than team-mate Rivkin, he said in A3 ‘I made another great start but couldn’t get into the groove’.  Eventually finding his rhythm, the Team Associated driver said by then he ‘couldn’t close the gap’.  Asked for his thoughts going into 4WD he replied ‘we’ll regroup and start over’ adding we done a lot of work with the car ‘so lets see what we get’.

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Outside of the podium Neil Cragg would get fourth in A3 to finish in that position overall ahead of fellow European Joern Neumann.  The only TLR in the final, Ryan Maifield would, after a strong showing in A1, DNF A3 leaving the 2013 podium finisher to complete the overall Top 6 winning out on a tie break with Xray’s Martin Bayer.  The other of the Chico podium finisher, where he finished runner-up, Lee Martin wouldn’t even register a lap in A3 breaking on the opening lap leaving the European Champion to finish 10th overall behind Kody Numedahl and Michal Orlowski.

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October 6, 2015

Rivkin’s talent shines through to win A2

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World Championship debutant Spencer Rivkin’s raw talent shown through in A2 of the 1:10 Offroad Worlds at the Yatabe Arena with the Associated driver take a very popular win.  Starting from third on the grid the 16-year-old had taken the lead by lap 2, putting a great pass on Top Qualifier Jared Tebo, and lead through to the finish ahead of Associated team-mates Ryan Cavalieri and Neil Cragg.  Winning by over 2-seconds, Rivkin’s win puts him in a 3-way all American shoot out for the 16th IFMAR 2WD World title with Cavalieri and A1 winner Tebo who would finish the second encounter 4th.

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Clearly in disbelief of what he just achieved, Rivkin said ‘I don’t know where to start’.  Gathering his thoughts he continued ‘I got inside Neil and it was game on from there with Tebo.  He then had a bobble and I took advantage of that and never looked back.  I got my head down and just drove my own race’.  Delighted to make the A-Main when asked what it felt like to be in contention for the World title, he said ‘I’m speechless, I’m just going to go out there and see what happen’.

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Cavalieri said ‘I made the same good start as A1 and fell into second’.  Closing in on Rivkin for a time, the Californian said a small mistake at the table top was enough for him to fall back and have to settle for second.   He said it was a result the was happy to take as it means the 2011 Champion goes in the last final in with a fighting chance of adding to his tally of World titles.

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With a series of mistakes dropping Tebo to fourth, one driver to take advantage of these was a recovering Cragg.  An error on the opening lap at the table top after a check behind Tebo, the British driver who tangled with Rivkin in the same spot in A1 said this time ‘I let Spencer through’.  A rollover at the following corner would see the 2005 Champion drop to 7th.  ‘Happy to get back to third’ he said, ‘it is disappointing I’ve no chance at the win but I can still get a podium’.

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