Chassis Name – KM Racing H-K1 Evo2
Engine – Novarossi Keep On 12-3L
Tires – Zac Project
Radio/Servos – Sanwa/Savox
Remarks – For this race KM have introduced a centrally mounted steering servo mount. Similar to those appearing in electric touring cars, the servo mount is only attached to the chassis at the centre point of the chassis thus removing any potential tweak allowing the plate to flex more evenly.
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The factory Tamiya drivers are running a modified TRF417, a car that has been run at previous ETS races but until now has not been allowed to be photographed. As seen on other manufacturers cars, the steering servo is mounted using an aluminium brace which is mounted from the centre line of the chassis and because it is not mounted to the chassis plate at any other point there is no interference with the flex of the chassis. Other changes include a stiffer chassis as well as an updated top deck which sees the flex point moved more forward in the car. Finally there is new shock absorbers which utilize the design and some parts from the company’s off road shocks which Kiyo feels better for these conditions.
The British Schumacher team have some new option parts on their Mi4 chassis which include 2mm lower shock towers and 2mm short shock shafts for improved centre of gravity. Other new parts include the FR/RR & RR/FR lower suspension mounts which are now separately mounted to change the flex characteristics of the chassis. These new parts are expected to be released later this summer.
Team Associated are running a new narrowed chassis plate on their TC6 cars. Also featuring a new shape the carbon plate has more flex for better grip while the narrowed design ensures that it wont rub on the ground in long corners such as those seen here at the MACH in Heemstede.
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Sweep Racing have shown us their new Square Armor V2 buggy tires. The new updated version of the tire features more material around the pin, changing the base of the pin from a sharp angle to a rounded edge. This new design helps extend the life of the pin especially on rough tracks. We’re told that the new tire is expected to be released in the coming weeks.
Mugen have the final production version of their forward mounted radio plate, something that was seen in prototype form in the past. The new definitive design sees the battery mounted to the front of the car next to the steering and throttle servos for better car balance and will be included in an upcoming release of the MBX6. We also saw some other new parts in testing such as a new rear shock tower with extra upper arm mounts. We also hear the team is testing a new internal drive ratio but the team wouldn’t confirm or deny this.
Truggy top qualifier Yannick Aigoin is testing a new nVision engine in his Losi 8ight-T. The new motor will feature a slight larger capacity which will give more torque, something that is needed for the heavier truggies. Adrien Bertin wouldn’t give any specific details apart from there being more testing required to make sure everything is perfect and that we can expect a release in February of next year.
Fast Race have some new products for sale here at the Arena including a front radio tray conversion for the MBX-6. Similar in design to the soon to be released official Mugen version, it uses a slightly different material. The end result is the same with the car getting a slight balance change. Also new from Fast Race are some ‘Double effect’ aluminium shock pistons for the Losi 8ight, whose design gives a fast compression but a slower rebound, something beneficial on very bumpy tracks.
Tommy Garage were out in effect during the brushless 1/8th buggy class with a large team running their Mugen brushless conversion kit. The set sees a completely new chassis plate as well as machined aluminium battery mount, combined steering servo & RX mount and machined servo saver lever, to accommodate the long steering linkage from the rearward mounted servo.
Bitty Design have the first sample of their new Force shell for the JQ Products ‘THE Car’. The shell incorporates the same cab forward design as the others in the range as well as some other ‘improvements’ such as a small rear winglets before the rear wing. This prototype body shell will get some small updates before it is released in the next 2 to 3 weeks, with some extra space needed for around the throttle linkage and a slight angle change to the front window.
As we wrote yesterday on the news site the Durango DEX408 is being run in prototype form by Austrian driver Gerd Pfeifer. We are told the final production car uses a similar configuration to that seen in the photos with the exception of the battery pack mount which will see the batteries lying flat instead of on their side as in this version.
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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.
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Jason Ruona from JConcepts arrived at the track today and brought with him a number of new products. First up are these new Hybrid tires for truggy. Featuring the same mid-lug design with unique inner Crowbar centre lug as the buggy version they are built for speed and will go the distance in long qualifiers and main events. Also new are the final version of the Inverse buggy wheel, which features a two-piece design that allows the user to adjust the stiffness of the wheel through the use of screws holding the outer disc to the main wheel. Expect both products to be released very soon.
JConcepts are also giving the US debut of their new body shell for the Durango DNX-408. Used this week by factory driver Billy Fischer, who just received the shell yesterday, he is is happy so far with the handling of this new slick looking shell. Other new items on show from the Florida based company is a pre painted car stand in a matt black finish and a bottle of tire glue, which is supplied with a handy long reach nozzle to make gluing your tires easier.
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With these ROAR Nationals such an important race for manufacturers, a lot of companies have brought with them some new products to showcase. Local company Pro-Line, based only 10 minutes from the Thunder Alley facility, have two new tires on offer. So new they don’t yet have the name on the tire sidewall. There is the new Blockade buggy tire and the Revolver 2.0 for truggy. The Blockade is an all new tire featuring a larger block with wider spacing between the rows along the circumference, giving good traction levels. Fitting into the range between the Caliber & Revolver tires and is great for racers running longer finals where durability is important. The Revolver 2.0 for truggy is bringing the same technology from the buggy tire, of the same name, to the larger format and is again ideal for longer finals.
The Losi team are run a new servo configuration on their 8ight buggies and truggies which sees the throttle servo mounted in front of the steering servo and which is connected to a lever system by a long track rod to control both the braking and carburettor. The new placement brings the weight balance of the car more to the front. There is no concrete plans for the release of this update but all the main team drivers are running this new layout.
Adrien Bertin has made his way over from France to take care of the CRF drivers and he has brought with him the new Team Orion Neo11 engine, a 3 port motor released to commemorate Jared Tebo’s win at the recent Neo11 race. Compared to the previously released 5-port engines, this new liner configuration is ideal for shorter tracks, such as the one we are racing on this week, offering plenty of bottom end torque. Adrien also showed us the new CRF crankshaft which sports a new shape crank bell and which has been lightened around the fuel intake area of the shaft. This crankshaft is being supplied as standard since the beginning of the year in all of the Orion buggy engines.
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