August 18, 2018

Chassis Focus – Jan Ratheisky

Chassis – Xray X1 2018
Motor – Hobbywing (handout)
ESC – Hobbywing (handout)
Batteries – EZ Power 4900
Tires – Hudy (handout)
Radio/Servo – KO Propo/Savox Signature edition
Bodyshell – Montech Prototype

Remarks – Jan is running what is officially being called an X1 2018 but the car is a test bed for a number of parts expected to feature in the 2019 kit.  The car which is running extremely well here at Welkom RC Arena, with Jan taking the opening three qualifiers in the Formula World Cup races that is running alongside the Touring Car Worlds, and has two key new features.  The first is a gear diff which Jan says gives better acceleration and more in corner steering under braking.  The other big improvement is the addition of a top deck with he said has had a beneficial effect on chassis flex.  Another thing being tried on the cars are different length front arms to test different geometries on the car.

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August 18, 2018

Chassis Focus – Viktor Wilck

Chassis – Serpent 4X EVO
Motor – Dash RTune 4.5T
ESC –  Dash AI PRO
Battery – Arrowmax Low Profile 6200
Tires (handout) – Team Powers
Radio/Servo – Sanwa
Body – Protoform Type S PRO-Lite

Remarks – Viktor is running what is the basis of Serpent’s next touring car kit release, the major change being the new rear end on the car.  Other smaller changes around the car will also see the new kit being lighter than the previous model.  While the rear end has been seen before at the ETS, Viktor said since then they have tried a number of different uprights but have come back to the original design.  One new feature of the rear end, which he said give the car a better geometry with the rear roll centre more neutral, is the push rod holder.  Now the holder has three mounting holes allowing different angle of the pushrod angle which he said is the same effect as changing the shock mount angles on a traditional suspension set-up.

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August 17, 2018

Chassis Focus – David Ehrbar

Chassis – Serpent F110 S4 (Prototype)
Motor – Hobbywing (handout)
ESC – Hobbywing (handout)
Batteries – Arrowmax 6000
Tires – Hudy (handout)
Radio/Servo – Sanwa
Bodyshell – Gonzo ODP

Remarks – This year’s Electric Touring Car World Championship also features the Formula World Cup and Serpent have brought a brand new car to battle for honours in South Africa.  David had his first roll out of the car in China in the days before making his way onto Welkom for the race.  Officially still a prototype, it was finished just the night before he arrived to test in China, the car is the basis for their upcoming kit release which will be known as the F110 S4.  Key features of the car are a new rear wing mounting system which is now mounted to the main chassis plate and not to the pod as before.  A new battery mount means you no longer need to remove the shock but can remove the battery from the bottom of the car.  The car has also moved away from using side links to using bearings which David says makes the car more linear especially when cornering and accelerating at the same time.  With their previous car having no top deck the new car does which makes the car ‘drive more precise’. The servo mount is all new and mounts vertically to the top deck and has two servo positions.  The shock is also new to the car.

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August 17, 2018

Chassis Focus – Freddy Sudhoff

Chassis – Awesomatix A800X MMCX
Motor – Hobbywing V10 G3 4.5T
ESC –  Hobbywing XR10 PRO
Battery – Team Silverback Siren HV 6400
Tires (handout) – Team Powers
Radio/Servo – Sanwa/MKS HBL 575 SL
Body – Protoform Type S PRO-Lite

Remarks – Freddy is running the latest Awesomatix A800X equipped with the MMCX Middle Motor conversion set here at the Welkom RC Arena. The car is also equipped with the just released new additional Long Arm Set. Freddy has chosen to use the Mid Motor car reporting a better steering response and more overall rotation. Freddy is also using a new rear Stiffener on the Chassis which is specifically designed for the MMCX to offer more flex options. Diff and dampers are built with the new Rubber Ball pistons which are made of special anti sticking Rubber for a better volume compensation.

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March 18, 2018

Chassis Focus – Ryan Lutz EP

Chassis – Tekno EB48.4
ESC/Motor – Tekin RX8 Gen III/
Motor – Tekin Redline Gen II 1900Kv
Tyres – AKA
Batteries – Protek
Radio/Servos – Futaba 7PX / Futaba S9373 SV
Body – Tekno
Remarks – Wrapping up a convincing win in the EP class, Ryan’s only issue was the weight limit of the race which is different than with ROAR. Used to a limit of a 3200g back home, the S1GP required a minimum weight of 3600g, forcing the use of additional ballast. Ryan had been using the same set-up on his EB48.4 since qualify and the result shows a very consistent pace through out.

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March 18, 2018

Chassis Focus – Yusuke Sugiura

Chassis – Kyosho MP9 TKI4
Engine – OS Speed B2102
Tyres – AKA
Fuel – Klotz
Radio/Servos – Sanwa M12S / Sanwa BGS-XB
Body – Kyosho TKI4 Light weight
Remarks – Suffering a flame out in his semis due to running out of fuel, Sugiura will further fine tune his engine to get a better mileage. Very happy with how his Kyosho performs and still coming on top with the flame-out, the Japan Ace will use his EP final to test some minor changes, however he is convince that may not be necessary.

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