Chassis Focus – Darren Bloomfield

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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Chassis Focus – Elliott Boots

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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New in the Pits – JConcepts

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.

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.

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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Chassis Focus – Spencer Rivkin

Chassis – Team Associated RC8B3
Engine – MX B4
Tyres – JConcepts Triple Dees
Fuel – MX
Radio/Servos – Sanwa / Reedy
Body – JConcepts ‘Strike 3’

Remarks – Current US National Champion is running his MX powered Associated RC8B3 with a new bodyshell from JConcepts called the Strike 3. The body makes the car more neutral and therefore more balanced on the track. Starting with his base setup, the only adjustment he has made was to make a change to the rear hub which helped it rotate more as well as give the rear more support. Running Triple Dees and Hybrids throughout practice, the 4wd World Champion will most likely go with Hybrids come qualifying.

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Chassis Focus – Yannick Aigoin

Chassis – Xray XB8 2016
Engine – Ultimate M4R Ceramic
Tyres – Pro-Line Blockade M3
Fuel – Sigma
Radio/Servos – Sanwa / KO Propo
Body – Prototype 2017 body

Remarks – Former European Champion Yannick Aigoin has come to Las Vegas with the latest XB8 from Xray. Powered by the Ultimate M4R power plant, the car is fairly standard apart from a new prototype bodyshell and the use of XB9 lower rear arms together with narrower lower suspension blocks. The idea is that the longer arms are better over the bumps but that comes at the loss of traction. Using his base XB8 setup here, he has only adjusted the anti-roll bars front (softer) and rear (harder) and went from 6 to 8 holes in the shock pistons. Having tried Pro-Lines Switchblade and ElectroShot tires so far in practice, for round 1 of qualifying tomorrow he plans to go out on Blockades.

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