Chassis Focus – Bruno Coelho

Chassis – Xray T4 2015
Motor – Nosram Pure 2 4.5T
ESC – Nosram Comet HD
Battery – Nosram 6000mAh
Radio/Servos – Sanwa
Body – Protoform LTC-R
Remarks – Surprise of the race, Portugal’s Bruno Coelho has been making waves here in Kissimmee with his Xray T4 2015. Having not testing in Florida prior to the event he started practice using Alexander Hagberg’s set-up and apart from a lighter rear diff oil has made no changes to his car, instead just focussing on his driving, an approach that has worked for European Championship top qualifier.

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New in the Pits – Muchmore

The speed control that won the 1/12th scale World Championship, Muchmore’s new Fleta 1S is a modified 1/12th scale specific ESC but can also be used as a 2S speedo in stock class. The all aluminium case keeps the temperature low but the big change comes from inside with a different boost setup which can maintain the power output over a wide range of voltages meaning it feels more consistent for a longer time. Also new, and used by Marc Rheinard to win the title earlier this week, the Fleta ZX is made specifically for that class and sports a 12mm sintered rotor, thicker wires internally and a different stator which makes it super free meaning it has a very smooth pickup and draws less power. There is a different timing cap which incorporates an aluminium mounting for the sensor wire to prevent breakages. Both are available in December.

Pioneering the back lit setup board, V2 of the shining board is here and the glass and MDF plate has built in bubble levels, measurements and a touch controlled light with variable brightness. It also incorporates a mount for the LED slim light stand which is a 36 LED light that is also touch controlled and has variable brightness. The light is sold separately and comes with a detachable aluminium stand in black or blue (prototype shown) and both are very lightweight and fold down to a very compact size.

Finally from Muchmore is this cooling fan guard which is made from aluminium. Its 3d design and the fact that it is screwed through the fan and into the ESC’s heatsink means it helps to dissipate heat more efficiently giving up to a 10% reduction in running temperature. Weighing only 2 grams it will be available in blue or black. Both this and the setup board are available at the end of this month.

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Chassis Focus – Ronald Volker

Chassis – Yokomo BD7 2015
Motor – LRP X20 4.5T
ESC – LRP Flow
Battery – LRP 6000mAh
Radio/Servos – Sanwa
Body – Protoform LTC-R
Remarks – Reigning ETS and European Champion Ronald Volker is one the large team of Yokomo drivers giving the new BD7 2015 its race debut here in Florida. The all new car, whose details where released before the event, features optional shorter A-arms and wider suspension mounts which gives the car more traction and which to the surprise of designer Yukijiro Umino, works well on carpet as well as asphalt. Having done a lot of testing at the Kissimmee track prior to the event, the latest time only 2 weeks ago, they are pretty locked in on their setup coming here and have so far made little or no changes to the car’s setup.

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Chassis Focus – Elliott Harper

Chassis – Durango DETC410
Motor – Orca RX3 4.5T
ESC – Orca VX3
Battery – Orca 6200mAh
Radio/Servos – Sanwa
Body – Protoform LTC-R
Remarks – Former Worlds podium finisher Elliott Harper is running the Durango DETC410 here in Kissimmee, which is pretty standard apart from new harder uprights, steering blocks and A-arms. The new parts make the front end more steering and makes the car overall more consistent. In terms of set-up the car is being run slightly softer compared to how he runs it at home with split suspension mounts up front and he is using the optional centre flex mount. For electrics he is using the new VX3 speedo and RX3 motor from Orca, which we will write more about later.

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Chassis Focus – Freddy Sudhoff

Chassis – Awesomatix A700 Evo
Motor – LRP X20 4.5T
ESC – LRP Flow
Battery – LRP 6000mAh
Radio/Servos – Sanwa
Body – Protoform Speed 6
Remarks – Freddy Sudhoff is running some prototype parts on his A700 Evo from Awesomatix here in Florida. The car features new 3d printed front and rear c-hubs which feature a pin in the bottom compared to a pivot ball so when used with the car’s new arm sweep option means the uprights will not remain in their set position under suspension compression but instead also change with the arm sweep while on the front it will now have bump steer. There are also new shorter aluminium A-arms, a thicker main shaft for less vibrations and a bigger centre line stiffener for more flex options. There is also a new floating motor mount which brings it in line for the other cars on the market, something that is harder to achieve with an inline motor. In terms of setup Freddy is trying to find more mid corner steering and has changed to a stiffer shock setting and flex setting as well as going for heavier diff oil.

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New in the pits – Tamiya TRF419

Tamiya’s large factory team here in Kissimmee are running the recently announced TRF419, the latest in a long line of World Championship winning touring car chassis from the Japanese manufacturer. Only some very small detail changes over the TRF 418, the new car has the motor mounted slightly further back, meaning new belts, and sports an all new rear gear differential. The diff has updated internals with a bigger pitch crown gears that make the car more stable and help improve the car’s corner speed.

Like the other new cars it has a one piece motor mount and included flex options thanks to multiple mounting holes in the chassis and block. There are slightly larger bore shocks and the lower suspension mounts have pins for locating them and preventing them from shifting in a crash. The mounts also have differently positioned mounting holes, in an L configuration instead of straight accross the mount, which helps increase flex in this area. The car is expected to be released in early December.

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