Chassis Focus – David Ronnefalk

Chassis – Kyosho Inferno MP9 TKI3
Engine – Team Orion RS
Tyres – AKA Catapult Medium
Fuel – Runner Time
Radio/Servos – KO Propo
Body – Kyosho cab forward
Remarks – European Champion David Ronnefalk, like all the drivers here, has been working to make the car stiffer due to not only the high bite but also because of the high temperatures. Increasing the thickness of oil in both his diffs and shocks as well as running harder anti-roll bars on his MP9 TKI3, the Swede has also lower the car’s ride height in an effort to reduce body roll. The same equipment, but not the same car, as he ran at the Euros he has also lowered the cars camber link mounts as well as leaning the shocks more. In terms of tires he has been running AKA’s Catapults since the start and  having played around with different compounds has now settled on medium.

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New in the Pits – Cosmic Industries & 110% Racing

We were invited to attend a press conference at the JQ Villa to not just be wined and dined but also to be briefed on the future strategy for the young and growing JQ Products company. At the event we were introduced to Finnish former top racer Heikki Naulapaa who using his background in full size industrial design in the car and bike industry has formed Cosmic Industries. Working together as a partner of JQ Racing, the company’s first product will be the Balancer body shell for The Car. Designed using his experience in working with wind tunnels and focussing on giving the overall car a powerful ‘stance’, through focussing on the cars lines and details, they have produced a body that not only looks great but with the use of the cars side wings and two tier rear wing design will also perform giving the car stability and lots of grip on track. Heikki also stated that they will introduce new shells for the 1/10th scale Yokomo 2wd and 4wd chassis. As partners, the JQ team will run the new shell with immediate effect, switching to it the very next day having previously run the kit JQ body until that point.

Canadian Ty Tessmann’s brand 110% Racing have announced the release of their Magnetic Wheel wrench. Its primary function is of course to tighten and fasten the car’s wheel nuts but what makes it unique, apart from the fact that you can change the position of the handle from centre to the end of the handle for a little more torque, is the addition of a magnet to the nut driver. Combined with the supplied black anodised wheel nuts, which sport a metal screw to give the magnet something to stick to, it gives you a great combo for quick wheel changes in the pit lane with the security that you are not going to lose the wheel nut. Available in October.

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New in the Pits – Pro-Line

Pro-line have two new items here in Sicily, the first of which is the new 1/8th Trifecta wing which has been made from lexan making it lighter than the standard 1/8th scale wing. Designed with the help of Ty Tessmann, it comes supplied with central diverter and two different trim plastic trim strips and it seems to be working with the Canadian setting the pace during practice.

Also new here and in limited supply, only three of the pre production units available, is the ‘Fuel Stick’ from Pro-Line. Supplied in an awesome wooden case, it does away with the conventional handle ‘gun’ shape and in doing so makes it a more ergonomic shape for fast refuels. Better for shorter people in pit lane and for left and right handed people due to the way it is held and used, the nozzle sports a ‘diffuser’ which disrupts the fuel flow and removes any air pockets which can be present in regular fuel guns meaning you get all the fuel in the tank and more quickly. Finally there is no cap to lose, simple pop the hinged sealed top and fill it right up then pop it back down closed again.

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New in the Pits – JConcepts

JConcepts come to Italy sporting 4 new tire thread patterns, the Diamond Bars, Reflex, Remix and Chasers. The Diamond Bars are named after the shape and longer horizontal bar, this tire has shown incredible wear on the concrete surface and blends consistency with speed and durability.  Their dual stage, tapered design allows for exponentially less wear over time allowing to consistent. The Reflex tire is designed to bridge a gap between the popular Hybrid tire and other options such as Crossbow and Stacker tire. Featuring square angled pins that are stacked vertically to flex and fold evenly across the tire typically a stacked tread will wear less and provide more forward bite.  The aligned space helps rotation in the turns and gives a snappy release to square up quickly.

Tested during the year at races such as the ROAR Off-Road Nationals, the Remix is a crossover tread bringing two tire lines together. With directional side-bars and straight forward block detail, the Remix will serve as a high-speed blue groove tire on larger style and flowing track layouts.  The sidebars react calmly to bumpy sections while still giving stability as borrowed from our successful Metrix tire. The blocks are beefy and medium in width and height.  That arrangement gives forward tracking stability and the sidebars handle the all important cornering support.

The Chasers rely on hefty, medium lugs which are angular in multiple directions.  The horizontal type tread has a striking similarity to the trusty Crossbow tire but have a lower, closer lug arrangement which gives incredible responsiveness and bites in medium, high and low grip conditions. The wet and dry condition tire has small recessed cuts in the top of the tread for extra edges and increased formability over terrain. The centre overlapping bar treatment increases durability in the highest wear region of the tire. All new tires will include the latest insert from JConcepts.  The Dirt-Tech insert popularized by its durable nature and gray color will give customers the combo package they have been waiting for from JConcepts. The last new item here at the Worlds is an updated 83mm wheel. Customers asked for a more polished face wheel allowing a cleaner look and finish to an already successful wheel. Also revised are the locations of the upper ribs for better tire alignment and more bullet holes added near the center axle while a solid area remains for locknut clamping surface area.

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Chassis Focus – Robert Batlle

Chassis – Mugen MBX7R
Engine – Novarossi Keep Off 21 4S
Tyres – Pro Circuit Hot Dices Medium
Fuel – Nitrolux
Radio/Servos – Futaba/Xpert
Body – Kit
Remarks – Reigning World Champion Robert Batlle is running the new MBX7R, which is the same as the car he ran at the recent Euros but with the latest chassis plate which has the bigger side plate angle. Like the other racers here he has changed his car to a stiffer setup in diffs and shocks to give the car less roll in the high grip conditions and is so far very happy with his pace.

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Chassis Focus – Ty Tessmann

Chassis –  HB D812
Engine – OS Speed 2101 B
Tyres – Pro-Line Suburb X1
Fuel – Nitrotane
Radio/Servos – Airtronics/Savox
Body – Pro-Line Type R
Remarks – Ty Tessmann is running the D812 with a number of new option parts on the car including a new rear diff case, new one piece input gear, new radio tray with a larger battery box and new rear hubs with updated geometry. The Canadian has been working on making the car easier to drive with his focus on thicker diff oils and thicker shock oils. He has also been trying different tires and looks to have settled on the super hard Pro-Line Suburb. Also new on the car is the Pro-Line lexan Trifecta wing which comes with 2 different plastic trim strips and new wheel nuts which work with the new magnetic wheel wrench from 110% Racing.

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