Chassis Focus – Ryan Lutz

Chassis – Tekno RC NT48
Engine – Alpha A352
Tyres – AKA Impact soft
Fuel – Byron Fuel
Radio/Servos – Futaba
Body – Kit body

Remarks – Ryan Lutz is running a standard version of the NT48 1/8th truggy from Tekno RC. Using his base setup from the Battle of the Sikest, which was held at the Fear Farm late last year, he plans to go for harder diff oil on all three diffs to stop the car from diffing out which is causing the tires to balloon coming out of the corners. For the first qualifier he is also planning Grid Irons from AKA in place of Impacts.

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Chassis Focus – Austin Blair

Chassis – S-Workz S350T
Engine – Protek RC Samurai
Tyres – AKA Impact soft
Fuel – Byron Fuel
Radio/Servos – Airtronics/Protek RC
Body – Test body

Remarks – A-Main team driver Austin Blair is running the newly released S-Workz S350T truggy. Using the same setup as his home track Silver Dollar Raceway, he has just adjusted the clutch to make it stiffer to get more punch out of the corners. Using the new big bore shocks from the S-Workz buggy, he is also using 8 gram weights on the rear uprights to keep the wheels more planted over the bumps.

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Chassis Focus – Jared Tebo

Chassis – Kyosho Inferno MP9 TKI3
Engine – MX
Tyres – AKA Chainlink soft
Fuel – MX
Radio/Servos – KO Propo
Body – Kyosho Cab forward

Chassis – Kyosho Inferno ST-RR Evo
Engine – MX
Tyres – AKA Gridiron soft
Fuel – MX
Radio/Servos – KO Propo
Body – Kit body

Remarks – Former DNC winner Jared Tebo is running the same package as last year with the exception of the engine, which is the OS based MX engine. Jared was very complimentary of the power from the engine and says he now doesn’t have to push his cars so much. For his buggy he is running a different shock piston setup, something which he tried for the first time at the recent Kyosho Masters in Vegas, which comprises of fewer but larger piston holes than normal. Also on his buggy he is running the newly released Chainlink tires in soft compound which he says have very low wear and are very consistent and suited best for dry dusty conditions. In terms of the truggy it is a pretty basic setup for Jared, with the exception of the new MX engine which he ran in the truck for the first time here yesterday. He is using a M2C Racing radio tray that he says mounts the battery box better than the standard setup and also uses a King Headz rear chassis brace.

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Chassis Focus – Adam Drake

Chassis – Mugen MBX7R
Engine – Novarossi Mito 4
Tyres – Pro-Line Blockade M3
Fuel – Flashpoint
Radio/Servos – Futaba/Hitec
Body – Kit

Chassis – Mugen MBX7T
Engine – Novarossi Virtus .21S
Tyres – Pro-Line Holeshot M3
Fuel – Flashpoint
Radio/Servos – Futaba/Hitec
Body – Kit

Remarks – Adam Drake is making his race debut for Mugen here at the Dirt Nitro Challenge at the Fear Farm in Phoenix. Having just in the past few days put together a deal with Mugen for this race, he has a long term goal to work together with the company. With such a short time to get his car’s ready Adam built his buggy and truggy himself while his eBuggy came assembled from team manager Tim Long. Running with a base setup from the team and having only two days of practice at two different tracks in California prior to coming here he has still a lot of learning to do but is pleased with the performance of his new rides so far considering his limited time with the cars.

New in the Pits – HB & Pro-Line

Ty Tessmann is running a pre production version of the soon to be released HB D815 Worlds Edition. The final version is based on the car that Ty used to win the World Championship last year in Sicily and will come supplied with a PL Trifecta wing and Type-R body shell. Expected to be released in the coming months it comes with 17.5 degree front caster blocks instead of the standard 15 degree version, new front and rear diff cases similar to those used in the 1/10th scale D413, utilising the same style crown and pinion gears. A new radio tray is much smaller than previously and fits a LiPo pack better while a new 2-piece centre diff mount allows you to access the diff from the top as well as mount the new linkage system.

The brakes have also been revised, using steel brake discs and brake pads with a fibre based material, while the steering system sports a new aluminium servo saver arm with a clamp style tension nut. New rear hubs, with their carbon top link mounting plates, combined with the longer rear dog bones give the car increased rear grip. Updated anti-roll bars with the ends bent to be perpendicular to the A-arm make for a more free motion of the part. Finally there is a new lighter rear wing mount.

Also from the mind of Ty Tessmann and realised by Pro-Line is the new Enforcer Truggy bodyshell. With truggys getting more front steering, two aerodynamic scoops at the back of the shell help to balance the car and give it more stability

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