New in the Pits – JConcepts

JConcepts have debuted a lot of new parts here in Chico for the 2wd Centro C4.2 conversion. At the rear there is a new aluminium block and wing mounts, in blue or black, that help stiffen up the rear as well as a carbon fibre shock tower that features an additional row of upper pivot arm mounts. On top there is an updated Finnisher body for the C4.2 which is longer than its predecessor to suit the car’s longer chassis and there is a new rear wing which has been designed to take advantage of the positioning of the wing on the mid motored car. For 4wd there is a new, as yet unnamed, body for the B44.2 that is designed to improve cooling by creating areas in the car that allow airflow in and out as well as a refined design that creates better airflow over the rear wing.

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New in the Pits – Pro-Line

Making their Debut here in Chico are three new body shells from Pro-Line Racing. The US company together with their team drivers Ty Tessmann and Lee Martin have developed these new shells. Ty has developed the Type R, a 4wd body that is currently running on the Canadian’s yet to be released D4-13 but will be available for other cars in the near future. The design is less cab forward than the Bulldog giving less steering and has some nice design features like the inward sloping sides. Lee has developed the Phantom range of bodies for 2wd mid motor and for 4wd which feature a sloping rear of the shell which creates better airflow to the wing.

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View more images of the bodies here

Chassis Focus – JR Mitch

Car: TLR 22-4
ESC: Tekin
Motor: Tekin
Batteries: Team Orion
Radio/Servo: Spektrum

JR Mitch is one of 9 drivers at the IFMAR 4wd World Championships running the newly announced TLR22-4. A long time in development the final production versions have only just gotten finished in time for the Worlds and so a lot of drivers this morning are still busy adding electronics to their vehicles. The same basic configuration as the XX-4 it has been modernised and the team drivers who have tested the car previously are super positive about their performance and and all are looking forward to getting the car on the track in Friday’s practice. JR is running a mixture of Tekin and Orion products in his car this week as his electrics sponsor Trinity didn’t have their products submitted in time to be approved for the IFMAR event.

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Chassis Focus – Oliver Scholz

Car: Team C TM2
ESC: Orion
Motor: Orion 6.5T
Batteries: Orion
Radio/Servo: Sanwa/Savox

Multiple and reigning German National champion Oliver Scholz is the top Team C driver in Chico racing a pretty stock version of the TM2. The only option parts being run are a rear brass bulkheads and a self made front brass plate to add some weight to the chassis low down, and some Associated steering knuckles. Not used to racing in such high grip conditions, Oliver added that he had to make several changes on his usual setup to suit the unique Silver Dollar track surface.

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Chassis Focus – Tom Cockerill

Car: Schumacher 2WD Proto
ESC: Nosram
Motor: Nosram 6.5
Batteries: Nosram
Radio/Servo: KO Propo/Sanwa

Having tried both the standard mid-motored Schumacher SV2 and their new prototype, Tom decided to gamble and run this new version of the car. The high traction here in Chico made it easy to cross over as the British driver was able to run a similar setup to what he uses on the astroturf back in the UK. The car itself is still not finalised and is subject to change but so far the car is performing well with Tom getting a top 10 run in round 1 of qualifying.

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Chassis Focus – Naoto Matsukura

Car: Yokomo B-Max 2 MR
ESC: Yokomo Hobbywing 3.1
Motor: Yokomo Series 7
Batteries: Yokomo
Radio/Servo: Sanwa

The Japanese ace is driving the new Yokomo B-Max2 MR mid motored buggy with a few prototype parts that they are testing for these conditions. In terms of set-up his Yokomo is completely different  from what he uses back home, the high bite requiring a harder shock setup and different shock angles. Like the majority of the top drivers here his choice of front tire is the Pro-Line Scrubs.

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