Red RC - RC Car News

SWorkz have released a set of images showing their forthcoming new S12-2 1/10th scale 2WD buggy kit. The latest addition to the S12 line will feature a lot of improvements and updates compared to the previous S12-1, such as a redesigned front bulkhead that places the front shock tower behind the dampers, a new chassis, new battery mount, a new transmission – possibly including a diff height adjustment feature, a new carbon fibre rear shock tower and many more. Full details on features and specifications will become available in time of the release that is set for end of March.

Source: MW RC Cars [mwrccars.at]

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Coming from H2 Racing Development is a new flex cut top deck for the Awesomatix A800MMX. Machined from genuine 2.0mm Torayca carbon fibre the top deck offers improved torsional flex due to a cut front section, making it possible to run aluminium main chassis already in lower bite track conditions which can improve overall stability without sacrificing steering or rear traction. The top deck will become available separately and it should be up for grabs from March.

Source: H2 Racing Development [h2-rd.com]

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Chassis – Infinity IF14 II
Motor – ORCA Modtreme 4.5T
ESC – ORCA OE1
Battery – ORCA 6000mAh Super LCG
Tires (handout) – Sweep
Radio/Servos – Sanwa
Body – Xtreme Twister

Remarks – Setting the pace in practice and continuing it on into qualifying here at the TITC, Akio Sobue is running the new IF14 II from Infinity. Using the final production ready car, the main difference over its predecessor is the central location of the spur gear which like in other competition cars helps give a more equalised balance between front and rear, however with the motor not having changed position the car continues to maintain a high level of rear traction. The other main change is the focus on ease of use and adjustment, with the front and rear shock towers, steering plate and lower arms all using a neat insert system that allows for repeatable fine tuning of the setup. For Akio himself, he said that he had managed to find a good balance early on in the event and has only had to make some small fine adjustments since.

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Chassis – Yokomo BD10
Motor – Dash RTune V2 4.5T
ESC – Dash AI Pro
Battery – Racing Performer 5500mAh SLCG
Tires (handout) – Sweep
Radio/Servos – Sanwa
Body – Xtreme Twister

Remarks – Young Japanese driver Souta Goto is making his TITC debut here this weekend driving the new BD10 from Yokomo. Performing very well in seeding, Goto is using essentially a basic car but with Yokomo aluminium outdrives front and rear and Axon aluminium screws and turnbuckles.

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Smokem have introduced their new Vortex fan duct for 30mm fan units. 3-D-printed for a low weight and high stability, the fan duct works with pretty much every 30mm motor fan and it helps to lower the operation temperatures of brushless motors thanks to guiding the cooling air directly onto the motor can. The 30mm version is available from now on with a 40mm heavy duty variant coming very soon. Not included though are the needed cooling fans.

Source: Smokem Racing [smokem-racing.com]

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PPM RC Racing have introduced the new RC-Cox FF and FR brass suspension mounts for the Xray T4’20 touring car. Machined from high-quality brass material each suspension mount adds 9g of weight, which allows to adjust the car’s overall weight balance according to the track conditions or driving style. The suspension hangers feature machined Cox logos for brand recognition, they are available separately and fit all chassis that allow to access the T4 2020’s standard narrow suspension mount positions.

Source: PPM RC Racing [ppm-rcracing.com]

The post RC-Cox T4’20 FF & FR brass suspension mounts appeared first on Red RC.

Akio Sobue remains firmly in control at the TITC with the Infinity driver posting another TQ run for a perfect first day of qualifying at the Thai event.  Having taken the opening qualifier from team-mate Jilles Groskamp, the top seed was again quickest from the Dutch driver in the second of the day’s two qualifiers but this time with an even bigger margin of 3.1-seconds.  Having crashed out in the opening qualifier, Naoto Matsukura would complete the Top 3 after a mistake from team-mate Viktor Wilck on the final lap.  An all Infinity Top 6, the coronavirus having seen a lot of the race’s regular title contenders opting not to travel this year, Atsushi Hara took the top honours for the others setting the 7th fastest time with his HB Racing project car ahead of the Yokomo’s of Charlee Phutiyotin and Nicholas Lee.

Continue reading this report here or view our complete event coverage here.

The post Sobue remains in control with another TQ run at TITC appeared first on Red RC.

Akio Sobue remains firmly in control at the TITC with the Infinity driver posting another TQ run for a perfect first day of qualifying at the Thai event.  Having taken the opening qualifier from team-mate Jilles Groskamp, the top seed was again quickest from the Dutch driver in the second of the day’s two qualifiers but this time with an even bigger margin of 3.1-seconds.  Having crashed out in the opening qualifier, Naoto Matsukura would complete the Top 3 after a mistake from team-mate Viktor Wilck on the final lap.  An all Infinity Top 6, the coronavirus having seen a lot of the race’s regular title contenders opting not to travel this year, Atsushi Hara took the top honours for the others setting the 7th fastest time with his HB Racing project car ahead of the Yokomo’s of Charlee Phutiyotin and Nicholas Lee.

‘The car is perfect I think’, was Sobue’s reaction after going 2-seconds quicker than he had in Q1. Having suffered with his car wanting to spin out on the opening lap of the first qualifier, he continued, ‘I had no problem this time on the opening lap but I was still a little careful at the same corner the first time but I had more steering and could go fast’.  With the time schedule meaning the remaining two qualifiers will be run in the afternoon/evening tomorrow, the opposite to today, Akio said, ‘Maybe the track conditions will change but in both the day time and the evening my car has good balance so I think I will keep it the same. I see no reason to change it’.

Describing his Q2 effort as ‘not bad’, Groskamp said, ‘I tried a little different saucing and it started off better than before and I could keep with Akio at the start but then it went off. I think maybe I used too much sauce’.  He continued, ‘Overall I am still happy because Akio is in a little different zone to everyone. He is trying some different stuff with his set-up and now that I have two good results I might try some of them in tomorrow’s qualifiers’.

Explaining his Q1 crash, Matsukura said, ‘I normally drive down the middle of the straight but this time I was on the outside and the car spun and I crashed. I think possibly some wind caused it’.  On his Q2 performance, the former Touring Car World Champion said, ‘the feeling was good but I had a little understeer so I could not catch Akio’.  Looking to Day 2 of qualifying and the change of timing of the runs, the Japanese driver was excited that it presented him with an opportunity to challenge his team-mate for the honour of Top Qualifier.  He said, ‘the first one should have the same traction as today but the 2nd one is in the best condition. It will be the rocket round so the TQ is still on. I just need to try find some more steering in the set-up but overall the new IF14-II is working very good. I am also happy with my ORCA Speedo, the power deliver is very smooth’.

Summing up his second run, Wilck said, ‘the first 1, 2-minutes was OK but then I think I overheated my tyres’.  He continued on the last lap I had a mistake and that let Naoto by.  With the tyres overheating I jumped the curb in the middle chicane’.  On his team-mate Akio’s advantage, the Swede said, ‘Akio is really good to the end because he don’t over heat his tyres.  In the beginning me, Jilles and Akio are almost the same’.

Despite improving his car between rounds Jin Sawada was again 5th fastest ahead of fellow countryman Ryosuke Yamamoto.  Having had an impressive opening qualifier in which he was fourth fastest, Yamamoto felt the pressure of that result saying he was ‘quite nervous’ during Q2.

View our event image gallery here.

Made for the Losi Baja Rey trucks with Ford Raptor body shell is a new front bumper and skid plate set from RPM. The company incorporated all of the key design features from the original RPM Baja Rey bumper and skid plate into this new version. A key improvement moved the skid plate from between the chassis plate and differential to below the aluminium chassis plate. This move solved a couple of problems. First, the aluminium chassis plate now has some serious RPM skid protection where it had none before. Next, and more importantly, it allowed the designers the freedom to create a flex zone on the skid plate that would allow more impact absorption in impact situations, ultimately saving owners from costly repairs. RPM redesigned the bumper as well, creating an additional flex zone that allows the bumper to compress under extreme impacts, yet return back to its original shape once the impact energy has dissipated. This flex zone protects the more fragile front differential and chassis plate since the bumper now absorbs the impact instead of transferring that energy into the chassis. RPM also made the bumper thicker than stock, meaning it can take more impacts over the entire width of the bumper without failing. The bumper is designed and produced in the USA and built from RPM’s nearly indestructible blend of engineering grade nylons.

Source: RPM [rpmrcproducts.com]

The post RPM Baja Rey Ford Raptor front bumper & skid plate appeared first on Red RC.

Coming from T-Works and made for many popular 1/8th off-road kits are lightweight 30mm brake disks. The precision-cut rotors are of a vented design for less fading even during long and gruelling mains and they are available in a variant for the Agama A319 and also as a universal offering for vehicles such as the Mugen MBX, Serpent Cobra, Xray XB8 and HongNor X3.

Source: T-Works [rc-tworks.com]

The post T-Works 1/8th off-road 30mm lightweight brake disks appeared first on Red RC.

Chassis – Awesomatix A800 MMXA
Motor – Hobbywing Xerun 4.5T
ESC – Hobbywing XR10 G2
Battery – Silverback 5800mAh LCG
Tires (handout) – Sweep
Radio/Servos – Sanwa/MKS
Body – Xtreme Twister

Remarks – Australian Ryan Maker is running the new A800 MMXA from Awesomatix here in Thailand. Equipped with a number of RC Maker option parts such as the slimflex top deck, front and rear body mounts and brass balance weights, Ryan is using a very similar setup to last year. Fitted with an aluminium chassis plate, one of the few to do so due its tendency to drop off in these conditions, he said he has been able to work extra flex into the top deck to compensate and make the chassis work.

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SWorkz have introduced their new smart fuel bottle caps suitable for most nitro fuel bottles. The caps can be secured to the bottle neck, ensuring they do not get lost and with their sturdy design they can also be used to stop nitro engines by blocking the exhaust pice outlet. The bottle caps come in 2-piece sets.

Source: MW RC Cars [mwrccars.at]

The post SWorkz smart fuel bottle caps appeared first on Red RC.

Having topped seeding at the Infinity Addict Circuit yesterday, Akio Sobue carried his speed into qualifying at the TITC taking the opening round in Bangkok. The Infinity driver would TQ the first of the four qualifiers by 2.6-seconds from team-mate Jilles Groskamp with it an all Infinity Top 5. While Naoto Matsukura would break after contact with the track barriers, Viktor Wilck would set the third fastest time ahead of surprise of Q1,  Ryosuke Yamamoto.  Running in the 2nd fastest heat after being 12th fastest in seeding he would set the fourth fastest time ahead of Jin Sawada.  Best of the rest would be Yokomo’s Nicholas Lee who was a disappointed 6th ahead of team-mate Meen Vejrak.  Having shown strong in seeding with the second fastest time, Yokomo’s Souta Goto visibly struggled, quickly being passed on track by Groskamp and eventually posting the 9th fastest time.

Continue reading this report here or view our complete event coverage here.

The post Akio takes opening qualifier at TITC appeared first on Red RC.

Having topped seeding at the Infinity Addict Circuit yesterday, Akio Sobue carried his speed into qualifying at the TITC taking the opening round in Bangkok. The Infinity driver would TQ the first of the four qualifiers by 2.6-seconds from team-mate Jilles Groskamp with it an all Infinity Top 5. While Naoto Matsukura would break after contact with the track barriers, Viktor Wilck would set the third fastest time ahead of surprise of Q1,  Ryosuke Yamamoto.  Running in the 2nd fastest heat after being 12th fastest in seeding he would set the fourth fastest time ahead of Jin Sawada.  Best of the rest would be Yokomo’s Nicholas Lee who was a disappointed 6th ahead of team-mate Meen Vejrak.  Having shown strong in seeding with the second fastest time, Yokomo’s Souta Goto visibly struggled, quickly being passed on track by Groskamp and eventually posting the 9th fastest time.

Pleased to open the 18th running of the TITC with a TQ run, Sobue said, ‘On the first the car tried to make a spin out so a drove a little safe but after that it was ok and once I felt I had traction I was able to push’.  Describing his new IF14-II as ‘good’, the 2018 Champion feels he has the advantage of a more consistent car than his rivals’. He explained, ‘my car is better than the others over 5-minutes.  After 3-minutes their cars get loose but for all the 5-minutes mine was good.  I will leave the same for Q2’.

‘I’m happy with P2 for the first round.  It’s nice to have a good result in the bag’, was Groskamp’s reaction to his first qualifying attempt.  The former World Champion continued, ‘I knew I couldn’t catch Akio.  He can make a gap at the start but my car was good and I think if I had driven more relaxed I could have been closer’. After the morning’s free practice run, Groskamp adjusted the drag brake on his car but felt he had gone a bit too much and this also cost him time and so he will go back to the previous setting.  Happy with overall performance of the IF14-II, the Dutch driver feels he has the second part of the race sorted describing his car as ‘quite consistent’ but feels he could ‘take more risks’ at the start of the qualifier.

Despite his Top 3 for the round, Wilck wasn’t too pleased with the set-up he went with for the first qualifier.  The Swede explained, ‘I change the toe in too much and it left me with understeer.  The car was loose in the morning (practice session) so I made the change but I was just being too conservative.  The traction will come up for the next one so I will go back to the previous toe set-up for Q2’.

Previously a Yokomo driver and now making his debut for Infinity here in Thailand, 20-year-old Yamamoto was pleased with this P4 but admitted he is still learning the new car.  Copying Sobue’s set-up for Q1, this is also the Japanese driver’s first time racing at the TITC and he summed up his first qualifying attempt as a ‘consistent effort’.

OneTen Series Champion Jin Sawada would cross the line with the 5th fastest time.  Asked about his car, the  Japanese driver replied, ‘it was OK but it felt loose’.  Running a different set-up to his Infinity team-mates, he will ‘make a little change’ to his car with the aim of a better performance in the 2nd round.

‘Not so good’ was Lee’s reply when asked how Q1 had gone.  He continued, ‘we are lacking overall grip compared to the other guys.  We tried many things but it still sucks.  I was lucky to finish 6th because I didn’t have a good feeling but a few crashed so I made the most of it’.  Asked what he planned to try get the car more to his liking, he replied, ‘I will talk to the team to try find a solution from the different things we have each tried in Q1’.

View our event image gallery here.

Chassis – HB Racing Pro XX
Motor – P1 Performa 4.5T
ESC – Orion HMX
Battery – Orion Ultimate 7000mAh
Tires (handout) – Sweep
Radio/Servos – Futaba
Body – Xtreme Twister

Remarks – Former World Champion Atsushi Hara is using the TITC to test different configurations of HB Racing’s new Pro XX platform. Based on the now 6 year old Pro 5 chassis, the car has been converted to a mid motor car thanks to a Zero Tribe conversion. Continuously evaluating the car, Hara says he has multiple different configurations still to test but will focus on the currently installed one for now to try and get the most out of it. An optimistic release date for the new car is August this year with the final car set to also have new plastics.

Updated – Atsushi gave us a close up look at the second Pro XX configuration, one which has been created specifically for the car rather than an adapted conversion kit which is what he is currently running. In this you can see the single piece central motor mount and spur gear holder as well as the new bulkheads, chassis plate and servo mount. 

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