Red RC - RC Car News

Answer RC D8-series carbon fibre & alloy option parts

Posted: 19 May 2017 06:45 AM PDT

UK company Answer RC has expanded the range of option parts for the HB Racing D8 series of off-road and on-road vehicles. First up is a carbon fibre Ackermann plate that has a second hole set further back than stock to allow for an alternative steering Ackermann set up. The plate is cut from 4mm carbon fibre and it is usable on all D8 series kits including the D817, E817, RGT8 and even the older spec kits.

Also new is a range of orange anodised aluminium parts including a centre diff mount set, a front upper steering brace, as well as a chassis stiffener mount for the D817, D815 and RGT8. The range is rounded out by an 8-piece set of brake pad springs for the nitro kits. The extra tension between the pads ensures that the brakes are quickly released reducing drive train drag, improving wear of the brakes and reducing heat.

Source: Answer RC [answer-rc.com]

Hudy Ultra double-sided tape

Posted: 19 May 2017 05:33 AM PDT

Hudy have introduced their new Ultra double-sided tape. The use of an ultra-strong adhesive means even heavy items can be securely fixed while still being easy to remove. The long-lasting tape comes in 150cm rolls and it is available now.

Source: Hudy [hudy.net]

Day 1 of ENS France rained off

Posted: 19 May 2017 04:20 AM PDT

Day 1 of the 2017 Euro Nitro Series has been rained off. Waking to overnight rain, the organisers waited until lunch to make the call to cancel Friday’s official program with weather conditions looking far more favourable for the rest of the weekend. With Thursdays traditionally an open practice day run by the host club, with official timing having been in place the decision was made to use those times to seed the heats for qualifying. While drivers will provisionally get two practice runs in the morning, due to today’s conditions these two rounds will be purely for drivers to familiarise themselves with the track again before going into qualifying. Getting four rounds of practice yesterday afternoon, the track having been wet up to lunch time, there was a particular surprise in 1:8 as Bruno Coelho leads the times for Xray ahead of the Shepherd of reigning champion Simon Kurzbuch, the Infinity of Takaaki Shimo and Mugen of Robert Pietsch. Coelho was also, more expectedly, up there in the 1:10 times setting the third fastest time. The Top 3 separated by just 8/100ths of a second, it was the Mugen of Eric Dankel which was fastest ahead of the Xray of Leo Arnold. Reigning champion Teemu Leino would post the 9th fastest time with former Champion Jilles Groskamp the fastest Infinity driver in P6.

Tomas Liptak successful at Czech IC Track Nats Rd1

Posted: 19 May 2017 03:52 AM PDT

The opening round of the Czech Nitro On-road Nationals was held recently and it was Tomas Liptak (Xray) who set the TQ in the 1/8th on-road class. Right after the start of the main final Tomas opened a gap on the field that was as large as five seconds before the first round of pit stops. Some 18 minutes into the main light drizzle made things interesting as the track was partly damp and partly dry but it soon started to fully dry up again and the final stages saw a dry track and a dominating Tomas Liptak who took the win some three laps in front of the Shepherd duo of Martin Zvara and Miroslav Jurenka.

Source: Xray [teamxray.com]

Xray XB8-series 44T & 45T differential gears

Posted: 19 May 2017 03:17 AM PDT

Coming from Xray and made for the XB8 series of buggies and GT cars are new 44T and 45T differential gears. Both are machined from high-quality steel with a hardened surface further increasing durability. Using different gears allows to adjust the final drive ratio and also the top speed and bottom end power. The smaller 44T gear will increase top speed, make for smoother bottom end power and decreased wheel spin while the larger 45T gear leads to “medium” top speed, bottom end power and wheel spin. The gears are available separately and they are usable on the XB8’17 and the new GTX8.

Source: Xray [teamxray.com]

Max Gotzl wins Nitro Buggy class at Czech Open

Posted: 19 May 2017 03:01 AM PDT

A round of the Czech Open series was held at the Horni Jeleni track recently. Xray’s Max Gotzl would hold the TQ until the third round when in the fourth and final qualifier Xray team mate Kaja Novotny, who struggled in the opening rounds, out-qualified him for the overall TQ. In the semifinals Kaja secured himself the pole position for the A-main and on lap three a small mishap of Kaja allowed Max to take the lead that he would extend after the first pit stop. About mid-race rain started to fall which made conditions tricky. Max lost some ground but ultimately he was able to bring home the win from Kaja, who had to make an additional fuel stop, in 2nd while Ales Bidovsky (Xray) had to settle for 3rd overall.

Final results:
1. Max Gotzl – Xray
2. Kaja Novotny – Xray
3. Ales Bidovsky – Xray
4. Jiri Dvorak – Mugen
5. Martin Zicha – Mugen
6. Martin Rytir – Xray
7. Martin Vins – Kyosho
8. Pavel Braun – Kyosho
9. Petr Javorovsky – Mugen
10.Tomas Fic – Kyosho
11.Petr Javorovsky Sr. – Mugen
12.Frantisek Kalenda – Serpent

Source: Xray [teamxray.com]

Luke Lee wins BRCA Formula Nationals Rd2

Posted: 19 May 2017 02:19 AM PDT

The second round of the BRCA Formula National Championship was held at Aldershot. Qualifying started cold and dry but it was tricky to find grip but as the weather warmed up the lap times dropped. Current UK Formula Champion and championship leader after the first round, Luke Lee (Xray), took a convincing TQ winning all four qualifying rounds. The first final saw Luke take an early lead but his lead was cut by an unfortunate incident with a back marker, however he had enough of a gap to resume in the lead and maintained it till the end of the race. The second final was a repeat of the first – without the back marker incident – Luke sailed off to a comfortable lead and the overall win with James Wright (MD Racing) coming in 2nd and Damian Giddins (Xray) 3rd.

Source: Xray [teamxray.com]

Atomic BZ 2017 90mm wheelbase conversion kit

Posted: 19 May 2017 02:01 AM PDT

Coming from Atomic and made for the AMZ BZ 2017 micro touring car is a 90mm wheelbase conversion kit. It includes a new carbon fibre main chassis and top deck, a rear belt, suspension components, a pair of driveshafts as well as miscellaneous small parts. Also available is a 94mm wheelbase conversion kit.

Source: Atomic [rcatomic.com]

Axon 64 pitch pinion gears

Posted: 19 May 2017 01:20 AM PDT

Coming soon from Axon is a full range of 64 pitch pinion gears. Their design allows to run them much closer to the motor which can result in less clearance issues especially in belt-driven touring cars. The precision-cut gears are available in a range of 22T to 60T, covering both modified and stock classes and they are available from June.

Source: Axon [team-axon.com]

Protoform WCICS Rd7 – Report

Posted: 19 May 2017 12:48 AM PDT

The Protoform Western Canadian Indoor Championship Seriesflew into the beautiful Northern BC mountain town of Kamloops, British Columbia for round 7. As expected, Touring Mod was fast and full of action. Blake Bell would be the driver to beat opening up with a 36 lap run. Round 2 proved to be a shaky heat for all drivers with no impressive pace. But all the stops came out for round 3 when the top 5 heard the tone. Blake settled it with a 37 lap run, the only one of the weekend.

Sunday morning would start with Blake Bell at pole, followed by Korgae Scales and John Tsang. A1 would see an intense battle between the pole setter and Luke Pittman (4th), finishing just 2.4s apart at the buzzer. Luke was the only driver to breach the 8.0s lap time with a 7.9s while Korgae was 3rd. A2 would see another intense battle at the front with now the top 4 dicing for the 5-minute run. Blake was able to put some rug between them and take another win. Meanwhile Luke had to fend off charging John and Korgae right to the last lap finishing with just 1s covering the 3 cars. Blake would sit A3 and let Luke, John and Korgae strive for the win deciding their final triple A points standing. Luke seemed to be destined to be the number 2 Man this weekend, John Tsang would win the main, followed by Luke and Korgae. 2nd overall came to a tie break between Luke and John. The combined best two Runs would see Luke edge out John by just 0.3s.

In Touring Stock TQ setter Luke Pittman had a perfect start to the mains Sunday morning with a 2 and out result. This was after a challenging round one, round 2 and 3 proved better and allowed Luke to put in an insane 36 lap run in Stock. The battle behind him for second was just heating up. Jarrod Heap, Gary Lanzer and Frank Bortolazzo qualified just seconds apart and would prove to be the group to watch Sunday. A1, Gary snuck into 2nd, with Jarrod, Tiny (6th) and Frank in tow. Lap 5 would change that; Gary slid down to 4th and battled intently with Tiny for 3rd finishing just 0.22s behind at the buzzer. Frank had an awful start in A2 letting Jarrod and Gary, and the rest of the field charge away by the end of lap 1. Bad luck caught up to Gary on lap 4 this time letting Tiny settle into 3rd. Frank meanwhile used just enough track to make up time and positions through the field. Finishing 2s back of Jarrod. The 7-car A3 main was primed for an tense run as the final 1 point win could decide the fate of four drivers for the 2nd overall. Lap 1 spread the drivers across the track with Jarrod and Frank leading them. With 2s between them it seemed decided and uneventful run until final two laps. Jarrod had back to back incidents setting up for a full on drag race down the main straight to the line with Frank. Contact between the drivers in the final turn led to a body tuck for Jarrod. After video review, the contact deemed a “racing incident”, and Frank was awarded the win, with Jarrod 2nd. This set the two drivers up for a tie break, with Frank taking it by 1s.

In Tamiya Mini and with another first for WCICS this season, the TQ was decided by 0.007s – setting another record event for Mini with it. Chuck de Belan and Tyrell Wilkinson were sure to put on a show Sunday for the main events. Chuck started Sunday with the TQ jitters, allowing Tyrell and Raz Minutoli (5th) best him. A2 was more like qualifying with Tyrell and Chuck wheel to wheel for the entire main, Tyrell chasing for most of it until the final minute when a crash between them gave Tyrell the lead. He would make a solo mistake allowing Chuck by for the win, Raz in 3rd. With both having a win, the A3 would start with all 8 cars, after lap 1, Chuck had all but one of those seven cars in front of him. Lee Edmond (3rd) found himself running in the lead ahead of Tyrell and TVRCRC local Thomas Reynolds (4th). The three would step clear of the field. Tyrell and Lee exchanged several times with Tyrell securing it with 1min to go. Chuck climbed to 4th by the buzzer. Overall win Tyrell, Chuck 2nd and Raz 3rd.

In Scale Spec Vancouver’s John Tsang had another speed weekend of results, TQ and 2 and out mains. Dennis Beck and Gary Lanzer from Saskatchewan would qualify 2nd and 3rd for Sunday. Dennis has bad luck in A1, giving Earl Towson (4th) a surprising 2nd with Gary behind. Dennis after repairs was ready for A2 and to make up for the woes of A1 taking 2nd by over a lap. Earl 3rd after fending off TVRCRC Prez Brent Wende. Dennis would win A3. Earl and Gary would battle for the entire run. Dennis would secure 2nd overall, with Earl third after a tie break.

In 1/12th Stock the single heat had a good spread of skill and talent making it one to watch. Luke Pittman again putting on a perfect weekend, TQ and 1-2 wins kept it simple. Jarrod Heap, Earl Towson, Brent Wende and Todd Mason would spend Sunday fighting for the other podium spots. A1 saw Jarrod and Todd traded 2nd for the first half of the main, but took over midway and held thru to the tone. Earl in 4th was 3.8s back. A2 would see Luke be not so clear of Todd and Earl; all three finishing with 57 laps, Jarrod 4th with 56. Jarrod spent the first minute of A3 making up for poor lap 1 to gain on Earl and Todd. Brent Wende drove a steady first three minutes and mixed into the lead before a race incident put him out. The final minutes saw Jarrod stretch into the lead, with Todd and Earl behind. Final order then was Luke, Jarrod, and Todd.

The 1/12th Modified class saw the car of Blake Bell being on point this weekend setting TQ pace and dipping to the 7.1s to circle the track in qualifying. John Tsang and Jason Melnyk would start just behind in the mains. John would pull off after a racing incident left his car broken. Jason Melnyk would settle into second and young Stuart “Mini” Mason (6th) taking 3rd after just edging ahead Jason Mardon (4th). Blake would take the win in A2 as well. With repairs completed, John would have better run finishing 3rd behind Melnyk and just ahead of Todd Mason (5th). A3 saw two cars sit out (Blake and another DNS), leaving just six cars. John with the open spot in front would lead wire to wire with Melnyk handily in 2nd while Todd and Mardon battling closely for 3rd. Melnyk would pull of twice in the latter half of the running giving Todd and Mardon 2nd and 3rd, just 3.3s apart. Ultimately it was Blake with TQ and win, followed by John Tsang and Jason Melnyk.

As at the other events, the Formula class proved to have close racing and true wheel to wheel action. The small field allowed the cars to really open up and show some pace without worry of contact. The usual battle of Korgae Scales and class sponsor Alex Pate was not as heated and both drivers were concentrating on other classes. Korgae secured the P1 position, while Lee Edmond P2 ahead of team mate Alex, Mark Nielson of Penticton completing the field. Korgae took A1 and A2. Lee drove 3 excellent mains, finishing 2nd, 2nd and taking the Win in A3. Alex would find some pace for A2 and A3, but not enough, finishing 3rd overall.

With only two cars registered, World GT did not run this year. It is usually a local favourite for the event, and was a great class to watch.

Concourse was awarded three different drivers based on the class. Dennis Beck would win for TC, Stuart Mason for his 12th scale shell and Thomas Reynolds with his Punisher themed CTA Mustang. All 3 top picks received a Protoform body with which to create their next masterpiece, personally presented by Eric Epp himself.

Source: WCICS [wcics.ca]

Arrowmax 2800mAh 7.4V LiPo receiver hump pack

Posted: 19 May 2017 12:17 AM PDT

Arrowmax have introduced their new 2800mAh LiPo hump-style receiver battery. Measuring 57x31x31mm the pack fits all nitro vehicles that accept hump-type battery packs and its high capacity makes for long operation times even when using power-hungry digital servos. The battery comes pre-assembled with a Futaba-style receiver plug and it is usable with all high-voltage compatible servos and receivers.

Source: Arrowmax [arrowmax-rc.com]

2017 ENS opens with first French encounter

Posted: 18 May 2017 03:42 PM PDT

A new season of the Euro Nitro Series and it is a new destination for the high profile onroad nitro championship as the first encounter of Season #4 takes drivers to France this weekend (19-21 May). With all previous seasons of the ENS having started at Italian locations, the addition of the Mulhouse track is certain to mix things up but only time will tell if it is enough to end the domination of reigning 1:8 Champion Simon Kurzbuch. Also the reigning World Champion, the Shepherd driver completed a perfect 2016 campaign winning all four races having started his run of success the previous year when he won the season finale. In 1:10, reigning Champion Teemu Leino claimed two victories on the way to wrapping up his first ENS title. Like Kurzbuch, the Finn comes into the weekend, the ENS’ 13th championship race, looking to get started on becoming the first back to back ENS Champion.

In 1:8, this a World Championship year for the class, Kurzbuch’s biggest challenge will come from the Infinity team mainly in the form of Dario Balestri and Takaaki Shimo. Both are new signings to Infinity for 2017 but both are very familiar rivals of Kurzbuch. In 2015 Balestri took the ENS title from the Swiss driver and last year he was the only one to get the better of Kurzbuch albeit only in qualifying when he took the TQ at the season opener & the season finale. Making his ENS debut in France, Shimo had an epic battle with Kurzbuch for the 2015 World title in Brazil with just 0.214 of a second separating them after the 1-hour final.

Finishing third overall behind Kurzbuch and Balestri, Toni Gruber was the find of the 2016 season and the German will be looking for that first break through win. Driving for ARC last season, his two podium finishes didn’t go unnoticed and he has been duly snapped up by Italian manufacturer WRC Racing. Another double podium finisher in 2016, Robert Pietsch can never be discounted as he again leads the Mugen challenge. With one ENS career win and two TQ’s, the former World Champion will be hoping to find that form again having had some rough races last year. One interesting 1:8 newcomer this year will be 1:10 World Champion Dominic Greiner. The 1:10 specialist, who has TQ’d nearly half of the ENS races over the last three seasons, will drop his 1:10 programme and now focus solely on 1:8 as class pioneers Serpent look to get back in the mix in what is the Formula 1 category of RC racing.

While a lot of drivers are focusing on a 1:8 program this year, the opening race of the season has still attracted a healthy & ultra competitive 1:10 entry. While it might be void of Greiner, the competition chasing Leino’s title is world class, literally. Having stood next to Greiner on podium at the Worlds, Alessio Mazzeo and 4th place finisher Bruno Coelho head up a very strong Xray team. Having been rivals last year when Mazzeo drove for Serpent, they will now work together on trying to secure Xray’s first ENS title to complete the magic set with Coelho the reigning Champion of both the ETS and EOS. Leo Arnold also represents the Slovakian manufacturer and as Mulhouse is his home track expect the Frenchman to be in the running for the win.

With 2016 Vice-Champion Dirk Wischnewski making the surprise announcement earlier this month he was leaving Shepherd, new recruit Thilo Todtmann will be the German manufacturer’s main 1:10 charge. Inaugural ENS Champion Eric Dankel, 3rd in the 2016 standings, heads Mugen’s effort while after a brief departure Kyle Branson returns to Capricorn to lead the Italy team which holds the most number of ENS race wins in the class. Serpent are pinning their 1:10 hopes on British duo Mark Green and Alex Thurston.