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Pietsch & Coelho post TQ runs in Austria

Posted: 18 Aug 2017 11:59 AM PDT

With the first official day of the Euro Nitro Series third round in Austria starting out looking like a Simon Kurzbuch affair, the second part of the day’s qualifying changed things up as Robert Pietsch and Bruno Coelho posted TQ runs to set the stage for a TQ shoot out tomorrow should the weather permit.  Having taken Q1 and Q2, top seed Kurzbuch would make a rare driver error in the third round and Coelho would hit trouble also suffering a big crash while working his way through traffic.  This left a much improved Pietsch to TQ ahead of Kurzbuch, Silvio Hächler and Dominic Greiner, Coelho ending up 10th.  Suffering a bent chassis in the impact, Coelho would surprise nobody more than himself when due to a lack of time to fit a new one he would take his damaged car to a TQ run in the fastest time of the day.  Finishing just 4/100ths of a second ahead of Kurzbuch, to deny him claiming an early TQ championship point, the result sets up a three way battle tomorrow to decide the Top Qualifier.  With rain forecast for overnight and the morning, both the organisers and drivers are confident that the remaining two qualifiers can be run.

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

Pietsch & Coelho post TQ runs in Austria

Posted: 18 Aug 2017 11:57 AM PDT

With the first official day of the Euro Nitro Series third round in Austria starting out looking like a Simon Kurzbuch affair, the second part of the day’s qualifying changed things up as Robert Pietsch and Bruno Coelho posted TQ runs to set the stage for a TQ shoot out tomorrow should the weather permit.  Having taken Q1 and Q2, top seed Kurzbuch would make a rare driver error in the third round and Coelho would hit trouble also suffering a big crash while working his way through traffic.  This left a much improved Pietsch to TQ ahead of Kurzbuch, Silvio Hächler and Dominic Greiner, Coelho ending up 10th.  Suffering a bent chassis in the impact, Coelho would surprise nobody more than himself when due to a lack of time to fit a new one he would take his damaged car to a TQ run in the fastest time of the day.  Finishing just 4/100ths of a second ahead of Kurzbuch, to deny him claiming an early TQ championship point, the result sets up a three way battle tomorrow to decide the Top Qualifier.  With rain forecast for overnight and the morning, both the organisers and drivers are confident that the remaining two qualifiers can be run.

Smiling at the fact he was able to TQ the round, Coelho said, ‘in the previous qualifier I had a hard crash and bent the chassis but we had no time to change but actually the car worked better.  The round was perfect’.  Running behind Kurzbuch throughout the qualifier, the Portuguese ace said, ‘I knew it was super close between us so I pushed even more at the end and got it’.  Asked what he planned to do about his damaged chassis, he laughed and said, ‘we will discuss whether to stay on it or change it’.  A surprise challenger to Kurzbuch this year, 1:10 having been his stronger class previously, Coelho said, ‘I think we have a good chance of the TQ here. Ok Simon is super strong but I have the fastest time now.  I hope that the weather will allow that we can get to fight it out on the track tomorrow’.

Ending the day with a P3 run, Pietsch said, ‘I was getting close to Dominic (Greiner) but he was not much slower so it was difficult to pass but even without this I had not chance of another TQ’.  On his TQ in the previous round, he said, ‘my car was much better because it was cooler.  I was running close to Simon and then he had a mistake in front of me so I knew I had a chance of the TQ’.  Summing it up as a ‘decent day’,  the 2015 Top Qualifier of the event said, ‘of course I will try for the overall TQ tomorrow but it will be very difficult’ concluding, ‘it is very close so everything is possible’.

‘Shit’ was how Kurzbuch reaction to Q3 & 4.  The Shepherd driver continued, ‘I had a very good last run but in the end I finished behind Bruno.  It was not a good last lap and that’s cost me the TQ.  I was surprised at the end but it makes things interesting’.  On his Q3 error he said it was simply a ‘driver error’.  Asked about tomorrow the Swiss driver who is chasing a hat trick of Aigen wins, said, ‘now we have to look at the weather but I expect we will drive and I will prepare for that.  I just have one more (TQ run) to take and its done’.

Sitting fourth in the overnight qualification ranking, Hächler described his day as having been ‘not too bad’.  The ARC driver added, ‘everything is super good with the car but it seems other guys have good cars too’.  Fourth fastest in Q4, he said he had two mistakes over the 4-minutes but even without this adding it is ‘not possible to catch the first 3 guys’.  Making a rear wing adjustment and toe-in change for Q3, he said these helped the stability of his car.  Enjoying one of his most competitive ENS outings for some time he said, ‘lets hope we can get some dry rounds tomorrow. I am really looking forward to the final for sure’.

Finishing the day with a P5 run to hold that position overnight, Toni Gruber said while ‘the lap times and overall result are not bad’ things are ‘not good’.  The WRC driver is having problems with the cars steering which he said on throttle out of corners is trying to continue the rotation of the car.  Third overall in last year’s ENS standings, the German said they are still looking for a solution to give him more confidence in the car and in particular how it steers.  Behind Gruber the Serpent’s of Merlin Depta and Dominic Greiner hold 6th ad 7th respectively ahead of Infinity’s Jilles Groskamp.

In 1:10, Coelho like Kurzbuch in 1:8 would throw away an early overall TQ with a mistake. Having taken the opening three qualifiers from team-mate Leo Arnold, he would flip his car on the curbing at the end of the main straight.  This allowed Arnold to TQ the round while behind Coelho with Shepherd driver Melvin Diekmann completed the Top 3 as team-mate Thilo Tödtmann hit problems ending his run of P3 results.

View complete event results here.

View our event image gallery here.

Video – 1/8th Qualifying Rd3

Posted: 18 Aug 2017 10:47 AM PDT

Video – 1/10th Qualifying Rd2

Posted: 18 Aug 2017 09:54 AM PDT

Kurzbuch in control at ENS Austria as he takes Q1 & 2

Posted: 18 Aug 2017 09:37 AM PDT

Simon Kurzbuch remains in control at ENS Austria with the Shepherd driver taking the opening two rounds of qualifying. Having set the pace in practice at Aigen, the reigning champion would take both qualifier’s ahead of title rival Bruno Coelho, the Xray driver just 2/10ths of a second off in Q1 after hitting traffic late in the run. After a crash with Toni Gruber in Q1, Silvio Hächler completing the Top 3 of the opening qualifier, Robert Pietsch would have a better second attempt setting the third fastest time in Q2 ahead of Gruber, Hächler and Jilles Groskamp.

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

Kurzbuch in control at ENS Austria as he takes Q1 & 2

Posted: 18 Aug 2017 09:29 AM PDT

Simon Kurzbuch remains in control at ENS Austria with the Shepherd driver taking the opening two rounds of qualifying. Having set the pace in practice at Aigen, the reigning champion would take both qualifier’s ahead of title rival Bruno Coelho, the Xray driver just 2/10ths of a second off in Q1 after hitting traffic late in the run. After a crash with Toni Gruber in Q1, Silvio Hächler completing the Top 3 of the opening qualifier, Robert Pietsch would have a better second attempt setting the third fastest time in Q2 ahead of Gruber, Hächler and Jilles Groskamp.

Summing up the first of his TQ runs, Kurzbuch said, ‘It was really close at the end’.  He continued, ‘I was a little nervous in the first one but I could come back at the end and beat Bruno.  My car was really good so I could make some hot laps’.  On his second run the World Champion said, ‘this was very good. I could push for the 4-minutes, everything went perfect’.  Finishing the run with a new track record of 14.706 on his last lap, the Swiss driver ran used tyres on his second run but said while they were ‘a little faster at the beginning’ after 2-minutes they there was no noticeable difference between having started on new or used. He added that even though drivers get a long 4-minute warm-up before the start of the qualifier a new set of tyres still needs more time before they fully come in.

Summing up his qualifying Coelho said, ‘the last one I had a few mistakes but overall it was still ok’.  Finishing Q2 1.5-seconds off Kurzbuch, the championship points leader felt his opening qualifier was a better run and it was only traffic at the end that cost him a TQ run.  Reporting a not perfect clutch in seeding practice, he still feels he is missing bottom end power and while he accepts it is a ‘specific issue’ of the Aigen track layout he feels it is something they can work on for the next qualifier.

Pietsch, while happier with Q2 after his crash with Gruber in Q1 led to a DNF, only described his P3 as ‘OK’.  A former Top Qualifier in Aigen, the Mugen designer and lead driver said, ‘this temperature is not good, I have a better package when its cooler’.  With the final 2 qualifiers of the day, rain forecast for tomorrow making it a busier Day 1 for drivers than normal with 4 rounds of qualifying, the German is hoping he can benefit from the hot & humid conditions dropping as the evening sets in.

Gruber put his incident with Pietsch down to his engine changing tune during the run. With the engine changing to rich he said it was hard to drive hence his P6 for the round.  With the engine issue sorted for Q2, the WRC driver said this amplified his set-up having too much steering out of corners. With some ideas of what they need to change to cure this the German is hoping to be closer to the pace for Q3.

‘I’m happy’ said a pleased looking Silvio Hächler.  The OS Speed backed driver continued, ‘I have a super good engine and I think I’m in the right way for the Worlds which has been my goal this year’.  P3 in Q1 and 5th in Q2, the ARC driver added, ‘I’ve a pretty good car too. It could be a little more stable but that’s something that is the same here for everyone’.  Feeling there is more stability to be gotten from the car he will run a different rear end set-up for Q3.

Completing the Top 6 in Q2 having posted a P7 in Q1, Groskamp felt he has lost some of the speed he had in practice.  The only Infinity driver in attendance this weekend, the Dutchman said, ‘Practice was all good, the controlled practice was a struggle and in Q1 I chunked a tyre.’  He continued, ‘before the car was very stable but now it is more loose so we need to look at how to make it more easy to drive.  My practice pace was very nice and I was not far away.  Q1 was very bad but I was closer in Q2 but for sure not the same as practice’.  While a broken drive shaft in the first controlled practice would hamper him running-in one of his sets of tyres, Groskamp thinks part of the drop off in pace could be down to different tyre batch between free practice and the controlled race sets but he is confident they are ‘getting there’ in terms of getting back closer to the pace.

In 1:10, Bruno Coelho, the only driver double driving this weekend, would take the opening two qualifiers.  He would TQ each run comfortably ahead of Xray team-mate Leo Arnold with Shepherd’s Thilo Tödtmann completing the Top 3 both rounds.

View complete event results here.

View our event image gallery here.

Kurzbuch tops seeding at ENS Austria

Posted: 18 Aug 2017 07:12 AM PDT

With the newly resurfaced MAV Aigen-Schlägl the venue for the third round of the Euro Nitro Series, it is Simon Kurzbuch who leads a competitive 1:8 field at the end of practice. The Shepherd driver was fastest in both rounds of controlled practice and will go into a busy evening of qualifying as the top seed. With five different manufacturers in the Top 5, Kurzbuch was fastest over 3-consecutive laps from Robert Pietsch, Toni Gruber, Bruno Coelho and Merlin Depta. While a perfect summer day in Aigen, unfortunately the forecast in particular for tomorrow morning is less favourable so the decision has been made to run late and ensure 4 of the 6 scheduled qualifiers get run today in dry conditions.

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

Kurzbuch tops seeding at ENS Austria

Posted: 18 Aug 2017 07:03 AM PDT

With the newly resurfaced MAV Aigen-Schlägl the venue for the third round of the Euro Nitro Series, it is Simon Kurzbuch who leads a competitive 1:8 field at the end of practice. The Shepherd driver was fastest in both rounds of controlled practice and will go into a busy evening of qualifying as the top seed. With five different manufacturers in the Top 5, Kurzbuch was fastest over 3-consecutive laps from Robert Pietsch, Toni Gruber, Bruno Coelho and Merlin Depta. While a perfect summer day in Aigen, unfortunately the forecast in particular for tomorrow morning is less favourable so the decision has been made to run late and ensure 4 of the 6 scheduled qualifiers get run today in dry conditions.

Winner in Aigen for the last 2-years, Kurzbuch said, ‘Practice went good. I had two good runs and got to run two different engines which both worked good so I’m confident we are prepared for qualifying’. The reigning champion continued, ‘we want to take the extra point for TQ so we can catch up to Bruno after what happened in Mulhouse so will give our best for that’. Asked about his car set-up the Swiss driver replied, ‘yesterday we tried a lot but we have ended up back at our standard set-up’. With the new asphalt improving with the more running it got, the World Champion said the traction levels as now very stable adding ‘the heat is not affecting the lap times which is quite surprising’.

‘I think we found something good in the car from the year before’, was how Pietsch summed up his practice. The Mugen driver continued, ‘we are running some new parts on the car for the Worlds and they work really well’. Asked his thoughts on the new surface he replied, ‘it’s getting better and better each run and it’s much better on the tyre wear’. Describing his car as being ‘on the edge’ he will add ‘a little more toe-in on the rear to be more safe’.

Fresh from being crowned the new European 1:10 Champion at Mulhouse in France last week, venue of the ENS Season opener, Toni Gruber said, ‘I think we are on the right way now for qualifying’. The WRC driver said, the event started off ‘difficult’ as they struggled to find a set-up for the track. He said having ‘needed a lot of time to find a set-up’ he is now able to get his lap times under 15-seconds with a car he described as ‘consistent’. Another driver pleased with the track’s much reduced tyre wear, the German said for Q1 he will run the car ‘how it is now’.

Fourth fastest, Coelho reported his clutch not being perfectly set for the final practice adding he was ‘lacking bottom power’ as a result. The Xray driver said this aside, ‘everything is looking good’ given how close the field is adding ‘the first four guys are within the same 1/10th (of a second)’. Describing the track as having a ‘very difficult layout’, this being only his second time to Aigen, he said the key to the track is ‘you have got to be consistent’. Planning to adjust his clutch but leave the rest of the car unchanged he concluded, ‘I should get some time from that’.

‘Quite OK’ was how Serpent’s Merla Depta summed up practice. The German used both seeding rounds to run the championship’s controlled MR33 tyre saying ‘I am never super fast on big tyres’. Asked about qualifying, he said, Dominic (Greiner) is fast so I think we have a good car but I think everyone’s times are almost the same. It is super close’. Greiner, a former 1:10 winner in Aigen, described his event as ‘ok so far’. He added, ‘we tried different engines and set-ups and while not 100% its close’. The 1:10 World Champion who has switched his attentions to 1:8 this season said, ‘I had too much steering on throttle in the last (practice) and its difficult with the curbing here. If you touch them you lose so much time so we will look to make the car more stable for Q1.’

With the timing of last week’s 1:10 European Championship affecting the 1:10 entry in Aigen, it looks like the perfect opportunity for Bruno Coelho to make back ground following his retirement from the A-Main at Round 2 in Ettlingen. Winner of the season opener, he was easily quickest in seeding from Xray team-mates Leo Arnold and Jakub Rozycki. Thilo Tödtmann heads the early Shepherd challenge with the fourth fastest time.

View complete event results here.

View our event image gallery here.

Xray X10 2018 1/10th 200mm pan car kit

Posted: 18 Aug 2017 06:55 AM PDT

Xray have revamped their popular X10 1/10th 200mm pan car kit with the 2018 variant sporting a range of updates and improvements. The ’18 specification kit utilises many of the design features previously known from the X12 series of cars with the vehicle using an all-new carbon fibre chassis with increased torsional stiffness and optional mounting positions for the side links. The 2.5mm “shorty battery only” chassis cut from “carpet-spec” carbon fibre allows for straight and angled link positions with the latter improving in-corner steering.

The rear suspension is made-up using a redesigned lower carbon fibre pod plate and new aluminium bulkheads with the motor side offering three mounting points for the motor – two low profile and a third upper position for secure motor mounting.

The rear axle height is adjustable using fine-tune shims and eccentric mounts to allow easy adoption to both standard and small diameter tyres. The updated rear power pod also allows for quicker and easier motor access, reducing time in the pits. The rear assembly is rounded out by a new carbon fibre rear brace that lowers the overall centre of gravity while offering controlled flex to withstand even serious crashes.

Moving a bit forward, the 2018 edition of the X10 features a new rear link brace that accommodates updated, shorter tube dampers. The lightweight brace moves the weight closer to the centre line as do the lighter damper that come with aluminium tubes and Delrin pistons for ultra-smooth operation. The new “shorty-only” battery mounts keep the LiPo back securely in place without the need for additional rear battery locators.

Part of the rear suspension is also an updated rear pivot block and pivot ball with the two allowing for greatly increased rear power pod movement. Sitting about 0.5mm lower they also add to the low centre of gravity design while being light of weight at the same time thanks to the absence of the formerly used upper mounting lock-nut. The sliding design of the part helps to create tweak-free rear suspension movement which adds to the overall performance gain.

Part of the 2018 package is also a new centre shock position adjustment that allows the use of various positions on the graphite antenna holder to adjust the shock position and length. By using a longer or shorter shock, the damping and steering characteristics can be changed with the longer shock being better on over bumps while the short shock improves response.

Up front, the suspension underwent quite a remake – despite looking pretty similar to the old parts at the first glance. Reactive caster settings are available using 2.5°, 5.0° or 7.5° eccentric bushings while tiny yet strong Hudy spring steel upper pivot balls ensure smooth, bind-free operation as do the composite lower pivot balls. Quick and easy adjustment of the front caster, track-width, roll centre, and ride height are accessible using the included shims and clips. The plastics are made of a harder compound which results in improved handling while the removal of excessive play in all parts will lead to greatly improved precision and steering response. Last but not least come new longer aluminium servo mounts that allow the fitment of both standard and mid-size servos. Proper chassis balance can be achieved by using a sets of mounting holes and the direct chassis mount ensures the lowest possible centre of gravity.

2018 specifications:
– All-new chassis features ultra-narrow design for improved steering characteristics, increased torsional stability and new two-position option for pod link mounting for in-corner steering adjustment
– All-new new rear suspension with all parts redesigned and updated
– All-new narrower Pod plate
– All-new rear aluminium bulkheads with new clamp system for ultra-low CG and new system for multiple motor mount mounting positions
– All-new ride height adjustment via shims and eccentric upper clamps
– All-new easier motor access
– All-new rear graphite rear brace significantly reduces tweak of the rear pod and lowers CG
– All-new narrower side tubes for improved handling and reducing the weight
– All-new narrower rear link brace for shorter side tubes
– All-new lower pivot brace with nut groove for tweak-free movement
– All-new super lightweight and lowered pivot ball for lower roll centre that stabilises the car
– All-new harder front upper arms for easier handling and smoother steering
– All-new harder front upper arm mounts for easier handling of the car
– All-new upper arm position adjustment shims
– All-new steering blocks with removed excess play to improve steering response
– All-new upper ball joints with removed excess play
– All-new centre shock position adjustment for steering characteristics setting
– All-new shock adaptor to extend the shock absorber
– All-new graphite plate for antenna holder
– All-new longer servo mounts to fit the mid-size servos

The full presentation of the car can be found here.

Source: Xray [teamxray.com]

Tekno EB410 1/10th 4WD buggy kit – Coming soon

Posted: 18 Aug 2017 05:40 AM PDT

Tekno RC have released a first teaser image of their forthcoming all-new EB410 1/10th 4WD buggy kit. A first for the company, the vehicle is set to showcase some unique features, an exclusive chassis layout and a pretty uncommon front end geometry. The buggy is set for a late-September release and Tekno will shorten the time until then with some in-depth features that delve into the design features and philosophy.

Source: Tekno [teknorc.com]

Yeah Racing Mobster 540-size brushless motors

Posted: 18 Aug 2017 05:30 AM PDT

Coming from Yeah Racing are the new Hackmotor Mobster 540-size electric brushless motors. Featuring thicker stator wires the “outlaw” motors will offer greatly improved performance and lower running temperatures compared to motors build after the rules of the major sanctioning bodies. The motors utilise premium-quality ball bearings, high-purity copper wires, high-power neodymium magnets and the aluminium endbell makes for improved heat dissipation. Available now are 4.5T and 7.5T modified as well as 10.5T, 13.5T, 17.5T and 21.5T stock variants.

Source: Yeah Racing [yeahracing.com]

Roche World Champion Commemorate hats

Posted: 18 Aug 2017 04:29 AM PDT

Coming from Roche are the World Champion Commemorate hats. Sporting the popular flat bill design the grey-colour hats feature embroidered Roche logos and they come with black or red details, such as bill and seams.

Source: Roche [rocherc.com]

Track Focus – Aigen-Schlägl

Posted: 18 Aug 2017 03:47 AM PDT

Track Name – Aigen-Schlägl
Club – Modell Auto Verein Aigen-Schlägl
Country – Austria
Location – Aigen-Schlägl (50km Northwest of Linz)
Direction – Anti-Clockwise
Surface – Asphalt (new surface 2017)
No. of ENS Races hosted – 3 (2014, ’15 & ’16)

High up in the hills in the picturesque Austrian countryside is probably the last place one would expect to find an RC track. Just 10km from the German border and 7km from the Czech Republic, MAV Aigen-Schlägl is situated just outside its name sake town and is up there as a top class circuit with facilities to match. One of the stops on the ENS’ inaugural calendar in 2014, the track has hosted a round each season since and under the guidance of club President Martin Mayrhofer has made improvements ahead of each ENS visit to make a better experience for racers during there stay. With the pit area having been expanded in previous years, this year the track has undergone work that directly effects the performance of the cars with the laying of a new asphalt surface. The first resurfacing of the track since it was built on government owned land in 2006, the new surface will bring an end to the tracks reputation as a tyre eater.

With a lap covering 290 metres made up of a 65 metre long main straight that features a 5-degree uphill incline, the track is even more popular with drivers after its resurfacing. Making a return to the track after a busy schedule forced him to miss the event last year, Bruno Coelho is still a fan of the track which on his first visit in 2015 he described as one of the best tracks he has ever been to. The 1:8 Championship leader likes the ‘technical layout’ and feels the new surface offers ‘double traction’ to what the old surface had. While the layout is unchanged, the Xray driver said with the fresh asphalt the ‘flow of the track is much better now’. Reigning 1:8 champion and winner here on the last two visits, Simon Kurzbuch said, ‘the track looks great with the surface and new curbing. The curbs are now raised so you need to stay away from them’. The Shepherd driver said after lacking traction in initial runs on Thursday morning the grip levels are ‘now getting to normal status’ adding ‘I think now this is the best track in the ENS for tyre wear’. While describing the track as ‘small for 1:8’ he continued, ‘I really like it, it not flat as its built in a hill and that makes it more special’.

Image Gallery

Vigor RC BD8 0 degree +1 rear aluminium C-hubs

Posted: 18 Aug 2017 03:04 AM PDT

Vigor RC have introduced a set of 0 degree +1 rear aluminium C-hubs for RTC-equipped Yokomo BD8 touring cars. The hubs are of +1 specification and thus wider than the standard parts which results in improved corner speed and traction. The hubs are machined from high-quality 7075 alloy, they weigh in at only 4.9g and use a grub screw to hold the suspension pins which further adds to the overall precision.

Source: Vigor RC [vigorrc.com]

PR Racing SB401 ball-raced Ackermann plate

Posted: 18 Aug 2017 02:23 AM PDT

PR Racing have introduced a ball-raced carbon fibre steering Ackermann plate for the SB401 buggy. Machined from high-quality graphite material and utilising dual ball bearings the plate also offers two steering Ackermann position for the inner steering links, that allow to fine-tune the steering characteristics of the buggy.

Source: PR Racing [pr-rc.com]

Hobbico to end Team Durango brand

Posted: 18 Aug 2017 01:14 AM PDT

Ongoing speculation about the destiny of the formerly very popular Team Durango brand has ended following a somewhat hidden statement on social media this week. In the past month Team Durango drivers had to cope with parts shortages and diminishing support, something that sort of found its beginning with the cancellation of all team activities for the 2015 season. Hobbico states that their ARRMA RTR brand, whose 1/8th electric buggies and trucks were the platform for Team Durango’s last generation of competition kits, is still alive and kicking with more to await from the proactive brand. Hobbico’s “official” statements reads like this:

Due to market conditions, the Team Durango product line has been discontinued and we will receive no further product shipments. (We do have some parts inventory remaining and available for a limited time.) We thank all Team Durango customers and team members for their dedication to Team Durango.

Source: Track13News [facebook.com]