May 8, 2025

TLR 22X 1:10 2WD Race Buggy

Team Losi Racing has released their latest 1:10 2WD Buggy in the form of the 22X, with the kit offered in a DC (Dirt/Clay) and AC (Astro/Carpet) option.  The reigning 2WD World Champion manufacturer started with lessons learned from the title winning 22, and from years of further 22 platform development plus valuable racer feedback.  The result is a brand new buggy design that’s easier to maintain and comes optimised for dirt and clay or astro and carpet tracks, with a ton of adjustability that makes it easier to drive faster on today’s high-grip surfaces.  Key improvements include a hard-anodised 2mm 7075-T6 aluminium chassis that’s lengthened and optimised for today’s higher grip tracks, plus larger 13mm big-bore shocks with 13mm springs for plush landings and quick cornering.  Two front caster block and spindle options let you tune the steering feel to what you want and need on different surfaces; options for wide or narrow king pin locations are available.  The wide location provides a more linear feel and keeps the buggy flatter through the corners. For a more aggressive steering feel, you can choose the narrow king pin location.  The TLR 22X has a new laydown gearbox design with an easy-access differential and idler gear.  You can maintain the differential and idler gear quickly without disassembling the entire gear box which is a big advantage given that the suspension uses the gearbox for all of its mounting points.

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May 8, 2025

Power HD signs Chinese 1:8 Offroad talent Sun Ran

Continuing with their support of home grown RC talent, Chinese servo manufacturer Power HD has announced the signing of Nitro Offroad rising talent Sun Ran.  The 21-year-old, who is a multiple race winner in Asia, has made great progress in recent years as a result of practicing more diligently on a variety of tracks.  The Kyosho driver will use high-performance brushless servo S35-V2 and GTS-6 to compete in various domestic races and on the announcement said, ‘Sun Ran said, ‘Massive thanks to Power HD for the support and trust, I am honoured to join Team Power HD!  Power HD servos deliver rock-solid consistency, whether I’m logging ultra-long practice runs or battling through a 45-minute final round.  They give me that extra layer of confidence on race.  See you all trackside!

Source: PowerHD [chd.hk]


May 6, 2025

Phend & Lemieux win at INS15 Spring Carpet encounter

The second stop of the 15th season of the JConcepts Indoor National Series calendar took place at the RC One Racing track in Michigan over the weekend where Xray pairing Dakotah Phend and Chase Lemieux  took the main buggy wins.  Attracting over 330 entries, qualifying for the Spring Carpet Indoor Nationals would see Phend do the TQ double, topping 2WD ahead of team-mate Brennan Schimmel and Team Associated’s Aydin Horne.  In 4WD, again Phend topped two of the three rounds with Lemieux, last year’s 2WD winner, topping Q2 to line up second with Horne 3rd.  In the finals, newly turned father Phend took A1 of 2WD with a win from Horne in A2 sending it to A3 which Phend duly won to claim the overall ahead Team Associated duo Davey Batta, who qualified P4, and Horne.  In 4WD Phend would have an issue in A1 and not finish as Lemieux took it from Horne and 2WD World Champion Tater Sontag.  Phend would have a better A2 taking the win before he and Lemieux swapped lead position in A3 with Lemieux coming out the victor to secure the overall 4WD win.  Phend and Horne joined him on the podium.  The next round of 5 race INS15, the Mid-Summer Carpet Indoor Nationals, will take racers to Island Speedway in Iowa on June 6-8.

Image: JConcepts [jconcepts.net]


May 4, 2025

Kato wins PM25 as Ongaro & Kilic fail to finish in Manila

It was only his second Asian Buggy Championships appearance but Infinity’s young Japanese prospect Kouki Kato made it 2 from 2 with the biggest win of his career taking victory today at the famous Philippine Masters which is Round 2 of the Cayote backed championship.  Having won last year’s season finale in Indonesia, Kato would line-up third on the grid in Manila behind Mugen Seiki’s Burak Kilic and Top Qualifier Davide Ongaro, the Team Associated driver chasing three in a row at Asia’s biggest annual 1:8 Offroad race.  With the 1-hour final underway Ongaro and Kilic would establish a lead with Kouki driving his own calculated race in 3rd.  With a change coming up front after a mistake by Ongaro allowed Kilic to go to the front unfortunately the Turkish driver’s Philippine Masters debut was to come to a premature end as he suffered the first of two flame-outs 15-minutes into the race.  It would turn out that the pick-up in his fuel tank had shifted and was longer positioned in the bottom of the tank hence the reason he was flaming out after just 5-minutes of running.  With the demise of Kilic allowing Ongaro back to the lead, it wasn’t to be the World Champion’s day either.  With 24-minutes remaining he too looked to flame out but the problem was more terminal.  Doing a battery pack change as the car’s radio was not responding it turned out that his receiver had failed and the 26-year-old was out.  In all the drama Kato was getting on with his race and took over the lead which he would hold until the finish, the crowd being entertained by the battle for the other podium places.  The Sworkz of Asian Buggy Championships Champion Christian Wolhuter and Mayako’s Pekko Iivonen went at it with Sworkz Mattia Polito also in the mix.  Looking on target to repeat his impressive P2 eBuggy result, Iivonen would cruelly run out of fuel on the penultimate lap allowing Wolhuter to claim second 14-seconds back on Kato.  While also running out of fuel, but on his last lap, Polito took third as Iivonen was classified fourth ahead of Kyosho’s Ryan Lutz with Alex Bernadzik completing the Top 6 as the dust settled on the biggest edition of the Philippine Masters yet.

Continue reading report here


May 4, 2025

Lutz wins A3 as Ongaro takes eBuggy in Manila

Kyosho’s Ryan Lutz delivered on his ever building speed throughout the Philippine Masters with a victory in the third & deciding A-Main of eBuggy, but overall it was Davide Ongaro who successfully defended his title in Manila.  The eBuggy mains kicked off on Saturday afternoon with a thrilling A1 final in which Mayako’s Pekko Iivonen saw off an intense last lap charge from Top Qualifier Ongaro.  A2 on Sunday morning wouldn’t quite serve up the same level of excitement as the first one with Ongaro taking the win by just shy of 1-second over Iivonen with third place qualifier Alex Bernadzik completing the Top 3.  This set the stage for a shoot out between Ongaro and Iivonen, however with his A2 win the faster of the races the Italian had the advantage with Iivonen needing to take his all new MX8E LCG prototype eBuggy to the win in a faster time.  With Ongaro struggling with his Team Associated’s handling and in particular the picking up wind throwing it around over the jumps, Iivonen got to the front but it was short lived as Lutz arrived to the party and soon eked out a lead.  In the closing stages Iivonen, having got by Team Associated’s Hyunkyu Jung-J, tried to chase down the American setting the fastest lap of the race on his penultimate round but he ran out of laps and finished 8/10ths back.  On tie break it was Ongaro with the overall win from Iivonen with Lutz’s win securing him the final step on the podium from Bernadzik.


May 4, 2025

New Mayako prototype LCG eBuggy at Philippine Masters

The Mayako team is out in force at the Philippine Masters in Manila and has presented an all new prototype eBuggy that will be a future MPC (Mayako Members Programme) kit release.  Designed by Joesph Quagraine, the Finn says the point of the MX8E LCG is to develop a car for the first ever IFMAR 1:8 Electric World Championships which are coming up in Portugal at the end of August.  A very high grip, technical, 1:10 style track, JQ says now is time to develop the next generation of 1:8 buggies adding they will start with eBuggy, then Truggy, and then a nitro buggy based on the new design concept.  He said the design goal is simple – low centre of gravity, low weight, and suspension geometry better suited to modern racing.  JQ also explained that while the obvious thing people will see is the suspension, this is not the only reason why the car works, team driver Pekko Iivonen proving the car with his TQ run and A1 win in the eBuggy class here at Round 2 of Cayote backed Asian Buggy Championships.  Mayako has developed new shock internals and new springs plus other undisclosed components for the project.

View MX8E LCG Prototype Chassis Focus here


May 3, 2025

Iivonen wins A1 eBuggy thriller at Philippine Masters

Mayako’s Pekko Iivonen pulled of one of the highlight drives of his career today in Manila as he took the opening round of eBuggy at the Philippine Masters after an epic final lap showdown with Top Qualifier Davide Ongaro.  Having started the day by claiming a TQ run in the fourth & final round of qualifying at Round 2 of the Cayote backed Asian Buggy Championships, the Finn would like up P2 on the grid sandwiched between the two Team Associated’s of Ongaro, in front, and Alex Bernadzik, behind.   At the start Iivonen and Bernadzik would come together and it looked like Ongaro was on for an even easier win than expected but the Italian would have a moment on lap 4, that for him proved costly.  For the race’s record entry all watching on it would lead to them being entertain by a thrilling final lap, Scotty Ernst rising to the occasion on the mic and adding to the intensity.  After Ongaro’s error at the end of the straight dropped him behind Iivonen, the two making contact, Bernadzik found his way to the lead to the cheers of the huge Australian contingent.  It was short live however as a roll at the end of the straight allowed Iivonen to go to the front chased by Ongaro.  As the clock ticked down, on starting their final lap Ongaro would go all out in on the front jump section sending it and jumping over the leader but at the next corner Iivonen made the inside line to hold the lead with a moment from the World Champion allowing hm to breath again if only momentarily.   As they reached the back jump section Ongaro again tried tp pass in the air but contact sent the two tumbling.  With Ongaro waiting for the leader to get turned around again in the right direction, they resumed for a 7-second dash to the line with Iivonen managing to stay in front to take a hugely popular win.

Continue reading report here