FRIDAY. Part Deux

SWorks and Atsushi Hara have teamed up. The Speedmaster brand is set to provide the world with a car that Hara has been quoted as saying, "is 70% there."


Full interview here:

Eager fans await the remaining 30% of the SWorks car.

1/8 nitro buggy is no class to shake a stick at. It requires plenty of resources. Most of the resources are used to talk people into marshaling and pitting for hours at a time. But it also takes money. Sworks cars are roughly half the price of the leading competitor's in the 1/8 scale buggy marketplace. Being backed by an IFMAR champion is a great way to sway consumers.

I am looking forward to more from the other "news" sources while taking it super easy this weekend and following the ETS round two


For those spending your workday or weekend combing your local craigslist ads for the elusive Eddinger , impossible Worlds, or improbable Cadillac vintage barn finds, AE is still making  nightmares come true for investors by making available those parts that were impossible to find just months ago:

Turbo Mirage, back in action and available at rc10.com

In preparation for my weekly Tuesday night clinic at my local track, in which I show the others how to come in the bottom half of any field I enter with style and grace, I'll be putting in plenty of VRC-PRO laps trying to mimic the pros:

Damn, nitro races are long. 

For many of us it's payday Friday, so don't spend it all in one place, don't pee in the wind and support your local track.

Also! Dont be afraid to see a good movie or two





Thanks as always
-Tommy

Hara Still without an Antenna Tube Sponsor

Atsushi Hara and Hobbywing announced yesterday that they are joining forces and gunning to debut at the round two of the ETS Series. Track and cars look great and you can follow real new about the the race here: http://ets.redrc.net/

All in preparation of  ISTC Worlds in October. Since I am mostly an off road driver myself, I have very little understanding of what any of those last few sentences mean. But I do have an idea of what it may look like:

Hara, Hobbywing and Yokomo together. What antenna tube will he choose?

I hope they consider the team name Lion-Force to give the full effect of the universe domination they intend to unleash upon the Euro Touring Series.



In the rc world, even the best of us get it wrong once in a while. That's why we sometimes need a hand from the turn marshals.

Everyone marshals 

Those internet corner marshals were asked to help Team Associated earlier this week after announced the highly anticipated, Stealth transmission re release. Complete with an unfortunately assembled  brace:

Rerelease assembled for photos by folks that may havnt seen one in a while.

The social media and forum marshals quickly saw the transmission brace was installed backwards and ran quickly, used both hands, and had that pic shiny side up. AE quickly bounced back and corrected the photo mistake without losing .5 that lap.

One of the reasons this hobby is built around "club" racing is that it takes a club or group to help each other out. We all pay for parts, race fees, and take time out of our lives to make it happen. We should all look around and do our best to make sure we're all having a good time with this leisure we've earned.

No wires, no worries. Remote control leisure times.

We all need reminders sometimes of what it's all about.

The first product release of OnTheTone is already on the horizon. It seems the best reminder of how much fun we should be having out there may be stuck in the bottom of the box your latest new kit came in. Ya know the bag with stickers, crummy tools and an antenna tube that we disregard after finally assembling all those shocks and ball cups? Well, I've been thinking it may be time to release the OnTheTone Antenna Tubes(OTTAT) to remind us what we're out there doing with our free time.  We're driving an rc car and try to have some fun while at it.

Something to take seriously until you see the antenna

To get this "hallow" business plan of selling antenna tubes in this 2.4ghz world we now race in, I've just got to get a few dollars together. And this is where the crowd funding and Kickstarter comes in.

The OTT Antenna Tube. Any color you want, as long as it is black.

Accepting donations from $1-$2.  $1 for the tube and $2 for the "Premium Level" tube plus a sharpie marker.


In the the package of the "Premium Level" donation for will include a sharpie and antenna tube. The tube for where the chassis holds it (Remember with or without antenna wire inside) and a sharpie to write OTTAT on your vehicle(or tow vehicle that you may, or may not be riding in.) Now you too can "rep" this purely fictional non-news, rc blog. Simply write or draw where you please.

OTTAT's first sponsor?

If we get this going and talk Atsushi Hara into running the OnTheTone Antenna Tubes, we could be that sweet yellow arm lion of that universe defending robot.  I promise, I won't spend the crowd sourced funds on my dream rc car, The Predator.

No, not the kick ass alien with guns and dreads.

Predator: The kick ass mid nineties super sweet 1/10 4x4 by Tenth Technology

It's iffy weather this weekend in the Pacific Northwest.  Perfect weekend to fit in an overhaul of the ole nitro car in preparation for the spring and summer. That means some of my weekend may be filled by politely asking a few of my brain cells to slowly exit as I take solvents and diesel to that 1/8th beast. It's car maintenance like this that keep me stoked for the seasons to change and out of trouble and around the house doing my best Michael Salven impression of a precision overhaul.

1/8 nitro onroad is a category of RC that I fell in love with this past summer. It asks a lot of your driving and maintenance, but gives back plenty at the end of a race day. Plenty of noises, fumes and adrenalin to come down of during the car ride home. Plus that never ending grin of "damn those are fast."

Looking forward to more nitro this coming summer!

Headed down the YouTube rabbit hole and came across this "behind the scenes" at Tenth Technology and Schumacher in the mid 90's. This video is just as hard to watch as any VHS from the 90's, but there are some gems in there. Including some wise words from inventor of the rc ball differential himself, Cicel Schumacher.



If you get the youtube bug and want to hear more about Cicel and his start in rc, check this informative video from 2006 that gets going at the 3 min mark.



There's always something to take from the past and I'm thrilled at what's currently available to buy, watch or read up on.

Spring will be here before we know it. Let's enjoy the indoors, try and crack a smile at our silly mistakes, and keep helping each other figure out this damn fine hobby.


Thanks for reading
-Tommy

Hirosaka: "A small manufacturer, big dreams"

Above is the tasteful header for the Hirosaka brand's website.

 This picture depicts a man staring down. Focused on the task at hand. Wearing a Monster Energy flat bill hat. Maybe not that last part.

The Hirosaka website is full of the rich history of the family and many photos of Masaaki and Masami early in their careers. Like this proud picture of Masami with what is most likely a winning car:

I stayed up all night, but could not find the re release of these pants on AE's or Yoke's websites.

The Hirosaka website is full of content. You're surly in for a long read if you venture down that roughly translated rabbit hole of Japanese toy car racing history.

From what I can tell they are saying that Masaaki is the manager of this outdoor track. They've also Included a link to a video containing a outdoor nitro track and maybe the creepiest voice over in YouTube history.  You've been warned.

The further I get into the website, the more I am blown away and have to question Google Translate's accuracy. From what I've gleamed on their site, Masami may have been  trained early on to race for 8 minutes(1/12th scale) without closing his eyes once.

Whoa. Treat yourself if you're into the obscure.

http://hirosaka.jp/Hirosaka 

The Hirosaka family, Masami and Masaaki have announced their electronic motor and esc products and things look promising. Familiar to anyone with a Speed Passion, but promising.

Whatever it started as, the name on it alone is good for two tenths a lap

Let's face it. The winning rc formula is clear: Take one part Hirosaka and one part green paint. Stir.

1 million out of 1 million aint bad

In other news, Tamiya just blew some minds with the release of their new TRF530 at the Toyfair in Nueremberg. Even Tamiya recently had just announced they were leaving behind the racing offroad buggy world, they've gone ahead and kept one foot in the competitive offroad world.

Yup

Belt drive and 4 wheel are still popular in many aspects of rc, but 4 wheel 1/10 buggy has yet to fully embrace the drive train. Whatever works, as long as Tamiya keeps feeding us their quality rc.

Belt or shaft drive, I don't envy anyone in the market for a 1/10th scale market. There are just too many choices. That keeps me to playin it safe with trusty B44 platform until Team Associated drops another metric bomb on us.


One motor is cute, but four wheelers in my stable, I'll take two motors. Here's to hoping Hirosaka ESC can handle two silver can 540's in my Clod Buster.

Are we all old enough yet to admit we always kinda wanted one of those Clods in the back of RC Car Action?

 In other phenom news, Atsushi Hara will make a return to the Yokomo Euro Touring Series driving, well... a Yokomo.

The super talented and very "pop" styled driver has been showing up to everything form of racing with whatever brand he decided was the right tool for the job. Now settling back with Yokomo, and taking delivery of some fresh, amazing paint for his BD7s from TD Takashima.

TD's paint is finally rivaling my one color, spray bombed wonders 

So, Atsushi and Yoke have come to a deal.  It's still  fun to follow Hara's racing and his car choices when available. Watching him show up at last years Reedy Off Road race with a mid motor Kyosho RB6 was awesome.

Hara's 2013 Reedy RB6: Ahead of his time.

As an unprofessional myself, it's comforting to know even the pros sometimes get to use their preferred tools for the job. That means they're not all just running what the sponsors hand them or putting up with inferior products. This is good for the progression of quality all around.

Thanks for reading!
-Tommy

Lamborghinis are mid motor.

Change is good! Unless it's in pennies... then you end up at a coin-in-to-cash machine each spring, making the toughest decision of all: $.08 per dollar less in store credit or $.15 less in cold hard cash.  In either case, you will most likely end up with more coins.

The changes in our hobby are hot right now. And with those hot changes, come heated forum debates. RCTech.net is more popular than ever with rumors, preorders, spyshots and keyboard engineers pointing out any design flaws or poor anodizing color choices found on the soon to be released Team Associated RC10B5 and RC10B5M.

Lambos: Mid motor cars were driven by short dudes. Way before AE made it cool

It's no big news that AE boldly decided on two versions of the upcoming B5, a rear motor and a mid motor. Though neither version has even been raced yet, that doesnt keep the forums from concluding and reviewing both anyways. Which is great, because we were all wondering how good it was. But, as it turns out, one 2wd buggy may be all we really need.

Ryan "The Lutzinator" Lutz has blogged that the rear motor just didnt work for the Reedy this past weekend. So he opted to swap to Mid motor for the final rounds of 2wd. More here:
http://lutzinator.com/?p=1448

It took about fourteen years, but no rc company is embracing change(increments of tenths: .1 .2 ect..) and thus adding to chatter on the forums than Team Associated. They've got the trusty B4.2, all Centroed up, and still on podiums. Yet, primed for replacement.

As a lover of all things 80's myself, rc cars, skateboards, and Lambos, I also happen to be a fan of BK. Some racers old enough or well versed enough in RC10 lore may remember, BK and AE split the band up shortly after that win in 1993 and thus his photo was removed from the kit packaging and advertising art. AE suggested artistic differences.

3 out of 4 har working winners aint bad.

After the split, Team Losi(way before TLR) scored Kinwald and together they thrived. So well, that AE now considers that period the Dark Days, hoping all will forget their composite chassis rival during the 90's.That dynamic duo of Kinweald and Losi ended sometime this millennial with the RC Micro Machine company that Losi became, and BK settled with that little brand that could, X-Factory.

While it may sound like BK and X-Factory were selling internet fetish footwear, they were in fact leading the world in the mid-motor conversion of Associated B4s world wide.

During the 2000's, while the 2wd 1/10 scale buggy industry was busy with making rear motor cars point and shoot like they've always done, X-Factory, it's U.S. fans and The BK spent years making the mid-motor car work where none could before, on US clay and outdoor tracks. Albeit, with a lot of Brian Kinwald's dremel magic.

X6^2 was a math problem famously solved by BK using a front wing, parts from over half a dozen manufacturers and plenty of blue and gold anodizing.

 Throughout the 2000's XFactory + remote control google searches ended NSFW 

About the year 2012, Brian K and Team Associated decided to get the band back together. This left the forward(err mid) thinking folks at X-Factory in a position to hopefully put some resources into their 4wd car and now available X6 Cubed.

Bringing us full circle to racing rc cars today. With his knowledge and experience, I have no doubt that BK put his stamp on the RC10B5 and RC10B5M. I'm looking forward to seeing the combined result in person at tracks in next coming months.

A few months ago the good natured and neon green Geo Tracker driving hosts at Radio Impound got the goods on Brian Kinwald in an interview that any RC car enthusiast should listen to, at least once.

http://radioimpound.podbean.com/2013/04/16/kinwald-edition/

Radio Impound Podcast mobile

Kirby Hand, Gotti Jr, and Jason Ruona have a great podcast going at Racio Impound. Although, most of their basketball references go way over my head. I enjoy their stoke on rc and tales of the good ole (usually)Trinity days. Check them out.

In a sad turn of events, R.O.A.R has announced that there will be no door banging VTA class at nationals this February 26 - March 2, 2014 in Nebraska. Stating, "lack of signups" as the reason. Bummer, cuz I've been partial to watching cool looking cars slide around the carpet and pavement. Oh well.

Roar does intend to run 13.5 touring instead, with a haunting harmonica played in the background.

Plenty of used VTA cars will be for sale in Omaha this February 

It's Wednesday, the bands back together, and my local track just got a solid new track change.

In the footsteps of the great bloggers before me, I'm considering a something like a Friday Quiz to lighten the snarkyness that I spew throughout the week. Winners, losers and 12.5 milli-yard cheater motors get a virtual pat on the back for just showing up.

Thanks for reading!
-T

VRC Pro:Virtually Simulating Remote Controlled Toy Auto Racing

With every skill, practice makes perfect. And what better way to practice rc racing than skipping work and playing video games?

It just seems rigged when Bowser get's all the red shells

Here in rc car racing land we want to go faster, drive smoother and be more consistent. The tracks we run on are typically well groomed, watered often and in a controlled environment. Unfortunately, they are also usually 30 to 45 minutes from home or work, if you're lucky enough to have a track at all.

Most everyone at one time or another will attempt some "dialing it in" or "scrubbing the tires" in front of  their home. That may work okay for hand eye coordination, it also teaches how to rebuild or repair because of mud, dust and that all too familiar, cruel mistress, the high speed run for the neighbors:


High speed tests: Killing RC cars since day one


Time to pick up the pieces and google around for some sort of training aid. That's where VRC Pro comes in.

It's an rc racing video game. But' it's not that type of game. There are no points, no levels, no big bosses.  It uses your transmitter to actually practice remote controlled car racing virtually to practice remotely controlling cars... ugh. I got lost there...  it's better than RC Pro Am. It's a simulator. It also provides you with stock setups or you can venture out on your own in search of faster laps times

Maybe I should have finished grade school before perusing this gaming career

And it is free to download and play? Dang, homie.
You can use on road, off road, nitro or electric, 2wd or 4wd.  Sweet, right?
But don't take this unpaid blogger's word for it; Even Atsushi Hara and Hayoto Matzusaki get stoked it:


When it comes to number of gaming screens, three IS the magic number

So the simulator is 100% proven to be an affective tool for those stuck inside and gaining popularity. Usage is so high right now and it's even developing it's own world championships



Which will hopefully lead to more YouTube edits of famous awesomeness like this:


I really wish all rc racers had microphones to get some Leroy Jenkins going

So, there's all kinds of ways to practice your hobbies virtually, whether that's driving rc cars in a video simulator or attacking another guild in WOW.  These days you can fine tune your skill without the temptation to launch your precious new rig off a neighbors ramp or attack them with a long sword. That should keep maintenance down while gaining some new skills. Unfortunately, it could lead to rc racers staying indoors, and at more LAN parties than tracks. Which is a bad thing for this already niche hobby filled with tech junkies.

2021 IFMAR Worlds?

So variety is the spice of life, video games in moderation and change out of sweatpants to get groceries. It all makes for a better tomorrow.

Working on a questionnaire to email to Pro Drivers and RC Industry types in general. Email or comment with ideas and people you want interviewed.

Thanks for taking the time to read
-Tommy

Spoiler Alert!!! It's Monday.

It's Monday! And, dang, it's crazy weather out there.  Unless you happen to live in sunny, Southern California.  Whether sunny or sunny, Southern Californians tough it out. And that means so did the brave, weather proof Reedy Racers. So brave, they found the time to run a demo "Classic" race with a field of aluminum tub RC10 re-releases. Even Brian Kinwald drove the up and coming World's car re-release .

AE talked BK into showing the world how to run a 7 turn brushless in a re re. 

As a total AE fanboy with access to high speed internet and youtube, i was stoked.


See if you can tell who was running 6 gears or who had a slipper and a stealth


The re-re-relics weren't the only vintage AE cars in the spotlight, either. Former world champion, Ryan Cavalieri took two vintage cars, designs over a decade ago, to win The 2014 Reedy Race:

Podium girls holding toy cars designed before they could spell "remote control."

It was a fantastic battle til the end. Lucky for us, all twelve of the invitational rounds are available on youtube.

Meanwhile, in the rest of the U.S., it's frozen. I really don't envy folks sitting at pit tables in warehouses out there, waiting hours between runs and volunteering to marshal or take out the trash, if just to move the legs and get some heat going. Frozen hands don't work well in cold warehouses and Monster seems to be the only beverages available at tracks instead of hot tea or coffee. The good news is, if you're creative enough and you drink enough sugary,  caffeinated neon green Monster, you too may end up with AWESOME ideas like this:


That XO-1 in your closet that you destroyed in one high speed run may have a second life after all.



Good or bad weather, racing remote control cars with a group or club is more than just a hobby, it's an institution and a craft.  RC cars offer the die hard racers something to focus on and to hang out with others because of. An opportunity to creatively and scientifically tune, practice and develop a social skill or two. Plus, we get every reason to drill holes in things.

"This should shave a tenth or two off my "Devil Went Down To Georgia time."

We're racers, and we want to surround ourselves with inspiration to go faster. Whether that's watching the racers at the track or following pros on Live RC. With the internet, the footage of rc racing is still gaining momentum. Fortunately, there is no lack of setup and race information out there.

"Siri, I need the C4.2 Cav Setup from Round 3 Heat two of Invitational Reedy 2014"

Even though youtube race edits are quick and liverc is usually, well, live, I can't help but want more, clearer, and quicker. We're into speed, action, and results! Because, we're kind of nerds like that. Kind of...

1/8th the nerds we are today

Okay, it's Monday. You found this blog. And I got that "deep desire to have streaming video of any obscure Mid-West snake race from 1997 streamed to my phone with the command of my voice" off my chest.

Thanks for reading!

-T

Reedy Off Road Race

This weekend is the twentieth running of the Reedy Off Road Race. Named after the man, the myth, the one time aspiring Harlem Globe Trotter, Mike Reedy.

The Reedy race is awesome. It's the first big race of the year for most off road racers and the format is a bit different from what we see in off road. Two wheel drive and four wheel drive drivers go head to head for 12 races over the course of a weekend. 6 Rounds of 2wd then 6 rounds of 4wd.

Please allow DJ Scotty Ernst to serenade the sweet sounds of battle into your speakers:



Super close racing, right?!?! They are the best of the best, so that kind of racing should be expected.
Say what you will about the bumpy oval they are racing on, this is quality sports tv and dramatic racing. Top notch coverage and they invited everyone you want to see race. Last years invite preview trailer touches on some of the history and vintage footage:




The rules are strict all the racers are using unmodified control tires and foams. And cleaning tires in a control area.

That's right, no personal tire washers at your pits not even a personal sauce can be used.

Sauce awards will be missing from this years Reedy Race

Top racers rise to the top. This race shows who's still got it, who may have lost it and who we should be watching for in the next year.

My eyes are glued to the screen to watch more of these races and youtube is delivering the goods.

I'm not going to post all the links to each round, but dang, watching these racers go from 9th or last and work their way up is incredible.

Have a great weekend. Hope you can make it some club races and support your local track!

IT"S FRIDAY... But WWME?

Question: What would Masami Eat?

Answer: Taco Bell.

Yup, it's true. The greatest RC car racer, Masami Hirosaka runs for the border. Proof is provided by this LiveRC.com interview with Masami. For the food of the most DOMINATING RC CHAMPION, skip to the 16 min mark:



Why is the Masami being interviewed at a race he has never won or even entered ? No one knows.

But, if your flat bill, pit board and hoodie have enough real estate for another sponsor, take nutritional (and most certainly, foodie) advice from the greatest; and consider a fourth meal.

There are a few other topics and bits of advice in this interview. I'd highly recommend it in it's entirety... while doing something of value like video games or cutting a new wing.

This leads today's post to the topic of the RC10 chassis. There's going to be another re-release from Associated. The RC10 Worlds Car. I'm stoked. And so is most everyone that didn't spend $400- $1200 on new-in-box Worlds kits just a year or two ago.

Ebayers and Craigslister are reconsidering their retirement hordes.

Team Associated has been given the honor of breeding some of the greatest racers the hobby has seen. Masami was in there. If you dig far enough into their website, you could find links to custom worlds dominating gems like this:

I think there's an RC10 antenna mount in there.

Anyways... it's Friday! Get to T Bell at some point. Take your cars out to the tracks, if time and life allows. If you do end up winning, party like it's 1993

17.5 Stoked Racing

It seems this is the generation that has forgotten what mod and stock were intended to describe. Stock asked that you don't fiddle with the motor. Less motor asked for less driver. That meant cheaper cars and slower speeds.

Stoked on stock!

We live in THE BEST ERA for RC Car racing. We dont have to discharge batteries, cut comms, get transponders between heats, or keep a handful of tx/rx crystals. We got it good. Perhaps too good.

All the secrets are out. The cars are amazing. The tire compounds are unreal. The setups are on the web and in our phones.

Today's stock racers are stuck idling in a hobby that was built on discovering what worked and what didn't.

Stock racers are filling the time between heats racking their brains for a way to go faster under current stock rules. Imagining a new way to push the constrictive envelope. Trying to find that cutting edge. It now takes MORE TIME to be prepared for a stock race, than mod. I can understand the appeal, but there are other things to do at a club race night.

Comm lathe between runs. All in the name of late 90's speed.

What my dischargers wanted to be.

As pretty as my dischargers ever got.

Look around at your next club race. Look who's relaxed, prepared and smiling. They've been racing a while. They remember the old days when they couldn't turn their radios on between heats, when they were discharging with bulbs, when they were hardwiring batteries on top of doing their tires and setup. And I bet they're racing modified.

Those relaxed-looking racers are enjoying their time at the track. They're not hiding anything, no winks, whispers, not looking to shave grams, lower rotating mass, second guessing their battery's power. Not blaming someone for not getting out of the way or being worried about "that rookie marshal's reaction time."

Modified racers have time on their hands! They are volunteering for marshaling, Cleaning their cars and pits. They're sharing stories, watching the races, learning new lines, studying and discovering!

If you end up in the top 4 of 10 stock guys after three months, my advice is boost that esc you paid good money for. Start clearing that triple every time. Put in a lot of practice with it. Explore what your modern piece of kit can do at it's true limit.

17.5's should be handed down to the kids and newcomers with ambition but still running their rtr's electronics. Stock just doesn't mean "cutting edge" to people.

Apparently Trinity measures in milli-yards

To me, stock racing is like racing bicycles with training wheels. That’s how we learn.

Stock racing is full of cut gears, large rotors, no slippers, one day motors, warmed lipos, and cars that wear out way too soon..

Unfortunately (and most likely fueled by the RC companies,) the “stock” class has ended up being training wheels - but they're titanium, drilled out, carbon reinforced, ceramic bearing, good-for-one-race training wheels.

Go On The Tone

Here we go!