tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87994933254135351592024-03-05T20:17:05.871+00:00Off-Road Radio ControlA one-stop spot for everything off-road radio control.team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-13743655713215855012012-11-09T14:50:00.000+00:002012-11-09T15:01:32.575+00:00James Helliwell - RHR Owner and racing star<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirFbZ8Akh8wuXYcbpxP3i8guv_gx6DLa_latyJIY-GMREw8hbZSWkug_pt_6tSEWTmLdA2xiySquB7_eYdn-nQFEjM4fZIH_pL5y9xnBoD5oALHDHYQ4VSdsdGS_ykpfktp4ad2iZP2HQ/s1600/jameshelliwell+(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirFbZ8Akh8wuXYcbpxP3i8guv_gx6DLa_latyJIY-GMREw8hbZSWkug_pt_6tSEWTmLdA2xiySquB7_eYdn-nQFEjM4fZIH_pL5y9xnBoD5oALHDHYQ4VSdsdGS_ykpfktp4ad2iZP2HQ/s200/jameshelliwell+(3).jpg" width="148" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc;"> I lose count of the times that I actually pinch myself when I am presented with the truly humbling opportunities that this sport offers me. The wonderful energy that racers show me when I speak to them. The smiles and laughter when I share my own brand of RC comedy and passion with the world is better than any drug money can buy. I was recently blessed with a really unique opportunity. I had been planning to make a pilgrimage over to the wonderful off-road racing venue Robin Hood Raceway last summer. Unfortunately, my trip over to the land of Sherwood never happened. So, imagine my delight when I finally got the chance to speak with the man who has been responsible for not only creating the now world famous RHR venue...but also the same man who has performed the very pinnacle of off-road alchemy....James Helliwell, designer and creator of the UK's biggest off-road dirt racing track!. Fresh from this summers success of the oOple Invernational, James was eager to discuss how he has poured his heart and soul into the construction of RHR Dirt. This man has already contributed to how we all enjoy our sport in spade loads....and he just contributed even more...this time by the truck load! ;) Mr James Helliwell....share your wisdom please Sir.....</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/mrtymcfly/RHRD/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/mrtymcfly/RHRD/6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RHR Dirt...the first delivery arrives!</td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - When did you first fall in love with off-road RC? Tell us the story?<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">James</span> - My interest in R/C all started when I was 11 (in 1988!), we heard on our local radio station of some R/C car racing in the car park of a pub in Worksop (The Three Legged Stool) so dad took me along to watch. A couple of weeks later I'd got my first car - a Tamiya Thundershot. These were the early days when there were very few permanent tracks - mostly grass fields where the pipes would be laid the day of the meeting. There were two Worksop clubs; Bassetlaw Buggy Club and Worksop Radio Car Club, I raced at both of these regularly. Eventually the Bassetlaw club closed down so we became more involved in WRCC and offered them a permanent venue on a field on our farm - which is where Robin Hood Raceway and RHR Dirt are still located over 20 years on! I had a 7 year gap off racing when I was at university, when I came back to it though we re-formed Worksop Radio Car Club and re-started the Schumacher Worksop Masters series along with Mark Musgrove and Leon Morrell as well as the renovations for Robin Hood Raceways Astroturf track.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/mrtymcfly/RHRD/y54e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/mrtymcfly/RHRD/y54e.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sparks fly at RHR Dirt long before the racers even get there!!</td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC </span>- Did you always have the vision that you wanted to build a Nationally recognised race track? Or was it a more 'organic' process?<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">James</span> - RHR or originally Worksop's outdoor venue held its first national over 20 years ago so its been on the national radar for a long time. We always wanted to make the place the best it could be but manpower and funding were the big limiting factors, the track was also unused and fell into disrepair from late 2003 until we did a little 8th nitro racing there in 2005 - so up to this point you could say the club and tracks growth had been organic. In 2006 however we decided to approach the whole thing in a more business like manor and invest some private capital and team up with York Off Road Car Club who also invested cash to complete a total renovation of the AstroTurf track and facilities into hopefully one of the premier venues in the country. I've always wanted to make the place the best it could be, problem is it all costs money!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/mrtymcfly/RHRD/IMG_1632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="96" src="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/mrtymcfly/RHRD/IMG_1632.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RC history in action...early stages of RHR Dirt</td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - Name your favourite off-road racer of all time and tell us why?<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">James</span> - I don't really want to pick just one but in terms of 'famous' racers I admire Masami for his long term dedication, success, professionalism, off track manners and politeness and relentless promotion of the sport. I like racing against anyone though and I have some great mates in R/C so its hard to pick a favourite from someone I 'know'.<span style="color: orange;"> </span><br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - Do you think the essence of an outdoor track is lost if it is partially covered to protect from the elements such as some of the race tracks in the United States. They often resemble a cattle shed.<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">James</span> -Yes I do, I think dirt tracks are definitely better outdoors if the weathers good; the light levels, increased chance it will blue groove, bigger layouts and general feel are better. The only reason I have looked at covering RHR Dirt is due to our wet climate.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJbtperKnKmzaBaTkquKJdoBmBWWhuDeoR3otrC9xwjgx1HzN6Av7j4GlBKk9QXjZ996UYvGwjjMVyZKdPi1KNAbGDfewAySxLrAyVhAdCCPqySmSt-WJX49gz6sMJ-geT9sVC8s7Ws8/s1600/dirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJbtperKnKmzaBaTkquKJdoBmBWWhuDeoR3otrC9xwjgx1HzN6Av7j4GlBKk9QXjZ996UYvGwjjMVyZKdPi1KNAbGDfewAySxLrAyVhAdCCPqySmSt-WJX49gz6sMJ-geT9sVC8s7Ws8/s1600/dirt.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - Can you explain the process that was undertaken when selecting the surface clay for the new RHR Dirt track?<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">James</span> - I took samples of clay from every dirt track from home and abroad that I visited, I also asked well travelled racers to bring back samples whenever they were away. Each of these samples I formed into miniature 'slabs' and dried them on my cooker to see how they would crack, how crumbly or elastic they were and generally how they would react as they were wet and dried. We decided that Vaasa's surface was the most universally liked and if it was good enough for a world champs it was good enough for us so we went for something very similar. It took a while to find it in the huge quantities we required but I'm sure we got the perfect stuff.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/mrtymcfly/RHRD/y73.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/mrtymcfly/RHRD/y73.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rostrum takes shape as the rain hammers down</td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - If you could choose one class to race forever, what would be your preference? 2wd? 4wd? Would it be 10th scale? Explain why?<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">James</span> - 4wd 10th off-road. I do really like the finesse of 2wd and generally do better with it but I like to go as fast as possible and love the 4wd drift, especially on clay.<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - Now that your facility has two National level tracks, have you considered large scale meetings that utilise both surfaces within one meeting? Astro one day and dirt the next?<br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br />James</span> - Personally I hadn't considered anything more than the oople race on dirt and a sideline class like the vintage race on the astro, but I've had several people suggest to me that we could hold the ultimate Reedy Invitational race - half on dirt half on astro, should mix it up a bit for the dirt only American drivers vs Europeans who are a bit more at home on astro! We have some big events in the pipeline for the dirt track in 2013, watch this space ;).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/mrtymcfly/RHRD/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/mrtymcfly/RHRD/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Far from a basic doodle...the start of the Dirt planning</td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - What or who do you consider to be your biggest inspiration in the world of RC and why?<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">James</span> - My fellow racers - doesn't matter who they are. I do especially like and think its important to keep racing against the best drivers though otherwise how do you ever improve. I find the constant product innovation across the industry as a whole inspirational too. In my early years Mike Reedy gave me a few motors and that encouragement from such a well known R/C icon really gave me motivation. I find seeing people take the challenge of forming a new R/C business inspirational too.<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - If you had to pick one track feature as your favourite, what would it be and why?<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">James</span> - I like the big double-double under the rostrum at RHRD and I'm generally a fan of step-ups wherever they may be! I think the sports surface at Worksop is brilliant, and quite like the concrete section at EPR too..<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8IlEKHZoqPx-581HKlnNNbX_-l_Bk2OkSDnZPDjBcQWFAf_2KIoacdB9OQCpcYJGHodj9GjdlGAfcQUo1LS6PFMq-lPt_KMQiSO7mAK-lv62G-TuTmS-G1vveW6hvFg12pzVrirDKf-w/s1600/jameshelliwell+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8IlEKHZoqPx-581HKlnNNbX_-l_Bk2OkSDnZPDjBcQWFAf_2KIoacdB9OQCpcYJGHodj9GjdlGAfcQUo1LS6PFMq-lPt_KMQiSO7mAK-lv62G-TuTmS-G1vveW6hvFg12pzVrirDKf-w/s400/jameshelliwell+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All hail the king of Dirt!!</td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - RHR Dirt has a control tyre, this being the Proline Holeshot. Do you feel that other manufacturers who create dirt spec tyres will be disappointed that their tyres can not be tested on the UK's first large scale dirt track? <br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">James</span> - The track is open for private test sessions to anyone, so other tyres as long as they are of a compound designed for dirt can be tested, but all race meetings held must be on Proline Holeshots, this is a long term arrangement we have with Proline and won't be changing anytime soon.<br />
<span style="color: orange;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - When you stand on the rostrum and look across your multi-track venue can you describe the feeling you get?<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">James </span>- Jeez building that was hard work, how on earth did we do it! Immense satisfaction. Very appreciative of everyone that has helped build and maintain the place, it wouldn't happen without the small dedicated team.<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - Is there a specific time you can describe during the journey you have taken with RHR as a whole venue, that you almost gave up? Explain what made you stick with all the hard work?<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">James</span> - No, never. Its very hard, both in terms of grafting and physical work and tremendous amounts of organising and paper chasing but its the same with everything, if you want something to succeed you need to keep at it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5-qczq2nV21QoS7qaLMjGIeJ12zP8FAhxo4HuZl4A7zzaWleaAVCF6ysliQ3Qy0xCHpgP9OzduYYdbbtrpnxiWeqc6SmqLwoSDT7Fg9MRXA84haTdLKnwkaSHqm73rpnfa3Cbiyo7Pc/s1600/jameshelliwell+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5-qczq2nV21QoS7qaLMjGIeJ12zP8FAhxo4HuZl4A7zzaWleaAVCF6ysliQ3Qy0xCHpgP9OzduYYdbbtrpnxiWeqc6SmqLwoSDT7Fg9MRXA84haTdLKnwkaSHqm73rpnfa3Cbiyo7Pc/s400/jameshelliwell+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When James has his hands full creating Dirt heaven...he drinks his tea like this!</td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - If you could describe RHR as a sound what would it be and why? ;)<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">James</span> - 'Bang!!' - the site used to be a clay pigeon shooting ground before it was a race track! Or maybe 'Howl', as it always seems to be windy up there!<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - What are your thoughts about the possibility of RHR Dirt running a Euro meeting in the future?<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">James </span>- We'd love to do that! We can do it, I think we've proved that, we have a great team behind RHR. We have hotels nearby, an airport 5 miles away, local amenities etc it would be great. Sunshine = dirt track , wet = astro track - the last two euros I've been to have been massively affected by weather so that can't be an excuse for the UK not to hold the Euros again.<br />
<span style="color: orange;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - Can you name your favourite off-road buggy of all time and explain why?<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">James</span> - Yokomo Works 93. I raced one for ages and knew it inside out and it looked great, fond memories. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/mrtymcfly/RHRD/IMG_1626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/mrtymcfly/RHRD/IMG_1626.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You will sit still pesky dirt!</td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - What are the most consistent qualities that you see in the very top off-road racing stars? The guys who grace your podiums season after season?<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">James</span> - Consistency in the following - motivation, practice, knowledge, plus a bit of natural talent never goes amiss.<br />
<span style="color: orange;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - Name 3 up and coming racers who you feel will be in the spot light in the near future?<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"> James</span> - Greg Williams, Jack Neal, Ashley Caunt<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - Can you explain a little more about the type of machinery that is used when constructing a large scale outdoor race track?<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">James</span> - We're very lucky in that we have a farm and lots of machinery we can use for the dirt track, to hire it would have added thousands to the construction costs. Regularly we use a Caterpillar telescopic loader, John Deere tractors and trailers, a ride-on Benford vibrating roller plus whacker plates and an excellent machine called Richard Coates ;) and a lot of graft by hand with pickaxes, rakes and shovels. I also had to hire a 360 excavator when were loading the clay, plus 35 lorry loads to bring it on site.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/mrtymcfly/RHRD/IMG_1634a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/mrtymcfly/RHRD/IMG_1634a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting air when testing the new jumps was not exactly straight forward ;)</td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC </span>- Do you think that past attempts at dirt tracks in the UK have lost favour due to the prevalence of racers adopting mid-motor cars? Are British racers now conditioned to race high-grip artificial surfaces or do you feel that dirt could be the future? If so, how does the British climate figure in this future? Clay doesn't like rain I hear?<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">James</span> - I think past dirt track have lost favour due to high levels of maintenance and construction and ongoing cost - astro is so easy to maintain and cheap to keep in comparison. The cars are developed to suit the tracks, not vice versa. Astro will always rule in the UK due to the climate, we have simply provided a clay track so the option is there if people want to run on it. I was slightly scared of wet weather on the clay track until we held the 'Dirty Weekend' in September for which the track was damp - honestly I thought it was better than when it was bone dry at the oOple race. The covers are still an essential though, a downpour would wreck the track and marshall safety would become an issue. I like both surfaces personally :)<br />
<span style="color: orange;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - Name 3 people you admire within the sport and please explain why?<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"> James</span> - 1.Anyone who runs an R/C club.. They do not get enough praise, 2.The merry band of national racers who travel up and down the country each year - their knowledge and advice passes down through club, they're a great bunch and the depth of driving talent and dedication in the UK is excellent, 3. Jimmy and Vicky oOple (I'll count that as one), oOple is the best resource for 10th R/C, simples.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/mrtymcfly/RHRD/y90.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/mrtymcfly/RHRD/y90.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful....</td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - Do you favour a track that has big air opportunities and fast sweeping sections or a track that is more flat and technical?<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">James</span> - Big air and fast sweepers everytime!<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - I believe Graham North was a big driving force in the design of the RHR astro track, who played a role in designing the RHR DIrt track?<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">James</span> - Yes, Graham essentially designed RHR astro, and a great job he did too! I designed the dirt track.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/mrtymcfly/RHRD/y78.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/mrtymcfly/RHRD/y78.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben Jemison gets stuck in as part of a really dedicated team who helped James create off-road Nirvana</td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - Have you any future plans for RHR facilities that you can share with us?<br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">James</span> - We have 4 big meetings scheduled for next year for the dirt track, the oOple race will be back even bigger and better. We'd like to put a roof on the RHRD rostrum and get a better cover for the clay. We want to replace some astroturf on the other track and slightly tweak part of the layout. Other big projects which are in the early stages are a medium sized undercover pitting area and we may upgrade and incorporate the cafe facilities into this. <br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - Name the most exciting race you have either taken part in or watched at your venue and explain why?<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">James</span> - I guess when I finished 2nd in the last leg of the 2wd A this year at the BRCA national must be up there. The first race on the dirt too at the oOple Invernational was very special and exciting after all the hard work too :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/mrtymcfly/RHRD/y92.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/mrtymcfly/RHRD/y92.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Testing time as the clay settles in</td></tr>
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It goes without saying that James Helliwell and the amazing team behind everything that now resides over at RHR are a real solid example of how our sport continues to grow. Imagine the passion and dedication, let alone the financial trust it must require to embark on such a massive project. James and his team will go down in British RC history for their collective achievements...and in my opinion not just for creating an amzing race venue, but also for showing the world that team work and community spirit are planted firmly at the core of how RC has developed. We all don't just 'do' RC......we ARE RC! Every last one of us.<br />
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My thanks go to James and the rest of the guys who made RHR happen. I will be there soon folks...put the kettle on as I feel we still have so much still to talk about. I salute you all.<br />
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Thanks to Jimmy and Vicky over at oOple.com for not just allowing me to use some of their images, but also the tireless work and passion that they share with us all. Much love guys :)<br />
<br />team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-78457548547245366492012-11-08T17:26:00.001+00:002012-11-08T20:30:52.956+00:00Neil Cragg - Stateside Connection - PART 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our culture is influenced by everything we see. Everything we read, watch, listen to, and experience. It is fair to say that our distant cousins over in the United States have contributed greatly to the myriad of cultural influences that shape and form our society today. Off-road RC is no stranger to drawing inspiration from different cultures, with many racers often heard to say that the early days of Tamiya and Kyosho's Japanese RC and cultural influences being formative during their introduction to our beloved sport. I was talking recently with some of my racing friends and we all commented on how brands such as Team Associated have always shaped the very landscape of our hobby for as long as we could all remember. With their roots built from solid American racing culture and their deep and well acclaimed success at every scale of competitive model car racing, it is no surprise that Associated continue to bring the influence of the 'star spangled banner' across the water to the shores of the UK with every product they release. <br />
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As I began to think more deeply about how we all look fondly at the United States west coast warm climate with their beautifully created dirt racing tracks, I decided to pick up the phone and get in touch with one man who would definitely have something to say about the subject of both Team Associated, and racing 'across the pond'. A few days after this phone call I am sat here sharing with you the inspirational words of the off-road racing legend Neil Cragg.<br />
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Neil is not only a long serving Team Associated racing star, but also holds the benefit of racing at the very highest level both here in the UK and over in the USA. His wealth of experience across multiple racing classes and track surfaces make him a wonderful source for a professional view on how the American racing culture has built many aspects of our domestic racing here in 'Blighty'. Neil was more than enthusiastic when I began priming him with some really detailed questions regarding this interesting subject, and as always, he gave us a world class performance. Join us as we begin our journey through the 'Stateside Connection' of Neil Cragg and Team Associated. Both at the very top of our sport here and in the USA....<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - Can you tell me the facts about your valued involvement with the development of Team Associated products? In other words when your not on the track, how do you contribute with the products?<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Neil</span> - There is always contact between drivers and the team. Ideas are sent back and forth, things that need changing or some things that can be improved. Then there's the feedback from what's been tested and where, why such a thing is better than such a thing. Racing does become more than just a weekend thing!<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - The release of the hotly anticipated B44.2 is big news at present. What are your experiences during testing of the new kit?<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Neil</span> - I'm really excited with the B44.2, the car is going to be dialled. The B44.1 was a great car that I love driving and with the .2 the little changes here and there should help a lot, especially on our tracks. Sometimes when a company comes out with a new car people think they need a complete overall change, but from the .1 to the .2 they have improved just the little things that needed looking at.<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - Our friends across the Atlantic have such a growing and vibrant scene. What is the most inspiring thing about racing for an American based manufacturer?<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Neil</span> - I absolutely love racing for Team Associated, I've been with them for 15 years and I can't see that changing anytime soon. The thing with it being based in America is that they never stop, those guys live and breath racing and are always looking for the next big thing, be it 10th or 8th scale.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">True British 'Dirt Master'...Neil does the double at the oOple Invernational...on dirt!</td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - With the recent opening of RHR Dirt, do you feel that UK racers will be looking to the American drivers for advice and guidance when tackling clay surfaces?<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Neil</span> - Definitely, those guys are the absolute kings of racing on and building clay tracks. They know how a car needs to be setup, tyres etc just from the look of the track. They know when a track needs water or sweeping. It's really awesome that we finally have a proper dirt track in the UK and speaking from experience it's such a great track, the RHR guys really nailed the 'American style track'.<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - How do the cultural differences between the UK and America influence racers approach to our sport?<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Neil</span> - The major differences between the two is that the Americans seem a little more professional than us, it's treated like a job over there. In the UK the top guys all take it serious and everyone wants to win, but we all still remember why we got into racing......to have fun!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hemet Racway - California</td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - The B4 and in turn the 4.1 are probably the most used donor vehicles when it comes to the popular mid motor European conversions. What do you think has caused this trend with the Associated 2wd platform being used so often?<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Neil</span> - I think the reason for this is that the B4 was and still is an amazing car, when it was designed and then released it was so much better than anything out there. It's pretty clear the geometry of the car was very good straight from the off. Also pretty much everyone I know had a B4 at some point in their racing life so I suppose its a comfort thing as well.<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - Space is something that is not in short supply in the States. How do the tracks for 10th off-road compare to other parts of the world besides the prevalence of clay? <br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Neil</span> - The tracks are awesome in America, not just because of the clay but because of the way the tracks are designed. Some of the ideas that they come up with are really smart. Although you do find a lot these days that tracks are a little small and very compact, and they try and fit as much in as possible, maybe a little to much, it's like jump, jump, jump, corner, jump, jump, jump, corner. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa Ana off-road track - California</td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - Is there an American racer who inspires your approach to the sport? If so, explain how this happens?<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Neil</span> - To be honest I've always been a big fan of the old school American racers, these are the guys I grew up reading about in magazines! Mark Pavidis is a legend of the sport and a former team-mate, and also a true gentleman. When you talk to him your talking to a 2 x world champ but you would never guess! Another one is Matt Francis, again a 2 x world champ but would drop everything to help the little guy! Then there's the current crop of superstars from across the pond, the Maifields, the Cavalieri's, the Tebo's. Those guys are the best in the business because they put everything into it, it's tough to keep up with these guys and their what we aspire to compete with!<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - Your success at Worlds level is well documented. When you attend a World Championship event, do you feel that the high number of full time professional racers from the States is seen as a big advantage to Associated? Most other countries only have a few full time racers.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Neil</span> - It is a big advantage to have a big team at a world championship, the more drivers to get advice and input out of the better. Personally I think Associated have the biggest pool of talent at the worlds, you have mayfield, cavalieri. Then there's Kinwald, Hartson, Bradders, and the team boss Brent Thelke. With all those stars your never gonna be to far away from a decent set-up!<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - If you had to pick a Team Associated product that you considered the best example of American engineering at its best, what would that be and why?<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Neil</span> - That's easy, the B4 or B4.1. It's easily my favourite car and it's got such longevity, people forget it came out 10 years ago and it's won every worlds since!! It's was just designed perfectly, a real work of art!<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - Can you describe how it feels to be in the company of racers such as Maifield and Cavalieri? Do they eat breath and sleep RC?<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Neil</span> - These guys are two of the top three drivers in the world in my opinion, it's as simple as that. The hours that they put in are phenomenal but they get out what they put in. They have very contrasting styles, Maifield is the fastest driver I've ever seen over a lap, just crazy to watch. Where as Cavalieri is the just a machine at churning lap after lap, and is also cool as ice under pressure, trust me I know!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maifield is a real professional racer who just lives for the sport</td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - What is the most unusual phrase or word you have heard from the RC scene in the USA?<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Neil</span> - When I race in America you pick loads of funny sayings that you end up using for a few weeks when you get home, then you forget about them, then the next trip to America their all there again! There's the commentator saying "getting her done!" when your on a good run. "donkey flip" for a big crash. "waffle stomp" which is when you've landed on someone over a jump! "popping a stand" is a wheelie!<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - Do you find that your driving style has changed due to having access to products that are created in the States for a world wide audience? Do you find yourself better prepared for bigger meetings with such diverse products at your disposal?<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><br />Neil</span> - I'm not sure if my driving style has ever really changed, always try and stay clean and smooth. It always helps having input in new parts because when the finished article comes out you know what to expect from the testing.<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - What's your favourite American food?<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Neil</span> - Those who know me know I love a Denny's breakfast when racing in America! There's also a fast food joint called Chickfi'la that is amazing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a way to start a day racing - Denny's breakfast for Neil!</td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - Team Associated must relish the input you can give due to your vast experience at domestic UK competition. What do they really like about how we all race in the UK and Europe?<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Neil</span> - They really love that we always keep the hobby side of the sport, serious but still there to enjoy ourselves. They like how well organised our big races are. They're really impressed how we get through a whole national event in just a weekend, because those guys like to practice for a few days first!<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - Why do you feel that wheel transmitters are the popular choice in the USA when sticks are more popular here in the UK?<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Neil</span> - From what I understand and what I've read, back in the day you where considered a bit poor if you had sticks instead of a wheel?! Whereas in England people just seemed to lean towards sticks. Although in the last year or two we've seen a massive increase in racers in the UK using wheel radio's, mainly because of a lack of stick radio options out there. If you look in some of the earlier heats most new drivers all have wheel radios now.<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - Have you ever visited AE's head office?<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Neil</span> - Yes I've been to the old place and the new place. I went to the old factory in 2003 with Bradders, it was cool to see how it all works and also cool to hang out with Mike Reedy in his office! We went to the new factory for the first time in 2011, again with Bradders, and Ben Jemison! ( he doesn't know how lucky he is!) It's much bigger than the old place. Unfortunately I've never been in 'area 51'. This is the room where the engineers do most of their work and come up with the ideas that keep them ahead of the game. There's only a handful of people I know are allowed in there...... Maybe one day!<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - What is your favourite race venue in the States?<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Neil</span> - In 10th scale the cactus classic was always a great track and race to compete in, a true American track. But favourite track? It has to be Competition Hobbies in Arizona. It's basically what you would build if you had a spare million or two! A huge indoor venue, indoor pitting with electric for every spot. A huge model shop in the building, a touring car track and a dirt oval. They even have a stair master on the drivers stand stairs, seriously!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwcMX8wHOicWnxwxyh9MUZmJggK0ejZXNZGbl4FtTFt90E0UCKtv82rw-nDnuuDYgTWDHR0uQJ3WC_GOgpX2_OElrW9v3Y78HFU0QhKTAhJtAMqarc4hP4TGdjG4eSoW1SkOLcKLDUwE/s1600/P1020129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwcMX8wHOicWnxwxyh9MUZmJggK0ejZXNZGbl4FtTFt90E0UCKtv82rw-nDnuuDYgTWDHR0uQJ3WC_GOgpX2_OElrW9v3Y78HFU0QhKTAhJtAMqarc4hP4TGdjG4eSoW1SkOLcKLDUwE/s400/P1020129.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every day of the week in the USA!</td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - You stated during our previous interview that clay or dirt are you favourite track surfaces. Explain why?<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Neil</span> - For me it's the best because it's what our cars were designed for. It's so much more fun hitting a triple or a double that's been sculpted to the perfect shape rather than an obstacle that's been placed on the track. Plus I bet if you ask any top driver, there's few better feelings than nailing a perfect lap with a 2wd on a clay track, trust me!!<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC</span> - Can you tell our readers what you consider the biggest factor in your massive success across such diverse venues and levels of competition?<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Neil</span> - I think I have two or three big factors that have contributed to my success. One is a great team, I always wanted to race for Associated and when Craig Drescher asked I jump at the opportunity and haven't looked back. Another one is my Dad, he's always supported me in everything I've done, and he's an amazing mechanic, a genius when it comes to setup. The last one I can think of is the age old saying, practice, practice, practice. When I first started racing I used to race Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday's, every week. I fitted a lot of racing into those first few years and I know this helped me out massively.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NorCal Hobbies epic outdoor track</td></tr>
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Neil Cragg never ceases to inspire me when we get a chance to bounce these concepts between each other. I have no doubt that his truly formidable racing record over the last decade or so on British soil has not only inspired Team Associated product research, but also raised the level of transatlantic respect between the UK and the USA. Neil is always keen to promote the fact that hard work and dedication will result in improvements for us all. His passion for building stronger relationships that span continents should inspire us all when we look outside our domestic racing scene for fast and exciting racing action. <br />
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Stay tuned for the next chance to learn more about how the sport of off-road RC racing bridges many divides in our world...not just water. I will be catching up with Neil again very soon as we continue to expand our discussions relating to his 'Stateside Connection'.</div>
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My thanks go to Neil for this wonderful insight into his exciting views and opinions.</div>
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To learn more about Team Associated products visit: <a href="http://www.cmldistribution.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.cmldistribution.co.uk</a></div>
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team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-87830593335601019312012-11-05T14:32:00.000+00:002012-11-05T14:43:50.168+00:00Tony Evdoka launches his new blog - Rude boy goes live<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhybEJWNMgeDBH1qROljBiVxmxQptomIh1fA7HPRVWbAV_l780Y1fQB2VyicpEuiUN4GkZjuYKzRKAADH2svsy5OG2uPR33IQAFU9hoDt9f5jwQAzkH59xezF7K3kSXWQY5nQx6TodWik/s1600/tonyevdokablog.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhybEJWNMgeDBH1qROljBiVxmxQptomIh1fA7HPRVWbAV_l780Y1fQB2VyicpEuiUN4GkZjuYKzRKAADH2svsy5OG2uPR33IQAFU9hoDt9f5jwQAzkH59xezF7K3kSXWQY5nQx6TodWik/s400/tonyevdokablog.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Owner of Rudebits, multiple national A finalist, Kyosho UK team manager and life-long off-road guru. Its true to say that larger than life character Tony Evdoka's RC CV is bursting with amazing achievements. Tony can now proudly add to his already impressive resume 'author of his very own blog' as he races into the world of online media with the launch of <a href="http://www.tonyevdoka.com/" target="_blank">www.tonyevdoka.com</a><br />
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His brand new website gives us all an opportunity to share his tireless and inspirational passion for a sport that is built from the foundations that characters like Tony laid decades ago. Expect to read live race reports as Tony travels the off-road scene as a Kyosho and Orion backed F1 racer. Add to this a valuable source of set-up sheets straight from Tony's pit table, fun and exciting product reviews, and no doubt a large helping of Tony's warm and welcoming wisdom that makes this man a true legend in our sport. You can subscribe to his blog with a few easy clicks and get first hand accounts of who, what, why and where as his action packed racing life unfolds. Tony Evdoka is already a well respected racer, designer, trader, and team manager. It was only a matter of time before he added his unique and passionate flair to the world of online RC media. tonyevdoka.com, where the science becomes reality.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Always full of smiles..Tony Evdoka has time for a wave at his pit table</td></tr>
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Visit Tony's blog here: <a href="http://www.tonyevdoka.com/" target="_blank">www.tonyevdoka.com</a> and stay tuned for some really fun and inspirational collaborations as I welcome Tony to the world of on-line journalism with a bang!! <br />
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<br />team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-88114944557821148732012-11-05T14:09:00.000+00:002012-11-05T14:09:41.456+00:00Rudebits DB1 - El Diablo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30xpBkfdgIZrTvJx_TkWQ4XmQ1k7E7x1zeoaz4fhWbIMei9Sn1BtSmcCMV9T-WnFEaQo3bONc62ShszKkbRWYIfZ3EM91b64WJHhCVDob2Oz4xGuoujKGgHLoQJOsLs6hyphenhyphenf08qsUxSOA/s1600/ODB1_PinUp_01a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30xpBkfdgIZrTvJx_TkWQ4XmQ1k7E7x1zeoaz4fhWbIMei9Sn1BtSmcCMV9T-WnFEaQo3bONc62ShszKkbRWYIfZ3EM91b64WJHhCVDob2Oz4xGuoujKGgHLoQJOsLs6hyphenhyphenf08qsUxSOA/s400/ODB1_PinUp_01a.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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It is with great pleasure that I bring you the second instalment of my really exciting Rudebits DB1 project....El Diablo. The red transformation of the Rudebits DB1 has been a very fun process so far. I was greeted from my rather heavy slumber earlier in the week by a wind swept and fairly dishevelled postman who thrust a small package into my hands and said...."Priority mail from the fires of hell Mr Styles". I signed on his digital screen and slammed the door, really eager to see what Satan had sent me.....the contents of that fiery package are below!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTD71ScpVykGo3pxhVA2dLH2uub2yQoXpWolg90od6jIUPlR0gY4AaCtJUaQcGinUbAly0rLzsiRE4jgT0GnZ_k8NHD1o8enoL_vo2wSWd_jMtbQNU6i3B09sh8b-SE2j7YH5jy3EHO2w/s1600/diablocar+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTD71ScpVykGo3pxhVA2dLH2uub2yQoXpWolg90od6jIUPlR0gY4AaCtJUaQcGinUbAly0rLzsiRE4jgT0GnZ_k8NHD1o8enoL_vo2wSWd_jMtbQNU6i3B09sh8b-SE2j7YH5jy3EHO2w/s400/diablocar+(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blood red hardware anybody?</td></tr>
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I was gobsmacked by the amazing finish that had been created on all the previously gunmetal aluminium hardware for my buggy. I asked the devils of Babylon to try and get blood red......the transfusion was complete ;)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjumL1whMaZ8tCsNBbv7c2KSud0ErxWO3VMJb1-MDQY4Rx89hoh2TNRBSbdebcSP1Fs5UBDnrK9XTP2uoe6hyphenhyphenfBdZmg85zxIm36fDyx6MzmBR-JjOQIDzxdGkbqL7IBMipVvImx2v2x5tg/s1600/diablocar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjumL1whMaZ8tCsNBbv7c2KSud0ErxWO3VMJb1-MDQY4Rx89hoh2TNRBSbdebcSP1Fs5UBDnrK9XTP2uoe6hyphenhyphenfBdZmg85zxIm36fDyx6MzmBR-JjOQIDzxdGkbqL7IBMipVvImx2v2x5tg/s400/diablocar.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The local blood bank would pay good money for this little lot!!</td></tr>
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To say that the guys in charge of colouring my metal parts had done a good job is a slight understatement. The matt blood red finish was exactly what I wanted and I set about re-building my DB1 buggy with the newly refurbished items. The anodising was so well done that every single screw hole and thread was perfect. It makes me realise how precision this process is with the colour wizards obviously dealing with mere microns of coating to achieve this beautiful finish.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTICPQeRIefT_T899zJJRQmdX5UBt-DY56uuRcY5gbSaHDP53pn_MnT3g2L2Gqr2VWJAQ4f6arBqwL6xgBFoj6QGLn_qVIy0DaEYnIfsGQz9vG-CghoGR-8DLnt3oxXUj713SEXnMrFDY/s1600/diabloinsides.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTICPQeRIefT_T899zJJRQmdX5UBt-DY56uuRcY5gbSaHDP53pn_MnT3g2L2Gqr2VWJAQ4f6arBqwL6xgBFoj6QGLn_qVIy0DaEYnIfsGQz9vG-CghoGR-8DLnt3oxXUj713SEXnMrFDY/s400/diabloinsides.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note the small contact line at the bottom of the motor plate....electrical charges have been here!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUw_uBhYPw9u0AdnnEqYuQOQBBoTgOS61bBSi2KLjkdtNgtW7fD0VtFQh7ZVzEbHp70BZL6gxgVXi9CoDfxiuu_j3XxIsgq5XANKk8C8mx4DW2DbQroKJvwwg-tTf04pOP-YRdZpgo1po/s1600/diabloinsides+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUw_uBhYPw9u0AdnnEqYuQOQBBoTgOS61bBSi2KLjkdtNgtW7fD0VtFQh7ZVzEbHp70BZL6gxgVXi9CoDfxiuu_j3XxIsgq5XANKk8C8mx4DW2DbQroKJvwwg-tTf04pOP-YRdZpgo1po/s400/diabloinsides+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kyosho Big Bore shocks look wonderful in the new red coating</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQd4cXH5Y5BOx5wjX3kLamZgmCEeKMcVQbfGf1vfSen44jAdEulcpwVfZJVdLp83S8MOmNkHqpaMslPspAJJFhQ0AzHmwgfS00cv2t5-kMDZrn-Cx9ys5K0cXlU_kFjSVXu7XTsVThUM/s1600/diabloinsides+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQd4cXH5Y5BOx5wjX3kLamZgmCEeKMcVQbfGf1vfSen44jAdEulcpwVfZJVdLp83S8MOmNkHqpaMslPspAJJFhQ0AzHmwgfS00cv2t5-kMDZrn-Cx9ys5K0cXlU_kFjSVXu7XTsVThUM/s400/diabloinsides+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red up the rear as well if you excuse the expression ;)</td></tr>
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Now I had all my metal parts coated in their new blood red finish I was really looking forward to my new DB1 Shadow body shell arriving from our friend and fellow racer Matt Coleman. Matt has been working really hard on creating a really special shell for this car and his interpretation of a few very excited emails from me was not a disappointment. It arrived well packaged and I feel Matt has made a really good effort in capturing the essence of both the colour scheme, and the devilish theme.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicG8cf8k0adDcPCCkMs8pak7pxyi_3bbPTkg0PlTpKWPT0x9qLl2wo1BL8DYq0YodjTm-d7a3hyQvQjpAKTnCHBaxw-DXrfwC7yjOo0gnZPKPdePPVisMABG7oHiFaep8DDm7fNAPXbqw/s1600/diablocar+%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicG8cf8k0adDcPCCkMs8pak7pxyi_3bbPTkg0PlTpKWPT0x9qLl2wo1BL8DYq0YodjTm-d7a3hyQvQjpAKTnCHBaxw-DXrfwC7yjOo0gnZPKPdePPVisMABG7oHiFaep8DDm7fNAPXbqw/s400/diablocar+%25286%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I asked Matt to base his paint job on a Japanese blade style design</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx6ujefIEGbj6d-cwWDFaVru4omtOjH1HojlJP0d9FP38BySwKtPZdzPyRFOzsWi0346zzvUgFrkl8mg96FxGp52i1ADdFaxLWFUjJwV73WiVIUUOIz_gxKB1WEpWKSa1mX2Xez5W6E44/s1600/diablocar+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx6ujefIEGbj6d-cwWDFaVru4omtOjH1HojlJP0d9FP38BySwKtPZdzPyRFOzsWi0346zzvUgFrkl8mg96FxGp52i1ADdFaxLWFUjJwV73WiVIUUOIz_gxKB1WEpWKSa1mX2Xez5W6E44/s400/diablocar+%25285%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt's choice of shapes really made the body look fast...this will help with the fact that I am in fact very slow!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCD7XYJZp8azihhC_BDsrIiixSBY1OlBlr-NNv-K-EnFUl_WNR_kAkYWsmWnOXlDp6Sx1qq2uFNEeELUWZeL6fsrAgBs7BFO7A5-rClz1MJBMb9gk1S1zJBtlyRPVOUCtiksaTa6hR5vU/s1600/diablocar+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCD7XYJZp8azihhC_BDsrIiixSBY1OlBlr-NNv-K-EnFUl_WNR_kAkYWsmWnOXlDp6Sx1qq2uFNEeELUWZeL6fsrAgBs7BFO7A5-rClz1MJBMb9gk1S1zJBtlyRPVOUCtiksaTa6hR5vU/s400/diablocar+%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt has also managed to get a rather lovely deep blood red in the design to 'pop' against the new metal parts</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxuCBr2Ch1g8PR5YBVBty7xz87vje9NvF5D4Ny3CAJ44bJn8xV6DzudSXG8PiOF8NVZUFCPiXf0ysVGPOq4DRseKobrCHBaVTxwhxAMw8DXavmQO3EWxWmxYa-XRMokcxp8JJ8nwgAqJo/s1600/diablocar+%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxuCBr2Ch1g8PR5YBVBty7xz87vje9NvF5D4Ny3CAJ44bJn8xV6DzudSXG8PiOF8NVZUFCPiXf0ysVGPOq4DRseKobrCHBaVTxwhxAMw8DXavmQO3EWxWmxYa-XRMokcxp8JJ8nwgAqJo/s400/diablocar+%25287%2529.jpg" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This should scare a few marshall folk as they turn over Satan's ride!</td></tr>
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I am super happy with the first 2 stages of this transformation. For a buggy that needs no improvements with regards the actual driving experience, and let me be honest here, neither does the buggy actually need any aesthetic upgrades, I think the added blood red parts have really made it look special.<br />
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I have had lots of messages and oOple forum suggestions regarding just how far I can push this red devil theme folks. I recently decided to go that little bit further by ordering a red Speed Passion motor and ESC. Tresrey, the masters of everything red in RC, currently supply a special edition combo that includes the GTII Pro esc. I chose a 6.5T motor as my buggy races around on large indoor and outdoor track environments. Check out the Tresrey monsters below!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTlFd0NpuO-sk5t_XLsP74K7WtqcMvArFkpBfDK5zNvJ2CfHAd0hVXfJKGpmaCB8tIXla6rx6mEmLTqy0HoCnCsG_oqbWnxlU7U0G-yBsEly_hjJocp8MaHh6BgOlSnPpfQ1fkYd8sXgU/s1600/tresreyxsp.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTlFd0NpuO-sk5t_XLsP74K7WtqcMvArFkpBfDK5zNvJ2CfHAd0hVXfJKGpmaCB8tIXla6rx6mEmLTqy0HoCnCsG_oqbWnxlU7U0G-yBsEly_hjJocp8MaHh6BgOlSnPpfQ1fkYd8sXgU/s400/tresreyxsp.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bloody Mary!! Tresrey have done it again....</td></tr>
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Well, so far things are developing nicely and I feel that although some may say that my upgrades are never going to make the buggy any faster...well...it definitely looks cool. Did somebody just shout RED CARBON CHASSIS!!?? Stay tuned for more El Diablo fun as I continue in my quest to make my Rudebits DB1 a real fire breathing one-off.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTuoz45BfFzpBaogFc2GR2xzfwpfeVJABFnZoZbRtOmjWUPIAfEcUlVOzOY50ToTKF5T-VWLFosLuF6Gj3jH_q5JZijFhymYOPTo9W6nroTkREUDgvzY4pZ4ueAJ4ubfw4tPl8C7wAqE/s1600/diablocar+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTuoz45BfFzpBaogFc2GR2xzfwpfeVJABFnZoZbRtOmjWUPIAfEcUlVOzOY50ToTKF5T-VWLFosLuF6Gj3jH_q5JZijFhymYOPTo9W6nroTkREUDgvzY4pZ4ueAJ4ubfw4tPl8C7wAqE/s400/diablocar+%25284%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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To get your sweaty palms on a Rudebits DB1 conversion kit visit: <a href="http://www.rudebits.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.rudebits.co.uk </a><br />
To learn more about Matt Colemans lovely bodyshell painting visit: <a href="http://www.oople.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88792" target="_blank">Matt Coleman custom paint</a><br />
To grab some wonderful 3 Racing upgrades and all your Kyosho spares visit: <a href="http://www.insidelineracing.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.insidelineracing.co.uk</a><br />
To learn more about El Diablo in the real sense....giggle a bit and visit: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil" target="_blank">El Diablo</a><br />
Stay in touch with everything Ruidebits DB1 related over at our favourite RC forum: <a href="http://www.oople.com/" target="_blank">www.oople.com</a><br />
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<br />team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-66337567662703800322012-11-02T11:32:00.002+00:002012-11-02T13:49:26.572+00:00Inside Line competition - The screw kit release party!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxd3QkyQej_l9rDQmki0nyTWaWxLzPasRDsdzFxsWXpyhJRzocfAb30EdV0AVY8kLkREkQPvH4EyThF0xgT5oUWJ4sa2crTxiVFrSclrCUSQoXprmhtGx32Cer211P6_H5qpXuVjwZyqw/s1600/ILR+Sticker+Logo+with+orange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxd3QkyQej_l9rDQmki0nyTWaWxLzPasRDsdzFxsWXpyhJRzocfAb30EdV0AVY8kLkREkQPvH4EyThF0xgT5oUWJ4sa2crTxiVFrSclrCUSQoXprmhtGx32Cer211P6_H5qpXuVjwZyqw/s320/ILR+Sticker+Logo+with+orange.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I am really excited to announce that Inside Line Racing have just launched a really cool selection of screw kits for your off-road buggy in some really nice parts boxes. The guys at Inside Line Racing would like to celebrate the launch of these really high quality screw combo's by offering all my readers the opportunity to win one of these really useful items.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHhoZv-F-odW6v84hyphenhyphene3_52S_VE0ek2M4VybbJeuX9KRKdn3LYFKN8NrKJDHhgc0rQetfUBBSyJILZ7qMWqxI3W5tW5IUF1dB5tFBT9ewoC90l6fmT_L6RiHRLh83VxeqQXQCcx3Bed0/s1600/hightensilescrewkit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHhoZv-F-odW6v84hyphenhyphene3_52S_VE0ek2M4VybbJeuX9KRKdn3LYFKN8NrKJDHhgc0rQetfUBBSyJILZ7qMWqxI3W5tW5IUF1dB5tFBT9ewoC90l6fmT_L6RiHRLh83VxeqQXQCcx3Bed0/s400/hightensilescrewkit.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The screw sets are currently available in either high tensile black or the more traditional stainless steel variety. You can also purchase the really cool Inside Line Racing branded 18 compartment parts box separately as well! A must for any dedicated 1:10th race fan. Each box contains the most popular sizes used in 1:10th cars and has snap fit closure clips to keep the contents safe during transportation.<br />
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We have a few of these screw kits to give away, and getting in on the action is super simple. Take a look at the image below that shows a rather nifty Inside Line Racing logo that has been built out of a mixture of screws, washers, and nuts.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbw4nYvgeqHEywZp3DpIt0o715EtD2MTYOEau9LwFiZf25_bLhOy7JCj1t9ga0UNiznDZOcRYZ87f_OBZU7xHkkwOfPmXJHpZ6UIrdJKgJxTxe2YIfaBXOj3nQkdUDhRKsybMMK1oJG4/s1600/screwcomp+top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbw4nYvgeqHEywZp3DpIt0o715EtD2MTYOEau9LwFiZf25_bLhOy7JCj1t9ga0UNiznDZOcRYZ87f_OBZU7xHkkwOfPmXJHpZ6UIrdJKgJxTxe2YIfaBXOj3nQkdUDhRKsybMMK1oJG4/s400/screwcomp+top.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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To be entered into a draw to win one of 3 special Inside Line Racing prizes firstly visit the Inside Line Racing Facebook page here: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/insidelineracing" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and share some current news from Inside Line Racing page with a friend. Then just answer the following question by posting your competition guess over on the oOple.com thread here: <a href="http://www.oople.com/forums/showthread.php?p=709763#post709763" target="_blank">oOple.com thread</a><br />
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<b>What is the total weight in grams of all the screws, washers and nuts used to create this image? </b><br />
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If you do not have access to Facebook just add your email address to our database by sending it to styleft@hotmail.co.uk...simple<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhovMoqgBxkhVyijiyLdJSCrEuasJCJNhffA0xA22f9CzXK2bSdYONlK8dc76iutiRIDKFmn_TvikXhLn7rb0_6YBMDUDookaTGaqX-yyfuFIcUi0dmEgv_78eTDoaJGOAaNMLeySurwbo/s1600/screwcomp+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhovMoqgBxkhVyijiyLdJSCrEuasJCJNhffA0xA22f9CzXK2bSdYONlK8dc76iutiRIDKFmn_TvikXhLn7rb0_6YBMDUDookaTGaqX-yyfuFIcUi0dmEgv_78eTDoaJGOAaNMLeySurwbo/s400/screwcomp+%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We will be drawing 3 prizes on Friday the 9th of November as follows:<br />
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1st Prize: A full 18 compartment high tensile screw kit with all the popular sizes for 10th cars<br />
2nd Prize: A full 18 compartment stainless steel screw kit with all the popular sizes for 10th cars<br />
3rd Prize: A cool Inside Line Racing branded 18 compartment parts box<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivhkYEYVYMJIqyGdtRq96kPbneWFDIXuCs35hkhDUkIu_g9q44DFrX4klvBLYbjlISl2tqLsCFIOCX670wNjMabGrTnYco3KLnlZczx1ayj7oLY1FnU4rfkfPQOLvDEmI7h1kLvsz7O0/s1600/screwcomp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivhkYEYVYMJIqyGdtRq96kPbneWFDIXuCs35hkhDUkIu_g9q44DFrX4klvBLYbjlISl2tqLsCFIOCX670wNjMabGrTnYco3KLnlZczx1ayj7oLY1FnU4rfkfPQOLvDEmI7h1kLvsz7O0/s400/screwcomp.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Get guessing guys and to learn more about these really cool products and more visit: <a href="http://www.insidelineracing.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.insidelineracing.co.uk</a> <br />
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<br />team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-46050438742211386502012-10-26T13:22:00.001+00:002012-10-26T14:28:43.622+00:00Rudebits DB1 - El diablo está aquí....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLXiKTH-AdLdvNIwTvrw92l5ZAMcWpwZP4eY7MbwxNLWsxHD9R9bPUGW8mOawuTY_U-1k0V0ao9IRmX75vKU5qrmezXfx02YXu7Wv_H6WvpAdlrA_DYa146zaYSaYDtaRYot7j6B5Q0fA/s1600/OPERATION+DIABLO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLXiKTH-AdLdvNIwTvrw92l5ZAMcWpwZP4eY7MbwxNLWsxHD9R9bPUGW8mOawuTY_U-1k0V0ao9IRmX75vKU5qrmezXfx02YXu7Wv_H6WvpAdlrA_DYa146zaYSaYDtaRYot7j6B5Q0fA/s400/OPERATION+DIABLO.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I recently began to wonder how I could take my Rudebits DB1 to the 'next level'. I have worked on many custom buggy projects over the years but I have never really felt I managed to capture the real essence of the manufacturer product I was working with. Not content with a few coloured washers and a pretty paint job, I really wanted to push the aesthetics of what already is a beautiful looking buggy. So, I am really excited to announce the very soon to be released Operation Diablo project.<br />
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The Rudebits DB1 needs absolutely NO improvements or alterations as far as it's 'drivability' is concerned. As many of you will already know, the car is wonderful to drive. The Rudebits designed Shadow body shell is a really lovely shape, with a nice streamlined twist on the recent craze of 'cab-forward' lids for 2wd off-road cars. So how do you improve the aesthetics of a car that already benefits from stealthy low profile looks and the really great craftsmanship of it's Kyosho donor parts?....that is simple in my eyes. I decided to take the concept of 'Rudeness' and the main Kyosho brand colour to its physical limits with the following changes.<br />
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EVERYTHING TURNS RED!! and by that I mean everything that can possibly be treated to be a red finish has been stripped from the buggy and sent away to a colour wizard who is currently giving my DB1 the full 'El Diablo' red devil treatment. The donor Lazer ZX-5 and Kyosho RB5 aluminium parts are being stripped of all their current coating colours and anodised in blood red finish. That means, motor mount, rear hangers, front hinge pin brace, battery and chassis posts, rear hubs, camber link pick-up plates, thumbscrews, shock collars, shock caps, and anything else that connects these parts and made from a metal substrate. I have also commissioned a custom chassis protector in red woven carbon vinyl, and also a lipo tray lining in the same material and colour. Although it may seem excessive to the more 'conservative' amongst us....when a buggy is this good...why not give it a real special look is my philosophy?....I really wanted my Rudebits DB1 to be a real one-off!!<br />
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After I had dealt with the 'hardware', I thought it silly not to attempt to get the body shell painted to both represent the cars dual Japanese and British heritage, but also to carry on the theme of the red Kyosho/Rudebits colour scheme. A quick peek at Matt Coleman's paint job made my tongue drop out....<br />
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Check the spy shot here....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6qii3CkG2gXyGDfvfAF8Os8XJFfASMNBnUR8CVTKbICGeD9GtxilzebNyU2LB07iOFqlM4yerIiR3FFkPatWqzfeXVqJEW9wiXQN5a3BycNEvNxtY_Vv3go2EmBJi1b1VZfrSpYLdd0/s1600/db1swooshshell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6qii3CkG2gXyGDfvfAF8Os8XJFfASMNBnUR8CVTKbICGeD9GtxilzebNyU2LB07iOFqlM4yerIiR3FFkPatWqzfeXVqJEW9wiXQN5a3BycNEvNxtY_Vv3go2EmBJi1b1VZfrSpYLdd0/s400/db1swooshshell.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So folks, my Rudebits DB1 will soon be unveiled in it's full 'red devil' incarnation and I really can't wait to share with you the amazing finished product. How do you make the Rudebits DB1 even ruder?........more news to come very soon.<br />
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To learn more about the Rudebits DB1 visit: <a href="http://www.rudebits.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.rudebits.co.uk</a><br />
To investigate all the Kyosho products that go into building your very own DB1 visit: <a href="http://www.insidelineracing.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.insidelineracing.co.uk</a>team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-77261177764197055542012-10-23T13:01:00.001+00:002012-10-23T13:02:05.316+00:00Lee Martin - A day in the life of an off-road legend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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You only have to briefly cast your eyes across the pages of a tabloid newspaper these days to be bombarded with all the details of your favourite sporting stars personal life. Mainstream media seems to prey on the talented and famous in a way that only serves to create a bigger gap between you and the people who you admire.Thankfully RC racing is not plagued with such nonsense, and a recent discussion with a few of the scenes top drivers prompted me to set about gathering our very own, and far more real insight into what makes the elite racers tick on a daily basis. What really interests me about this format is that we are all sometimes far too quick to judge individuals without really understanding who they are and what they do. Articles such as this one are designed to connect us all with those people who are at the very top of their game.</div>
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Snap forward a few weeks and I was presented with the opportunity to catch up with world class racing legend and ORRC friend Lee Martin, who jumped at the chance to explain a little more about what goes into an average day of a multiple national and European off-road racing star. As Lee will explain, it's not all trophies and racing girls!</div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">A day in the life of Lee Martin </span></div>
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5.30am - Normally woken by a crying baby at this time! My boy Scott is </div>
teething, so this is his general alarm clock period. We try to get him to go <br />
back to sleep, but some days it just doesn't work.<br />
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7:30am - Scott now fed and changed, its time to take my wife to work and <br />
drop Scott with his Grandparents. Its great they can have him a few days a <br />
week as it helps me with RC work and they get to spend some time with him.<br />
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9:30am - I am home by now and if I'm not heading to the track then I'm in my <br />
office. Normally my first task is to check my emails and responds <br />
accordingly and then package up the LMR orders for that day.<br />
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11:30am - Orders should now be complete and emails finished, so I will head <br />
out to my friends house to post the orders (his company gets post collected <br />
daily, so it makes life easier). While I am there, I am normally cheeky and <br />
invite myself to lunch! His wife Louise does the best lunches! ;)<br />
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1:30pm - Back home now and I start wrenching, which cars this is depends on <br />
my schedule and forth coming races. Lately I have been wrenching on my Mugen <br />
MBX6 EU as the 8th scale worlds are fast approaching and I am trying to get <br />
the maximum track time available in this torrid English weather!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When he is not winning at 10th scale, he races 8th with the 'big lads'</td></tr>
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3:30pm -Still Wrenching.... music pumping out of my Beat box ;)</div>
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5:30pm - At 5.00pm I collect Liz from work and then Scott from his <br />
Grandparents, then I will head home, family in toe and start to make dinner <br />
(yes, I'm the cook!). While Liz would normally bath Scott ready for bed.<br />
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7:30pm - After eating dinner, playing with the boy and giving him his night <br />
time bottle we will get him to sleep, hopefully for the whole night!<br />
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9:30pm - If I have lots of work on, I'm normally in the office again after Liz goes to sleep. If not then I'm talking to the eastern side of the world with regards to LMR products or one of my sponsors with development parts in mind.<br />
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11:30pm - SLEEP!!!!!<br />
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1:30am - you wish!<br />
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It serves as a healthy reminder that no matter what somebody does for their living or social enjoyment, there is always a bigger picture to consider. Imagine the pressure of being at the top of your sport every single day and also having a family to look after and everything else thrown in there for good measure. Lee is a real gent when you meet him and the thing that always strikes me about Lee Martin as a person is, no matter how stressed the situation is, no matter how busy his racing or other life commitments are, he will always spare you some time for a chat and some words of advice. A real professional. Well done Lee.</div>
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To stay up to date with all of Lee's racing developments visit: <a href="http://www.l-m-racing.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.l-m-racing.co.uk</a><br />
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team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-59515825099856326462012-10-19T13:31:00.001+00:002012-10-20T10:07:09.818+00:00Rudebits DB1 - Toy envy for racers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After nearly a week of tinkering with my new Rudebits DB1 buggy, and also one trip to a local club meeting to run the car on carpet, I am really happy to announce that as far as being pleased with the new buggy.....well that may be a slight understatement!<br />
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I can't remember what my first ever toy was as a child, but I can remember many of the treasured items that I clung to night and day some 30 years ago when I was a knee-high 'rugrat'. I recall spending hours of my childhood sitting playing with Matchbox cars and building racing tracks out of Lego bricks. I also remember the feeling of wonderment when I first laid eyes on the Tamiya Boomerang buggy that my father built for me when we shared our first RC experiences all those years ago. As children, we all find a truly enigmatic pleasure in the simple toys, the hours of playful distraction, and the imagination that is prompted by these early learning objects. We can also relate to the times we saw other children playing, and they had that toy that you always wanted...the one toy that would make your world...or so we thought at the age of 6. We will call it 'Toy Envy'<br />
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The day I clapped eyes on the Rudebits DB1 I was consumed with 'Toy Envy'. It really was that 'Gotta have it' feeling that as grown adults we are all so familiar with being around RC as a sport. I think anybody who loves the smaller scale of motor sport would agree when I say that shiny new toys, especially ones that look as cool as the Rudebits DB1 become not just a coveted object of desire, but a real method of time travel back to our childhood years. The DB1 is futuristic compared to the play things of the 1980's, but it conjures up a level of exclusive desire that can only be likened to that one thing we all experience at some stage in our lives....TOY ENVY!<br />
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OK, misty reminiscence aside...I mean this is an article about an off-road buggy not my philosophical ramblings about childhood folks! ;) I was really keen to take my lovingly built DB1 and try it out on carpet, as my only experience of driving the car so far was on astro-turf at Silverstone Winter Series last weekend. I packed my full size car and headed over to see my old friends at Telford Hot Trax in the West Midlands. The club has recently relocated to a rather nice new venue and I was yet to race in the realms of this fresh new location. On arrival I was met with the usual smiles and banter from my club mates, including a few sharp jokes about if I had got 'The Rolls Royce' with me! I thought it would be a fitting way to 'break the car into' its first carpet meeting by spending some time with the guys at Hot Trax, as without the support they have all shown me over the last few years, I just would never have had the confidence to do what I do. Good start then.<br />
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I had spent the first part of this week adding a few little shiny bits to my new weapon!, and not just for aesthetic purposes...honest. I had taken my lead from David 'DB' Burton by adding a lovely DMS Partz rear carbon Lazer ZX shock tower. This upgraded tower is 4mm thick and beautifully created to sit perfectly where the stock plastic version is taken off. This causes no change in geometry as the DMS version benefits from all the same mounting positions and structural lines as the stock part. I had also added some new aluminium 3 Racing rear camber link plates that once again do away with the plastic versions that sit at the base of the rear shock tower mount. I had already pulled a ball stud out of both a rear hub carrier and the rear camber link mount at Silverstone, so this upgrade was not just for the 'bling of it' as they say.<br />
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Other than these few upgrades and a quick turn down on my motor timing, the buggy hit the Hot Trax carpet track exactly as it had left Silverstone the weekend prior. Straight away I could tell that my 6.5T motor combined with the unbelievable direct prop shaft driven system in my DB1 would prove to be a real animal in such a small environment. If I had planned better for this mid-week meeting I would have switched to my 7.5T motor and even geared the buggy down a little. It literally tried to eat the carpet for supper!! The DB1 is not a car that struggles with finding forwards traction at the best of times, and some careful throttle feathering was required to tease the potent motor and gearing combination around the small twisting track. But HOLD ON A MINUTE!!!! That is not exactly the whole truth.....as I ran my first few laps of my qualifying round I was suddenly struck with how much the DB1 was actually doing for me. Although my motor was a little lively for such a tight track, the DB1 just drove as if it was attached to rails!. After about 5 laps I found that I could put the buggy into corners tighter than anything else I have driven without fear of grip roll, or worse still...the dreaded under steer syndrome. I just pointed the buggy at the apex and around it went! Now to put this in perspective, our track at Telford Hot Trax is always tight and winding. It always makes for challenging driving even for the lads who run micro scale cars. The DB1 just giggled at the difficult lefts and rights. It exited corners with a little puff of rear tyre dust and as soon as I needed opposite lock....it surrendered in a calm and easy to handle fashion. It liked the carpet a lot.<br />
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Although I did experience some trouble with a faulty sensor cable, the DB1 just soaked up the twisting high grip track as if it was shouting "Go on...gimme some!!", and that is what is so strangely addictive about the DB1 as a product. When you drive the car and forget all the hype about science and price tag and national A final drivers, and Kyosho donor cars etc etc....when you just focus on just driving the buggy....you are slapped clean in the face with the realisation that in the hands of us mere mortals, it just seems like nothing can faze it. It often feels like the car is taunting you to push it even harder as it gracefully navigates around the apex of the bend. Then it sometimes feels like it is blowing a little raspberry at you as it glides past the rostrum mid-air as it did at Silverstone. It is cheeky, resolute, mature, and even a little sexy at times. Just when you think that you can't exit the corner as you intended, the DB1 brings you through it like a bottle of Night Nurse during the cold winter months! and as it went around the club track on Wednesday night, I realised that David Burton, Tony Evdoka, and Kevin Lee have worked together to give the DB1 something that is hard to achieve in today's world....a personality. The DB1 has stacks of grip, heaps of front end steering, really clean poise over bumpy sections, and is as fast as hell in the straights. Even in the hands of a very shaky racer such as me...it just feels safe. But the really wonderful thing that the DB1 does every single lap is that it makes you smile :), and why do we race folks? to have fun and smile. If the DB1 achieves nothing more than that, then I think the people who have created it can be very proud.<br />
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'Toy Envy' is what I felt before I owned and drove the Rudebits DB1, and now, after a few hours behind the sticks? well now I realise that if the guys responsible for this really exciting car had one thing on their mind when they began creating the concept...it was to make racing better for all those who come into contact with the car. The DB1 is fun, it definitely is fast, but most of all it is a buggy that seems to wink at you when you turn around and catch a glimpse of it like a cheeky child who has just been caught with his hand in the biscuit tin. Rudebits have certainly offered something to off-road RC racing that is difficult to find...a product that does live up to the hype...and then some.<br />
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To get your hands on your very own Rudebits DB1 visit: <a href="http://www.rudebits.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.rudebits.co.uk</a><br />
For a full list of DB1 spares and many other cool off-road items visit: <a href="http://www.insidelineracing.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.insidelineracing.co.uk</a><br />
To learn even more about the Rudebits DB1 visit oOple's Kyosho section here <a href="http://www.oople.com/" target="_blank">www.oople.com</a>team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-12501857948329090882012-10-16T14:55:00.000+00:002012-10-16T15:05:35.965+00:00Rudebits DB1 - First time on the track<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Those of you who follow my articles each week will already be aware that I have recently been building my very own off-road rocket in the shape of the new Rudebits DB1 2wd buggy. After many hours of building, tweaking, soldering, and chin scratching...the beast was ready for action.<br />
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My first outing with the already hugely successful DB1 was to be with some old friends down at the Silverstone Model Car Club Winter Astro Series..Round 1 to be specific. I have always loved the Moulton College venue since my first visit and I was really excited to be returning to this really well run club to see how my rather shiny investment would fair.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 days before I got to Silverstone Model Car Club!</td></tr>
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Now first things first, let me just put some points in very clear focus for you all. I am not, and for that matter never will be, a 'top quality' driver. I often realise that considering the high profile races I find myself at, I am at best very average when it comes to putting the buggy around the track. I experience a syndrome that many of my readers will relate to when I explain it. For 2 or 3 minutes of any given race I am really happy with how I drive. I hit the apex, I jump really straight, I enter my corner lines nicely and exit as I intended to. Now for the other remaining 2 or 3 minutes I am...well...what is the best way to translate this?....CRAP! ;). My laps are scrappy, my cornering lacks consistent lines, my track positioning is worse than if I was racing with my eyes closed and when I fire the car down the back straight it would be wise for spectators and marshals to duck for cover. In other words my driving skills are extremely inconsistent. O.K, now we have cleared up those public admittances of my skill level, which if I am honest, takes a strong constitution to type out loud lol, we can carry on with the story. To wit....<br />
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I arrived at Moulton with my racing partner and fellow off-road nutcase the venerable Mr David Williams at 7:00am. Practice was scheduled to start at 7:20am so we were already close to 'go time' as they say. We settled into the pits and began to get the cars ready for their first few laps. Just so you all are aware, David is also running the DB1 this winter and he had even less time than me to get the buggy built with his work and family commitments only giving him 5 hours to get the car ready from complete scratch! The pit area was buzzing with lots of familiar faces and some new ones to add to the cool dynamic of the event. As far as a 'Baptism of Fire' goes...this race meeting would see us running the DB1 in front of not only National podium regular Kevin Lee but also DB1 designer and top honcho David Burton!!...no pressure then folks?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David 'DB1' Burton works on his Rudebits DB1 buggy at Silverstone</td></tr>
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As I put my car down on the edge of the beautiful Silverstone astro track I was hard pushed to imagine exactly what to expect. My buggy had still been in bits less than 8 hours prior to this moment, and although we all know the car is fast as hell in the hands of the likes of Elliot Boots and Kev Lee, it was really hard to predict what would happen with 'old shaky thumbs' here. Well....as I slowly settled into my first few practice laps I began to fully understand exactly what all the hype was about. This was not just another 2wd mid motor buggy! not by a long shot.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJxzP6J9H1MLvzstHJ5o_aAdqaIZjw7_60rxp8QsQofdKqPbmNYz7AiI1Vfh0G5c2MSaAqO1PIhxnf-2r06XzEO9YIOKChGLIpBMkYHVvJEHO7_foGTW9_uP7r-ItIKaraI6xPEJMcWM/s1600/db1topbatt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJxzP6J9H1MLvzstHJ5o_aAdqaIZjw7_60rxp8QsQofdKqPbmNYz7AiI1Vfh0G5c2MSaAqO1PIhxnf-2r06XzEO9YIOKChGLIpBMkYHVvJEHO7_foGTW9_uP7r-ItIKaraI6xPEJMcWM/s1600/db1topbatt.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had spent some time getting my wires neat...well for my usual standards anyway :) </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After I exited turn 6 of my second lap I was consumed by the feeling that no matter what my poor driving skills or the track itself threw at this car, it would laugh it off and just stay controlled and planted through the duration of any action. The buggy was so smooth during corners that I found myself able to hold the throttle further forwards and consequently was exiting corners straighter and faster than I had ever done so before. The DB1 soaked up the 'rumble' sections of the track and made very easy work of any elevation changes including the rather steep 'Wall of Death' that the club had erected to challenge the racers lap times. I came down from the rostrum with a rather large grin spread across my face and found myself still grinning after I left my marshal point some 5 minutes later.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVN2rWAizgFFD41LXjd8WKtGqlHozQwhfvMOs1JT0rhzRUv-7Qp2BcpBRDP2vEhOVugUtzRz76kIZWfIPoBAFnVfPXKn8YSpWErnUJijuxsimHYOOVTH5O9E15b6FmdRiaZJ4gWhdDhY/s1600/RudeBitsRC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="47" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVN2rWAizgFFD41LXjd8WKtGqlHozQwhfvMOs1JT0rhzRUv-7Qp2BcpBRDP2vEhOVugUtzRz76kIZWfIPoBAFnVfPXKn8YSpWErnUJijuxsimHYOOVTH5O9E15b6FmdRiaZJ4gWhdDhY/s1600/RudeBitsRC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The DB1 continued for the next 5 hours of racing to provide me with what was the safest and most satisfying racing I have ever experienced. My laps became more consistent. I pushed the car harder than I have ever felt confident doing before, and I was even stringing together several clean laps where I could relax and focus more on my racing line rather than wrestling the buggy in and out of every corner I met. I ran the 'stock' set-up that was perfected by Kev Lee with one exception, both my car and Dave's had been built using big bore Kyosho shocks and not the preferred slim bores that the rest of the team use. Most team drivers I has spoken with prior to the event had commented that the big bore shocks gave the DB1 "much safer handling characteristics" and that sounded good as this would be the first time I was running the new buggy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmlah0iQqO2zvnDJBmPOmkiDgNBWLtEEOyQYcKUBFT22sX2r7zSvFmw5vmrM9RHWv4R04BiBxxsNN3P2faxFzVbEY9528NpFb1DzJlzpAVeICV6yJqiOSCuXBTA2pNQ4m9-4JqGCh43I/s1600/IMG-20121013-01440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmlah0iQqO2zvnDJBmPOmkiDgNBWLtEEOyQYcKUBFT22sX2r7zSvFmw5vmrM9RHWv4R04BiBxxsNN3P2faxFzVbEY9528NpFb1DzJlzpAVeICV6yJqiOSCuXBTA2pNQ4m9-4JqGCh43I/s1600/IMG-20121013-01440.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 'bench mark' for us all...David Burton's buggy sits in the pits</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In summary our day concluded with us both feeling overwhelmed by the DB1. Not just because it drove so well, but also because we fully realised that there are not many manufacturers out there today who will have the head designer sat next to you in the pits giving you the benefit of his wealth of knowledge. David Burton and Kev Lee both assisted all the DB1 drivers on Saturday with tips and sound advice making the whole experience so much more enjoyable. Tony Evdoka from Rudebits was not at the Silverstone meeting, but his tireless efforts and wonderful enthusiasm prior to the event gave me so much confidence with regards the build of my DB1.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqKigpa2ZqRBNFCBT9RoJSuz_t8WWN9XuvRDWIldBuePgQS68TGzYaGFuDMFsyJ9Pf8QNTj5tTz2_Fnw0IAmcDWhncHhHZbUsmjt-8pIq-zxcdMNsibOhMSUIOVDumK0aJfItWLc1ij24/s1600/db1logo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqKigpa2ZqRBNFCBT9RoJSuz_t8WWN9XuvRDWIldBuePgQS68TGzYaGFuDMFsyJ9Pf8QNTj5tTz2_Fnw0IAmcDWhncHhHZbUsmjt-8pIq-zxcdMNsibOhMSUIOVDumK0aJfItWLc1ij24/s1600/db1logo2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I am so excited to be running this buggy for the winter season. It was such a wonderful feeling to lift the buggy off the track and feel like it was a product that really does live up to the media hype, even in the hands of a lesser driver such as myself. I am confident that the buggy will not only improve my racing skills but also provide me with many hours of pleasure as I work on maintaining the car. Kyosho parts, Rudebits carbon, perfect combination in my eyes...roll on Wednesday night as my DB1 takes to the carpet at my local club for the second race meeting since it was built...I can not wait! :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD1ZUfTWXnQ4_fzxhPNoA8ko-g-5hYjQXfYTBAgshcCePpIgQR2EL2p-Pki2aueZekUqogNuyrUEbxqN1gSgGG5ZzgF-iNu2ykJBVjtBFkpN4oX9dghHI3V6cDZ8Xs7jPpJuOZvrcKcLo/s1600/ILR+Sticker+Logo+with+orange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD1ZUfTWXnQ4_fzxhPNoA8ko-g-5hYjQXfYTBAgshcCePpIgQR2EL2p-Pki2aueZekUqogNuyrUEbxqN1gSgGG5ZzgF-iNu2ykJBVjtBFkpN4oX9dghHI3V6cDZ8Xs7jPpJuOZvrcKcLo/s1600/ILR+Sticker+Logo+with+orange.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Stay tuned for more DB1 news and reviews over the coming months folks.<br />
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To learn more about the Rudebits DB1 buggy conversion kit visit <a href="http://www.rudebits.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.rudebits.co.uk</a><br />
To see what Kevin Lee and Inside Line Racing have new in stock visit <a href="http://www.insidelineracing.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.insidelineracing.co.uk</a>team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-3308409366932676832012-10-15T13:47:00.001+00:002012-10-15T13:47:36.777+00:00New address, same quality content<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeA7iY3caF58Z5PLeCz4lj6mdKVnYh9LWTTrCcuW_3pluQa2cHtKv2QaBCa_7zgKOS21M4ROMmnbU8n_pkCWHYqICy4CDM1Mk5qTThkb1XinnahzrJx6dXMtD76Ouf_X91bfo-aYlOPfM/s1600/Fast_Computer_op_800x524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeA7iY3caF58Z5PLeCz4lj6mdKVnYh9LWTTrCcuW_3pluQa2cHtKv2QaBCa_7zgKOS21M4ROMmnbU8n_pkCWHYqICy4CDM1Mk5qTThkb1XinnahzrJx6dXMtD76Ouf_X91bfo-aYlOPfM/s400/Fast_Computer_op_800x524.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I am really happy to give all my readers the news that the blog address for ORRC is now a little easier to remember and share with your racing friends and beyond. We can now be found at www.orrcuk.com<br />
Simple and a lot easier to scribble on your friends pit mat at the next race meeting :)<br />
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Just so you all are aware, any existing links to the articles on ORRC are still active and if you are feeling a little 'old school' you can still get here by using the older address www.offroadradiocontrol.blogspot.com<br />
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For those of you who like the new address then enjoy getting here much quicker. Thanks to you all for the ongoing support and stay tuned for some really awesome updates later this week.team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-70384952840620089142012-10-09T10:57:00.002+00:002012-10-09T12:27:32.928+00:00Race time over at ORRC - Cannon fodder?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_BUWMWu1ie2dMdlix1fHlyK5h5-GZ4POmbLUNrjkClyUTXbcjdDetGXTjJOlnNxVlsfDea3y4UsrMQYntqd3zaXO69RS9UCF5MH3ReXJJXWLSumPz6X3IenTeQ_p0c1I_IrogAf0NXw/s1600/sausagedograce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_BUWMWu1ie2dMdlix1fHlyK5h5-GZ4POmbLUNrjkClyUTXbcjdDetGXTjJOlnNxVlsfDea3y4UsrMQYntqd3zaXO69RS9UCF5MH3ReXJJXWLSumPz6X3IenTeQ_p0c1I_IrogAf0NXw/s320/sausagedograce.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
We are a little excited over at ORRC HQ. The main reason for our collective excitement is that this Saturday we are set to arrive at the wonderful Silverstone Model Car Club venue in Moulton, Northamptonshire. We are about to begin an eagerly anticipated series of indoor astro races down at our favourite 'out of town' venue.<br />
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Our current excitement levels have been doubled by the fact that this, the first race meeting of the winter season, will see both myself and the 'one man off-road army' known as David Williams, running our brand spanking new Rudebits/Kyosho DB1 cars. We have spent some considerable time building and setting up these lovely carbon beasts and just can not wait to get them around the beautiful track down at Silverstone. Our last trip down the M6 saw both of us winning our respective finals and we all agree that as far as a quality race meeting with really friendly people and brilliant facilities, you can not go far wrong at Moulton College. The Silverstone club guys are real experts as far as running professional and exciting events and we really enjoy seeing some old friends who we struggle to collide with on a weekly basis.<br />
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The cars are ready, the route is planned, I have stocked up on savoury snacks, and Dave has spent nearly 3 days planning his attack of the first corner. We are really looking forward to seeing how the DB1 handles in our shaky hands. Our thanks go out to everybody who has supported us over the long wet summer. Let the racing commence...well the crashing and mending to be more precise. Either way we can promise a rip roaring day of laughter and fun. Hold on to your lipos folks.....Avit!! :) <br />
<br />team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-28488876443381030732012-10-08T13:40:00.003+00:002012-10-08T13:48:48.327+00:00Everything but the kitchen sink! - Hauler bags feature<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgukevG1EcsLw_Lwjsj9v-RYP_l398CYre2cJf3tYa4j5NPFjpen1Oz3sFUC7efndfGM8zip3BMke-znQAB81m0EDHh1nBZrBHIfXBbGryCLnMtKyOr6sDZU0OK4LHpp8eUkf58CKFCnRw/s1600/overloaded_truck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgukevG1EcsLw_Lwjsj9v-RYP_l398CYre2cJf3tYa4j5NPFjpen1Oz3sFUC7efndfGM8zip3BMke-znQAB81m0EDHh1nBZrBHIfXBbGryCLnMtKyOr6sDZU0OK4LHpp8eUkf58CKFCnRw/s400/overloaded_truck.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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There is no doubt that all of us need a safe and easy way to transport our lovingly prepared and expensive racing gear to the track. Over the years there have been some really inventive ways that racers have adapted bags and trolley systems from many other walks of life to assist them with taking all their gear from the workshop to the race meeting, although some will testify that a slightly 'Steptoe and Son' look was mainly achieved ;).<br />
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Well today we are presented with a wonderful selection of purpose made hauler bags and RC carry systems that make this task so much easier...and also allow us all to look good whilst doing it ;) With most racers wanting to carry ALL of their gear 'Just in case' then it seems logical that the larger and more robust carry systems out there are going to become even more popular. If you find yourself shouting 'Aviiiiit!!!' as you attempt to carry your buggy and pit gear down the stairs at home, then I am sure you may want to take a closer look at a few of these lovely examples.<br />
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Check out a few of my favourite hauler bags that are currently out there folks. Each one I have selected has been chosen due to their high quality build and practical usage of space...oh, and some also look rather cool as well. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiySgib6rYd0xTtuYuNluGLexDRNnA0SMo2NrRgmniHa7TGuWF47hDwJYQ3nKmXe1_Q4hlQn8X5W-XNEKjxtqZO874qKbv7gd91zuF6lUCqiEs-3Gdw4Pa1CSp6vJypBHEE1GsbyWeM3oE/s1600/rehaulerbag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiySgib6rYd0xTtuYuNluGLexDRNnA0SMo2NrRgmniHa7TGuWF47hDwJYQ3nKmXe1_Q4hlQn8X5W-XNEKjxtqZO874qKbv7gd91zuF6lUCqiEs-3Gdw4Pa1CSp6vJypBHEE1GsbyWeM3oE/s320/rehaulerbag.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Racing Experience Hauler Bag from www.insidelineracing.co.uk</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYD71GjD7KGvx8ULPt6nNcJmlFgpA9FyHJMLZziqdafRAGqx_WhgR-yIGUhnSW7CWlrN7KqTuV-3Rx4jMPSkSTdIKZlxEMYXiwiNxSmdWhT2EWMuZ9-R6-hyftwkn1Vup52hdeUjtEGI/s1600/racersedgehauler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYD71GjD7KGvx8ULPt6nNcJmlFgpA9FyHJMLZziqdafRAGqx_WhgR-yIGUhnSW7CWlrN7KqTuV-3Rx4jMPSkSTdIKZlxEMYXiwiNxSmdWhT2EWMuZ9-R6-hyftwkn1Vup52hdeUjtEGI/s320/racersedgehauler.jpg" width="314" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Racers Edge Hauler Bag from <span class="tl"><span class="link">www.racers-edge.com</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I have picked some examples that are a little different to the 'main stream' choices out there as I am sure you would all agree that it is sometimes nice to explore either lesser known brands or slightly rarer choices. If any of you are like me, I like to dig around and find things that are a little special when it comes to my RC gear.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjK_dsFfhryVuj3ET7-TIsiHWzibvGVvuG2GhOnQdXN5PTx0DZPUFU9uAYueHS8mjv8kAQmnRZdOgO4gfsua2Xs6XL7YdueYN-LNQ2MywiAAl_scrpMJX8n7ii5l8kJwH4yscxYlSQ7jQ/s1600/hobao-mega-hauler-pit-bag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjK_dsFfhryVuj3ET7-TIsiHWzibvGVvuG2GhOnQdXN5PTx0DZPUFU9uAYueHS8mjv8kAQmnRZdOgO4gfsua2Xs6XL7YdueYN-LNQ2MywiAAl_scrpMJX8n7ii5l8kJwH4yscxYlSQ7jQ/s320/hobao-mega-hauler-pit-bag.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hobao Mega Hauler from www.wheelspinmodels.co.uk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1H8aQU6Q11TkLPkPHGeXFp0Km0oWRgIQwVT6WLjTzjIrEpMv-xjrzH1riggu5PWMw4BKJsse073nH9_4aQl6Z8K7QMqfLcg9QF-eUvWpkT6dK2vsPDt3jj8c6zma1KESAb4zgiT3E7bc/s1600/KyoshoPitBag-nova.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1H8aQU6Q11TkLPkPHGeXFp0Km0oWRgIQwVT6WLjTzjIrEpMv-xjrzH1riggu5PWMw4BKJsse073nH9_4aQl6Z8K7QMqfLcg9QF-eUvWpkT6dK2vsPDt3jj8c6zma1KESAb4zgiT3E7bc/s320/KyoshoPitBag-nova.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kyosho Nova Hauler collection from www.insidelineracing.co.uk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPYNNMlWm_XaW6a6OAAvRlYM5z4NnGmu5XwjS1uC2CzlmFWuDwnowywSXX4tg-Lh5Z2ib_K7bHwHrhP67DS3jyLoaGbSX-IsJuyulRE1pltW3ahDeJCv1pKSxIBE9iJZfOKEzR7SrKhs0/s1600/team+c+hauler+bag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPYNNMlWm_XaW6a6OAAvRlYM5z4NnGmu5XwjS1uC2CzlmFWuDwnowywSXX4tg-Lh5Z2ib_K7bHwHrhP67DS3jyLoaGbSX-IsJuyulRE1pltW3ahDeJCv1pKSxIBE9iJZfOKEzR7SrKhs0/s320/team+c+hauler+bag.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team C Hauler Bag (sorry but this is a beeeeast!!) from www.teamcracing.net</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While we are at it I thought it would also be nice to take a look at some of the coolest pit mats out there. Again, some different examples from the 'yawning normals' here for you folks. Some of these are so nice I would gladly eat my tea off them let alone get shock oil all over their lovely surfaces!!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTXRhXE_XwEApxaZMrvgIMQXp0H1QBDSMcaPJPE4jn9F837Qda9VW9tB7VUL_hldAPqWypfcxfmjmk-5CdhEzg0dt-7Gd039SwrskqX9dBns5yMjlxhyX04c3YYOHKJLSRn9b_X_s1PQ/s1600/upgradercpitmats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTXRhXE_XwEApxaZMrvgIMQXp0H1QBDSMcaPJPE4jn9F837Qda9VW9tB7VUL_hldAPqWypfcxfmjmk-5CdhEzg0dt-7Gd039SwrskqX9dBns5yMjlxhyX04c3YYOHKJLSRn9b_X_s1PQ/s320/upgradercpitmats.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Upgrade RC pit mat from www.wheelkspinmodels.co.uk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAacpeYn6mGDcw4j8bjUWKfKmG_koyPia5x8CbnDJ8nRLU5Kx-dNi66sP8PNeIwK9UkEJcRkLLpDp2uQWF41eZP7N4FxqWBBKBkyeN5RquYIz6x87_a3JBgEN7U4AJX-X8Eja4ABzcg0/s1600/mmsweeppitmat-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAacpeYn6mGDcw4j8bjUWKfKmG_koyPia5x8CbnDJ8nRLU5Kx-dNi66sP8PNeIwK9UkEJcRkLLpDp2uQWF41eZP7N4FxqWBBKBkyeN5RquYIz6x87_a3JBgEN7U4AJX-X8Eja4ABzcg0/s320/mmsweeppitmat-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Much More 'Sweep' pit mat from www.pitwork.co.kr</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7fS_h2CoqnCsUdvNrn-qiqLeJ6nWRcWoLxffePkYol7HmdgPwyC6z19RZJl0WpiYJtvy1aA1t9MIDh4b5xKldjmuQXQYrEnxzeXfMzZkVE7cQB68CIYvkBfzw4fpDgIjUiNbfKbrGeY/s1600/xceed+Schaumgummipit+mat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7fS_h2CoqnCsUdvNrn-qiqLeJ6nWRcWoLxffePkYol7HmdgPwyC6z19RZJl0WpiYJtvy1aA1t9MIDh4b5xKldjmuQXQYrEnxzeXfMzZkVE7cQB68CIYvkBfzw4fpDgIjUiNbfKbrGeY/s320/xceed+Schaumgummipit+mat.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xceed 'Schaumgummi' pit mat from Xceed Rc products</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNo7wxP91KwqCqIi6A1KIj7iV2mSjQJfrTOnIjHf7moMfKW77sZaFEXrvYQpzzNKXgNTnoERqQIVIclQt7lGPC9jvNK9d8rNkxW0N_D4karFWX8uIvGf-MfjsAahIyibBIGF7jlKiB1E/s1600/lmrpitmat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNo7wxP91KwqCqIi6A1KIj7iV2mSjQJfrTOnIjHf7moMfKW77sZaFEXrvYQpzzNKXgNTnoERqQIVIclQt7lGPC9jvNK9d8rNkxW0N_D4karFWX8uIvGf-MfjsAahIyibBIGF7jlKiB1E/s320/lmrpitmat.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LMR Rubber pit mat from www.l-m-racing.co.uk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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So there we go! No excuses for not getting your gear in good order for the upcoming winter months. I will keep you all posted as my search for the perfect pit accessories continues very soon.team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-69255052344074672202012-09-28T11:18:00.000+00:002012-09-28T14:53:58.696+00:00LMR Signed goodies competition - Lee Martin off-road legend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2lDYwbLquZmlgI5il6JVyKjCJ7z1W5j9c9bjs-2liozDZCsPQYPLew-KcvrkGIIkLoR9TduSZIqFUjlMiS7BmWKOoiMZ1SYsEWgDMrshLj5Bmy9fLkjRsB_kuTUXPFv_TrG79N8qdXk/s1600/LMR+Jpeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2lDYwbLquZmlgI5il6JVyKjCJ7z1W5j9c9bjs-2liozDZCsPQYPLew-KcvrkGIIkLoR9TduSZIqFUjlMiS7BmWKOoiMZ1SYsEWgDMrshLj5Bmy9fLkjRsB_kuTUXPFv_TrG79N8qdXk/s1600/LMR+Jpeg.jpg" /></a></div>
I am so excited to release news of the next ORRC competition folks! This week we have a super exclusive set of prizes for my readers to have a crack at winning. Lee Martin, one of the U.K's most decorated off-road racing stars, has hand created a wonderful collection of signed accessories from his LMR range of products. Now who could turn down the chance to own a piece of radio control history?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Fh3MtArOoRTei3oyuoytc6hTa8EEZZRLbAj3r_qlWpGWtw_2e0GEMUF4hNscvfu8xVdrd2zxUWL0t_hBtsmuyiFcYosZIkd2LgBSSgnvfy0HMD55Ps-wzOFUHzehRcLA4z-eNVBHEg4/s1600/lmrpresscomp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Fh3MtArOoRTei3oyuoytc6hTa8EEZZRLbAj3r_qlWpGWtw_2e0GEMUF4hNscvfu8xVdrd2zxUWL0t_hBtsmuyiFcYosZIkd2LgBSSgnvfy0HMD55Ps-wzOFUHzehRcLA4z-eNVBHEg4/s320/lmrpresscomp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lee has signed a small collection of items and has kindly made them available for all ORRC readers. There are 3 prizes in the following order:<br />
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1st Prize - LMR 'Electra' buggy wing signed by Lee<br />
LMR ride height gauge signed by Lee<br />
LMR motor mount screw kit signed by Lee<br />
LMR wing skin sticker set in purple<br />
LMR mini decal sheets x 3<br />
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2nd Prize - LMR 'Electra' buggy wing signed by Lee<br />
LMR motor mount screw kit signed by Lee<br />
LMR mini decal sheet x 2<br />
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3rd Prize - LMR 'Electra' buggy wing signed by Lee<br />
LMR mini decal sheet x 1<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhHmkcjp8Gi6DaKVNxzKR1fwPK_MKkqcVxfk0zx22ZMgXIP7aYaMWAugzQSI6fr0Phyaf2v9YrkjjRFP_W4D_sP5hdKyo7uw-NsuKYLDVw0C1g-1UbBRJ7Ln2A1saNH7PyOWXqUqU6KQ/s1600/lmrpresscomp+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhHmkcjp8Gi6DaKVNxzKR1fwPK_MKkqcVxfk0zx22ZMgXIP7aYaMWAugzQSI6fr0Phyaf2v9YrkjjRFP_W4D_sP5hdKyo7uw-NsuKYLDVw0C1g-1UbBRJ7Ln2A1saNH7PyOWXqUqU6KQ/s320/lmrpresscomp+(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning one of these truly unique prizes is answer the following question by sending your answer to styleft@hotmail.co.uk......then pop over to the oOple thread and post the words 'LMR Rules' to let us all know that you have entered - <a href="http://www.oople.com/forums/showthread.php?p=698826#post698826" target="_blank">oOple LMR thread</a><br />
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<b>Question:</b><span style="font-size: large;"> <b><span style="font-size: small;">What was the name of the now discontinued University research based racing manufacturer that Lee martin used to race for?</span></b></span> (Tip: Click this oOple manufacturer link for a cheeky way to help your answer: <a href="http://www.oople.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=30" target="_blank">answer on oOple</a> )<br />
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I will draw for the 3 prizes out of all the correct entries on Thursday the 4th October so stay tuned over at <a href="http://www.oople.com/" target="_blank">www.oople.com</a><br />
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Good luck and stay tuned for the next competition shortly...they just keep getting cooler!! :) <br />
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<br />team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-5592607510030179122012-09-20T11:43:00.000+00:002012-09-20T12:04:28.131+00:00Inside Line Competition goes live<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESxydZmHudzQXxVmM27vNrKH9Q-dm9KvuzI2gvCCjNucPA_aTmcI7aDrDqy7rr3ulNoMqrq4Y2Tu8_Zo_sM0iJkQunAqB_GGqApe4BPUKpwljX4a25b6L_sDcUFlIe88qmEKWL2eY1po/s1600/insidelinelogooriginal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESxydZmHudzQXxVmM27vNrKH9Q-dm9KvuzI2gvCCjNucPA_aTmcI7aDrDqy7rr3ulNoMqrq4Y2Tu8_Zo_sM0iJkQunAqB_GGqApe4BPUKpwljX4a25b6L_sDcUFlIe88qmEKWL2eY1po/s320/insidelinelogooriginal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Welcome to the first official Inside Line Racing and ORRC competition folks!! This is set to be a really awesome opportunity for every reader of my blog to be in with a chance of winning a set of the brand new Orion saddle packs pictured below. These super cool carbon hard-case lipos benefit from a whopping 90c discharge rate and carry a very useful 5500mah. Perfect for those racers who want the very highest quality cells for their racing buggy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-5g_tkPAqk4eReUH0eC9hB_4gYHqPVQ0UYjKScU-T7QZOvwztRo6bwXyaiNQPFF33XgkhRw3q7r6izWQNGrKMMru5OnDbkOR7K-BUDH7zsAAiWAPVxa5MEptlGr-svvoOYetGyFLq6E/s1600/orion+5500mahsaddles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-5g_tkPAqk4eReUH0eC9hB_4gYHqPVQ0UYjKScU-T7QZOvwztRo6bwXyaiNQPFF33XgkhRw3q7r6izWQNGrKMMru5OnDbkOR7K-BUDH7zsAAiWAPVxa5MEptlGr-svvoOYetGyFLq6E/s320/orion+5500mahsaddles.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
To get in on the action is really simple. To enter the competition please follow these simple steps:<br />
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<ol>
<li>Click this link and <b>'like' </b>(if you haven't already) the Inside Line Racing page over on Facebook <a href="http://www.facebook.com/insidelineracing" target="_blank">Join here </a></li>
<li>Answer the following question by emailing your answers to styleft@hotmail.co.uk <b>How many Team Durango products are currently listed on the Inside Line Racing website?</b></li>
<li>Post the words <b>'Im In'</b> over at this oOple thread <a href="http://www.oople.com/forums/showthread.php?p=696258#post696258">oOple thread</a></li>
</ol>
After you have completed this 3 stage entry your name will be entered into a prize draw that will take place on Thursday 27th of September. The winner will be announced over on the oOple competition thread.<br />
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You MUST complete all 3 stages of this entry to be registered folks. <br />
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Good luck folks....these shiny new saddles await a new owner!! :) Go Go..... <br />
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To sneak a look at the Team Durango product list visit here: <a href="http://www.insidelineracing.co.uk/">www.insidelineracing.co.uk </a>team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-83911530781104979362012-09-10T12:20:00.000+00:002012-09-10T13:12:39.302+00:00David Burton - Exclusive interview with the man who designed the Rudebits DB1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHia31MdyAJLN3jI7zcQdMgXx2U4sYru2jPgSqNfWbIJ_fmf4zODCnFTKTdbEPQikBsrbojGonIpsdW-iCulATaMvXpg9cGeWN2tacGTi02usQ7ks33yYWr4pXIr21bM2JjdQst_igBw/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHia31MdyAJLN3jI7zcQdMgXx2U4sYru2jPgSqNfWbIJ_fmf4zODCnFTKTdbEPQikBsrbojGonIpsdW-iCulATaMvXpg9cGeWN2tacGTi02usQ7ks33yYWr4pXIr21bM2JjdQst_igBw/s200/1.jpg" width="169" /></a></div>
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It never ceases to amaze me just how much innovation there has been over the last decade in the world of off-road radio control racing. As fans of the sport, we are really spoilt for choice when it comes to investing in new kit. I recently had the pleasure of speaking with one very dedicated racer who has undoubtedly contributed to not just broadening the choice for racers who are looking to buy a new and exciting car, but has also contributed to the innovation and forward thinking approach that keeps our sport fresh and ever growing. David Burton of Team Kyosho fame was the man who designed and tested the Rudebits DB1 2wd buggy conversion before the rest of the scene got their hands on this super fast racing car. Now lets just put this into perspective for a minute. This car was designed and tested by a handful of dedicated racers, with David as chief designer...not a multi-national super brand....from the mind of 1 man...into the hands of a few top flight racers...then WHAM! straight onto the podium at National level competition...lets see what David has to say about this almost explosive rise to stardom for the concept that bares his very own initials....DB1<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC:</span> When did you first realise that you would like to design your own buggy?<br />
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<span style="color: red;">David:</span> It was at the Petit Race (Ardent Raceway) 2011 that I thought I was on to something. I was running a B4-B44 mix (similar to DB1 layout), which I won the B final with (for me that's real good). I was told that this mix had been done before - but, for whatever reason, this was never taken any further. I ran the car indoors through the winter, then tested it outdoors in the spring...but, as good as the car was indoors - it was equally as bad outdoors, so I shelved the idea. Then in 2012 I became a Kyosho driver, and as they do not have a mid-motor car, I decided it was time to get serious about designing a car that would improve my driving; help the Kyosho team, and also change the way car design is thought about in RC racing.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOqHdO9qKlZ0B5XS57mu0rg33mPdk6WWOt6UhCQD2qqKRWL4BWfHbltppe84sfJa9NNhGmhRCnVOsjxEiwnd8Bqxd1TXTD3ndjN_FqCTqTy8T2_2pKyjgQBizDm9wlv3PDgWO2IwLrRc/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOqHdO9qKlZ0B5XS57mu0rg33mPdk6WWOt6UhCQD2qqKRWL4BWfHbltppe84sfJa9NNhGmhRCnVOsjxEiwnd8Bqxd1TXTD3ndjN_FqCTqTy8T2_2pKyjgQBizDm9wlv3PDgWO2IwLrRc/s1600/9.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Development DNA</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: orange;">ORRC: </span>What is the most important element of the RC design process? Can you explain why?<br />
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<span style="color: red;">David:</span> I would say there are 4 really important aspects in the design process: 1. To design something that not only the superstars will be fast with, but also something that will improve driving standards at club level; 2. it is really important to make sure everything fits together properly when building the car; 3.what you have done in the design has been done for a reason (for optimum performance), and 4. each individual part should be produced with the highest level of quality.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgccjDMuY8Bg5-LWfyxzS_mWtTtnP8ZUq7WGcq6ZCUbxn-lWtfGUdYqWQ345GekWvw_j4qxIPfbSMO1XKNfoyO3nt4a9ydfkNWfYl7xVgYnevlMk1QrvoV-T109G1QhKL3zMFBjkAupgjY/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgccjDMuY8Bg5-LWfyxzS_mWtTtnP8ZUq7WGcq6ZCUbxn-lWtfGUdYqWQ345GekWvw_j4qxIPfbSMO1XKNfoyO3nt4a9ydfkNWfYl7xVgYnevlMk1QrvoV-T109G1QhKL3zMFBjkAupgjY/s1600/4.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The real thing! David's DB1 ready for action</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC:</span> If you had an opportunity to fuse elements of several old school classic cars together to make the ultimate RC buggy of all time, what cars would you choose and why?<br />
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<span style="color: red;">David:</span> That's really difficult...I think a Losi XX and XX4 mix would be interesting! I think both these cars, especially the XX4 were well ahead of their time, in terms of design - and would match up really well together. A bit like Brad and Angelina! <br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC:</span> When you set out to design the first parts for the DB1, what were the primary objectives and why?<br />
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<span style="color: red;">David: </span>My objective was purely to make a really fast indoor car for the winter. Because my last project (the B4-B44) was so successful indoors, and the fact that the Kyosho platform is so forgiving yet fast, I thought it would be a good opportunity to try to create a car that was totally unique.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuEY7qSf-zqgjGcv0_JF7qZJ4D7ZiuouPqXGhtBDpjmR-um-DX1BoHlg_X4rPEPGlaacpLSCdOs8bUj5WkV6CU-iiQbwEvqBqMfMS71QApZ2A6D2CN5G-WjrgBjB7lj9zgv3B-RUCdi4/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuEY7qSf-zqgjGcv0_JF7qZJ4D7ZiuouPqXGhtBDpjmR-um-DX1BoHlg_X4rPEPGlaacpLSCdOs8bUj5WkV6CU-iiQbwEvqBqMfMS71QApZ2A6D2CN5G-WjrgBjB7lj9zgv3B-RUCdi4/s1600/7.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The guts of this truly unique platform</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: orange;">ORRC:</span> The DB1 benefits from a forward motor position that is shaft driven. Can you explain to our readers the advantages of this choice?<br />
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<span style="color: red;">David:</span> The advantage of having the motor towards the front of the car is that you get lots of steering into and through the corners, while the weighted prop-shaft drives the rear with no loss of traction, enabling it to accelerate super-fast when exiting a corner - without the car getting unsettled. <br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC:</span> When you race do you come away from meetings with the desire to get straight in the workshop and begin refining design and construction models you have in progress? In other words, does racing feed your passion for engineering RC products? <br />
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<span style="color: red;">David:</span> Normally when I come home from meetings I like to spend time with my family. I have a hard working wife and 3 wonderful boys that I miss dearly when I'm away. I am an engineer by trade and a racer by heart. I am always thinking about ways of improving and redesigning current products, I don't start and I don't stop - it's just something I do! So, yes racing does feed my passion for engineering RC products, I am always thinking about what I can do next in terms of design and I am always trying to think outside the box and come up with something different to everyone else.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsA6Dh_AMii3PK4m3YG9vT2iGI5rNPUDDbEu1qnKWAHzBjFtdGZpRIFReGpPRK98s99Pe3kTnRs2yUZPCqoqzokNOCIZDSm_eKCdy7s58XT4GhzBzSgmN-k7SCVK1cPccP_DdY47NXoGY/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsA6Dh_AMii3PK4m3YG9vT2iGI5rNPUDDbEu1qnKWAHzBjFtdGZpRIFReGpPRK98s99Pe3kTnRs2yUZPCqoqzokNOCIZDSm_eKCdy7s58XT4GhzBzSgmN-k7SCVK1cPccP_DdY47NXoGY/s1600/3.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David draws strength and inspiration from his family</td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC:</span> What was the most challenging element when designing the DB1 and why?<br />
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<span style="color: red;">David:</span> The most challenging part is making the design come together, and making sure you haven't over-looked anything - you want everything you have designed to go together and look professional once it is finished. While I am always eager to design new products, I am also careful to take time to sit back and reflect on the design - and come back to it time and time again, all the while asking myself - 'can I improve on what I have done'?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRaafmd6kx3ZKjLYHCFX-UYH7QGKUsyk5k-t6Xoe8kXPmqUW32J7EdoP7W9PE3a0SZw5njgtYf-7NHNm1J1GaaWI8Bb29CI77azRjj6y0Utm4xxz1iLTlMG1muBIkvRSsOB5-hsvpQA24/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRaafmd6kx3ZKjLYHCFX-UYH7QGKUsyk5k-t6Xoe8kXPmqUW32J7EdoP7W9PE3a0SZw5njgtYf-7NHNm1J1GaaWI8Bb29CI77azRjj6y0Utm4xxz1iLTlMG1muBIkvRSsOB5-hsvpQA24/s1600/8.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every scientist needs a lab...where it all happens</td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC:</span> Are you a believer in a basic set-up for a 2wd buggy that only needs minor refinements for each track? Or do you prefer to set-up the car from scratch for each situation?<br />
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<span style="color: red;">David:</span> I believe every car has a base set-up that you only need to tweak a little to make it better in certain conditions. One of the main strengths of the DB1 is that it is pretty much the same set up everywhere. We have worked really hard to find a basic set up that works in nearly all conditions.<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC:</span> Can you explain how you came to the decision to add the brass weight around the DB1's prop shaft? Did you test many different weights or was there some 'computer science' behind the final additions? <br />
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<span style="color: red;">David:</span> My reason for this is that when I designed the B4-B44 car, it suffered from a lot of torque-steer, which made it very difficult to drive...so adding the weight to the prop-shaft of the DB1 made the transition to the rear wheels a lot smoother, in turn giving the car more traction, making it easier to drive. We are also testing different prop-shafts at the moment (watch this space!).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggg5cQV1HbKYL18M6npE156B8ITxv_9LQ3jVelM5FaYUnL9CXPhE-Czoji0M_gYHjGQApIgf0HHj9lwjcerHAg3-_HOO9x4HnXiJ36U0w3DhUqHPEtVFaNbEp4THk0zW6WuEIvajyaBd0/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggg5cQV1HbKYL18M6npE156B8ITxv_9LQ3jVelM5FaYUnL9CXPhE-Czoji0M_gYHjGQApIgf0HHj9lwjcerHAg3-_HOO9x4HnXiJ36U0w3DhUqHPEtVFaNbEp4THk0zW6WuEIvajyaBd0/s1600/5.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleek lines and a really interesting layout make the DB1 stand out even when stationary</td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC:</span> How many early development prototypes did you and the team test before you all began to feel that the design was nearing completion?<br />
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<span style="color: red;">David:</span> I built the first car and gave it to Tony Evdoka to do some testing indoors. On first impressions, we were gob-smacked at how fast it was. Tony was getting lap-times far faster with the DB1 than he could with his other 2WD car. I remember preparing the car in the boot of his estate car, bringing it in, putting it straight down to race - then at the end of the race, taking it back to the boot of his car to swap it back to his other 2WD car (trying to keep our design under wraps). We then built 2 other cars (one for me and one for Kevin Lee) - and went testing behind closed doors - this time, though, we tested outdoors on high grip astro-turf. Straight away we were getting lap times with the DB1 a lot faster than our other 2WD car. We worked together to make some improvements - and with Kyosho's backing, we decided the car was ready to be launched. All-in-all it took about 6 weeks to get to the stage where we were happy for the car to be released. <br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC: </span>We are all aware that many manufacturers have switched to using aluminium chassis materials for a strong but stiff construction. Can you explain why you chose carbon for the DB1 chassis? Was it purely a decision based on torsion flex properties?<br />
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<span style="color: red;">David:</span> The car has top decks so we decided to use carbon fibre for the main chassis. Using carbon fibre allows you to tune the car better, because it is lighter - and if desired, you can add weight in where you feel you may benefit from it (and it also looks the dogs dangleys)!<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC:</span> What part of the DB1's design are you most proud of and why that specific piece of engineering?<br />
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<span style="color: red;">David:</span> To be honest, there's not one individual aspect of the car that I am proud the most - I am really proud of the whole car - the way it performs and looks has exceeded all expectations. It looks so sleek, due to its low centre of gravity. I am really proud of the team who have worked alongside me to make the car the success it is today - without them it would not have been possible. <br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC:</span> When you race 2wd is there a favourite style of track you favour? Did this preference play a part in the DB1 development process?<br />
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<span style="color: red;">David:</span> I prefer to race on astroturf type tracks, that are high-grip, fast and following (TORCH, Silverstone, Stotfold). The DB1 was designed with high-grip in mind, as most of the UK tracks are astroturf or grass...but even in wet conditions, as we proved at TORCH regional (taking the top 4 positions), the DB1 is also good in low grip (wet conditions).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEi1EYZph3cubJbQGFcyJRHUPqeA8jX5trIrcVWrfru-L7ehx4YwdYex5Dnhlxds2NkH2y1_5-67j6effErypNMqLlTu2NqOk12_qwnbUS7ZcCisoonJqaD-AKQWiDFcx-jVBohr__Oc/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEi1EYZph3cubJbQGFcyJRHUPqeA8jX5trIrcVWrfru-L7ehx4YwdYex5Dnhlxds2NkH2y1_5-67j6effErypNMqLlTu2NqOk12_qwnbUS7ZcCisoonJqaD-AKQWiDFcx-jVBohr__Oc/s1600/6.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Motor towards the front and shaft driven...cool</td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC:</span> What is your favourite off-road obstacle on any given track and why?<br />
<span style="color: red;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: red;">David:</span> I have to say I hate obstacles of all types. I am old school, I'm afraid - give me a grass track with a small jump or two and I'm right at home. Seriously, though, I do enjoy jumps when they are consistent - and not in front of the rostrum- I like to be able to see what the car is doing as I'm getting old now, and my reactions are not what they used to be!<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC:</span> If your racing style was a colour, what would that be and why? ;)<br />
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<span style="color: red;">David:</span> I would have to say Electric Blue...steady and stable with flashes of genius (who am I kidding)!<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC:</span> If you could race one meeting over and over again, which one would that be and please explain why you have such fond memories of that day?<br />
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<span style="color: red;">David:</span> Anyone who knows me knows the answer to this - Hampshire National in 1998, TQ and win in 2WD. The day was perfect from start to finish, and I feel very privileged to have won such a prestigious event.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLMmdwGHYfsTSvy9x6Y0Gfu7X6ZLWlZoxh_UIUqzvVNpwhl5ENbCRqE2OHFQpaA-ukH7lBBcbCKUa7P-8m1Yb7uJ16A4L4u9N1oO2pzqhTtsiOadYyW4Hep0qfU24auViwgysHG1yfsE/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLMmdwGHYfsTSvy9x6Y0Gfu7X6ZLWlZoxh_UIUqzvVNpwhl5ENbCRqE2OHFQpaA-ukH7lBBcbCKUa7P-8m1Yb7uJ16A4L4u9N1oO2pzqhTtsiOadYyW4Hep0qfU24auViwgysHG1yfsE/s1600/2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David with his creation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: orange;">ORRC:</span> What further plans do you have for the DB1? Any juicy details for fans to know at this stage?<br />
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<span style="color: red;">David:</span> We are always trying new things, and have lots of ideas - not only for the DB1, but also for the ZX5. We are always trying to improve our products, and will continue to do so through the winter and into next year. There are 2 or 3 items in testing stage at the moment that we hope to release sometime soon. I would just like to add my thanks to Tony Evdoka and Kevin Lee, for all their help in making this car a success. Thanks also to Neil Skull and Mike Craddock at Kyosho UK for their help and support. And to everyone who has bought a DB1 over the last year - I hope the car has helped you improve and achieve everything you wanted to achieve in 2012! <br />
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My thanks go to David who was a real inspiration to speak with. There is no doubt that the Rudebits DB1 has proven itself as not just a worthy competitor at the very highest level, but a worthy creation from the hands of a skillful and committed racer who never rests until the job is done to perfection. I wish David, his family, and the rest of the team behind the Rudebits DB1 the very best for the upcoming winter campaign...keep your eyes on this buggy...it has only just started ;)<br />
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To learn more about how you can own a Rudebits DB1 conversion kit please visit: <a href="http://www.rudebits.co.uk/">www.rudebits.co.uk</a><br />
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To get your hands on everything Kyosho and much much more visit here: <a href="http://www.insidelineracing.co.uk/">www.insidelineracing.co.uk</a> team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-60991678097609050552012-09-06T12:46:00.001+00:002012-09-06T12:46:58.043+00:00The Rude transformation - Rudebits DB1 is a real Autobot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The last decade has seen numerous manufacturers creating 2wd 1/10th buggy conversion kits. The primary function of these geometry changing options has been to move the motor position from the decades old traditional position of 'hanging out the rear', to the now acknowledged winning position of 'mid-motor'. The goal with all of these 2wd conversion kits is to bring the motor position in front of the rear driven axles thus reducing any 'pendulum action' caused by the weight of the motor at the rear, and also to bring the cars centre of rotational inertia closer to the centre of the chassis. This format proves amazingly successful on European high grip astro, carpet, and grass tracks. Other 2wd conversions have also attempted to address other handling features such as length of stock wheelbase, width of chassis, and configuration of lipo battery layouts for optimum weight bias. It is true to say that past conversions have been hugely successful within the racing fraternity. So much so that the sight of a 'traditional' rear motor buggy on a track with high grip levels is as much of a rarity these days as stumbling across a hen with a full set of teeth.<br />
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Of course, it is widely understood that rear motor buggy layouts are still number one when it comes to our dust chucking friends over in the states, and the welcome addition of a few very nicely created 'dirt' tracks here in the U.K are sure to keep the old school formats rolling every weekend. I lose count of the amount of top flight national racers who I speak to that when asked what their favourite surface to race on is, I am met with a very loud and resounding reply...."Dirt Stu...it's the best".<br />
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Now we must keep in mind that a great deal of the factory team drivers who compete at the very highest level are fortunate enough to frequently travel the globe during their racing season. This obviously presents them with a wider variety of track surfaces and ultimately car requirements to tackle. We snap back to the rest of the flourishing racing community and I think I speak for most readers when I say, a vast number of the race meetings that I find myself competing in are based on either a mixture of, or solely one of, grass, carpet, or high grip astro turf. Hence the on-going success of the 'mid-motor' 2wd buggy layout year after year.<br />
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The dedicated team of racers and engineers at U.K based RC manufacturer Rudebits have recently released a 2wd buggy conversion that has successfully spun the format of 'in-board' motor configuration on it's head, and in doing so has also managed to do a very nice head spin like a seasoned breakdancer from the 1980's. The Rudebits DB1 is the brain child of racer and professional engineer David Burton. He has worked alongside a team of some of the best off-road racers and designers to grace our scene in creating what looks to be....The rudest transformation yet. Let us take a closer look at how this super fast new buggy has been put together, and then we will explore in a future article just what is needed to build your own DB1 rocket.<br />
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David has been driving for Kyosho for some time and although he had experimented with other 'mid-motor' transformations, he was sure that the strong and reliable composite parts from his Kyosho cars would be the perfect platform to develop what would be the most unusual 2wd buggy conversion to date.<br />
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David chose to develop the new chassis by basing the first proto-types around the already highly successful and much loved RB5 2wd and Lazer 4wd platforms.<br />
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The RB5 has been a Kyosho cult classic for many racers and this buggy provided David and the team with a super strong and mechanically smooth front end to work with.<br />
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David saw only one logical way to bring his concept ideas into realisation with regards the rear end of his new mutant conversion. Simply put, the hugely successful Lazer ZX 4wd.<br />
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Now far from just bolting a 2wd front end and a 4wd rear end onto a new chassis platform, David and the team had already decided that some very unique design attributes would be required to make the new car super fast, and not just in the hands of the top 1% of racers...but for everybody who raced it. David has decided that he wanted to advance the already successful concept of the cars power source being placed in front of the driven axles, or as we all now know it 'mid-motored'. He decided to bring the motor position forward in the chassis layout and in some ways mimic the layout of a traditional 4wd platform. The DB1 motor position will really catch many racers out upon closer inspection as it sits no less than 3.5 inches from the front of the chassis! Add to this unusual motor layout the fact that the motor runs vertically up the chassis from rear to nose rather than transversely, and we can begin to understand that David's plans were already moving quickly forward.<br />
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Take a quick look at the example below and you will see that at first glance you would be forgiven for thinking that besides the slim front end proportions, you were actually looking at a 4wd buggy...not so.<br />
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The motor position presented David with a few interesting challenges. From his previous experiences of 'Transformer' conversions, David knew that he wanted to bring drive from the motor back to the rear gearbox by means of a prop shaft, the likes of which we are all very used to seeing inside a traditional 4wd buggy. The team began to experiment with this concept and found that adding weight around the prop shaft construction made the transition of power super smooth and the test cars would apply vast amounts of forward traction whilst staying straight and true under large amounts of throttle input. Decision tested and confirmed.<br />
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Now it will be clear to most experienced racers that to achieve this transfer of drive by means of a prop shaft that the rear gearbox assembly would have to have a forward facing outdrive to receive the prop shaft. Correct, the rear gearbox halves and all internals are straight from the Lazer 4wd. Job done very nicely. The slipper clutch assembly sits exactly where you would expect it to on a 4wd buggy and can be found snuggly positioned under a beautifully crafted top deck next to the motor.<br />
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The conversion had already proven itself under testing conditions and the team, that includes national podium faces such as Kev Lee and Tony Evdoka, set about hammering literaly hundreds of hours of track time through the new platform. Tony himself actually testifies to stripping the skin off his thumbs after running battery pack after battery pack through the buggy to make sure that every little tweak and adjustment in the conversion was spot on. David was working away behind the scenes to ensure that the conversion was not only fast on the track, but due to the unusual requirements to actually create the car, that every last screw and nut fitted perfectly. One advantage of having several other Kyosho drivers testing the new car was that the wealth of experience with each composite part could be put together and allows each driver a chance to focus on the overall performace of the new platform. Tony, who is the boss of Rudebits, began testing the addition of his world famous brass weights to create a buggy that was planted and very safe to drive. The kit now comes with the brass weights that the team use as part of the purchase. Add to this the fact that Rudebits will actually convert your Lazer prop shaft and slipper assembly, adding the brass weight required as part of welcoming you to the DB1 team, and you can see that a team driver mentality runs straight through this now commercially available kit.<br />
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Join me shortly in my next feature to explore the parts that are needed to create your very own version of this wonderful buggy. Stay tuned for a very special interview with the man who not only dreamt up this astro ripping conversion, but also members of the team who continue to win all over the country with the DB1 every week.<br />
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To learn more about how you can own the Rudebits DB1 visit here: <a href="http://www.rudebits.co.uk/">www.rudebits.co.uk</a><br />
<br />Check out everything Kyosho and a whole host of other cool RC products here: <a href="http://www.insidelineracing.co.uk/">www.insidelineracing.co.uk</a><br />
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<br />team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-47488057848221818582012-09-04T10:53:00.001+00:002012-09-04T11:13:29.618+00:00Rudebits competition...you got to be in it to win it<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am really excited to announce the first in a series of really cool and super exclusive ORRC competitions. Rudebits, producers of top class brass weights, carbon upgrades, and the massive underground hit the DB1 buggy conversion, are offering all my readers a chance to win £30.00 of brass weight products. To enter and stand a chance of winning this wonderful prize all you have to do is have a look at the shiny collection of Rudebits brass below, then take a guess how much it all weighs in total. Post your answers on the competition thread here: <a href="http://www.oople.com/forums/showthread.php?p=690792#post690792">Rudebits prize competition</a> <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guess the total weight of this collection of buggy brass...</td></tr>
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As soon as you have posted your guess over on oOple then stay tuned as I will announce the winner on the 11th September over on the competition thread and here in the news section. Don't forget folks, it is so simple to be in with a chance to win a £30.00 voucher to spend with Rudebits on any brass weight product you want....get going people...guess guess away ;) <br />
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Please only submit 1 entry per person as multiple entries will be deleted<br />
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To learn more about the full range of Rudebits products or perhaps take a sneaky look to help your competition entry :) visit here: <a href="http://www.rudebits.co.uk/">http://www.rudebits.co.uk/</a> team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-55090793435763265872012-09-03T13:16:00.000+00:002012-09-03T13:50:15.106+00:00The ruder the better...DB1 makes noise<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Anybody who has followed my RC journalism over the last few years will already know I have more than a bit of a soft spot for home grown talent. From the very top flight off-road racers to the cream of British RC manufacturers, I'm just a sucker for products and characters that have been forged on this fair rock we call home. Now this is not to say I don't regularly 'tip my hat' to our friends overseas. I like nothing better than seeing a juicy new RC product from any part of the globe. But there is just something really magical about seeing what bursts out of the talent and knowledge of a country who if we are honest with ourselves, has lost its ability to keep up when it comes to other industries as far as manufacturing goes. Now we all know that cheap labour, easy access to materials, and generally lower running costs have been the catalyst for Britain falling behind in the international manufacturing market. We just can't financially compete with eastern countries in today's price sensitive and vastly fickle consumer world. That's why it always excites me to see design innovation and quality non-mass produced products from British RC companies. Enter stage left the latest storm to hit the off-road racing radar, the Rudebits DB1 2wd buggy conversion.<br />
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Now my recent excitement about this thoroughly refreshing and strangely enigmatic product is definitely two fold. I love the idea that the terminal chassis parts are designed and made in the U.K. I am also very happy to see that international super giants Kyosho have been served up with what can only be described as a new strand of quality DNA. I am always blown away by the legions of die hard Kyosho fans who I meet. Racers who have followed the brand since the days of their market tussles with Tamiya in the late 80's, racers who swear by the quality and performance of the legendary manufacturers quirky and user friendly products. Racers who run 2wd, 4wd, Short course, and stadium truck....you guessed it ALL Kyosho.<br />
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So, what would happen if we created a fusion of those two elements?. British manufacturing of the highest quality and non- mass produced super cool, teamed with a pedigree of RC history that spans nearly 25 years from our bench mark setting cousins over in the land of the rising sun? The answer to that my fellow off-road nuts is the Rudebits DB1. <br />
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Part Kyosho RB5 2wd, part Kyosho Lazer 4wd, with a liberal dollop of Rudebits family quality and science squirted straight down the middle. Some might say a combination that MUST succeed?....let's see what we have so far....<br />
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Far from a 'cut-and-shut' of two already highly successful platforms, the Rudebits DB1 aims to create a mutant beast that not only benefits from the world renowned quality of Kyosho parts and running gear, but also blows a cheeky British raspberry at other platforms when you lift the lid on this unique concept. A shaft driven 2wd?...that's what I said....a shaft driven 2wd....oh and by the way, the motor is positioned in the front third of the chassis as well!!<br />
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In an age where european racers are pretty much sold on the fact that 2wd mid motor geometry is faster on tracks with high traction, consumers are really spoilt for choice when it comes to what to spend their hard earned cash on. Every manufacturer worth their weight in carbon (or aluminium for that matter) offers not just a 2wd mid motor 10th scale buggy but also cars that can switch between this layout and a more traditional rear motor layout. So, we snap back in sharp focus to the kit that arrived with me this week, and we can already tell that for this product to hit the market at this time, with such a different approach as far as motor position and donor car transplant requirements, we must be dealing with something fairly special? You bet your shiny red locking wheel nuts we are ;) <br />
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The DB1 was chiefly designed to push the very boundaries of all other buggy platforms where we see the motor position being in front of the driven axles. Tony Evdoka, Rudebits boss and head of sales and marketing for the DB1 products commented, <i><br /></i><br />
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<i>"This buggy was never designed with any other intention than creating the fastest 2wd car out there, we never intended to create a commercial product, but a really top quality, fast, and interesting platform that is designed and tested by racers for racers"</i><br />
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Tony and the rest of the highly experienced DB1 design and testing team are no strangers to high pressure, fast and competitive race environments. Alongside Tony in this truly home grown process are the likes of off-road racing legend Kev Lee and Southern racing star and engineering expert David Burton. Slap these already heavy weight racers together with the names that cause shivers on any rostrum including the almost 'robotic fast' Elliot Boots, and it isn't hard to understand how the DB1 has pretty much blown a hole in any track it has touched over the last few months since its release.<br />
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The DB1 is already causing a stir within the U.K and the team report that sales of the conversion have also been really encouraging across the rest of europe. With truly 'hands on' support from the team behind the design and production of the conversion kit it is really refreshing to see a platform that not only benefits from nearly 100 years of combined race experience, but also a collection of characters who just ooze that personal touch when it comes to customer support. Kev Lee, who is the boss of Inside Line Racing, carries a massive stock of every item that is needed to complete your shiny new buggy. His team over at Inside Line, that also includes his wife, the lovely Anna, are fast to respond to customer queries and really make you feel like every penny you invest with them is well spent. Kev is an official Kyosho dealer so there is no fear of ever feeling like you can't get exactly what you need both during your build process and when you begin to run the car in anger.<br />
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The man who really has got his hands deep in the science of the birth of the DB1 is David Burton. Working largely behind the scenes for the last year or so, David has pretty much hand designed the entire platform from scratch. The team were in no doubt that his vast experience and years of dedicated race input were set to give them the very best opportunity in creating the fastest 2wd buggy in the world. For those readers who had not already realised, the DB1 has been given its name from David Burton's initials...in other words...it is officially the David Burton 1, cool fact.<br />
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The total package that Rudebits have presented to the off-road racing scene so far is definately testimony to their professional commitment towards fast and top quality products. The DB1's arrival has certainly shook up the race scene over the close of the 2012 outdoor season. Tony Evdoka won the F2 vets tital no less than 24 hours before this article was published, and you guessed it folks...with the DB1. Elliot, Kev, and David have all put in very solid results with the car and the noise around the pits at each event has been a steady murmer of respect and interest. As I embark on a really exciting winter series with my own DB1 buggy, I can only imagine how this truly unique platform is going to develop as we welcome more and more discerning race fans to the Rudebits DB1 family. Stay tuned for the very best reviews and reports as we get all DB1'd up over the coming months.<br />
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To learn more about how you can own this truly unique 2wd conversion kit visit here: <a href="http://www.rudebits.co.uk/">http://www.rudebits.co.uk/</a><br />
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To speak directly with Inside Line Racing about what other parts are needed to build your very own DB1 visit here: <a href="http://insidelineracing.co.uk/">http://insidelineracing.co.uk</a>team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-61091974113004341662012-08-31T15:43:00.000+00:002012-08-31T15:43:03.691+00:00It would be rude not to.....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, I awoke this morning to commence pacing up and down the hall in my house. Pacing concluded at 1:30pm when a friendly guy from Parcel Force rang the door bell and handed me a small brown cardboard box. Flashes of light from the heavens and a dizzy moment later and I was taking my trusty Stanley knife and carefully slicing into my eagerly anticipated parcel. Safe to say the contents did not disappoint.<br />
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If you have been living under a large rock for the last 6 months then the chances are that you are unaware of the Rudebits DB1. If you have been out in the light with the rest of your fellow weekend warriors then you already know what the fuss is all about. I am super excited to announce that I am the proud owner of the brand new Rudebits DB1 2wd buggy conversion kit!!<br />
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Stay tuned over the next few weeks as I bring you a super in-depth and very exclusive look at what may be the most exciting RC product to hit the racing market in as many years as I care to remember. The Rudebits DB1 is here folks...and from my first peek it looks like it has been designed and crafted by an advanced alien species...let the buggy fun commence...more news shortly :)<br />
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To get your hands on the new DB1 conversion visit: <a href="http://www.rudebits.co.uk/">http://www.rudebits.co.uk/</a>team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-82841413198255150922012-08-16T15:32:00.000+00:002012-08-16T15:33:54.962+00:00RELAUNCH - Light the fuse, we are ready to blast off!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As the popular war cry goes "Aviiiiiiiiiiittttt!!!" :) I am super excited to announce that we are in the full throws of a complete re-launch of everything over here at Off-Road Radio Control. Many of you will have noticed that the wheels of media coverage, interviews, race reports, and product features had slowed down both here and over at oOple.com over the last few months. I apologise if you have all been eagerly awaiting the regular dose of off-road goodness for too long.<br />
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Some may be aware that I have just got over a rather unpleasant series of health issues that pretty much stopped my progress with everything RC related for a good few months. I am a bit slimmer and a good few teeth less, but glad to say that I feel much better and fully rested. So...onwards and upwards as they say. I am back in full swing and we all know what that means...more dirt...more carbon...more screws...more rostrums...more pit tables....more hot dogs...and ultimately more off-road radio control. Lets get moving again folks and sorry for my delay.<br />
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I would like to thank the following people for showing nothing but love and support during my down-time:<br />
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My parents - Long suffering guardian angels that they are<br />
Ste White - My right hand man and closest friend in the world<br />
Kerrie - A real amazing person who keeps me focused no matter what<br />
Dave Williams - Salt of the earth and a real good racing partner<br />
Del and Roger White - Great friends who treat me with such care and love that I feel at home always <br />
Miles - An old friend who allows me to just be me and never lets me down <br />
Li - The reason I am here today <br />
The team at oOple.com - Not just the crew who run the site but the community as a whole<br />
The guys at Schumacher - My gratitude for all your support will always be solid<br />
Tony Evdoka - One of the reasons I do what I do, top man and a true inspiration<br />
Kev Lee - A real corner stone of this industry who always goes that extra mile to help<br />
Tony Bishop, Daz Johnson, Andy Mountford, Stu Mac, Steve Haynes, Andy Funge and all the fellow racers from Hot Trax and Telford Model Car Club <br />
The Custard Factory in Birmingham - The place I call home for 40 hours a week and who silently suffer my foolish and outlandish behaviour<br />
All my readers and followers - This just wouldnt happen without you guys...much love <br />
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<br />team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-39890569529039685692012-04-05T16:20:00.000+00:002012-04-05T16:20:49.461+00:00Kyosho Lazer - Special feature soon to appear over on www.oople.com<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHxg5RAhLqRaUzLbs3oHTo0mNyTheX_y6ezh_CYxP9d1ly7K2297K0S55PnYLSu8akN9p3YZGhCU315Xzr9zQYgb9MmqEAj_IpuodsUkg_H7aQEUzm4n4l-_Xdxl-QnxbBkR65wz7reo/s1600/rogmillsfront.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHxg5RAhLqRaUzLbs3oHTo0mNyTheX_y6ezh_CYxP9d1ly7K2297K0S55PnYLSu8akN9p3YZGhCU315Xzr9zQYgb9MmqEAj_IpuodsUkg_H7aQEUzm4n4l-_Xdxl-QnxbBkR65wz7reo/s320/rogmillsfront.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I recently had the great pleasure of meeting with Roger Mills of Team Kyosho fame during a local race meeting. After a brief discussion and a lovely look at his Kyosho 4wd buggy, we decided that we would like to work on a little project together especially for the readers of ORRC and fans of my other RC work over on <a href="http://www.oople.com/">www.oople.com</a><br />
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Roger has given me exclusive access not just to his 4wd Lazer ZX5 buggy, but also to his very special set-up sheets and research data that he has been working hard on over the last few months. The full Under The Lid feature will appear over on oOple and will feature not just a more in depth look at what makes Roger fast on the track, but some very top secret shots of a few newly developed upgrade parts for the famous ZX5 platform.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixvNQPs_j4YICYz9ouu8Zmz79bo7rhEnSYkiTaxoh7bKG_HrDhujo78xVRn2AqD7W72WUZ56YjxHz_hjNZ9WVTTNwer_rg_bAeVvxqIgLYQ4DcHWZCLXfPXDN9N2Be5pvb62yMfGeySzg/s1600/rogmillstopshadow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixvNQPs_j4YICYz9ouu8Zmz79bo7rhEnSYkiTaxoh7bKG_HrDhujo78xVRn2AqD7W72WUZ56YjxHz_hjNZ9WVTTNwer_rg_bAeVvxqIgLYQ4DcHWZCLXfPXDN9N2Be5pvb62yMfGeySzg/s320/rogmillstopshadow.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Roger is a real joy to spend time with as his depth of knowledge and enthusiasm give you a wonderful opportunity to learn so much more about what has driven Kyosho's top-end 4wd race platform to International success. Roger will be working closely with me to insure that the resulting feature will give you all a really valuable look into the big bad world of Kyosho. Stay tuned over at <a href="http://www.oople.com/">www.oople.com</a> for the first look at Roger's beast very shortly.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxE8T9X9DQYine2psDOamj6IfHfWlupmQow9do40M3xVK376pMHu0LbNJ_ETVPH9A3dkKR9zmGGFAhnZ1rqZGCdqYF5A4LDv1Vq5OoB-ssRByL-vQV2B9-09GN8eL94YcQpevOkKITds/s1600/rogmillscloserear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxE8T9X9DQYine2psDOamj6IfHfWlupmQow9do40M3xVK376pMHu0LbNJ_ETVPH9A3dkKR9zmGGFAhnZ1rqZGCdqYF5A4LDv1Vq5OoB-ssRByL-vQV2B9-09GN8eL94YcQpevOkKITds/s320/rogmillscloserear.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-20557919722232005192012-04-03T13:19:00.004+00:002012-04-03T14:25:42.628+00:00Mid-West Regionals Round 1 - Coventry - ORRC crew 'get on the green stuff'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZrpyR0Tr_L2zkLP9HX6KPZmxbEnuYZBPAZD5D6F0hUuy5HZ3KEARHAjWqwMNBgbp5WHe4RoykB_GMRBJGxOet69vAIi3LRHLdCQ7jBWs_IOoS7MwiJFdiPfN9-d9L4KnNjTIFGwWwbc/s1600/covlong2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZrpyR0Tr_L2zkLP9HX6KPZmxbEnuYZBPAZD5D6F0hUuy5HZ3KEARHAjWqwMNBgbp5WHe4RoykB_GMRBJGxOet69vAIi3LRHLdCQ7jBWs_IOoS7MwiJFdiPfN9-d9L4KnNjTIFGwWwbc/s320/covlong2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>What a wonderful weekend we have just had! Blazing sunshine, great company, and the first outdoor meeting of our 2012 season with the new Schumacher Cougar SV2.<br />
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5:30am Sunday morning saw 2 very tired but excited fellows stuffed into this seasons vehicle of choice, Dave's Mum's Renault Scenic. With more 'survival gear' than was needed to fight the alien forces in Return Of The Jedi, we scooted down the M6 towards the sunny climbs of Coventry. I say sunny, and this is not exactly how the day started for us. A quick look at the temperature gauge on the Renault showed us that -3 degrees was our early morning wake up alarm!. We knew that the moist and cold air would give us a chilly set-up in the pit field but would also potentially mean that the astroturf was going to be damp during controlled practice.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> After a few 'sat-nav' adjustments :) we arrived at the track to find a cozy spot just behind the clubs large and well constructed rostrum. We set about unloading the gear and constructing our humble home for the next 10 hours. It was great to park directly next to our old friend Dan Holmes of Pitstop Spares fame, and a quick trip to see him and his lovely dog Sky gave us some fresh sets of Ballistic Buggy Spikes in green compound...good for a damp start we thought. I set about gluing up the rear tyres whilst Dave worked on a quick electrical issue on one of the Cougar SV2's. It was still as cold as an Eskimo's doormat!!<br />
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As the field began to fill with fellow racers setting up their pit tables, the club called us for booking in and we discovered that Dave would run in Heat 2 and I would follow in Heat 3. We finished off gluing my hair to the control tyres! (do not try that at home folks) and got ready for the days fun. Here is a blow by blow account of how it all unfolded for us:<br />
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Controlled practice:<br />
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Both Cougar SV2's felt really good during the damp practice conditions. We drove a steady 5 minute round of practice and attempted to familiarise ourselves with Coventry's chosen track lay-out. Straight away we both agreed that a tricky double jump to a tight and shallow left turn in the in-field would be key to a quick lap. We both gently bobbled over this obstacle but quickly realised that a full throttle pop over both was in order...not an easy task for 2 racers who last raced on astro around 23 years ago! We finished practice feeling that if the day stayed damp that the Cougars would need little tinkering to keep them feeling planted and 'safe' around the track. If it was only that simple ey folks?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2DRGKV68lBJ1Klqi6lOP9NHCVQdQh9VR1TNUcsMqZCuIB8Cko5D7Lhw9dHTTm0Wa-sU_y85EO9jgI_8XQ9imcpCeMczTq62h-kpvnceOz9Ry522vrcSt1_03eaT8orislJPn_BIdSjso/s1600/davestucov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2DRGKV68lBJ1Klqi6lOP9NHCVQdQh9VR1TNUcsMqZCuIB8Cko5D7Lhw9dHTTm0Wa-sU_y85EO9jgI_8XQ9imcpCeMczTq62h-kpvnceOz9Ry522vrcSt1_03eaT8orislJPn_BIdSjso/s320/davestucov.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well, if we fail at racing, I don't think we will be taking up catalogue modelling anytime soon ;)</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Round 1 of Qualifying:<br />
<br />
Dave went out first and experienced a mixed 5 minute round with some issues relating to rear end grip levels. Not a lack of grip either. The sun had all of a sudden shot from behind the early morning clouds and the astro was warming up very very quickly. I enjoyed my first round and found the Cougar to be a little sluggish down the straight but nice in the tighter sections. We both attempted the double jump in one and failed several times. A brisk end to end flik flak was the result as we both came up short and hit the top of the second jump. Dave later discovered that our favoured rostrum position of far right from a drivers point of view was not good for these old eyes to judge the depth of the turn upon landing...DOH! Dave put in a fastest lap of 38 seconds with my 44 seconds leaving me knowing I was going to have to 'get that throttle forwards' a little more during round 2. If my memory serves me correctly after this round of qualifying Dave sat about 65th on the day and I was down at 74th...we needed to step up our pace!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQUl_J2nE6ZfHSbiVW2KbygpWMVhRb_UBneMphKaXY5hsDLP_NykQcQd9BJt4ZKetnxgeScPDHk9WRUVVwzGzK4oJKHKionjBE9X75R0Gt9pIQvAyVVLvRrP9GGKd47beZZNiwymOfCo/s1600/stucougarcov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQUl_J2nE6ZfHSbiVW2KbygpWMVhRb_UBneMphKaXY5hsDLP_NykQcQd9BJt4ZKetnxgeScPDHk9WRUVVwzGzK4oJKHKionjBE9X75R0Gt9pIQvAyVVLvRrP9GGKd47beZZNiwymOfCo/s320/stucougarcov.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Cougar SV2 ready for action.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
Round 2 of Qualifying:<br />
<br />
The temperature had risen by over 12 degrees in an hour and we knew that the grip level was coming up super fast. Both of our second rounds of qualifying saw us improve. My Cougar was quicker down the straight after a quick ESC fiddle. Dave was experiencing some 'wheelie tastic' straight line activity and chose to back his slipper clutch off some more. Unfortunately this resulted in him not having the poke to clear the double jump still. We decided that gearing changes were possibly needed. Dave drove a mixed round with some nice in-field apex hugging and my Cougar found grip everywhere it went. The corner before we got back on the power down the home straight was covered in sand on the middle line and I managed to do a full 360 doughnut at one point as the Cougar spat its dummy :) We both came off the track feeling that if the temperature continued to rise then we would begin to need to lose grip from our set-ups in the right places. Tyres and rear toe blocks may need a bit of a tweak.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rOogE7rjvxfDpWb-ZuFB4oCul9mn7wq8FyMAO40MND6-SNRejOMm_0LKiitzDUwEwSz1P2LDZbRt88cu6mRWBrQ8PtcL34a0Q7gVuJnXxb8YJUNSzBOtU73L8pVBhRaBDyF-TLeqCkg/s1600/daveclosebattscov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rOogE7rjvxfDpWb-ZuFB4oCul9mn7wq8FyMAO40MND6-SNRejOMm_0LKiitzDUwEwSz1P2LDZbRt88cu6mRWBrQ8PtcL34a0Q7gVuJnXxb8YJUNSzBOtU73L8pVBhRaBDyF-TLeqCkg/s320/daveclosebattscov.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The inside of Dave's Cougar SV2...Nice wiring Sir.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddkzONVfms1bJYfOYxgdp4pSpCEddM5efpI4bPJMx7C05ctUoDozWirbumYqOCl_bCI4qgRbqzIvLef4FO6m-YlaFRO7neMi-zPGN1h3JbrLS3uiDMARcKbDqmKs_R3GKViLzKyqb4ZI/s1600/daveinbootcov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddkzONVfms1bJYfOYxgdp4pSpCEddM5efpI4bPJMx7C05ctUoDozWirbumYqOCl_bCI4qgRbqzIvLef4FO6m-YlaFRO7neMi-zPGN1h3JbrLS3uiDMARcKbDqmKs_R3GKViLzKyqb4ZI/s320/daveinbootcov.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dave attempts to uncover some 'important kit' under a mountain of Hot Dogs in our boot!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
Round 3 of Qualifying:<br />
<br />
Schumacher Mini Spikes on the driven axle in yellow compound. To my alarm when my buggy came in from Round 2, I had snapped my gearbox brace at the point where it joins the top deck!! We 'modded' a spare to get the buggy back to full stiffness, and made a mental note to check this spot after every round. Dave's changes gave him a really good first few laps in this round, but his buggy was still lifting its bum and grip roll was a problem on all areas of the track. At this point we were both still running Schumacher Cut Stagger tyres on the front end. My Cougar was still too slow...and let me keep this very clear sorry folks, I was far too slow not the car! I was struggling to get back on the power often enough and a few really scrappy laps saw me drop a good few seconds when I really needed to get out the way for much faster cars. A few kind words from racing legend Tony Bishop who was refereeing my round helped a lot with my awareness during my worst times :( I guess if this sport was easy we wouldn't love it so much? I had dropped to 82nd on the day and Dave also dropped to 74th...humbled by our experience we got back to the pit table and attempted to 'bash our heads together'<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPmkJM2ItUsm7yCqGQDX2a1BQILh9Z3zSm1r34WXpbPHh7JTIzBQcYclpdMhKMWRpP8Q9n57xKvGd8UFJ1Dptd3zBdlzNExT3PhKPJ4fWE28lRS_WidOp8z8oz4WsKhkJqSbzugfvOz0/s1600/davecougarpitmatcov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPmkJM2ItUsm7yCqGQDX2a1BQILh9Z3zSm1r34WXpbPHh7JTIzBQcYclpdMhKMWRpP8Q9n57xKvGd8UFJ1Dptd3zBdlzNExT3PhKPJ4fWE28lRS_WidOp8z8oz4WsKhkJqSbzugfvOz0/s320/davecougarpitmatcov.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dave's Cougar SV2 cooling off after a hectic few laps.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
Perhaps a small note should be made here in reference to the truly awesome chocolate cakes that were supplied by Tony Bishop's other half Kay. I came back from a gruelling Round 3 to find a lovely cake sat on my pit table. Thanks go out to Kay Bishop for the baking skills. Tony was like the Easter bunny for a day. Cheers guys :)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis61-0CsoIctfrg1T7zOttaAuwx-auqDVryd5Z3QkbXEsU4tLKxGBqk0k3euHn1vIPuwzQYwXH2CwqfanDiBqYzPrCV726kXiiUq52-qWPHjuKOIFZs_He-Yk3ZjXEPAXoFkwxn_ybe9M/s1600/bishandycov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis61-0CsoIctfrg1T7zOttaAuwx-auqDVryd5Z3QkbXEsU4tLKxGBqk0k3euHn1vIPuwzQYwXH2CwqfanDiBqYzPrCV726kXiiUq52-qWPHjuKOIFZs_He-Yk3ZjXEPAXoFkwxn_ybe9M/s320/bishandycov.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our friends Tony Bishop and Andy 'Gear it up' Mountford enjoy the sun.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
Round 4 of Qualifying:<br />
<br />
Our final round saw Dave go out on Schumacher Stagger Rib fronts (the original tread stagger) and a slight reduction on front toe for both of us. Dave's round was much faster and he managed the double jump twice whilst also maintaining some good corner speed throughout the round. I had a good first 4 laps with the car feeling good on the straight and really nimble on some sections of the in-field. A really silly mistake that resulted in me stripping a servo horn as a slapped a track marking pipe stopped me in my tracks and a big DNF was my result! I basically attempted to straighten out a flowing set of corners and due to my lack of experience at this level I tapped an inside track pipe and crunched the buggy under it...pop goes the servo horn and red goes my face! We finished qualifying feeling that we had already learnt some really valuable points that related to our new Cougar SV2's, we had a little break and gathered our thoughts with some food and giggles.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJvtcIVUKLt3h_7E-JK1zhZt3u3X98NNAZ0LK7CqXzQFOQm2sBzRIrC1fyUIE_qI6ScE7mS5tn6_n8xpG6jVSXqVQxUKsjRc1sHmB_tr0bMAZL8dijvuIAXZp9VidAXrZLHwgB3KZp3Y/s1600/bootcookingcov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJvtcIVUKLt3h_7E-JK1zhZt3u3X98NNAZ0LK7CqXzQFOQm2sBzRIrC1fyUIE_qI6ScE7mS5tn6_n8xpG6jVSXqVQxUKsjRc1sHmB_tr0bMAZL8dijvuIAXZp9VidAXrZLHwgB3KZp3Y/s320/bootcookingcov.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes that is a gas stove, and yes it is actually inside the boot! Celebrity racing Chef Dave Williams does a mean Brine Dog!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkb1BA6ebucCH-ScO_dKQntoT7sNWXjT9CqRaNlc6RSJ5BQ0iFB_l7T6YJgdseIUxthXLipW_QIxdGhIBvDyBdcgSuLVcSSmM6QqSefM0dbd45fYM9_-E97AkheESyb6bQW46ledPapk/s1600/davetextcov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkb1BA6ebucCH-ScO_dKQntoT7sNWXjT9CqRaNlc6RSJ5BQ0iFB_l7T6YJgdseIUxthXLipW_QIxdGhIBvDyBdcgSuLVcSSmM6QqSefM0dbd45fYM9_-E97AkheESyb6bQW46ledPapk/s320/davetextcov.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dave uses his phone to check on the price of Hot Dog shares at the stock market. Today a racing star...a Hot Dog cooking legend in the future?</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
So, after a swift few Brine Dogs...and a little sing song of Scout fire-side camp songs, we got ready to find out where we have qualified. Dave had ended up in the H final with me on pole position down in the J final. We charged our cells and basked in the beautiful sunshine. It really was as hot as any mid-summer day...lovely :)<br />
<br />
Finals:<br />
<br />
With the format of running finals in ascending order, I was up first. My pole start sounds really glamorous but let us remember I was actually down at the bottom of the pack on the day. My race was short and heroic to say the least. Hard on the throttle on the starting horn to steal the first corner and I was clean into the first left right chicane, I exited the tight left hander before the double jumps and was feeling good about my approach to the jump. Pop! over I went in one and it was looking clean for my first lap...and that's when I got it all wrong. I flew into the brick cobbled right hander in the middle of the in-field and clipped the inside row of raised bricks causing my buggy to do a full 180 and park under the pipe once again. The following pack of cars sprinted past me and despite the best efforts of fellow Schumacher driver Andy Jones to gather my injured Cougar from it's resting place, a bent steering arm and stripped horn were the result of my silly mistake. That was me done for the day folks. Dave 'took to the cloth' some 10 minutes after me and was straight into the pack battle after a fast and wheelie free start. Dave had really got his front end sorted on his Cougar, and the car looked really tidy as he started to push the living daylights out of his buggy to scrape through the grid positions. By lap 5 Dave was easily popping over the tricky double and his buggy was flying down the straight and cornering around the first sweeper really well. He had to have 'the hand of God' a few times as he got tangled with 2 fellow racers after a fast left right through the in-field. Dave did us proud and catapulted the Cougar SV2 across the line for his 9 lap final position of 4th in round just on the time horn. My hero ;)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_g2QVLn6LONyDZsW_B-91ed7MoeIqO5qw6QjjVBlMmhB7WYksioK3wPrbWBBeCZa3HkXfW2NUCQqOt5KM_pgXp8IjeMcL80ySHTaYJCHMGZZi-y32Xw3FtyffOA9gHpLGuidYCO4vtM/s1600/stuwingcov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_g2QVLn6LONyDZsW_B-91ed7MoeIqO5qw6QjjVBlMmhB7WYksioK3wPrbWBBeCZa3HkXfW2NUCQqOt5KM_pgXp8IjeMcL80ySHTaYJCHMGZZi-y32Xw3FtyffOA9gHpLGuidYCO4vtM/s320/stuwingcov.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If I stare at my wing for long enough I wonder if I will go crossed eyed...arghh!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Although my sub-standard driving skills had left me understanding that I needed more time on the track to really compete, we both really enjoyed our first meeting of this season. The Cougar SV2 was a real breath of fresh air, and although we had some small breakages, considering we both somersaulted over the double more than once, and also hit pipes and tyres hard on a few occasions, the buggy held up really well. We had both had so much fun we really didn't mind finishing low down. The process of learning more about the Cougar had boosted our confidence with the new chassis and the strength test gave good results. A more intuitive approach to tyre changes and conditions was needed from both of us on the day and we are really looking forward to hopefully putting some interesting findings into practice during our next round at Ledbury.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB4YmEIwjJob6JVd-etjB4oDhXdP9Gc0oyXuJEVFNs4mdkd_b3cjDAKnSz2MCfkw2vVzJhLG-pcn1GRWDmvq5UEAw9jIaiZdaa1r0KeZgIaKnJW2TweXgwXGfPgImf0H4RWxVNp5UU4K0/s1600/daveheadcov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB4YmEIwjJob6JVd-etjB4oDhXdP9Gc0oyXuJEVFNs4mdkd_b3cjDAKnSz2MCfkw2vVzJhLG-pcn1GRWDmvq5UEAw9jIaiZdaa1r0KeZgIaKnJW2TweXgwXGfPgImf0H4RWxVNp5UU4K0/s320/daveheadcov.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For a brief moment Dave decided he was going to attempt to drive the buggy from inside the car...scale drivers head anybody?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We travelled home with big smiles on our faces knowing that Sunday marked the start of what hopefully will be a long hot summer of racing fun. Winning is always nice, but spending such wonderful days with people who share your passion is by far the greatest reward. Roll on Round 2...Hot Dogs ready!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPfZg0Cm2Tr-aF1gY4eGHkxgmtZQowz0ygXY5oCjKvV4RjCRw1bJ9SYeXCv2f0Ll88EBDvY7hkUbWQefLJ2i2pPv5STVJWO7KDHIXMK8bWa-Wsq1w4E3Va_tU-q451auOAG-xl59UyePM/s1600/SchumacherLogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPfZg0Cm2Tr-aF1gY4eGHkxgmtZQowz0ygXY5oCjKvV4RjCRw1bJ9SYeXCv2f0Ll88EBDvY7hkUbWQefLJ2i2pPv5STVJWO7KDHIXMK8bWa-Wsq1w4E3Va_tU-q451auOAG-xl59UyePM/s320/SchumacherLogo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>To get your hand on a Schumacher Cougar SV2 visit: <a href="http://www.racing-cars.com/">www.racing-cars.com</a><br />
To follow the rest of this brilliant series of off-road races visit: <a href="http://www.brca-midwest.co.uk/">http://www.brca-midwest.co.uk</a>team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-29678449323616617802012-03-30T14:42:00.000+00:002012-03-30T14:42:12.086+00:00A trip to Schumacher HQ - Robin Schumacher welcomes me to the home of the original British manufacturer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZUvTRbbXSbPY7Q-crJc8GpT5GyrnyUWSRL0M9Wr78loGoBT0XTGCN1VhYk0acqIL8I8Ubx6w4ephfnGSs4eTl3kPWJYfFWmn1fzddXF8yBf7Am_IQsUI6YeLlYd2j2kGTmBKeUdMODcw/s1600/SCHUMACHERTEAMDRIVE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZUvTRbbXSbPY7Q-crJc8GpT5GyrnyUWSRL0M9Wr78loGoBT0XTGCN1VhYk0acqIL8I8Ubx6w4ephfnGSs4eTl3kPWJYfFWmn1fzddXF8yBf7Am_IQsUI6YeLlYd2j2kGTmBKeUdMODcw/s320/SCHUMACHERTEAMDRIVE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
Today I made the journey down the M6 from my Black Country home to spend some time with the guys down at Schumacher Racing head quarters in Northamptonshire. After a warm welcome from Robin Schumacher himself, I was treated to a really inspiring tour around the place that Schumacher call home. I was introduced to some of the super dedicated team that have assisted the Schumacher family in creating the RC brand we have all enjoyed for a little over 2 decades. Robin gave me a wonderful insight into some of the behind the scenes work that goes into every product we see available within the RC community from the brand. One of the really exciting things about my visit was learning from Robin that Schumacher still produce a vast number of their product items directly where we were standing! No Eastern mass production here.<br />
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Robin was really keen to point out that the current Cougar SV2 benefits from nearly all of it's terminal parts being created at the Schumacher factory in the U.K. Robin enthused that they always prefer this style of manufacturing as they can keep a very close eye on quality control.<br />
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<i>"We even cut our own carbon shock towers right here next to where we are stood" </i>Robin commented.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDrYvDgoQAOus-r0D_HnKS9JCgLTRgmT089C0gZCgWhUhelQ9O_Jl6MXa-tpYN5GZWLzN-SP5Ii5m-l-iuzUsLBDOADiHEUKwubJ0y3nF2dgpk3B7I2e_temo946Nf1ZRH62OnYIyB7E/s1600/SchumacherLogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDrYvDgoQAOus-r0D_HnKS9JCgLTRgmT089C0gZCgWhUhelQ9O_Jl6MXa-tpYN5GZWLzN-SP5Ii5m-l-iuzUsLBDOADiHEUKwubJ0y3nF2dgpk3B7I2e_temo946Nf1ZRH62OnYIyB7E/s320/SchumacherLogo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>As part of my visit I was really happy to confirm with Robin that I will be representing Schumacher track side with a team drive for 2012. It really is a great pleasure to be supporting the brand who contributed greatly in creating my passion for off-road racing during my teenage years. Armed with the new Cougar SV2, my main agenda for this welcome affiliation with Schumacher will be to provide racers, and keen off-road enthusiasts,with a chance to get a closer and more detailed look at the brand new Cougar SV2 during my 2012 racing season. As previously mentioned in my other articles, if you see me trackside then please do come and say Hi. I will be happy to share my experiences with anybody who has an interest in the Schumacher range of products.<br />
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The guys at Schumacher have a really nice skill of making you feel part of the family as soon as you meet them. My sincere thanks go out to Robin and the rest of the team for having me, during what is set to be a very exciting year ahead.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhNzdQU43P5hlnQ15hDej1aUYpHOAyfMGWRmK5HSX9xe4R7FFQxJgrDz8GL-8B82T_QBBb22XW6zfK2-2yBwyj-eOfQl4Wc1pLnhDuk44R7Xv7Iou_Wkgfphh5br3aU4BzGHCfZ7gpdI/s1600/spares.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhNzdQU43P5hlnQ15hDej1aUYpHOAyfMGWRmK5HSX9xe4R7FFQxJgrDz8GL-8B82T_QBBb22XW6zfK2-2yBwyj-eOfQl4Wc1pLnhDuk44R7Xv7Iou_Wkgfphh5br3aU4BzGHCfZ7gpdI/s320/spares.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spares ready for my racing. The SV2 feels as strong as an OX....but it is off-road folks so there are bound to be casualties...especially with my driving ;)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqpgnERU73NlS2QCRdZ5iCZMNEQ-ZZYZfZtRYd7dSeJS1ZLQTUT1N-3-b9ZFcLCjiweiU1zK4klt5zxOM2g1yum5u9xPr_lCoURY5pxtk3lDDmHK-VCXujU6aNRdaNIgH4VPtPc8A7_5k/s1600/speedv3close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqpgnERU73NlS2QCRdZ5iCZMNEQ-ZZYZfZtRYd7dSeJS1ZLQTUT1N-3-b9ZFcLCjiweiU1zK4klt5zxOM2g1yum5u9xPr_lCoURY5pxtk3lDDmHK-VCXujU6aNRdaNIgH4VPtPc8A7_5k/s320/speedv3close.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7.5T Speed Passion V3, the new power plant for my buggy. Fast and reliable...seems the top choice when I speak with the super stars.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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If you would like to learn more about the full range of Schumacher products please visit: <a href="http://www.racing-cars.com/">www.racing-cars.com</a>team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-37823783128255802012012-03-29T13:35:00.000+00:002012-03-29T13:35:08.237+00:00The ORRC 'Road Trip' is coming to a track near you shortly!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6niNBzUv4dsj9WJ7CVSuii09FyEcVinOxtVBN8Y0wUHCbfy0_9pn8kNKbjfK3zbD1GApiIqmSNUpcH8SmKyMTQ7fdQn1DdWBpu4aIG4hzejGh4ycxn2TU0iwcy1MR86pvbKvCHzlWxG4/s1600/RoadTrip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6niNBzUv4dsj9WJ7CVSuii09FyEcVinOxtVBN8Y0wUHCbfy0_9pn8kNKbjfK3zbD1GApiIqmSNUpcH8SmKyMTQ7fdQn1DdWBpu4aIG4hzejGh4ycxn2TU0iwcy1MR86pvbKvCHzlWxG4/s320/RoadTrip.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
We thought it may be a nice idea to update you all on our collective plans over the upcoming 2012 off-road racing season. So far we are planning on visiting race meetings and clubs all over the Midlands and hopefully we may even stretch further a field as the summer kicks in. The reason we are sharing these plans with you is simple. We would love to meet readers who may want to grab a chat track side, discuss any of our past or future features either here or over on <a href="http://www.oople.com/">www.oople.com</a> or generally hurl abuse at us for our below average driving and disorganised pit area ;)...hopefully the later won't be needed. As some of our readers will be aware, we will be fully armed with a few examples of the gorgeous new Schumacher Cougar SV2. If you are interested in taking a closer look at the new buggy, or already have a Cougar SV2 and fancy sharing any cool tips you may have had success with, then get on over to the ORRC pit tent at the following meetings:<br />
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Sunday 1st April - Mid-West Regional 10th 2wd off-road Coventry<br />
Sunday 22nd April - Mid-West Regional 10th 4wd off-road Kidderminster <br />
Sunday 29th April - Mid-West Regional 10th 2wd off-road Ledbury<br />
Sunday 27th May - Mid-West Regional 10th 2wd off-road Kidderminster<br />
Sunday 10th June - Mid-West Regional 10th 4wd off-road Coventry <br />
Saturday 16th June - Armageddon 10th 2wd off-road Towcester <br />
Sunday 8th July - Mid-West Regional 10th 2wd off-road Hinckley <br />
Sunday July 22nd - Mid-West Regional 10th 4wd off-road Telford <br />
Sunday 29th July - Mid-West Regional 10th 2wd off-road Oswestry<br />
Saturday 4th August - National 10th 2wd off-road Telford<br />
Saturday 25th August - National 10th 2wd off-road Kidderminster<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinSRXHNCawVF-PbcfUD1lhHrLytAwNsavKaEiP2LcBY73SBn8SGWbFpaZkigfKxUkZUXTlB3dIgIamGakvSGZP4p_reTHUT1FY37yvB-DYxo-xZQJPnHby3msC0My_e_SOzV8_lz2RV6E/s1600/navigation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinSRXHNCawVF-PbcfUD1lhHrLytAwNsavKaEiP2LcBY73SBn8SGWbFpaZkigfKxUkZUXTlB3dIgIamGakvSGZP4p_reTHUT1FY37yvB-DYxo-xZQJPnHby3msC0My_e_SOzV8_lz2RV6E/s320/navigation.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
If you plan to visit any of these events and would like to meet the crew, look at the new Cougar SV2, or grab a hot dog from our resident confectionery manager Dave Williams, then look out for the following clear signs of our presence:<br />
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<ul><li>Schumacher banners and team clothing huddled around a small blue and grey pit tent</li>
<li>Smoke and/or fire coming from a camping stove that has been crudely erected to furnish us with this seasons 'snack of choice'...the humble brine dog!</li>
<li>Strange hair cuts and slightly bewildered looking racers who are wearing oOple jumpers and pointing a camera at the top drivers faces and cars. </li>
<li>Smiling racers who realise that the sport they love and the lovely British summer season are with them in force.</li>
</ul>We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful folks that will be making this summer so much more comfortable and enjoyable for the ORRC crew. Schumacher - oOple - RudeBits - InsideLineRacing - Phat Bodies - Dragon Paints - Printigo.co.uk - Dave's Mum - Telford Hot Trax - The Swiss Family Stylezie<br />
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Phew! So as we look forward to our first collective outing of this years new off-road season this Sunday, we wish you all a truly wonderful 2012 season. Come and say Hi. We would love to meet you all :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjbymNy3OUOFvWKHyy6OrPSfYaa6xMaDpAYA16Nqv1Q4Cu054YmP1UoOxr4ty1svdhq2fJlVNr5FmGzR3LUfJjtEfMxWJNJ84-Sdv7V54FUKWn4QpgSfYBdJWK1Bul_U1_RZJKSL2lKU/s1600/SchumacherLogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjbymNy3OUOFvWKHyy6OrPSfYaa6xMaDpAYA16Nqv1Q4Cu054YmP1UoOxr4ty1svdhq2fJlVNr5FmGzR3LUfJjtEfMxWJNJ84-Sdv7V54FUKWn4QpgSfYBdJWK1Bul_U1_RZJKSL2lKU/s320/SchumacherLogo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
To learn more about the 2012 10th off-road 2wd & 4wd season visit: <a href="http://www.oople.com/">www.oople.com</a><br />
To grab all you Schumacher goodies for everything off-road related visit: <a href="http://www.racing-cars.com/">www.racing-cars.com</a>team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799493325413535159.post-80430065480236548532012-03-23T16:28:00.001+00:002012-03-23T16:34:07.705+00:00Schumacher Cougar SV2 - New team colours!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56X_M4-6zxTu4Q80lGKbeZ5i6SDAOlG997kAn_NZyRdYtGlVyNPhf8OQnLpAykR-qz7ElFx0wjtPBcRE6rQiVZxiJ9o1DCrbtWzF9ZUUPQZ0y2OyBNxI7LnzP9wlgzqlmoidrYCsZ_fw/s1600/cougarheadergrav.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56X_M4-6zxTu4Q80lGKbeZ5i6SDAOlG997kAn_NZyRdYtGlVyNPhf8OQnLpAykR-qz7ElFx0wjtPBcRE6rQiVZxiJ9o1DCrbtWzF9ZUUPQZ0y2OyBNxI7LnzP9wlgzqlmoidrYCsZ_fw/s320/cougarheadergrav.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Well, Christmas came really early today as I was the very lucky recipient of a custom painted body shell for my Couagr SV2. Steve over at Dragon Paints has done a really beautiful job of creating the Schumacher 'Works' colour scheme especially for my team review buggy. Steve has a really professional service and his turn around time was epic.<br />
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After a good chat with Robin Schumacher we decided that it would be a nice tribute to the last few years of press and advertising imagery for my SV2 to carry the Works Team livery. Steve at Dragon Paints had created a few Schumacher examples previously but I think it is true to say that I was gobsmacked when I unwrapped the shiny new lid earlier today.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfZXpKDTJ49O7ahX7l8m87hrJW44B0bKNurMCBMtKFn3oQRasbWK9BaHQw1dJ-UK5rYcQLpjQyTKvnhbukxOkmhBaw1Y8cMFPI13-lYZW7hpR2dWAdPqd4Iy_vEyq4zDrG-AWpl9AWbw/s1600/cougarshellclose2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfZXpKDTJ49O7ahX7l8m87hrJW44B0bKNurMCBMtKFn3oQRasbWK9BaHQw1dJ-UK5rYcQLpjQyTKvnhbukxOkmhBaw1Y8cMFPI13-lYZW7hpR2dWAdPqd4Iy_vEyq4zDrG-AWpl9AWbw/s320/cougarshellclose2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I am really proud to be racing the buggy under the colours of the well known manufacturers examples...this one looks like it just jumped of the Schumacher stand at Nuremburg! ;)<br />
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If you are about to invest in a new body shell ready for the summer season, get straight in touch with Steve at Dragon Piants here: dragonpaints@ntlworld.com<br />
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So I spent half an hour adding my under tray, also painted in a gorgeous pearl white carbon fibre by Steve, slapped on my oOple and RudeBits livery and had a dig around for my Inside Line Racing stickers. Apart from a few minor tweaks, she is almost ready for her first test next Wednesday at my favourite local indoor club, Telford Hot Trax. My team mate Dave Williams had a 'gentle' run with his SV2 last week and he reports good all round handling and the buggy jumps like an gazzelle! Can not wait :)<br />
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To get your hands on the Schumacher Cougar SV2 visit: <a href="http://www.racing-cars.com/">www.racing-cars.com</a><br />
To learn more about the brands that support my RC work and racing check out: <a href="http://www.rudebits.co.uk/">www.rudebits.co.uk</a><br />
and also the jolly nice guys at: <a href="http://www.insidelineracing.com/">www.insidelineracing.com</a>team black country rchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274066094310092876noreply@blogger.com0