2006 IFMAR On-road Worlds--live from Italy

[MattHiggins]

This is Matt Higgins and Jason Sams, and we're here at the IFMAR On-road Electric World Championship in Collengo, Italy. Like every IFMAR championship, this race is held every two years and takes place at a different venue. The on-road Worlds consists of two classes--1/12-scale Modified and Touring Modified. 1/12-scale is run first (indoors on carpet for the first time), and then we go outdoors to the permanent paved track. Traditionally, the 1/12-scale and touring cars run on the same surface.

[MattHiggins]

Saturday is devoted entirely to controlled practice, and it's worth noting that practice is timed runs and is essentially qualifying for qualifying. The carpet offered very little grip early in the day, but as expected, the groove has come in and the speeds have as well. After today's rounds of practice, the following drivers top the unofficial leaders' board:
1. Josh Cyrul (USA)
2. Jilles Groskamp
3. David Spashett
4. Hubert Honigl
5. Jon Orr (USA)
6. Mike Dumas (USA)
7. Atushi Hara
8. Simo Ahoniemi
9. Andy Griffiths
10. Marc Rheinard

Other notable fast drivers include: Chaidejsuriya Surikarn, Andy Moore, Paul Lemieux and Todd Hodge. Mike Blackstock and Hideo Kitazawa have also been fast at times and stand a good chance of making the A-main. Chris Tosolini has not had luck on his side and is, as a result, deep in the pack and will have to pull off the ultimate Cinderella story to make the show. Check back tomorrow to see how practice (one round left) wraps and to see how qualifying goes. We'll know soon who brought their A-game.

[Jason Sams]

Sunday (after 2 rounds of qualifying, 4 remaining)

Team Associated/LRP's Jon Orr piloted his brushless powered L4 to a first round TQ. In round two CRC/Team Orion's Marc Rheinard took the top honors. Here is a rundown of the top 10 after two rounds using the driver's fastest qualifier.

Jon Orr (USA) 39 8:04.901
Marc Rheinard (DEU) 39 8:06.331
Huber Honigl (AUT) 39 8:06.852
David Spashett (GBR) 39 8:07.883
Paul Lemieux (USA) 39 8:08.854
Andy Griffiths (GBR) 39 8:09.098
Simo Ahoniemi (FIN) 39 8:10.476
Markus Mobers (DEU) 39 8:12.022
Jilles Groskamp (NLD) 39 8:19.509
Andy Moore (GBR) 38 8:00.458

Other notables
12th Atsushi Hara
14th Mike Blackstock
15th Josh Cyrul
16th Todd Hodge
17th Rick Hohwart
18th Mike Dumas
19th Surikarn Chaidejsuriya
22nd Chris Tosolini

[MattHiggins]

As we stated above, Jon Orr is running brushless. He has two U.S. national 1/12-scale titles under his belt with brushless, but no one has yet to win a Worlds with brushless. Marc Rheinard who is running Orion equipment (featuring a new endbell design) is second overall. Rheinard is best known for his recent touring car wins such as dominating the Worlds in 2004, but he is in good position to win both classes this year.

[Jason Sams]

The third round of qualifying just concluded and Corally/Peak's David Spashett took the top qualifying honors with a 39 8:04.715. He narrowly beat Atsushi Hara who ran a 39 8:04.793.

Qualifying notes: Each driver's top two runs (laps/time) will be added together instead of the traditional "qual points" used in the states. Four rounds will be run today (Sunday) and two rounds will be run tomorrow. Stay tuned, we'll post some pictures soon.

[MattHiggins]

Qualifying is done for the day. Two more rounds remain, and they will be run tomorrow morning before the start of the mains. Below are current top ten. Each driver's best two rounds are combined.
1. David Spashett (GBR) 78 16:06
2. Jon Orr (USA) 78 16:12
3. Jilles Groskamp (NLD) 78 16:12
4. Andy Griffiths (GBR) 78 16:13
5. Marc Rheinard (GER) 78 16:15
6. Atsushi Hara (JPN) 78 16:15
7. Simo Ahoniemi (FIN) 78 16:16
8. Mike Dumas (USA) 78 16:17
9. Paul Lemieux (USA) 78 16:18
10. Hideo Kitazawa (JPN) 78 16:18

[RCSavage]

Way to go Dumas!!! Man that is one tight field though.

[baih]

jason,
how about a couple of pics of the tracks

[Maxxcrazy]

Wheres Masami?

[MattHiggins]

Wheres Masami?He's here, but he's only racing touring car. I saw him for the first time yesterday evening, and the current rumor is he opted out of 1/12-scale because it's on carpet. I'm sure he'll be on hand to watch the mains, so I'll ask him today why he's only running touring car. There's been some talk about how much he has practiced on the touring car track. He's no doubt gunning for another world title. I believe that would be number 15!

[MattHiggins]

The last two rounds of qualifying have yet to start. From the U.S., Mike Blackstock and Chris Tosolini both stand a good shot a making the main, but they have to put down great runs--as good and maybe even faster than their best runs. Both have put down single fast runs, but have not backed it up. In the four runs that have taken place, each has only gone 39 laps once. Mike has had continued problems finding grip, and while his car looks much better, he has at time said it is impossible to drive fast. Chris, on the other hand, now looks consistently fast but his low practice times placed him in a low-ranked heat for qualifying. Luckly for him, the officials bumped him up out of the very low ranks into the third fastest heat.

It's also worth noting that almost every driver has dumped at least once. I say almost because I have yet to see Orr even come close to dumping.

Josh Cyrul has been ballistic, but didn't finish any of the four rounds of Sunday's qualifying races.

[Jason Sams]

Corally/Peak's David Spashett was once again on top of the field with a TQ in the fifth round with 40 laps in 8:11.166. CRC/Team Orion's Marc Rheinard was second for the round with 40 laps 8:11.476. Futaba's Hideo Kitazawa who ran a box-stock Associated RC12 L4 finished third for the round with the only other 40-lap run (40 laps 8:12.594). So far these are the only drivers who have done 40 laps.

Notes: The track is definitely faster (or the drivers are stepping it up for the last two rounds), as it was the first time any of the drivers were able to dip into the 11-second lap range. Below are the drivers who posted 11-second laps with their fastest single lap. Marc Rheinard was the only driver not to post an 11-second lap showing his consistency. Americans Chris Tosolini and Mike Blackstock posted their fastest times of the race and both have an outside shot at making the A-mains. Blackstock who posted a 39 8:01.479 will have a better shot at making the main if he can post a similar time or go 40 laps in the last round of qualifying. Tosolini's will need to bring everything he has, as his best is a 40 8:06.402, but the guy has confidence. "I should be up there with the top three guys".

David Spashett 11.854
Atsushi Hara 11.942
Hideo Kitazawa 11.877
Mike Blackstock 11.989
Paul Lemieux 11.882

[Jason Sams]

Matt and I ran into Masami Hirosaka at breakfast this morning and he had some very interesting things to say about the up coming ITCS Worlds. First, he is not racing 1/12-scale because he wants to concentrate on touring car. It's not because of the carpet surface, as some racers have speculated.

Masami told us he has been testing both brushless and brushed motors here in Italy. He said, brushless is much faster on the straightaway, but brushed motors are faster in the infield. He said his lap times are the same with both and that he hasn't made a decision on what he'll race with yet. He said he'll continue to test both motors during practice. He seems very confident about the race and considers Marc Rhenard, Atsushi Hara, and David Spashett as his toughest competition.

[MattHiggins]

This is Paul Lemieux's CRC/Truespeed ride. Paul put his car fourth on the grid for the A-mains.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h255/mehiggins101/action03a.jpg

[MattHiggins]

This is Surikarn's Hot Bodies car.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h255/mehiggins101/action02-1.jpg

[MattHiggins]

This is Jon Orr's RC12 L4 featuring an LRP Sphere brushless system.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h255/mehiggins101/action01a.jpg

[MattHiggins]

Qualifying is over and below are the top ten. Every round of qualifying counted and no driver was truly locked in until the last round.

1. David Spashett (GBR) 80 16:17
2. Marc Rheinard (GER) 80 16:21
3. Jon Orr (USA) 79 16:09
4. Paul Lemieux (USA) 79 16:13
5. Hideo Kitazawa (JPN) 79 16:14
6. Andy Moore (GBR) 79 16:16
7. Atsushi Hara (JPN) 78 16:03
8. Jilles Groskamp (NLD) 78 16:04
9. Andy Griffiths (GBR) 78 16:07.4
10. Mike Dumas (USA) 78 16:07.6

Chris Tosolini and Mike Blackstock barely missed the A-main. Tosolini missed by three tenths of a second.

[Jason Sams]

Here is a overhead photo of the track.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h255/mehiggins101/track02a.jpg

[Jason Sams]

There are six different chassis being run in the 1/12-scale finals. The six are Associated , Trinity, CRC, Speed Merchant, Hot Bodies, and Corally.

[Jason Sams]

According to LRP, 54% of the "privateers" (racers who are not sponsored) are running brushless systems in 1/12-scale. There are two drivers in the A finals running brushless systems, Jon Orr (3rd qualifier) and Andy Griffiths(9th qualifier) whom are both LRP sponsored.

[Jason Sams]

While sitting trackside during qualifying, Matt and I heard some comments from an anonymous pro driver (who failed to make the main) who stated that Rheinard can't even drive a 1/12-scale; he questioned what Rheinard was doing in the fastest qualifying heat? Rheinard not only made the main, but he TQed a round and qualified second overall. The fact of the matter is he clearly belongs in the A mains and was ballistic during practice and and put himself in that qualifying group.

[KevinH]

Hey guys! Thanks for the updates. Can you bring me back a pizza?

[Jason Sams]

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h255/mehiggins101/action05.jpg Here is CRC/Team Orion Marc Rheinard's rig. This was during the A-final practice.

[Manic]

Hi Matt & Jason,
great job on the coverage - are you 'frying' yet!!
Roll on the Touring Cars.

[Jason Sams]

Here is a picture of Spashett on the drivers' stand.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h255/mehiggins101/action06.jpg

Here is Rheinard, Orr, and Hara chillin' before the first main.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h255/mehiggins101/action07.jpg

[Jason Sams]

A1 is in the books and David Spashett took the win without real challenge. Marc Rheinard moved slightly (less than a car's length) before the tone and was issued a false start penalty. This dropped him back to 10th. As Spashett led, he was chased by Jon Orr and Andy Moore who battled at times. Orr never gave up second, but Moore was within an inch at times. While this was going on Rheinard worked all the way up to 4th, and eventually passed Moore for 3rd only to bobble and give the position right back to Moore. On the last lap with one corner to go, Moore grazed a pipe allowing Rheinard to take 3rd. Orr did close the gap slightly but was never close enough to be a challenge.

[Jason Sams]

Here are the results from A1.
Finish/Qualified
1/1 David Spashett
2/3 Jon Orr
3/6 Andy Moore
4/10 Mike Dumas
5/7 Atsushi Hara
6/2 Marc Rheinard
7/4 Paul Lemieux
8/8 Jilles Groskamp
9/9 Andy Griffiths
10/5 Hideo Kitazawa

[Jason Sams]

Here is the finishing order for A2.

finished/qualified

1/3 Jon Orr
2/2 Marc Rheinard
3/6 Andy Moore
4/1 David Spashett
5/4 Paul Lemieux
6/7 Atsushi Hara
7/8 Jilles Groskamp
8/10 Mike Dumas
9/5 Hideo Kitazawa
10/9 Andy Griffiths

[Jason Sams]

Much to everyone's surprise, the A2 was pretty rough. Early Marc Rheinard and David Spashett tangled when Rheinard tried to pass where there simply wasn't room. Both fell back deep in the pack. Rheinard let Spashett by, but the rest of the field pulled away. Jon Orr benefited from all of this and took off with Moore and Hara in pursuit. Hara passed Moore and even took over the lead. It's worth noting that there was still a lot of bumping going on up front and many passes were less than perfectly clean. After leading about a lap, Hara hit a pipe. This Orr and Moore to battle for the top spot. Moore put his nose inside of Orr's car on many of the tight corners. They bumped more than once and Moore eventual made a bump and run stick. Orr stayed strong and pressured Moore. Moore stuffed a pipe and this let Orr take the lead and keep it until the final tone.

[GRUNDIG415]

when does the 10th scale cars run?

[YR4Dude]

This is Surikarn's Hot Bodies car.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h255/mehiggins101/action02-1.jpg

Since when did Hot Bodies all of a sudden come out with a 1/12 car? Can anyone provide a picture of with the body off? I already checked, and neither the USA or the European website shows a 1/12 available. :confused:

[Jason Sams]

A3 just concluded and David Spashett won. Jon Orr battled early, but a mistake halfway through gave Spashett a comfortable lead. Here are the top four. We will feature a run down of the top 10 when results are official.

1) David Spashett
2) Jon Orr
3) Marc Rheinard
4) Andy Moore

[Kden46]

Nice coverage guys!

Nice to see the pros turnmarshall like the rest of us! ;) And like some people I have seen talking story and not really paying attention! :confused: :p

YR4Dude Hot Bodies makes a conversion kit for the 12L

AH-12 Conversion (https://www.ssl-stormerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/seekpart.pl?src=ns&pn=HOT90200)

Touring does'nt start until the 6th.

[brinoc]

I wonder why no one is running a Spektrum system (2.4 ghz) in the 12th scale cars! Would'nt it be better than having those large (so to speak) antennas sticking out of the car? You would think getting rid of that antenna would help the handling on 12th scale. Just a thought!

[Jason Sams]

Here is the top 10 as promised.

position/driver/country/points (10 for first and so on)

1) David Spashett (GBR) 20
2) Jon Orr (USA) 19
3) Marc Rheinard (DEU) 17
4) Andy Moore (GBR) 16
5) Atsushi Hara (JPN) 13
6) Mike Dumas (USA) 11
7) Paul Lemieux (USA) 10
8) Jilles Groskamp (NLD) 9
9) Andy Griffiths (GBR) 8
10) Hideo Kitazawa (JPN) 4

[Jason Sams]

Here are a few pics of Spashett, his car, and his car in action. This is Spashett's third world champioship in 1/12-scale (1994, 1998, 2006). Spashett is a class act and always seems to wear a smile. Congratulations to him and his sponsors.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/spashett01.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/spashett02.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/spashett03.jpg

Here are the top three from 1/12-scale. From left to right; Marc Rheinard (CRC/Team Orion); David Spashett (Corally,Peak); Jon Orr (Team Associated/LRP)
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/12scalewinners.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/champagnefight.jpg

[b16crxturbo]

Are/were the AE drivers there with the belted "TC5"? Any more news from 1/10th stock? Great write up!

[MattHiggins]

when does the 10th scale cars run?Today is Tuesday and it's also the official day off. They're tearing down the indoor on-road track and setting up the pits in its place. The touring cars will hit the track tomorrow (Wednesday) for practice. We'll get info on who's fast as soon as they start turning laps.

[MattHiggins]

Are/were the AE drivers there with the belted "TC5"? Any more news from 1/10th stock? Great write up!AE will be running the belt car. Not every driver, but more than we expected will be running this very early-stage prototype. The A-team expects to put two drivers in the A-main. This will be a hard feat for any of the teams. A lot is on the line and this might be the most hard faught Worlds we've seen in some time.

[MattHiggins]

I wonder why no one is running a Spektrum system (2.4 ghz) in the 12th scale cars! Would'nt it be better than having those large (so to speak) antennas sticking out of the car? You would think getting rid of that antenna would help the handling on 12th scale. Just a thought!One reason might be that 1/12-scale cars are allowed solid antennas that flip them back over most of the time when they roll. Though, I suppose you could leave the solid antenna post and still run Spektrum. We did see Spektrum units being used.

[MattHiggins]

Corally has reworked the steering geometry on their touring car. According to Tosolini, the result is better Ackerman and much improved cornering.

Matt Francis stated that the Losi team will be using a new diff design.

Masami spent a good amount of time yesterday checking out the touring car track. He has practiced a lot and is dedicated as he's ever been.

Mark Pavidis will be running a new chassis on his still very new belt driven Kyosho car. The new chassis will move the battery pack back for more weight transfer. He tested the car (minus new chassis) before coming to this race and said he was extremely fast with it. Josh Cyrul will be running his own Kyosho prototype.

[MattHiggins]

We're here. Take advantage us and let us know what you want to know and see.

[Little_Horn]

We're here. Take advantage us and let us know what you want to know and see.

Maybe some shots of the Kyosho and AE belt cars??? ;)

[Manic]

Are many drivers running Brushless Motors?
Or is it far too hot for them....

[belila]

You can be sure all drivers, brush or brushless, has the temp thermal thing switched off. If any unit burns in the heat, too bad. They'll just replace it.

[MattHiggins]

Heat is on everyone's mind regardless of what type of motor they're running. Mark Pavidis of Team Kyosho said, "My car looks more like the inside of a computer with all the fans and heatsinks I've stuck on it."

[ryanD]

can we get some pics of the cars, like hara's, moore's, cyrul's, lemieux's, ect. also some pics of the bodys for all the painters out here :D thanks alot!

[MattHiggins]

can we get some pics of the cars, like hara's, moore's, cyrul's, lemieux's, ect. also some pics of the bodys for all the painters out here :D thanks alot!You got it. We'll get shots of any 1/12-scale cars that we haven't already, if the drivers still have them out, and we'll get you chassis and body shots of all the top touring car drivers' machines.

[MattHiggins]

Much bigger news than RC car racing is the World Cup that is taking place in Germany. We just got back from watching (at a bar a few towns away) the Italian team defeat the German national team, and the area is going crazy.

[ryanD]

dont worry about the 1/12th cars, i would really like to see pics of the 1/10th scale cars.

[Kent Clausen]

1/12-scale is run first (indoors on carpet for the first time), and then we go outdoors to the permanent paved track.

The 1/12th Worlds have been indoors on carpet several times... 1984 Denmark, 1986 Las Vegas, 1988 Holland, 1990 Singapore, 1992 Detroit etc.

:)

Congrats to David Spashett, great driver and great guy.

[barclayrc]

Just seen that Masami Hirosaka is now driving for Team Orion !!!

[CCristo]

What's new in the pits? Chargers, radios and other gizmos...

[MattHiggins]

The 1/12th Worlds have been indoors on carpet several times... 1984 Denmark, 1987 Las Vegas, 1989 Holland, 1990 Singapore, 1992 Detroit etc.

:)

Congrats to David Spashett, great driver and great guy.
I stand corrected. What I meant to say was this is the first time 1/12-scale was indoors and touring car was outdoors at the same event.

[Jason Sams]

Its true, 14-time World Champ Masami Hirosaka is now with Team Orion. He is running an Orion Revolution modified motor in his Yokomo car.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/masami01.jpg

[Jason Sams]

Masami through down the fastest time in practice, but several drivers put down similar lap times. Here are the fastest drivers from the fourth round of practice before it began to rain. Some drivers may have had faster times in earlier rounds, but the track was definitely the fastest the fourth round.

driver/country/time/fastest lap

1) Masami Hirosaka (JPN) 16 5:00.670 (18.528)
2) Leino Teemu (FIN) 16 5:02.430 (18.589)
3) Viktor Wilck (SWE) 16 5:02.459 (18.662)
4) Jilles Groskamp (NLD) 16 5:02.501 (18.650)
5) David Spashett (GBR) 16 5:03.028 (18.618)
6) Thomas Pumpler (AUT) 16 5:03.873 (18.693)
7) Andy Moore (GBR) 16 5:05.654 (18.639)
8) Marc Rheinard (DEU) 16 5:05.722 (18.779)
9) Chris Tosolini (USA) 16 5:06.370 (18.839)
10) Mark Pavidis (USA) 16 5:06.540 (18.673)
11) Rick Hohwart (USA) 16 5:06.870 (18.802)
12) Juho Levanen (FIN) 16 5:07.275 (18.764)
13) Peter Pinisch (AUT) 16 5:07.476 (18.601)
14) Ralp Burch (USA) 16 5:08.145 (18.668)
15) Adam Rogers (GBR) 16 5:08.619 (18.837)

Notes
Billy Easton (18.541) and Matt Francis (18.822, round 3) were both fast in practice, but did not finish their heats in round four. Ralph Burch's 16 5:08 was with a five second crash, so he should be in the mix with the top guys tomorrow.
Other Americans: Paul Lemieux, Jon Orr, and Kyle Skidmore ran 16 5:09s in the fourth round. Josh Numan ran a 16 5:10.

[Jason Sams]

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/tracktouring03.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/tracktouring02.jpg

[Jason Sams]

It didn't take long for Masami and Rheinard to size one another up. Here they are in the first round of practice. Masami eventually passed Rheinard and pulled away despite the track being pretty loose early in the morning.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/masamirheinard.jpg

[pchan]

What about Hara? Any glitching problems like he had in Worlds warm up?

Please post more pictures...

[RCSavage]

Looks like Masami is hunting another world championship!!

[Jason Sams]

- The track surface will not receive any traction additives such as VHT or sugar water. The reason being the officials want to keep the track as consistent as possible. With the rain today and possible showers tomorrow they didn't want the additive to be washed away causing incosistent conditions.- Although Masami debated running brushless, we now know he'll run brushed motors.
- Ride is providing the controlled tire for the event.
- Many drivers have been testing bodies, but one has yet be the favorite.
- Opening ceromonies were held today in the middle of practice to honor the countires represented at the race.
- The track's Euro-style raised curbing will no doubt play a factor in the mains. We witnessed many cars hopping over curbs in practice, and this will open the door for easy passes.
- There is no scheduled rain day even though there is rain in the forecast. Come rain or shine the race will conclude on Saturday evening.
- The long straightaway/sweeper, high motor temps, and hot weather have forced racers to run sevaral fans and heatsinks to keep their electronics cooler. We talked about the conditions with Chad Phillips and he said, he is getting his Trinity motors to come off at 200F-degrees. Early in the day he temped motors that got as hot as 300F-degrees. He seems satisfied with how the motors are now running.

[Jason Sams]

What about Hara? Any glitching problems like he had in Worlds warm up?

Please post more pictures...
No word on glitching, but he does has a receiver on standby that features old-school foil wrap.

[MattHiggins]

Here is Mike Blackstock followed by Paul Lemieux who is sporting a solid silver body for testing.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/blackstock01.jpg

Hara in action
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/hara01.jpg

This privateer had some bad luck with the heat and went up in smoke.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/upnsmoke.jpg

[Jason Sams]

Here are some action shots of the top pros and flavor shots from around Torino.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/groskampTC01.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/burch.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/pavidisaction01.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/TCpits.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/usteam.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/flavor01.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/flavor02.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/flavor04.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/flavor05.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/flavor07.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/flavor08.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/flavor06.jpg

[Jason Sams]

We added some photos in the post about David Spashett winning 1/12-scale. You can check out the podium shot, as well as the top three celebrating.

[Jason Sams]

Here is Chris Tosolini's Corally.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/tosolinichassis.jpg

Here is Masami's Yokomo.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/masamichassis.jpg

Hara's Hot Bodies Cyclone Pro.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/harachassis.jpg

Matt Francis' Team Losi Rear Engine ride.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/francischassis.jpg

Mark Pavidis' Kyosho Stallion.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/pavidischassis.jpg

[Jason Sams]

It's 2:30am here in Italy, so we're calling it a night. Check back again cause we'll be posting more photos the rest of the week.

[rich panganiban]

Awesome coverage, Thanks.

[lbckevin]

Great pics...keep them coming....How about Josh Numan.?

[MattHiggins]

Great pics...keep them coming....How about Josh Numan.?Thanks.
Josh looks fast with his Tamiya ride. It will be tough for anyone to make the Main at this race. The talent pool is deep.

[Jason Sams]

Here are the heats for qualifying. They were able to run through the first half of round one before it began pouring rain.

Here is the fastest group from practice.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/qualifyingheats03.jpg

Here is the second fastest group from practice.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/qualifyingheats02.jpg

... and the third group.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/qualifyingheats.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/rain.jpg

Paul Wynn, Mark Pavidis, and Craig Drescher watch the crew sweep water off the track.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/foosball.jpg
The U.S. drivers play a little foosball to kill time while the rain came down.

[Jason Sams]

Keep checking back, we're working on pics right now and have quite a few more on the way.

[GRUNDIG415]

great pics!

[Jason Sams]

We haven't nabbed a body off shot yet...but here is what we have. Brent Thielke let Matt take a look at the car just before a qualifier.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/AE03.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/AE02.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/AE01.jpg

[dawgmeat]

You guys are steppin' your game up with this race can't wait for next issue ;)

[Jason Sams]

The body of choice seems to be the Protoform Mazda 6, however, Masami and Billy Easton are running the Yokomo Stratus Type "E". I asked Toso why they would be running Yok Type E's, and he said, "The Type "E" provides a bunch of steering." Here are some of the top guys we know are running Mazda 6's.

Mazda 6
Todd Hodge
Matt Francis
David Spashett
Atsushi Hara
Rick Hohwart
Paul Lemieux
Ralph Burch

Yokomo Type "E"
Easton
Masami


99% of the top drivers are running 7-turn singles, regardless of what brand of motor they run. According to Check Point's motor man Duane Silva, Juho Levanen is the only Check Point driver running an 8-turn. Duane also said, we knew what we were going to run before we got here. He said, they also haven't had any issues with heat and have been running the same brushes all through practice. Team Orion's Joe Pillars who is working with Oscar Jansen says they have their motors dialed. Most of the Team Orion guys are running similar gearing and all of them are running the new endbell featuring the plug system. With this system, developed by Fabrice Ramella, drivers have no worries about their leads becoming unsoldered.

[pchan]

Jason,

From the photos you posted, Hara's bodyshell does not look like the Mazda 6. Is Hara running a keyence ESC now?

[Jason Sams]

Jason,

From the photos you posted, Hara's bodyshell does not look like the Mazda 6. Is Hara running a keyence ESC now?

pchan,

The picture of Hara's car was during practice and I was told he is now running a Mazda 6. I do not know if he is running a Keyence ESC. We'll look into it.

Jason-

[Jason Sams]

What about Hara? Any glitching problems like he had in Worlds warm up?

Please post more pictures...

pchan,

Apparently Hara did have trouble glitching and didn't run the fourth round of practice. Here is a shot of his car with his receiver wrapped in foil tape.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/haraglitching.jpg

[jkerr0043]

Hara seems to have had glitching issues a lot lately. It could be anything I guess, but it seemed to start with his switch to Futaba. Anyone else ever have trouble w/ that radio?

[pchan]

Thanks for the great picture. Mind snapping a few of Hara's pit picture?

[KevinH]

Yeah great pics. Now how bout that pizza? There's plenty of down time with that rain. Have brown santa send it!

[Jason Sams]

Team Orion's new endbell with plug system. The plugs eliminate the motor wires from possibly coming unsoldered. The endbell is pretty heavily machined and vented for maximum cooling. This setup clearly works and looks trick.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/orionmotorplug.jpg

Team Losi's new JRX-S diffs.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/losidiffs-1.jpg

Mike Blackstock secures his XRAY T2 to this billet aluminum tweak board. The board is stout and perfectly flat. By loosening the screws in his top deck and bulkheads and then securing the chassis to the aluminum plate, he can retighten his screws to ensure his chassis is tweak free.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/blackstockchassistweak.jpg

Protoform's Dale Epp brought some new wings for the drivers to try. Mark Pavidis and several others are using the new wings. There are two different designs; one featuring a high downforce profile (pictured) with Gurney-like flap on the trailing edge. The other wing (not shown) is a less agressive wing design. Both wings wrap around the body standoffs creating a lower profile.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/protoformwing.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/protoformwing03.jpg

[Jason Sams]

With the rain keeping everyone off the track, we took advantage of the downtime and chatted with a few of the motor builders.

Joe Pillars of Peak filled us in on his tuning efforts and motor setup. Joe stated, “We’ve found a setup that runs really well and we’re all running it. The same motor setup we’re running here, we pretty much have run at every single race. Basically, once you get the gear ratio right, you adjust the timing a little bit.”


Check Point's Duane Silva seemed as confident as can be. Like the other pro motor tuners, he wasn't concerned about the extreme heat. “I wish we could get to 110 degrees. We have no problems at all. For us, the more temperature, the better.”

When we asked him what he has been working on at this race he stated, “For most guys, I’ve been cutting [the comms] every two runs. For racing, I’m going to go every run.” He added, “I’ve only changed three sets of brushes so far. The brushes keep getting better. Usually, between the fifth and tenth runs, the brushes are the best.”

Jim Dieter, master motor builder for True Speed, clearly isn't pushing the limits. He said, “I’m way conservative. We came back with 100 seconds of runtime last time.”

[PeterV]

Guys, this stuff is GOLD. Get used to it readers, because this is how we'll be presenting races from now on, as long as there's internet connectivity at the race to allow it (which there should be at all but the most remote tracks).

GREAT STUFF MATT AND JASON!

[Sedanfahrer]

Congratulations on the excellent work! This is the best race coverage I found on the internet!

[WheelNut]

Yeah, awsome coverage guys!

[Ziddan Sr.]

Nice picture and awesome coverage :) guys, keep on going,

[TonyV]

Thank you for the coverage. Keep it comming. The more pics the better. Especially pit action. Maybe RCCA could setup a thumbnail section for race coverage photos to help keep the large photos from slowing down the threads.

[Little_Horn]

You guys are truely the best! That's why I made a 2 year subscription to your magazine. :D
Keep up the excellent work.

[Jason Sams]

Hot Bodies' Andy Moore takes the top spot for round number one. When we all thought Masami, Rheinard, and Hara would be at the top, Moore proves that we can't forget about him either. Teemu Leino was fast during practice and that speed carried over for the number two spot after round one. Paul Lemieux posted the first 17-lap run two qualifiers before Moore, Leino and Rheinard did the same feat.
Round #1
1) Andy Moore 17 5:16.703
2) Teemu Leino 17 5: 17.273
3) Paul Lemieux 17 5:17.900 (USA)
4) Marc Rheinard 17 5:18.267
5) Wilk Viktor 17 5:18.787
6) Atsushi Hara 16 5:00.321
7) Surikarn Chaidejsuriya 16 5:00.376
8) Craig Drescher 16 5:00.918
9) Billy Easton 16 5:01.014 (USA)
10) Rick Hohwart 16 5:01.229 (USA)

Notes:
Masami's car had to be pulled from the track because one of his motor leads came unplugged. According to reliable source, his mechanic used a lead that was a little too short, forcing a tight fit. This tension on the wire caused it to come loose during the race.

Other U.S. Drivers
Mark Pavidis 16 5:01.700
Ralph Burch 16 5:03.063
Josh Cyrul 16 5:04.121
Kyle Skidmore 16 5:04.998
Matt Francis 16 5:05.881
Jon Orr 16 5:11.675
Josh Numan- broke halfway through
Mike Blackstock- Mike did not finish his heat. A car exiting pit lane hit his car and took him out of the race.

[MickeB]

Viktor Wilck did have the fastest laptime at the warm up and he is still fast, it seemes that we will have a swede in the a-main this time! :D

[dallasv8]

love the coverage,keep up the good work guys.and the motor tech was a handy bit of info too ;)

made up my mind about buying a couple of checkpoints for racing.i should be the first with them at my track haha.....in a buggy that is.

[Jason Sams]

Atsushi Hara did not start the second round of qualifying because his car would not move. I asked Hara what happened and he said, "I have no idea, it just wouldn't move". He was obviously upset about his car troubles.

[Jason Sams]

Tamiya/Team Orion's is on top for round number two with a 16 5:00.035.

[Jason Sams]

1) Marc Rheinard 16 5:00.035
2) Paul Lemieux 16 5:00.735 (USA)
3) Rick Hohwart 16 5:01.134 (USA)
4) Masami Hirosaka 16 5:01.228
5) Chris Tosolini 16 5:01.713 (USA)
6) Viktor Wilk 16 5:02.043
7) Matt Francis 16 5:02.646 (USA)
8) Mark Pavidis 16 5:02.934 (USA)
9) Surikarn Chaidejsuriya 16 5:03.255
10) Hayato Matsuzaki 16 5:03.426

Notes:
- First round TQ Andy Moore had a 16 5:03.654, which put him 12th for the round. Andy had a smokin' fast 18.272 lap. The next single fastest lap was Marc Rheinard with a 18.413.
- Mark Pavidis was held up in his qualifier for several laps otherwise his time would have been a little faster.
- David Spashett did not finish, and for some odd reason he did not post any laps. (My print out does not show any lap times for him.

[dawgmeat]

Atsushi Hara did not start the second round of qualifying because his car would not move. I asked Hara what happened and he said, "I have no idea, it just wouldn't move". He was obviously upset about his car troubles. so when can we expect Hara to switch back to KO :eek:

[Jason Sams]

During heat #13 of 15 it began to rain. The drivers in heat 13 finished in the rain, as the track began to get really loose. The officials decided to wait about 15 minutes for the rain to pass. The drivers in heat #14, Francis, Pavidis, Hohwart and many others wanted to run just to get the round over, so they ran as the sun peaked out. The rain washed away traction as the cars looked more like drift cars. Lap times in heat #14 were nearly a second slower because of the loss in traction. The following heat (15), which involved Masami, Teemu, Moore, and others was much faster. Heat 14 essentially swept the track for the final heat. Masami TQed the run, but racers speculate the entire round will be canceled because of unfair track conditions. The kicker is that round three was held up for a lunch break even though everyone knew rain was in the forecast. If there wasn't a break round #3 would have been in the books without any problems.

[The_Mini_Me]

Its not neccessarily the futuba receiver or transmitter given that other drivers there are running it. It could be other parts in his equpment. Even his servo, motor, or esc itself. Putting your receiver untop of your servo though isnt the best idea if your glitching given the emi a servo emits.

Im surprised Futuba hadnt supplied him with one of the pre production 2 ghz systems.

Thats the downside of sponsorship. Being limited to one companies equipment, even if isnt the best. Sometimes racers get too caught up in wanting to be sponsored without realizing the lack of options it can give. Long live the privateers! ;)

[dallasv8]

is anyone using the nomadio sensor radio?
i use one and havn't had any dramas at all.

[Jason Sams]

The IFMAR officials are meeting right now to discuss the third round of qualifying. I'll keep you posted.

[Jason Sams]

After a 30-minute meeting the IFMAR officials have decided to use round three results.

Round #3 results

Masami Hirosaka 17 5:16.826
Andy Moore 17 5:18.819
Marc Rheinard 17 5:19.006
Craig Drescher 16 5:00.882
Paul Lemieux 16 5:01.339
Surikarn Chaidejsuriya 16 5:02.018
Josh Cyrul 16 5:02.786
Hayato Matsuzaki 16 5:02.943
Thomas Pumpler 16 5:03..092
Meen Vejrak 16 5:03.312

Notes:
The fastest driver from dusty heat #14 was Simo Ahoniemi with a 16 5:10.194, which put him 44th for the round.

Here are the top 10 using points (155 for first, 153 for second, 152 for third, and so on).
1) Andy Moore 308
2) Marc Rheinard 307
3) Masami Hirosaka 306
4) Paul Lemieux 305 (USA)
5) Viktor Wilk 299
6) Craigh Drescher 298
7) Rick Hohwart 297 (USA)
8) Surikarn Chaidejsuriya 297
9) Teemu Leino 293
19) Hayato Matsuzaki 292
11) Atsushi Hara 290

Americans
13) Josh Cyrul 289
14)Mark Pavidis 289
15) Chris Tosolini 287
23) Matt Francis 273
34) Ralph Burch 254

[cnroman]

Thanks for the coverage.

[Jason Sams]

Masami Hirosaka and Andy Moore traded the lead during the final heat of round four, with Masami narrowly winning. I'll post the results when they become official.

[Jason Sams]

(155 for first, 153 for second, 152 for third, and so on)

1) Masami Hirosaka 310
2) Andy Moore 308
3) Marc Rheinard 307
4) Paul Lemieux 305 (USA)
5) Rick Hohwart 303 (USA)
6) Viktor Wilck 299
7) Craig Drescher 298
8) Teemu Leino 297
9) Atsushi Hara 297
10) Surikarn Chaidejsuriya 297

Americans
14) Matt Francis 291
16 Josh Cyrul 289
17) Mark Pavidis 289
18) Chris Tosolini 288
33) Kyle Skidmore 259
38) Billy Easton 254
39) Ralph Burch 254

[GRUNDIG415]

any pictures?

[bobf24]

awsome coverage, I hope you guys have coverage like this for the 8th scale buggy worlds this year,

[Jason Sams]

Hot Bodies' Andy Moore battled back and forth on the clock with Yokomo's Masami Hirosaka to take the top qualifying position for the final round. With the TQ in round four, Moore secured the TQ position overall even though he tied Masami with points. His 17 5:12.662 in round four was the fastest round of the race and .7 faster than Masami. Moore threw down some of the fastest laps recorded during touring car, including an 18.0 in the final round.

Here are the top 10.

1) Andy Moore 463
2) Masami Hirosaka 463
3) Marc Rheinard 459
4) Paul Lemieux 455 (USA)
5) Rick Hohwart 449 (USA)
6) Ronald Volker 446
7) Viktor Wilck 446
8)Craig Drescher 444
9) Surikarn Chaidejsuriya 443
10) Teemu Leino 442

Notables
Atsushi Hara 11th
Mark Pavidis 15th
Chris Tosolini 16th
Josh Cyrul 17th
Matt Francis 20th
Ralph Burch 27th
Kyle Skidmore 28th

[Jason Sams]

Check back, as I will post some more pictures later this evening.

[fantomcat]

Is there anymore qualifiers tomorrow, or is this the ten that will be running in the main? :)

[pchan]

Atsushi Hara... :( :(

EDIT - Jason, can you ask Hara when he will use his own brand Atsushi Hara Racing Products matched batteries? Will it be on sale for us to buy? Thanks!!!

[Jason Sams]

Here are a few shots of Andy Moore and his car.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/mooreaction01.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/moore01.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/moore02.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/moore04.jpg

[Jason Sams]

Here are those requested pit shots.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/TCpits09.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/TCpits10.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/TCpits07.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/TCpits08.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/TCpits12.jpg

[mwcet8k]

I'm not completely up to date on which drivers in the A-main drive which car. Could someone who knows post that info? Many thanks.

[Jason Sams]

1) Andy Moore 463 Hot Bodies
2) Masami Hirosaka 463 Yokomo
3) Marc Rheinard 459 Tamiya
4) Paul Lemieux 455 (USA) Xray
5) Rick Hohwart 449 (USA) Tamiya
6) Ronald Volker 446 Hot Bodies
7) Viktor Wilck 446 Xray
8)Craig Drescher 444 Team Associated
9) Surikarn Chaidejsuriya 443 Hot Bodies
10) Teemu Leino 442 Schumacher

[The_Mini_Me]

EDIT: Jason beat me too it. I was close, but no cigar.

[ApexSpeed]

Lots of Orion/Peak motors in the A. Wow.



Fantastic coverage, guys. Keep up the great work.

[YoKoMo-MX4]

GO MASAMI!

'nuff said,
MX4

[dallasv8]

i was hoping to see a checkpoint mod in the a main ;)

[convikt]

Looks like a good showing for Hot Bodies! Glad to see it.

[GramdeGixxer]

If you guys need someone to go to Australia and cover the 200mm Worlds, I will do it for you. I am a pretty decent writer.

[Manic]

Great coverage both, your lap top must be glowing red hot!!
At least the beer and pizza is cheap.
Hope you can do the same job for the Rallycross Worlds
Good luck Andy and Craig.
Up the Brits

Did any Brushless motors make the 'A'???

[Jason Sams]

Andy Moore started A1 really strong and put a little distance on number two qualifier Masami Hirosaka early in the race. In the closing minute Masami began to reel in Moore and was all over his rear bumper. As the two cars entered the back straightaway, Masami's Yokomo bumped into Moore, when he tried to force a pass. Moore was able to correct his car after the contact and resume the lead. Masami needed to recover from the crash, which allowed Rheinard to get by for second place. Masami held onto third.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/mooremasami.jpg

[dallasv8]

well,i for one would like to see tamiya stay at the top ;)

[Jason Sams]

Xrayùs Paul Lemieux won A2 in dramatic fashion. At the start of the race Yokomo's Masami Hirosaka bumped Hot Bodies' Andy Moore causing him to drop several positions. Masami took over the lead but was either issued a "stop and go" or pulled over out of sportsmanship. I was too busy looking through the lens on my camera. When Masami pulled over, Tamiya's Marc Rheinard inherited the lead with Lemieux in tow. Lemieux had the fastest car or was simply driving the best, as he was all over Rheinard. About midway through Lemieux nailed the rear of Rheinard's car because one of his belts broke. Lemieux was aked by the officials to pull over and let him by. Rheinard was out of the race, and before Lemieux realized this three cars had passed him while he waited. Tamiya's Rick Hohwart was now upfront with Associated's Craig Drescher in second. Drescher eventually passed Hohwart, but had motor trouble with his brushless system and couldn't finish the race. A lap later Hohwart's car stopped for some odd reason. At this time they speculate his speed controller failed. With Drescher and Hohwart dropping out, Lemieux took over the lead on the next to last lap and went on to win.

[dallasv8]

i bet marc is pissed

[Jason Sams]

Great coverage both, your lap top must be glowing red hot!!
At least the beer and pizza is cheap.
Hope you can do the same job for the Rallycross Worlds
Good luck Andy and Craig.
Up the Brits

Did any Brushless motors make the 'A'???


Manic,
Ronald Volker is running an LRP Brushless system and Craig Drescher is running a Novak brushless system.

[dallasv8]

and the world champ is............hopefully a tamiya

[nomac]

ohhhh shoot! this is gonna be good!!!

[dallasv8]

any word on how things are going?the orion live feed has stopped.
nail biting stuff ;)

[KoE]

A3 going in a few mins....

[marvi]

its up now. hara just won the b final
a final is next

[KoE]

moore just won!

[dallasv8]

hows the top ten shape up?

[KoE]

pending official result.... it looks like moore, masami and marc

[prodot]

WHATS TAKING SO LONG????
WHO WON???? :confused:

[KoE]

Andy Moore/United Kingdom/HotBodies Cyclone ....

[KoE]

spashett (spl?) took 1/12th and andy moore just took the 1/10th ....so it all british this year! too bad they didn't do so good in FIFA lol !!!

[dallasv8]

and neil cragg with the 2wd buggy win earlier......

[prodot]

So we have 2WD off road World Champ'UK', a 1/12th circuit W/C 'UK', A 1/5th On Road W/C 'UK', and now a 1/10th On Road World Champ as well !!!!
THE UK RULES!!!!!! :p

[dallasv8]

well, no end results anywhere.are they having dramas with the end result?

[Jason Sams]

Hot Bodies/Team Orion's Andy Moore wins the ISTC World Championship. Sorry guys my internet hook-up was down.

1) Andy Moore (GBR) Hot Bodies/Team Orion
2) Masami Hirosaka (JPN) Yokomo/Team Orion
3) Paul Lemieux (USA) Xray/Truespeed

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/winnermoore.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/winners.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/moore.jpg

Thanks KoE, for your post.
Jason-

[dallasv8]

nice pics ;)
well marc had to lose a race one day,pity it was this one

[Jason Sams]

1) Andy Moore Hot Bodies/Team Orion
2) Masami Hirosaka Yokomo/Team Orion
3) Paul Lemieux Xray/Truespeed
4) Marc Rheinard Tamiya/Team Orion
5) Viktor Wilck Xray/Team Orion
6) Teemu Leino Schumacher/Team Orion
7) Surikarn Chaidejsuriya Hot Bodies/Peak
8) Ronald Volker Hot Bodies/LRP
9) Craig Drescher Associated/Novak
10) Rick Hohwart Tamiya/Peak

[ApexSpeed]

Anyone hear what happened to Howart?

[FricFrac]

pchan,

Apparently Hara did have trouble glitching and didn't run the fourth round of practice. Here is a shot of his car with his receiver wrapped in foil tape.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/jasonsams/haraglitching.jpg


I'm sure Hara has all the experts in the world but...

I see he has foil surrounding his receiver case but it doesn't look like it's grounded. It will be far less effective if its not tied to the negative wire. There is also a nickle spray that you can spray on plastic to provide EMF shielding - he could use that inside the case as well...

[MattHiggins]

Jason Sams, you are the man. Great wrap up of the race! I wish I could have seen it.

Could you have imagined if Lemieux wasn't able to win A2? Something would have hit the fan when everyone realized the hit wad due to equipment failure on the part of the guy who got hit. That's about as unintentional of a hit as you can get.

I could watch these top drivers race all day. It is simply amazing how good they all are. Congrats to all the drivers, and an extra big congrats to Moore, Hot Bodies and Team Orion!

[dallasv8]

so marc's belt broke causing the hit?unfortunately i havnt seen the race.is there anywhere to download the races from?

[losiguy1090]

I'm sure Hara has all the experts in the world but...

I see he has foil surrounding his receiver case but it doesn't look like it's grounded. It will be far less effective if its not tied to the negative wire. There is also a nickle spray that you can spray on plastic to provide EMF shielding - he could use that inside the case as well...

Or he could just run a Spektrum! :p lol

[MattHiggins]

so marc's belt broke causing the hit?I believe so; at least that's the way I understood it happened, but I too haven't seen the race.

[MrSHEP]

nice work guys, great coverage


is there a list available to show all the racers chassis brands

[convikt]

wheres a video????? orions website doesnt have it. Anyone know?

[smartduke]

Hi, I'm new. Can someone tell me why I can't view images? Shall I do what? Thanks. Smartduke.

[smartduke]

Convikt, have u checked the "media" section of the Orion site linear menu? U'll find all TC ans 1/12 mains!

[powerram2500]

Where Did All The Pics Go. Says They Have Been Moved Or Deleted :(

[MattHiggins]

Sorry about the pics. Due to technical issues, we used another server to host our images, and we eventually had to take them down.