Well, I'm back and getting ready for 2012. Building new cars for the new nitro season that kicks off this weekend with the Airtronics Winternationals. I've been flying the TRF flag since 09, and it just keeps getting better. I would like to thank Fred and David for the support. I will still be running AKA tires, KO Propo electronics and TKO bearings. New for this year is Fusion Motorsports, VP Powermaster and 818 Graphic Designs. R2 Paintworks will still be spraying my bodys and SpeedtechRC.com is still the best pro shop on the planet.

Looking forward to 2012, see you at the races.

I know that unfortunately, nobody makes an after market body for the 801. With a little experimenting, I found a body that fits nice and looks killer. To top it off, its a cab forward design that actually doesnt look like a space ship or a tadpol. Its the Bitty Design Force body for the MP9. Trimming was minimal, just a little dremel work on the front. The mold lines for the fuel door and motor line up perfect. The cab forward design adds a little more steering and flys real nice.

I would like to take a second to thank T_wraps for hitting another home run with this wrap. These guys are pure custom, no cookie cutter funny business here and super fast turn-around. They get it.

This past weekend Byrons held a race at Revelation Raceway. They were offering a cash contingency for running thier fuel. I normally run Nitrotane, so I switched for the day. Luckily, Fusion Motorsports was there to help me get my motor tuned in after the fuel switch.
The first qualifier started off well, I  quickly jumped into TQ pace. The 801 was hooked up and I was feeling good. About halfway through, the motor flamed out. It seemed like it was running good, I'm not sure why it quit.
Before the second qualifier, we worked on the tune. Hopefully everything would go smoothly. Well, it didnt. The motor went super fat, I really struggled to clear any jumps. I ended up 4th in the round.
As I went to look at the main event posting, I found that I was in the b main. Not to happy. When the b started, I got tangled early. I had to come from behind. It took about 10 minutes for me to catch the leaders. After 18 minutes, 1st and 2nd had a lap on the field. I cruised around playing it safe for 2nd place and a bump to the a main.
When the a main started, I again got tangled up early. It was a 30 minute race, so I had plenty of time to catch up. I was able to catch up to the leaders with about 5 minutes left. Unfortunately, I was not getting good fuel mileage with the Byrons fuel, I to pit one more time than everyone else. I was still in 5th after the last stop. Coming around for the last lap 3-5 were nose to tail. As I crossed the line for the white flag, the motor flamed out again. Luckily, we all had a lap on the field, so I finished 5th on the day.
Contingency money is nice, but sometimes its not worth the head ache. 5th was good for $100, so at least my weekend was paid for.

I just wanted to drop in and give a quick thank you to AKA tires. Joel and crew have been gracious enough to lend support with their superior products. From here out, I will be using AKA tires exclusively in my racing, testing and further development of the TRF 1/8th and 1/10 off-road line up.

See you at the races, Bill

This past Saturday was round two of the JBRL series. This round was held at Revelation Raceway in Montclair, CA. The weather was really nice, unlike the next day (see the rain out of the TCS race). Just under 200 people showed up for a fun day of racing.
Qualifying in the truggy class went well, just missed TQ by .05 seconds. Buggy went a kinda rough. I was on top five pace for both rounds, only to get blown out towards the end of the heats. Unfortunately, I ended up in the B main.
The buggy B main came up first. I got a good start, only to tumble early and get shuffled to the back. With the main only 15 minutes long, it was going to take a flawless ride to get up to the top two for the bump spot. I tried my best, but struggled with traffic and only managed to get up to fourth. The night was over for buggy.
Next up was truggy, time for redemption. I got around the TQ in the first corner, only to get spun in corner two. This main was a little longer, so I had a better chance to catch the leaders. As time wore down, I was able to get around third place for a podium spot.
JBRL is taking a little break until June 11th at Milestone MX Park due to the Nationals coming up. This Saturday is the Agama Spring Challenge. This will be my last race until the Nationals, I need to take some time for rebuilding and prepping tires.

If you are planning on going to the Nationals, make sure to stop by the Tamiya tent and say hi.
Bill

Well, a couple weeks ago the JBRL series kicked off with the opener at ARC Raceway in Temecula, CA. This is an awesome eight race series that visits six different tracks around Southern California. The ARC facility is nice. The track layout was really good and conditions were optimal and there was about 150 entrees. I dusted off the truggy to run both classes. After one round of practice, I was already feeling real comfortable on the track.
In buggy qualifying, I finished top three in both heats. This put me sixth in the B main. I knew I had the speed to get the bump spot for the show. When the race started, I went to second in the first turn. Things were looking good until I got hit in the rear and tipped over. This wouldn't be that big of a deal, if the marshal didn't put his finger on the flywheel and stall me out. By the time I got it re-fired, I was three laps down. However, I was right about my speed, I managed to get one of those laps back. Pretty disappointing with the finish, but happy with the performance. I'm feeling real secure about the rest of the series.
In truggy qualifying, I again finished in the top three in both heats. This put me sixth in the A main. When the race started, I got another great start, moving up to third after the first lap. I held that position for the first few laps of the race, then I ran into trouble. My new Novarossi went real rich. Lacking power, I came up a little short on a big triple. The hard hit pulled the steering tie rod out of the rod end, ending my night. Again, the speed was there, just an unfortunate racing incident.
Overall, I had a great time. I've shaken off the bad luck and I am looking forward to redemption in round two at the world famous Revelation Raceway. This will be the last round before the Nationals next month at Thunder Alley.

See you at the track, Bill

Two weeks ago was the Toys for Tots race at Palm Desert Raceway. This was the original location for this race for years, until the local hobby shop that owned the track went under. A local young r/c enthusiast petitioned the local government and was able to get it re-opened after being vacated for a few years. Pretty cool. 
 We went down Friday afternoon to get some practice for Saturdays race. Its a good thing we did! The track was super tight and the surface was like a driveway, hard and abrasive. After burning up a couple sets of tires, it was time to go back to the room and get some rest. 
Saturday started out nice. The Marines were there to collect toys for the kids, the weather was nice and there were about 130 entries. After dropping off our stash of donated Tamiya toys (thanks Fred), it was time to start racing. 
After qualifying, I was sitting second in the Masters class and bq in Intermediate. Qualifying was tough on the tire supply, I had one decent set and two new sets for the mains. I figured I would use the decent set for the Intermediate b-main and put the new ones on if I got the bump. Well, that was a poor decision, after five minutes, I was blowing out everywhere. I finished 4th, failing to bump. Now it was down to the Masters class if I was going to take home any hardware. It started off great, we had a three way battle for the first ten minutes, then one of the guys broke. And then there were two. We were going at it back and forth for the rest of the race. On the last lap, he tumbled , giving me a nice lead. I slowed down to roll around the final three turns for the win, then POW. Somebody a couple laps down thought he was racing me for position and drove his buggy right into my wing. Of course his wheel got stuck, and I finished second. Bummer, but it happens. 
 
This last weekend was Toys for Tots at Revelation Raceway, a new blog will be up shortly. 
 
Bill 

Hey everybody, just wanted to give an update on how my testing has been coming along. For he past couple of months, I have been beating the heck out of all the new light weight goodies for the 801. I am happy to report that not only are these parts light, but they are super durable as well. The new parts include:
1017 lw center joint (x & xt)
1018 lw drive shaft
1019 lw center drive shaft-front
1020 lw center drive shaft-rear
1021 lw diff outdrive (x & xt)
1022 front shock tower
1023 rear shock tower
1024 lw captured axle (x & xt)
1025 lw diff ring (x & xt)
1026 lw spur gear
1027 lw flywheel (x & xt)
These combined with the lw chassis and Ti turnbuckles really trim down the weight without sacrificing durability.
Try these parts out, you won't be disappointed.

Bill

Well, today was my first race day since my surgery. It was round seven of the JBRL series. This round was held at Revelation Raceway in Montclair, CA. The weather was great, the turn out was good and the 801 was feeling awesome. The track was super rough with a huge quad.
My qualifying went well, I started 10th in the A. I got out to a rough start, but was able to make up time quickly. I had a big advantage in the rough, my set-up was dead on and the TRF was eating up the bumps. About halfway through, the buggy in front of me spun, when I tried to go around him, he punched it strait into me head on. This popped off my steering rod. I tried to limp it around to the pits so I wouldnt lose the lap. Just as I got to the last turn, a marshall picked it up an brought it to pit lane, that cost me the the lap. I was still able to finish 7th. Not too bad for my first race in 2 1/2 months. It looks like the buggy is dialed and my new motors are hassle free. Im looking forward to making it tough on the competition at future events.
 

Next up is the Sidewinder Challenge at Thunder Alley RC

Stay pinned, Bill

Well, after an un-scheduled  two month vacation, I am back. What I thought was food poisoning from the roach coach at a local track turned out to be a burst appendix. I returned to the track this past Thursday 30 pounds lighter with a giant scar.
801 owners will be happy to know that there are quite a few new upgrades in the works that will reduce weight while improving durability and performance at the same time. I was able to test these out with David on Thursday and again by myself on Saturday. The new stuff worked flawlessly.  The voices of the 801 owners are being heard.
I hope to knock the rust off of my driving skills this week and return to racing next weekend at the Pro-Line Gas Championships.