Team Losi Racing's Björn Prümper Pro-4 German Vice Champion

This past weekend Team Losi Racing driver Björn Prümper put his TEN-SCTE to the test against the best drivers in Germany and finished with a nice result, German Vice Champion in the 4WD Short Course class. This race marked the first official Short Course Championship in Germany. Short Course racing is going global. Another interesting note all drivers were using Losi Ultra Digits SCT Tires.

Congratulation on the fantastic finish!

Team Losi Racing's Mike Garrison Pro-4 Podium

Event: RC Pro Series North Division Rd.3
Location: Novelty R/C Raceway - Novelty, MO
Date: 8/24-25

The RC Pro Series North Division made its way to the small town of Novelty, Missouri this past weekend. Novelty has a population of 194 people, one cafe, and one of the Missouri's best R/C tracks. The Novelty R/C crew put weeks of work into the facility, building a unique track layout with various elevation changes, big jumps, chicanes, and fast straightaways.

Team Losi Racing/Horizon Hobby team driver Mike Garrison made the long trip for a weekend of racing. Garrison, running the Losi TEN-SCTE, entered the Pro4 Short Course class.

In Pro4, Garrison equipped with his Losi TEN-SCTE was able to take TQ after qualifying. Due to the threat of rain all mains were shortened and the Pro4 class was given one 8 minute main, instead of 6 minute triple A's. Mike would lead the race from start to finish taking the victory in Pro4 for the weekend.

The Novelty R/C crew did a fantastic job with this event, and hats off to everyone who put in the hard work to make it happen!

      (Track photo courtesy of Brent Burton)

Team Losi Racing Wins the Australian Truggy Nationals

August 24-26 2012: Team Losi Racing driver Andrew Gillott took on the 2012 Australian 1/8-scale Truggy and EP Nationals at the Canberra Off-road Car Club in the nations capital today and topped the podium in Truggy (84 laps/1:00:27.12). The Team Losi Racing team was on pace all weekend with young gun Matt Primmer  placing forth with his 8IGHT-T 2.0 (81 laps/1:00:03.38).  The battle for the win was always tight with Andrew (TQ), Matt, Ari Bakla and Jarred King all on similar pace throughout the event. Andrew also extended the celebrations taking third place in the electric 1/8-scale buggy class right behind Jarred King and KC Shore.

Congratulations to the entire team! 

22SCT Kits Are Shipping!!!

The Team Losi Racing 22SCT are shipping!!! Order yours today if you have not already done so.

http://www.tlracing.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdId=TLR0024

Post-Race Interview: Darren Bloomfield - 2012 European Championships

There have been many words and phrases used to describe Team Losi Racing's (TLR) Darren Bloomfield but until now, the phrase "1/8th European champion" has not been amongst them and as we sit together in the relative calm of the Horizon Hobby UK offices some four days since his historic achievement, the enormity of what he's achieved has yet to fully sink in with the affable 23 year old.

"It's only when Adam (Lewis) posted on my Facebook page (Darren Tlr Bloomfield) that there'll only ever be one FIRST British European Champion that you realise that even when I'm not racing anymore, I'll still be remembered. No one can take that away". There's obvious and understandable pride in his voice as he says it – after all, incredulous as it might first sound, it is as he says; he is the first Brit to ever win the prestigious title in all of its years. Many have tried but all have failed. Until now that is.

It's also the first EFRA or IFMAR title that the TLR 8IGHT platform has ever won which again, seems too incredulous to be true. Despite dominating national championships across the globe and topping qualifying at the World Championships in Charlotte, NC USA, the 8IGHT, a car that created much furore and injected excitement into the class when it was first released almost 6 years ago, has never won an internationally accredited title. Until now that is.

It's clear that Darren is a little uneasy with me. Although we've known each other for some time now, this is the first time we've sat together like this. His body language is tense so I try to joke a little with him, mentioning that whilst I was stoked for him and was glued to my computer on Saturday watching the results screen, I had to admit to cheering more loudly for Mo Farah that night and that I hoped he wouldn't hold that against me. He smiles – it's as if he's almost overwhelmed a bit by the whole aftermath of the race. Darren is a racer. He lives to race and he's one of the most dynamic drivers on the off-road circuit today. He's able to do things with his car when it is seemingly out of control that defy belief but he seems more nervous talking to me here than he ever seems when he's out on track – even when he's just taken the lead for the European Championship title with less than two minutes to run on the clock. The track is his natural habitat; the place where he is at home and where he can naturally and freely express himself – not the office, or the press-room.

I joke some more with him, suggesting that he now needs to get them (TLR) to put his colours on the box art for the 8IGHT. It's a mark of respect that they have done in the past for many of their leading drivers; Dustin Evans has the TLR22 box art, Yannick (Aigion) has the 8IGHT 2.0 EU. Frank Root has the newly released 22-SCT whilst Adam (Drake) owns the 8IGHT-T 2.0. So what about the idea of a Bloomfield coloured box art – it seems only fitting that having given the platform it's first international title that they should grant him that respect. He shakes his head; "No, I wouldn't want that – it places too much focus on the individual and not the product". Hmm. Curious. I had fully expected him to leap at the thought. After all, racers are not normally known for their reticence or reluctance for self-promotion. They exist in a hard world of objective finites. There is no subjectivity about their craft. They either win or they lose. The stopwatch and the lap times never lie. And yet here in front of me is one of their finest craftsman but one who is not bullish or arrogant but is actually more circumspect and thoughtful. It's a side that most never see but it's one I can relate to and respect.

We move on to the actual topic in hand – the Euro's itself. TLR had sent two of their US team members over to support Darren, Miguel (Matias) and all of the other TLR drivers. Adam Drake needs no introduction. There's little that 'The Drake' doesn't know about off-road or nitro racing. He's one of the finest pro-racers in the world and TLR had sent him over to the event to pit and mechanic for Darren and to advise and help all of the TLR team. Kevin Gahan is perhaps a little less well known in R/C circles but he's the US TLR Team Manager and has grown up with racing coursing through his veins, albeit of a two-wheeled full size off-road variety. Those extra hands and extra eyes would prove to be decisive and ultimately would justify the decision and expense to send them.

Much has been written about the fact that not only did Adam pit for Darren, but it was actually with one of Adam's cars and with Adam's Novarossi engines that Darren raced and won the event. Surely the relationship between driver and pit-mechanic has to be one of total trust and confidence? I ventured. "Initially it did feel a bit weird as he (Adam) had prepped the car and
I hadn't. But when you stop and think about who it is who has prepped it, you stop worrying."
And that's the key! Without wishing to take anything away from the brilliance of his driving, it's evident that it would not have been possible without the support of the TLR team and most notably Adam and Kevin. "Normally, you're trying to do so much on the car that you don't get the chance to watch others. But with Adam prepping the car and with Kevin's support with the video replays, I had the chance to relax and concentrate on the actual driving and racing."

Video Replays? It sounds more F1 than R/C but these are the times in which we live. I'd suggest that before long, the term 'pit-man' will be replaced by something such as 'race-engineer' because after speaking with Darren, it's evident that he recognises the impact that Adam's support gave him. To gain the trust that's required between the driver and race-engineer in such a short space of time speaks volumes of Adam's ability to remain calm at all times and devise a setup on his TLR 8IGHT that would enable Darren to drive his natural style and rhythm without imposing any limitations. Couple that to the support from Kevin and the aid of video replaying every run and you can begin to sense the level of professionalism that exists within the sport/hobby today. "After every run, Kevin would sit down with both Miguel and I and we'd all watch each other's runs – spotting where we needed to be slow and where we had natural advantage. I'd then be able to go out and watch the corners and the bumps, come back, watch the video some more and then go back out and watch the track"

The fact that both Darren and Miguel partook in this regime with Kevin's support illustrates the great sense of Team and Teamwork that the TLR team is founded upon. There are other manufacturers out there and other Teams but as history tells us, the winners often are the Teams that work together the closest to maximise their advantage to place their best drivers in positions where they can win from.

Consistency is a word that keeps cropping up during our discussions. Confidence is another. It's apparent that in addition to his great wrenching and set up skills, Adam was able to give Darren the confidence he needed for him to drive at a consistently good pace as opposed to at an incredibly quick pace between the otherwise inevitable crashes. Taking the opening qualifying round with Miguel in 2nd was a great start for Darren and the team. Others seemed able to put a single fast lap in, or even a string of fast laps but consistency was the key.

A less than stellar performance in the second round would have signalled disaster for the old Darren but what was emerging throughout the week was a new Darren; a stronger, mentally tougher Darren who, with Adam and Kevin's help, was beginning to wise up to the fact that he didn't need to drive at 100% to get the result. In fact it was quite the opposite, when driving at 90%, he and the TLR 8IGHT had pace to burn and when driving at that relatively sedate pace, he had the mental capacity to think and strategise. Back on pace in round 3 with a second in round firmly put Darren in the driving seat. Top Qualifier was never on the agenda for Darren and TLR. Their focus was on making the semi and going from there. TQ is a bonus but it doesn't count for anything come the final and so the team were already planning for the semi and beyond as early as rounds four and five in qualifying when they ran harder tyres on Darren's 8IGHT knowing that they would be on those compounds come finals day. As it was, another second in round in round four assured Darren of a semi-final place with his main rivals all taking points off of each other and come the fifth and final round, he went into the race knowing that he had secured the bonus Top Qualifying honours before even turning a wheel. This was perhaps the only time during qualifying that Darren 'let his hair down' and drove the car whilst pushing it without fear. The result was clear for everyone to see. Not only was the new Bloomfield consistent and maturing, he was still devastatingly quick when he needed to be and he swept aside everyone to claim another best in round score along with the fastest individual lap to underline his qualifying dominance.

Until this point, all of the qualifying runs had been conducted using a single tank of fuel for the five to five and a half minute race durations but as they prepared for the semis and looked toward the final, the TLR team clearly had yet another ace up their sleeve. "Some were struggling to do 7:30 – Lee (Martin) was only managing 7:10s but I could go 11:10 if needed and I could easily do 9s and 9:30s even at race pace without having to conserve fuel". With a twenty-minute semi, the fuel strategy would be the same for everyone with every runner taking two stops but come the final, such a fuel economy advantage could yield dividends and result in one fewer stop being necessary. Not only would such a strategy negate the need to enter pit lane and stop for re-fuelling quite so often as his competitors but, as Darren described to me, the risk of a flame-out is often magnified in Pit-Lane because of the effect of dumping cold fuel into the system and then having to rev the engine for a shortburst along the pit lane before braking for the exit.

Listening to Darren recount his preparation for the semi, I begin to appreciate just how much confidence he had gained from Adam's support. To the point where unusually for the Top qualifier at these events, they chose to opt out of the 2nd Semi practice run. Why? Well, as Darren puts it, "Adam said to me that if I didn't know my way around the track by now then I was never going to win." Practice run over, Darren looked to be in total control of his semi-final run. Driving a consistent, no-risk approach and leading the field after all of the fuel stops, his title aspirations hung by a thread as his 8IGHT suddenly ground to a halt out on the track with less than four minutes left to run in the semi. "I just thought oh no – not another Euros!" alluding to the misfortune he had suffered with a shattered clutch shoe in 2011 in the semis and having suffered an unusual throttle linkage failure and a runaway in 2009. "I looked down at Adam who was still looking at the car. The marshal put the car back on the track and it seemed to be OK. At first I didn't trust it – I had lost the lead and was in fourth place. I pushed and caught the leading group but crashed at which point I knew I had to settle for the fourth place and just make it through to the main." In total, Darren lost over 13 seconds with a jammed stone in his rear wheel but was able to half that deficit with his raw pace in the remaining few minutes. At one stage, he comments that he could feel himself getting faster and faster but that the pace could not be sustained without mistake. A small mistake occurred and he had the presence of mind to back off and consolidate his position. Again, I'm reminded that the old Darren, the one before the Euros might well have crumbled into a series of ever more desperate and risky moves to try and regain the time he had lost but this was the new Darren, the one that with Adam's calming and sage-like experience was now able to focus on the end-game rather than the point in hand.

In the end, that fourth place was enough to put Darren 6th on the grid for the final. Not ideal but, as it would turn out, not actually a bad place to start from either. With his main rival taking pole position and with other previous European Champions ahead of him, it was clear that Darren would be unable to dictate the pace of the final or control it from the front. Instead, what transpired was the perfect synergy between driver and race-engineer. If Michael Schumacher ever owed any of his race wins to the brilliance of Ross Brawn then Darren would owe Adam Drake for this one. Starting from 6th would mean a drastic change in position for Darren on the rostrum and for Adam in pit lane. Not only does that affect the driver's perception and viewpoint around the track, it also alters the perception of the pit-lane entrance and also can affect the pit-man as he finds himself amidst the frenetic activities of the other two-men pit teams. It would mean that the TLR team would have to employ a tactical race. They knew they had the pace, they knew that had a superior fuel strategy and what's more, they also knew, from running on the harder tyres in qualifying,
that the 8IGHT was kinder on its tyres than many of the others – a factor that would surely feature and become an advantage in the latter stages of the race.

A curious quirk of fate meant that 6th place on the grid would actually line up going into the dog-leg left in the middle of the main straight; a corner that would otherwise be taken at high speed. For Darren it meant that although he would not be able to challenge Ronnefalk or the front runners, it also meant that effectively, he had a clean run through that corner whereas those immediately ahead of him would have to slow to avoid incident further down the main straight and those immediately behind him would have to do likewise going into the dog-leg. For him it was like a 2nd pole position and he was able to immediately draw alongside and pass teammate Matias into the first corners.

Quickly dispatching another of the front-runners, Darren then eased back into a consistent pace to consolidate his position and not risk anything. Despite appearing to be a long way back on the track, both Darren and Adam knew that with the safety of needing one less fuel stop, their strategy would not fully reveal itself until toward the end of the race. But it all depended on Darren. If he drove too hard, he'd risk burning too much fuel or making a costly mistake. If he drove too softly, he'd lose too much ground on Ronnefalk and Batlle. A small mistake on pit lane entry for the first fuel stop reminded Darren of his positional change on the rostrum but at every stop thereafter, whilst those around him were a flurry of arms and frenetic activity, Darren would take a no risk approach into pit lane whilst Adam would calmly pick
up the car, re-fill it and hurl it down pit lane so that Darren didn't have to throttle up and risk a flame out.

As the race neared its conclusion, Ronnefalk was still out in front but Darren could sense that he was gaining on the young Swede. "I kept on taking it easy – there's so much to think about whilst you're driving but if I missed an apex or didn't hit an up-ramp, I'd let the car ride out that turn or drop it on top of the tabletop before settling back into a rhythm. Kevin and Adam had explained to me that you don't have to always make up time on one lap – just concentrate to taking time out on the corners and bits where you are good without taking risks on the bits where you're not."

It was a strategy that was paying off. With less than five minutes to go and for the first time in the whole race, Darren was almost within striking distance to Ronnefalk and a huge cheer from the Brits in the crowd obviously spurred him on as the pair of them came onto the straight together for the first time. But even at this time, and after 40 minutes of gruelling racing and catch-up, Darren still had the mental capacity to think about how he could pass the young Swede. He knew where the TLR 8IGHT was good. He knew that he had enough grip remaining in his tyres but he also knew that one false move and it would all be over.

With Ronnefalk defending for all his worth and Darren not taking risks, it seemed impossible for the TLR driver to take the lead and even now, after having watched replays of the final, I still can't quite describehow he managed to pass and take the lead so easily. I've watched the videos, paused them and re-watched them. Ronnefalk didn't make a mistake and yet the grip that Darren had in exiting the hairpin after the corner tabletop to enter the infield was astounding. He eased past the Kyosho and into the lead with less than 2 minutes to run. What followed was nip and tuck. Opportune attempts from Ronnefalk to regain the lead resulted in inevitable collisions but the fair play between the two drivers was as evident as their desire to win. Collisions that resulted in a lead change wereimmediately followed by a yield to allow the lead to be regained. Given the stakes of the game that they were both playing, one could be forgiven if either of them would have considered them as 'racing incidents' and forced the referee to make the decision but they didn't and it's a credit to the respect that all of the top drivers have for each other than even when the stakes are so high they can still consider the crucial elements of fair play and honesty.

The rest as they say is history. Ronnefalk was adjudged to have to serve a short stop go on the final
split lap which effectively ended any chance he hadto challenge the track position and lead that Darren now had and the Brit finished off his split lap to take the title to the inevitable roars of applause and cheers from the crowd. Regardless of team, regardless of nationality, racers are non-partisan when it comes to watching great racing and all could acknowledge and applaud the brilliance of what they had witnessed.

One of the most poignant images from the event was the embrace from fellow Brit and good friend Lee Martin. Despite his own disappointment at not making the final and although a fearsome competitor in his own right, he was amongst the first to congratulate Darren on his first European title. Likewise for Team Associated's former electric double World Champion Neil Cragg who undoubtedly would have wanted to become the first Briton to be crowned the 1:8 off road king of Europe to cap the incredible success he has had in the hobby over the years but it wasn't to be for him or his team this time as the day belonged to Darren and the TLR team.

It's been a unique insight into one of the world's fastest drivers and one of the world's most gruelling events. Races are often won or lost before the start flag drops and I sense that this is a great example of that. It's been a huge team effort from all involved for TLR to bring home this crown. Darren's brilliance on track was equalled by Adam's commitment, knowl edge and preparation. Between them all, they created an environment in which the driver could excel and do what he does best. They gave him the belief and calming confidence that he could do it. He spoke about how the week seemed to be all in slow-motion and that he felt relaxed and at ease at all times. Possibly even without realising it, Darren has experienced the nearest thing that athletes and professional sports men and women refer to as being 'In the Zone'; the place where everything appears to happen more slowly and where they can absorb every event in such detail that everything appears with so much more clarity. They, the TLR team created the environment for Darren to reach this place. It may be Darren's name that's written into the history books but it was the Team in Team Losi Racing that all pulled together to make it possible.


Written by:
Andy Carter
Horizon Hobby UK

2012 European Championships Final Day Report

From: Kevin Gahan - Team Manager
2012 European Championships-The Final Day

We woke up for the final day of the Euros not know what the day would be like.  There was a lot of talk the day before about bad weather.  In the morning it did look too bad but like I said before the weather in Austria is quite crazy, one minute it is really nice the next the clouds are overhead and it’s about to rain.  Well. The same thing happened for the finals.  The clouds came over head but this time mother nature let loose for about 20-30 minutes.  This turned the track into a muddy mess.  I was a bit worried at first because this would change a lot of thing as the team still had to race there way into the final from the semi’s.  With mud like this you just never know what could happen and we had put so much work into everything to have bad luck in the semi and not make the final but as fast as the rain came in the sun came out and the track dried out faster then I would have every imagined.

Semifinals
It was very unfortunate that Matthew Lewis and some of the other team member had some bad luck and were not able to bump into the semi finals.  Nonetheless I was very impressed with their driving and they are young talent that will be at the top very soon.   We had two drivers in the semifinals, Darren Bloomfield (Top qualifier) and Miguel Matias.  They were both in the A-Semifinal witch was nice to get it out of the way and give them a bit more time to relax after the race to get ready for the main.  Darren would start out front and hold the lead for most of the race with teammate Miguel right behind battling for second place.  This was good as 6 drivers would advance to the main event.  Darren would have a huge problem just past the halfway point that first looked to take him out of the race as his car just stopped on the track for know reason.  The marshal started to bring his car back to the pits for us to look at it but then it just started going again (quite crazy!!)  Come to find out after the race from the Marshall that there was a large rock stuck in the rear wheel that flung out.   This would put Darren quite a bit out of the lead but still in position to make the main as he was sitting in 5th position.  Miguel would move up a spot and be in a three way battle for the lead with only a couple of minutes to go.  Miguel would make a couple of nice moves but just fall short and settle for third.  Teammate Darren would end up fourth after his recovery.

Final Main Event
When the final came around the track was looking really nice.  Still a bit wet if you were out of the groove but the groove was pretty wide and dry.  With the combined times from the A & B semifinals Miguel would start 5th and Darren would start 6th.   It would have been nice for the guys to start closer to the front but I was very happy with these spots on the grid.  Miguel would start on one end of a corner and Darren would start around the corner, so this was good as it would give them both some room to work and not get hung up with each other on the first lap.  It worked out great as they both got a great start with know problems for the first couple of laps.  Miguel would eventually come across some bad luck with another driver that punted him of the track.  He would rejoin the race in near last place.  Darren was charging hard to the front with several nice passes on his way to the third spot were he would stay for most of the race.  Him and the two front-runners would pull away from the rest of the field and be running near identical lap times.  The three of them were all within striking distance and really just looking for one to make a mistake.   Getting closer to the end of the final the driver that would step up his game would be Darren Bloomfield moving his Team Losi Racing 8IGHT 2.0 EU buggy into the second position and charging extremely hard for the leader which was about the length of the straightway in front of him with know more then six minutes to go.  Somehow Darren was able to make up an amazing amount of time and within two laps was on his rear bumper looking for the pass with just a couple of minutes to go.  This race was going to come down to the last two laps of the race and I was so hopping we could get this win, he did all that work to get to him now lets just get by and take this one.  The last couple of laps were brutal as each of them were really going for it all out, there was a couple of stop and goes for each of the drivers on the last couple laps but with some lap traffic in the way Darren was able to make the pass and move himself into position to win the European championship but just as he got the lead he was passed back and looking for away around again.  With all kinds of lap traffic and all out driving happing Darren was able to keep his cool and make the final pass and get just enough breathing room to take the win and his first ever European Championship!  Miguel was driving very well in the main and his car to me looked like it was the best car on the track but with the bad luck in the beginning and trying to come through the traffic he could not make up time on the other drivers and would finish up the main event in a solid 6th place.

Darren Bloomfield is the 2012 European Champion

Team Losi Racing Darren Bloomfield is the 2012 European Champion with his 8IGHT 2.0 EU Buggy!!! Congrats Darren!!!

Team Losi Racing's Darren Bloomfield TQs the European Championships

Darren Bloomifield 2012 Euro's TQ with his Team Losi Racing 8IGHT 2.0 Euro Spec Buggy.

Billy Fisher Report: Short Course Showdown Stop 5

Thank you Billy for the very detailed report!



This past weekend was Scotty Ernst's Short Course Showdown series stop at the HobbyPlex in Omaha, NE.  This is the same place the ROAR 1/10th Nationals were held in 2009, but this time there was a building built over and around the track.  This facility is awesome, with pitting indoors where the on-road track is (air conditioned), and the track never being threatened by bad weather (which we had a little bit of).

I ran my 22SCT and my TEN-SCTE at this race.  I was curious to see how the 22SCT would do on a track that wasn't high bite, as the only time I ran the truck prior to this weekend was at the Shootout.

2WD Short Course:

In the first two rounds of qualifying, we were all mixed up with fast and slow drivers.  Of course, the format calls for all heads up racing which is really cool for the spectators.  In my first round, I started 2nd and I was able to get to the front and lead most of the race.  With about two laps to go, I tangled up with some lapped traffic and went back to 3rd with a lap nearly 10 seconds slower than my fast lap.  I was able to get back to the front on the last lap and make the most of it.  I was TQ with 11- 5:13.815, but I was only the first of 3 races for this class.  In the next heat, Brian Kinwald was able to TQ with an 11- 5:03.818 with a clean run.  Alex was in his heat as well, but he ended up popping a steering turnbuckle off with a few laps to go just after he came from the back and took the lead.  Luckily, nobody was able to better my time in the next few races other than Kinwald, so that put me 2nd after the first round.

In the 2nd round, I started on the pole and got a clean start with Taylor Timmerman following close behind.  We swapped the lead a few times, but Taylor was able to take the win about 2 seconds ahead of me with a 11- 5:12.179.  Although our run was fairly clean, we were still 9 and 11 seconds off of Brian's 1st round time because the track got progressively drier throughout the day.  Basically, unless you broke in the first race, you were going to use the time you ran in the morning.  In the second race, Alex was able to go faster than me as well with an 11- 5:12.261, which put me 4th overall after 2 rounds of qualifying.

For round 3, we had a re-sort.  I started 4th, with Taylor in 3rd, Alex in 2nd, and Brian in 1st.  I was able to move up to 3rd on the first lap and held that position for the entire race.  With no traffic playing a part, I was able to finish a few seconds back of Brian and Alex after only a few bobbles, bettering my time to an 11-5:11.755 which put me 3rd overall going into round 4 on Sunday morning.

For round number 4, it would be exactly like round number 1 was.  The track had the most traction we had seen all weekend, and this was the time to put a run in.  I started 3rd, and moved to 2nd right behind Brian during the first lap.  On the third lap with the field still close behind us, we came to the bottom of a hill and Alex drove through me on his quest for the lead, apologizing as he sped away.  This put me dead last and I had try and work my way through the field to make up for the lost time.  When it was all said and done, I was able to come back to 4th place, and that is where I would start the main.  Alex took the TQ over Kinwald, with Taylor in 3rd.  The track was fast enough for me to still better my time to a 11- 5:08.677, which is over 3 seconds faster than my clean run from the previous day.  The track was the best we had seen, and the 8 times all came from this round.

The mains were 7 minutes long, and I started 4th on the grid.  On the start I jumped in front of Taylor, putting me up to 3rd.  On the turn just before coming onto the straight, I turned in too early and the entire field went by me before the marshal was able to get to me.  This unfortunately put me back to 10th, and I had to start from scratch to try and make the best of it.  I was able to work my way up to 4th place at the half way mark, and try to set my sights on third for a possible podium finish.  On the very last corner of the last lap, I was able to pass the third place driver and take the final podium spot.

4wd SC:

This was the first time I had run my TEN-SCTE on a loose track, as the only places I had it before was CH and Hot Rod.  I just started with my truck the way it was from the Shootout and went from there.  Throughout practice, I lightened my shock oil 5wt front and rear, as well as lightened my center differential from 15k down to 5k.  This just made my truck much easier to drive and felt really balanced.  I was pretty happy with it, and just concentrated on tire choices from then on out.

In the first round of qualifying, I started 3rd and I was able to get to the front fairly easily.  After a few mistakes, Alex was right on my tail and was able to pass me when I crashed again.  I gathered everything together and was able to catch him and was right behind him when we came up to this one section that he was single-doubling and I was double-singling.  Obviously this did not work out, and I cleaned him out.  It took the marshal a little bit to get to his truck, but I waited and gave him the lead back (how ironic considering what was yet to come my way).  Once we got back going, I was able to get around him and finish with a 12-5:18.156.  Taylor was able to go a 12- 5:11.783 the race prior and another driver went about a second faster than I did in the first race of the round.  This put me 3rd overall.

In the second round, I started out front but I made several mistakes on lap 4 and 5 which put me pretty far back.  I was able to come back and finish just behind 2nd place, but I didn't even come close to my first run time.  Nobody in the top 5 bettered their round 1 times.

For round 3, we had our re-sort.  I started 3rd, but got around 2nd place and began to have a really close race with Taylor.  I made a few mistakes in the middle of the race and that let Taylor get pretty far ahead.  I was able to close back up on him towards the end, but he was still able to take the win.  Again, no top times were bettered from the first round.

For round 4, the track was great just like a little while before in the 2wd SC class.  I started 3rd, moved up to 2nd on the second lap, and focused on catching Taylor.  I was able to pass him when he made a mistake and never look back.  I was able to go 12- 5:03.541, which was over 8 seconds faster than the previous TQ set by Taylor.  Taylor ended up going finishing about 5 seconds behind me, Kinwald was 4 seconds behind him, and Alex was another 3 seconds behind Kinwald.  This would be how the top four gridded up for the 7 minute main event.

At the start of the main, I was able to get a clean first couple of laps in to set the pace with Kinwald falling behind little by little in 2nd.  I didn't make any mistakes and was able to cruise to the victory about 8.5 seconds ahead of Taylor with Kinwald in 3rd.  My truck was really good and easy to drive.  I would have just liked more steering and on-power grip, but the tires were most likely the major issue just like in 2wd.

This is the 2nd SC Showdown race I have attended, and it was a great event yet again put on by Scotty and Charlie.  Everything ran as smooth as can be, and it was really cool to see more kits given away by the sponsors to spectators to get them into the sport.  I have attached some pictures from the event.

Short Course Showdown Stop #5 in the Books!

Check out the official race report here from Stop #5 of the Short Course Showdown 2012 Nationwide Tour!

Billy Fischer TQ'd mod 4wd with his Losi TEN-SCTE Roller. Alex Sturgeon TQ's Mod 2wd at the Short Course Showdown race at the Hobbytown Hobbyplex in Omaha, NE using his Team Losi Racing 22SCT Kit.

Team Losi Racing dominates the KBRL Series Podium

KBRL Nitro Series overall results for 1/8th Expert Buggy

1st           Billy Fischer

2nd          Chris Wheeler

3rd           Casey Peck

KBRL Nitro Series overall results for 1/8th Expert Truck

1st           Chris Wheeler

Team Losi Racing - Bill Bridges Benefit Race 2.0

Date:               7/28/12
Event:              Bill Bridges Benefit Race 2.0
Track:             The Track - Carleton, MI

Last weekend was the Bill Bridges Benefit Race hosted by “The Track”.  The attendance and atmosphere was great.  Practice was cut short on Friday due to rain.  On Saturday racers enjoyed three rounds of qualifying and main events for both nitro and electric.   Adam Drake and Dakota Phend of Team Losi Racing were in attendance to show their support for good friend and teammate Bill Bridges.  Adam TQ’ed both nitro buggy and nitro truggy with is 8IGHT 2.0 and 8IGHT-T 2.0.  Dakotah Phend TQ’ed 2wd modified buggy with his 22T and qualified second in nitro buggy.  Drake won truck and led the buggy final until just before the start of the final lap where he ran out of fuel after having a fifteen second lead.  Dakotah took the win and Drake finished second.  Dakotah also won 2wd modified buggy.  Everyone had a great weekend of racing and hanging out with Bill and his family.  Thanks to all the sponsors and Larry from “The Track” for being such a great host!

2012 West Coast Large Scale Nationals Announced

Time to get signed up for a LARGE event. Get those 5IVE-Ts ready for some racing action at Glen Helen in San Bernardino, CA November 8-11, 2012!