2014 Novarossi Nitro Challenge

The 2014 Novarossi Nitro Challenge took place at MRRC Raceway this past weekend in New York.Team Losi Racing, Novarossi, Pro-Line driver Adam Drake was on hand to help with set-ups and engine tuning.

Saturday kicked off with four rounds of qualifying.  Qual points were used to set the starting grid for the 30 minute truck final and the 45 minute buggy final.  Drake was on fire during qualifying and took the TQ honors in truck and buggy by setting the fastest time in 3 out of the 4 rounds.  

In the 30 minute truck final Drake was followed closely by his teammate Anthony Mazzara.  Drake and Mazzarra pulled away from the rest of the field and finished first and second.  TLR 8IGH- T 3.0, Nova Rossi engines and Pro-Line M3 Holeshots finish 1st and 2nd!

By the time the 45 minute buggy final was up the track was getting extremely bumpy.  Drake again got off to a great start and pulled away from Reno Savoya and Anthony Mazzara.  Drake ended up winning by a little over 29 seconds.  Second went to Savoya, and third was Mazzara.  TLR 8IGHT 3.0, Nova Rossi Keep Off 4 engine, and Pro-Line Holeshot 2.0 finish 1st and 3rd!

Huge thanks to Nova Rossi, Rohan Grant, and MRRC Raceway for the great event!

2014 ROAR 1/10 Electric Off-Road Nationals - TLR Report

The 2014 ROAR 1/10 Electric Off-Road Nationals took place at Space Coast RC Raceway this past weekend and what a weekend for our entire team of drivers. Team Losi Racing was in the house sweating it out with the best of the best to see could be crowned a National Champion. After multiple practice rounds, seeding rounds, qualifying runs and the Mains here is where it all shook out.

In the hottest class of the weekend, even though the entire building was HOT, 'dePhending" 2013 2WD ROAR National Champion Dakotah "The Phenom" put on a clinic for all drivers taking the TQ honors in qualifying. Early struggles in A1 caused Dakotah to drop back in the pack. Dakotah put his head down and drove with skill and determination to put himself and his mid-motor 22 2.0 in position to be able to make a very impressive last lap pass to take the win in the first main. Dakotah got off to a much better start in A2 and would not be denied as he successfully defended his 2013 Championship by winning this year as well. Another unique factor to this back-to-back championship for both Dakotah and the 22 2.0 Buggy is that Dakotah has won the last two ROAR Championships with both the rear motor and mid-motor configurations!

The Pro Truck class had a stacked list of heavy hitters that have seen their fair share of podiums finishes but Dakotah showed them how to make it happen and he did just that. Dominating in practice and in the practice seeding rounds Dakotah lined up second on the qualifying grid. From the tone Dakotah would get out front quick in both A1 and A2 and never looked back. This marked his second National Championship of the weekend with his Team Orion-powered 22T Truck.

Continuing to put his stamp on the event Dakotah also TQed the 4WD Modified Buggy class in dominating

fashion with his orange and blue TLR 22-4 Buggy. Not only was Dakotah flying, teammates Ryan Maifield and JR Mitch also had exceptional weekends, with JR also taking a round TQ. The competition was fierce and Dakotah fought hard in the mains. After finishing second in the first A-main Dakotah battled back to win the second A-main and force a third to determine the overall National Champion. Dakotah would fall a bit short in taking the trifecta, finishing third in the final A-main but locking up second in the overall standings.

In 2WD Short Course truck Team Losi Racing drivers Ryan Maifield, Dustin Evans and JR Mitch all drove spectacularly to place their 22SCT 2.0 trucks in the A-Main. Ryan led the charge in the mains, finishing third, second and winning the final A-main to come home second overall in his first ROAR Nationals appearance since joining the team.

Congrats to all of the Team Losi Racing Drivers and a huge thanks to ROAR and Space Coast Raceway for making this weekend possible!

22Empire

TLR’s Zanchettin 2014 Italian National Champion

From our Italian Team Losi Racing Team Manager - Francesco Baldo

This year’s Italian Championship was all about Team Losi Racing, all four races in the Italian Championship 1/8 buggy series were won by a TLR driver, with Alex Zanchettin winning three races and Alessandro Stocco winning one. Winning the Italian Championship is not the only a good reason for our team to celebrate, but that the Team Losi Racing 8IGHT platform won in every track surface imaginable from a cement track to a “potato field” track to a smooth/groomed track and each in both wet and dry conditions. Basically, just to say it nicely, “we nailed it” proving that the 8IGHT 3.0 buggy is now at a point, where driving it WILL make you more competitive at any race track, no more excuse about it. This year, the TLR team did a great job. Alex, Alessandro, Walter, Maurizio, Eghlis, Erik, Nicola and Giacomo won nearly every race they participated in at the local level and constantly won or arrived in the finals at the events at national or international level. We are proud to have such a good team who have been working hard and very close together to achieve the best results.

Today is a day of celebration for the Zanchettin family for the title that Alex was so close to last year, but slipped away due to a couple of driving mistakes. This year, we could write about the level of maturity that Alex has reached, but like Adriano Zanchettin would say, “it would have been much harder for us to win if we hadn’t had a great team behind us, sharing information, testing products and getting together at the end of every qualifying run to share our thoughts”. So, the bottom line is: Well done Alex and Adriano Zanchettin, your success is the starting line for a great future in the RC business. You demonstrated to be able to adapt your equipment and mostly your head, passion and temperament to every track and every occasion.

Well done for Alessandro Stocco, the second place in the championship was so close. Unfortunately, one episode denied a result that would have been well deserved. Well done to Walter Floris, Maurizio Tinnirello and Eghlis Gallo, you have always been present in the major events and contributed to this amazing season’s result. A special thanks goes to the Bottosso family that during this hard year 2014, supported TLR in a fantastic way and managed to get Erik, Giacomo and Nicola constantly on the track, showing that good manners and great passion are the best way to achieve great results in and off the track. As Horizon Hobby/TLR we would like to thank ALL our drivers for this amazing season. We are proud to have such a good team and we are sure that the rest of the season will bring even more satisfaction.

TLR Shreds at the 2014 Surf City Classic

This past weekend was the 2014 Surf City Classic at OCRC Raceway in Huntington Beach, CA. and with over 380 entries and some of the top drivers in the country battling it out, it was the place to be! Feeling very comfortable with his new rides, Team Losi Racing’s Ryan Maifield had an impressive weekend where he TQed 3 out of 4 class and ended up taking the win in all 4 of those classes for the sweep.

Overall the TLR drivers put on a clinic winning 7 out of the 9 classes and placing for 11 podium positions.  Congrats to all of the Team Losi Racing drivers!

Stock Buggy 17.5
1) James Raschko  TLR-22 2.0
2) Frank Root TLR-22 2.0
3) Dayton Brown TLR-22 2.0

Pro-Lite
1) (TQ)Dayton Brown TLR-22SCT

Pro 4
1) (TQ)Frank Root TLR-TEN-SCTE
2) Jake Thayer TLR-TEN-SCTE
3) Ryan Dunford  TLR-TEN-SCTE

Mod 4wd Buggy
1) (TQ)Ryan Maifield TLR-22 2.0

Mod Buggy
1) (TQ)Ryan Maifield TLR-22-4

1/8th Buggy
1) (TQ)Ryan Maifield TLR-8IGHT-E 3.0

Pro 2
1) Ryan Maifield TLR-22SCT 2.0

Surfs Up!!!