Author: Randy Pike

Tekin powered Darren Bloomfield looks to retain his 2016 BRCA E-Buggy National Championship title with a solid win at round 2 held at Kent raceway. He recaps below:

“The weekend before the annual Neo buggy race, here in the UK we were delighted with the warmest and sunniest weather we’ve seen this year, which was a perfect time to open up our E buggy national series with what was meant to be round 2 at kept however with the earlier bad weather the official Rd1 at NDOR was cancelled and rescheduled to 23rd April.

We were greeted upon arrival of a beautifully re-sculptured surface with a mix of new jumps and options but still representing the well known Kent layout. With the day format set out as 2 5 minute practices, 3 rounds of qualifying with your best 2 to count and single leg 12 minute mains.

Practice 1 went well for me, the track being very very dusty as newly laid and a lot of track markers moved here and there so essentially the same layout but with the markers in different places it is unreal how different a track can feel. With a bunch of the fastest laps in P1 and a very consistent run in P2 i would hold myself 1st after practice.

With round 1 of qualifying coming round fast all eyes were on the track to see if a possible change of tyre was the thing to do as more cars circulated the track started to clean up and a race line was becoming obvious. I chose to go with the same tyre as practice as i knew what to expect, unfortunately for me this was slightly a too safe option, i drove a very consistent run but just lacked a small bit of pace but second in the round narrowly missing out on TQ is definitely a score to carry forwards under my belt.

So around came round 2 and i had switched to our MS medium soft compound of Freeride pattern, this tire is iconically known for its super safe side bite and immense forward traction, this round I would catapult myself back up the top into the lead where i left off in practice, pulling out all the stops a turning the fastest laps on the track of the day with a handful of them into the 40’s and take one for the round with a new fastest time of the day.

Round 3 was up and all the pressure was on, with Elliott and I both scoring a 1 and a 2 each from the first two rounds this was going to be the deciding round for TQ honours. I had yet another flawless round matching my round 2 time and gaping second place for the round by almost 10 seconds.

With just a 12 minute main to decide the winner, I knew i had the speed and the consistency to hold my own and bring home the win,with an ever cleaner track the racing line had got wider and wider and my aims to keep it on its wheels and drive to the flag, I did just that from flag to flag and took the WIN on the day by 5 seconds.

I am pleased and grateful to all those involved supplying me with great products to achieve my goal, TQ and WIN what a start to attempt to hold on to my 2016 E buggy championship, I couldn’t do it without said products so underneath I have added link for you to check them out!” Darren Bloomfield

Tekin RX8 Gen3 ESC

Tekin T8 Gen2 2050kv Motor

Tekin Hotwire using v258 software

The 2017 RC Mania race is a unique event as it is molded after a wrestling survivor series, two days on two different tracks, no podiums, just an overall champ of that class!  The champ of course, is awarded the belt.  After two rounds of qualifying Tekin team driver Scott Robert had set TQ in both Mod 2wd buggy and Mod 4wd Buggy!  A huge boost of confidence going into the main events.  Scott  concentrated on making clean consistent laps and while he didn’t have the hot lap, he was able to win both A main events on the turf.  This would put him in good points standings heading into the second day.

After the first round of qualifying Scott Robert was TQ in 4wd mod buggy and 4th in 2wd mod buggy. Scott would make a few changes and take TQ in Mod 2wd buggy as well.  The 4wd A main would be the first class I would be up. Scott would lead the race with a decent lead until I would hit a pipe pin on the drop down on the left side of the track breaking an arm limping around the track to finish second, but would retain overall champ for that class!  In 2wd, Scott focused again on clean consistent laps not crashing once the whole race which gave him a cushion to drive clean and win from the start!

Scott chose the Tekin RSX ESC and Redline Gen3 series of motors to power him to the RC Mania Belt!

Tekin factory driver Hupo Hönigl reports in from his big win at the 2017 1/12 Efra Euros:

“I’m super happy with the result at the 2017 efra euros 1/12th scale – finished 2nd in “mod” and won 13.5! My Tekin powered Xray cars had huge power and handled amazing on H-Speed c35 tires all around protoform AMR was my choice for down force. it was a great event at the racing arena Limburg, with the best referee and commentating job Bjarne Høllund ever beside Scotty Ernst. It also showed that 6.5 blinky is the right decision for this class, because the cars are drive able, without being slow, and racing and overtaking was possible.”  Hupo Hönigl

Hupo chose the Tekin RS Gen2 for his 1/12 13.5 car and the Tekin RSX for his 1/12 Mod car. Both were equipped with a Tekin Redline Gen3 motor.

Hupos ESC Setups:

Hupo Honigl 1-12 13.5 Setup 2017 Efra Euros

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Hupo Hönigl 2017 Efra Euros 6.5 1-12 Setup

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The 29th Annual April Fools race should be a “must attend” race for anyone what can manage the trip. With over 370+ entries the race was stacked with competition. Factory drivers from all the car brands were in attendance as well as many factory reps in house ready to offer assistance to anyone that needed it.  Calling the race was none other than world famous Jimmy Babcock.  The facility was in tip top shape and ready for racing with a very fun, fast and technical track that would be sure to separate the fast from the fastest.

Tekin was in attendance with Randy Pike offering help to anyone who needed it. Lots of v258 software updates were made and many tweaks helped anyone running Tekin go that much faster. Team Drivers such as Matt Olson and local boy Joe Eaton would take full advantage of the resources offered to stamp their names on Tq in both 17.5 2wd Buggy, and 4wd 13.5 Buggy for Matt Olson, and 13.5 2wd Buggy for Joel Eaton.

Matt Olson would dominate all 4 round of qualifying in both 17.5 2wd Buggy and 4wd 13.5 Buggy running his Tekin powered AE vehicles. Supporting a full host of MIP parts some yet to be released Olson was focused on clean consistent qualifying.

One of only a small handful of drivers successfully clearing the triple on the track in 4wd running the Tekin RS Gen2 and Redline Gen3 13.5 RPM motor equipped with a yellow high torque tuning rotor. Starting from the Tq position Matt would make an uncharacteristic bobble on the first turn allowing P2 Charlie Cavalier to take the position. The two would make contact putting Olson over the pipe into another lane. Matt would wait and give up not only the 2 positions gained, two additional positions to solidify doing the “right” thing and continue racing. Cavalier would make a mistake also over the right corner table top allowing Olson and the field to catch up. Olson would get by and simply check out on the field to claim the overall win!

Olson would sweep qualifying in the 2wd 17.5 Buggy class as well. Again running the Tekin RS Gen2 ESC and Redline 17.5 RPM motor and yellow rotor.  From the Tq position Matt would run a great race making only a few small bobbles while the racing behind was simply intense. Jimmy Babcock had his hands full calling this race and did a phenomenal job doing so allowing Matt to get through traffic unharmed to take the overall win!

Matt Olson April Fools RS Gen2 13.5 4wd Buggy Setup

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Pic courtesy of IRCR

Tekin factory driver and local fast guy Joel Eaton, also the owner of Addiction RC would take the overall Tq in the 2wd 13.5 Buggy class. Joel’s Tekin RSX Redline Gen3 13.5 RPM motor was equipped with a yellow rotor.  Joel would make an early mistake in the single A main format but would never lose sight of the top 2. Joel pushed causing errors in front of him. Cavalier would make a mistake and Eaton would sneak by with only 1 minute left. Eaton would put his head down tripling with only himself and Cavalier in chase even attempting this late in the race. Eaton would clear it fine with Cavalier spinning the tires and casing it on the last lap allowing Joel to cruise to the line winning the overall 13.5 2wd buggy title!

Matt Olson April Fools 17.5 RSX Buggy Setup

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Matt Olson 13.5 4wd Buggy Motor Setup

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Tekin’s very own team manager Randy Pike would also have some success over the weekend. Tq’ing the last round Pike would start P2 in the single A-main of 17.5 Racing Truck. Running the RS Gen2 Spec and Redline Gen3 17.5 RPM motor and  yellow rotor. Tq  Cliff Nicholson would make a first lap mistake opening the door for Pike to take the lead. Pike would have no problem taking the lead opening up a gap for the next few minutes over the field. 3 minutes into the main, Pike would get into some back traffic at the end of the straight and be off the track giving up his lead. This allowed Ron Reid to take over the lead. Both drivers managing to get through traffic for the most part. Pike would simply run out of time chasing Reid down and would have to settle for second overall.

Joel Eaton RSX 13.5 Buggy Setup

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Joel Eaton RSX 7.5 2wd Buggy Setup

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pic courtesy of IRCR

Randy Pike 17.5 Racing Truck Motor Setup

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Tekin pilot Mason Eppley would also have a great weekend finishing up 3rd in the 4wd Mod Buggy triple A’s! Mason running a Tekin RSX and Redline Gen3 6.5T motor in his Xray buggy.

pic courtesy of IRCR

Mason Eppley 6.5 4wd Buggy ESC Setup

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The entire team was running the latest v258 software which is available here.

A ton of pictures can be found here.

“I would like to personally thank the entire IRCR crew for hosting such a great event. The Tech was ran professionally and efficiently which was awesome.  Jimmy Babcock called some great racing and ran a tight on schedule program which was refreshing and fun to watch along with.  The track was in top form every single day and having owned my own track, I can appreciate the amount of work that went into this race.  If you were at this race let’s all do them a favor and get onto Google or Facebook and leave a 5 star review for this crew and facility. I know I’ll be back for the 30th annual event next year.”  Randy Pike

Randy Pike v258 2wd 17.5 Buggy ESC Setup

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Randy Pike 17.5 RT Truck ESC Setup

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Tekin’s very own customer service manager Jeremy Potter recaps his race weekend:

“This past weekend I attended the Top Gun Offroad Carpet Shootout held at the Benton County Fairgrounds. Practice went well, breaking in the tires and learning the track as traction got higher and higher with more laps being put down by everyone. There was 4 rounds of qualifying with rocket round format being used. At the end of Q4 I would start in P3 for 4wd Mod Buggy with my Xray XB4 ’17 and P4 in 2wd Mod Buggy with the Xray XB2 CE ’17.

In 2wd Buggy, the racing was really tight and close from front to back. I was able to take the win in A1 and A3 to secure the overall victory.  Both systems ran flawless in very demanding conditions. My Tekin powered XB2 CE ’17 was equipped with a Tekin RSX esc and Gen 3 8.5t motor utilizing the new V258 software.

In the triple A’s of 4wd Buggy I would finish 2nd in A1 and A2 and in A3 was able to finish it off with the victory and a 2nd place overall in the class. My Tekin powered XB4 ’17 was equipped with a Tekin RSX esc and Gen 3 Redline 5.5t motor running V258 Software.

The final round of the 2016/17 Mibosport Cup was held this past weekend in Hrotovice, Czech Republic. Over 150 drivers competing in the both electric on-road and electric off-road classes. Tekin factory drivers Hupo Hönigl and Peter Loncsar were in attendance.

2wd Mod Buggy would have Hupo Hönigl the overall Tq Aleš Bidovský and Kája Novotný. The challenging track layout would make for some epic battles. Hönigl woudl retain the 1st position in A1 ahead of the field.  A2 was even more exciting when Hönigl made an error on lap 1 losing a few positions and allowing Kája Novotný and Aleš Bidovský to get ahead. Hupo would make a huge push and recover the lead and taking the win. Hupo sat on A3 after tying up the overall win in the first 2 mains.  Hupo Hönigl chose the Tekin RSX and Redline Gen3 6.5T motor to power his Xray Xb2 to the overall win while running the latest v258 software.

pic courtesy of RedRC

4wd Mod Buggy would have Kája Novotný with the overall Tq with Hupo Hönigl P2.  A1 would see Novotný make a quick move on Tq Novotný.  Hönigl would win A1 with Tekin teammate Peter Loncsar behind him. Novotný would fight back in A2 taking the overall win with Hönigl 2nd.  A3 would decide the overall winner which would be between Hupo and Kája had the same number of points. Kája lead the way  but would succumb to the pressure Hönigl put on him. Hönigl would take the win followed by Novotný and Bidovský.  Hupo Hönigl would take the overall win with Kája Novotný and Aleš Bidovský  and Peter Loncsar rounding out the podium. Both Hönigl and Loncsar would run the Tekin RSX and Redline Gen3 line up utilizing the latest v258 software.

pic courtesy of RedRC

The Serpent challenge held by The Track in Gaithersburg MD. Friday we were able to practice from noon till about 8 that night. The track was pretty slick from the water that was put down the night before.

Saturday we ran three rounds of qualifying taking your best overall 6 min run. In both 2wd and 4wd, Griffin Hanna was able to get the TQ spot!

In the 2wd, Griffin would trade places a few times with local guy Enzo Albertoni. At the end Griffin was able to get the win! Griffin ran the Tekin RSX and Redline Gen3 7.5T motor.

In 4wd, Griffin got spun out early on but was able to catch back up and take the lead. He traction rolled and Enzo would take the lead back. With time running out,he pushed to hard and on the last lap made a mistake and gave up the 2nd spot to local fast guy Jay Drakeford. Griff finished 3rd. Griffin again chose the Tekin RSX and Redline Gen3 6.5t motor.

The U4rc 2017 Winter Nationals were held last weekend in Pheonix Arizona and held alongside the Dirt Nitro Challenge at the Fear Farm.  Tekin factory drivers were in attendance and were running the latest addition to the Tekin product line; the Tekin RX4 ESC!

Michael Pham was on a mission, Tq’ing 3 classes!  Teammate Daniel Ramirez would Tq 1.9 Trophy and sit 2nd in 3 other classes himself! The entire team was putting in the work making the show in multiple classes running Tekin products in their rigs.

2.2 Comp:

1. Michael Pham Tq and 1st place running the Tekin RX4 and Pro4HD 3500kv motor.
2. Daniel Ramirez 2nd qualifier running the Tekin RX8 Gen2 and Pro4HD 3500kv motor.

1.9 Trail Cage:

1. Michael Pham  Tq and 3rd place running the Tekin RX8 Gen2 and Pro2 3500kv motor.
2. Daniel Ramirez 2nd and 2nd place running the Tekin RX8 Gen2 and Redline 13.5

1.9 Comp:

1. Michael Pham  Tq and 1st place running the Tekin RSX ESC and Roc412 3100kv motor.

1.9 Trophy:

1. Daniel Ramirez  Tq and 2nd place running the Tekin RX8 Gen2 and Pro4 HD 3300kv motor.
2. Tony Mazza
3. Mike Duncan 3rd and 3rd place running the Tekin RSX ESC and Pro2 4100kv motor.
4. Adam Baker
5. Mike Cassar
6. Dan Wilson 6th and 6th place running the Tekin RSX ESC and Pro2 4100kv motor.

2.2 Trophy:

1. Michael Pham Tq and 1st place running the Tekin RX8 Gen2 and T8i 2700kv motor.
2. Mike Duncan 3rd and 2nd place running the Tekin RX4 and Pro4 HD 3000kv motor.
3. Daniel Ramirez 2nd and 3rd place running the new Tekin RX4 and Pro4HD 3500kv motor.
4. Greg Kathrein
5. Dan Wilson 6th and 5th place running the Tekin RX8 Gen2 and Pro4HD 3500kv motor.

All results can be found HERE

Additional pics:

The 4th Annual Moon Rocks Bashers – Fire & Ice Extreme Scale Adventure – Lost Trails was held at the Wild West Motorsports park in Sparks Nevada this past weekend. Over 200 participants attended this event consisting of two different classes which was by tire size 1.9 Class and 2.2 Class. There was 3 different courses which varied in difficulty: easy, intermediate, and expert. All 3 couses equaled a whopping of 500 gates altogether and over 3 miles distance traveled. The event was timed and every penalty of: Gates (vehicle physically hitting a gate), Touches (physically picking up a car to pass a gate or to flip over not under it’s own power), and there was also Markers that needed to be written down at random gates (5 number markers in each course) would add to each driver total time. The lease of amount of time amount for each class would produce the winners.

Tekin factory driver Michael Pham recaps the course:

I started the Extreme Scale Adventure running the “Black Diamond” expert course. The course was one of the hardest scale adventure I have personally done ever. Many of the gates involved picking the right line, winching, and wheel speed. The rocks, hill climbs, and drop offs were enough to kill many competitors motors, servos, and drive lines. The Tekin RSX ESC paired with a Tekin Pro2 Brushless motors on the Axial SCX-10 II proved to hold up to the extreme terrain using a total of 7000mah of battery in only 170 gates. The Tekin B1R did an excellent job controlling the winch to help the gates that were impossible to run without the help of the line. This first course took a little over 2 hours to run.

Knowing there was 2 more courses to run and have only brought 10,000mah worth of battery I decided to take a chance if finish the “Green Circle” easy course before making the long trip by to my truck to grab more batteries to finish up the event. The easy course was very fast paced with very little to no traffic jams and no winching involved but with almost 170 gates still took some time to finish which the gamble with no extra batteries in hand could proved to be a bad deal. As I finished the last gate my rig ran out of battery as soon as I got to the second check point. A quick ride back to the truck to grab more batteries and a drink for hydration I was back on the course ready to finish the last part of the adventure.

The “Blue Square” intermediate course would end up not being hard to drive but hard on my body physically. This course consisted of mostly a up hill climb until the half way point. There were many traffic jams at the harder gates so the waiting game would add to the total amount to finish.

I would end up finishing 1st place in the 1.9 class of the event with penalties added a total of 5.10 hours using a little shy of 15,000mah of battery. I never once had to do any kind of trail repair and the Tekin electronics proved to never skip a beat except when disconnected during a quick battery change.