Event: ROAR Region 4 Fuel Off-Road Championship
Date: Aug 22-23, 2009
Location: Ocoee, Florida
Race Reporter: JConcepts Team

Photos – JConcepts SmugMug

JR Mitch takes Region 4 title.  JConcepts Crosshairs and Crowbars were the tires to beat.

Ocoee, Florida and Outtacontrol Raceway played host to the 2009 ROAR Region 4 Championships.  Always an event that brings the best out in every driver within the state of Florida, the ROAR Regional’s displays the best of the best.   With early wet weather conditions being a concern, the JConcepts team turned to the trusty combination of Crowbars in the buggy class and Cross Hairs in the 1/8^th truck class, all in Soft Blue compound.

JR Mitch blistered the track in round 1 of the 1/8^th truck class with his RC8T topped off with the Punisher body, taking the TQ position on the wet loamy track.  Billy Easton, Gary Mazur and Jason Ruona were quickest in the first round of buggy qualifying as Mitch encountered a problem and was forced out early.   Nathan Wincek took his XRay to the top of the field in round 2 of 1/8^th truck qualifying by running a superb race and bettering JR’s early TQ.  In round 2 of buggy it was (more…)

Event: JBRL Electric Round #6 Race Report
Reporter: Frank Root

The Jimmy Babcock Racing League made its way up to Racer’s Haven in Bakersfield for round #6 of the 2009 series.  I went up on Saturday morning with my friend David, along with Team Driver Brian McDuffie, and we got in some early practice before going to the hotel to mount up some tires and rebuild shocks.

Sunday morning rolled around nice and early and we made our way out to the track.  The track was nice and smooth and was running blue groove by the end of the morning practice.  I had tried Blue and Orange Bar Codes, and decided on the Oranges with And-1 for the first round of qualifying.  With all the regular fast guys in attendance, it would be a battle again for TQ.  I was able to claim TQ of 2wd, 4wd, and Open Short Course in round 1, and improve the 4wd and SC TQs in round 2, to TQ all classes.  Locked in a tight points battle with Steven Hartson, I knew I had to maxime my points in the mains, and have the bonus point for the TQ’s would definately help.

In 2wd, I got a clean start and settled into a rhythm early, follow closely by Jeff Nicol and Ryan Dumford.  Keeping with my pace, I slowly pulled away and bobbles from Jeff and Ryan really opened the gap.  By the end of the 6 minute main, I had lapped the field with Orange Bar Codes!

The 4wd main really went my way.  I got a clean started, and the 2nd and 3rd qualifiers, got together, granting me a huge lead right of the bat.  I made sure to keep my car off the pipes and over the jumps, and eventually pulled out to a 2 lap win!  This was an important race, as it allowed me to clinch the 2009 JBRL 4wd Championship and Back to Back title!  Both cars ran awesome on Orange Bar Codes, and tire wear was minimal.

In Mod Truck it was all Brian McDuffie.  He made his way into the early lead and never turned back.  He ran Orange Bar Codes on his RT5, and was hooked up and hauling.. all the way to the win!

The SC10 main was a lot of fun.  I pulled wide in the first turn and dropped back to 5th, but slowly worked my way back into the lead.  The battle was really with Jeff Nicol and myself, as I tried to lap him and he didn’t want to let me.  We battle to the end, and he beat me to the line in a drag race, but I was still able to win the overall.  The JC SC Goosebumps provided great traction and wear all day!

Products used:

B4 Hi-Flow body
B44 Scoopless Body
6.5″ HD Wing
2wd Front Bar Codes Orange
4wd Front Bar Codes Orange
Buggy Rear Bar Codes Orange
SC10 Goosebumps Green
SC10 Truth Body

Tense – 2.2” – 1/16^th E-Revo wheel – (Black w/ bead locks) – 4pc.
Part # – 3328
Retail price – $64.00
(Fits 1/16^th E-Revo with 12mm hex)

Turn the Traxxas 1/16^th E-Revo into a race bred machine with the Tense wheels from JConcepts.  The Tense wheels give the E-Revo a wider overall stance which improves performance by gained control.   With JConcepts Tense wheels it is now possible to mount all the popular JConcepts 2.2” tires which provide the ultimate in traction and performance.  (Photos shown using JConcepts part # 3018-02 Goose Bumps tires.)

It has been said that the devil is in the details and while that is a debatable statement there is no denying that the Tense wheels from JConcepts are as detailed as they come.  Tense wheels are competition inspired from the ground up to withstand heavy abuse and perform under even the most demanding situations.  The Tense wheel design begins with a scale appeal and functionality that separates itself from the rest.  Heavy duty black nylon material and 12mm beefy hex design combine to form the ultimate in scale and performance.

Tense wheels include a heavy duty inside and outside aluminum anodized bead lock with 8 – 3×10mm button head screws on each bead lock for increased security.   Topping off the appearance of the wheel is an aluminum anodized center cap etched with JC logo for authenticity and brand loyalty.  The aluminum JC center caps are secured to the wheel by 6 – 2.5×6mm button head screws.   Although it is not certain that the devil is in the details the Tense wheels from JConcepts are undeniably evil at best.

Features:

• Original JConcepts scale looking design
• Durable black nylon material with heavy duty hex design
• Aluminum anodized bead locks with 3×10mm screws
• Aluminum anodized center cap etched with JC logo
• JConcepts – World Proven Innovation and Design

This past weekend the 5th round of the East Coast Nitro Series was ran at the Outlaw RC Raceway in Aiken, S.C. This track is home to the classic “Watermelon” and always provides true off road excitement with loam and sand, hard packed areas, and an ever changing racing surface of ruts and grooves. Young John McGinty took the Sportsman Buggy class and Randy Cooper, The Easley Ninja” took the Truggy class. The Pro Buggy class was won by Barry Pettit, who also TQ’ed the class. His Mugen MBX-6 was on JConcepts blue compound Crossbows with the new Profiled blue inserts throughout the entire day. “The tires were dialed. Even after running the same set in qualifying, the tires were consistent and lasted the entire 30 minute main. We will be able to use the set again at the next track!”

JConcepts is in the R/C industry for many years. They are particularly known for their high performance bodies and tires. With the popularity of the 1/8 buggies around the globe, I was curious to give to their race tires a try. For this review, JConcepts sent me two pairs of Crowbars tires in medium compound with two pairs of white dish wheels.

The tread is composed of medium size square pins on each side of the contact surface while the center band is composed of larger size pins divided in two. The outer pins are angled to limit traction roll. I found no residue of the molding processing all around the tires. This shows the quality of manufacturing from JConcepts. Yellow molded inserts are included with the tires. Read the full story HERE

Event: Futaba Nitro Challenge
Date: Aug 15-16, 2009
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
Race Reporter: JConcepts Team

JConcepts Strikes Again in 1/8^th off-road by TQ’ing and winning the Futaba Nitro Challenge.

Ryan Maifield and JConcepts continue their winning ways in St. Louis, Missouri for the Futaba Nitro Challenge.   Driving his JConcepts equipped RC8b and RC8T Ryan Maifield took the competitive field of 270 entries by storm.

Maifield was on a mission all weekend and was out to prove that he’s the fastest driver at the Dirt Burner’s facility.  Utilizing one of his favorite tire combinations Blue Compound Crowbars in the buggy class with Firm Profiled Inserts and Yellow Compound Cross Hairs in the truck class Ryan blistered the track in qualifying and again in main events.  Ryan once again enjoyed the high performance of the Illuzion – Hi-Flow and Punisher bodies and JConcepts Mono racing wheels.

As the summer winds down and we start building toward the 2009 JConcepts Clash for the climax event of the year, look for Maifield and other JConcepts racers to compete at more regional events where they’re able to interact with more customers and prepare for the final major events across the country. Next up for Maifield is the Corn Roast Challenge in Green Bay, WI.

The first round of the “Ruler of the Valley” series at Nitro Valley in Cherryville, N.C. was held this past weekend. This was also round 3 of the Team Tilley Challenge, a series of races dedicated to a fellow racer who recently lost a battle with cancer. The race was held in the evening and provided some good racing under the lights. JConcepts drivers Chris Pace, Brandon Melton, and Barry Pettit were in attendance and running in the Pro Buggy class. After 3 rounds of qualifying, it was Pettit taking 2 rounds and Chris taking one, but the “rocket round” format gave Chris the deserved TQ with a 2 second better run in round 3. At the start of the 30 minute main Pace and Pettit checked out and were turning some fast early laps. Melton experienced some early difficulties. Pace and Pettit both had issues in the pits, but were far enough ahead to get back to the front. Pace’s problems continued and Pettit charged on to take the win. Pettit was on Blue (soft) compound Double Dee’s that looked barely used after the 30 minute main. The tires worked throughout the entire main, turning just as fast laps at the end of the race as at the beginning! Results can be seen at  http://www.carolinasrc.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=20524&PN=1

Illuzion – SC10 over-tray – protects chassis from excessive debris
Part # – 2053
Retail price – $25.00

(Fits Associated SC10)

When racing on a loamy or top soil track surface the inside of the SC10 chassis can become loaded with dirt or debris which creates extra weight.   With the JConcepts over-tray these worries are minimized with the simple and functional over-tray.  Fitting nicely under the body; the JConcepts over-tray hugs the outside dimension of the SC10 chassis protecting the inside from unwanted excess dirt and debris build-up during racing conditions.   By minimizing resting surface area the void and protrusion free design is all about performance.

The over-tray is snug around the entire chassis structure while being attached in the rear with blue anodized thumbscrews and a slide-in fit in the front for easy access.  The over-tray is built with extra height and rake to provide extra room for various electrical and battery configurations.

Features:

• Original JConcepts simple design and function
• Includes blue anodized thumbscrews and 4-40 alloy setscrews
• Durable clear polycarbonate material can be painted or wrapped
• Plenty of clearance for various electrical and battery configurations
• JConcepts – World Proven Innovation and Design

*over-tray shown is trimmed and mounted, actual part comes clear and untrimmed.

Event: Carolina Nationals
Date: Aug 8-9, 2009
Location: Charlotte, NC
Race Reporter: Brandon Melton

JConcepts wins the Pro buggy class at the Carolina Nationals.

Over the weekend of August 7-9 JConcepts drivers Brandon Melton, Chris Pace, Barry Pettit, and Greg Smith attended the Carolina Nationals at Charlotte Motorsports Park, previously The Farm 2. The track still remains as the same configuration from the Worlds track, however it’s ran in reverse with many changes to jumps and new additions. The new direction and face lift was a refreshing treat and many drivers commented on the track being very fun but challenging to drive. The stories of the week were the heat (near 100 degree temps all weekend) and a local charity on site called Hometown Heroes. A local Texas Roadhouse restaurant came on site and was grilling burgers, ribs, and steaks, and all sales from food went to the local charity that provides for local terminally ill kids.

The Pro Buggy and Truggy classes were very competitive with fast drivers from OH, NC, SC, GA, TN, and FL coming to battle it out. Nearly every manufacturer had team drivers there and the racing was as hot as the temperature. The race format used 5 qualifiers and qual points to grid the mains. In Pro Buggy, Brandon Melton grabbed the TQ after 5 rounds of ultra close racing. Brandon Melton and Barry Pettit each TQ’ed 2 rounds, but the points from other rounds added up in Melton’s favor for the overall TQ. Chris Pace TQ’ed one round giving JConcepts the top spot for all 5 rounds of qualifying. The mains were on Sunday and the buggy main ended up in the heat of the day right around 3pm.

The buggy main was fairly close between the top 3 racers of Melton, Pettit, and X-Ray’s Ryan Lopez for the first 30 minutes of the race. Melton fell back to third after a bobble through the moguls, but would settle in and match the pace of Pettit and Lopez and hope for a mistake or tire wear from the front two runners. Melton and Pace chose tires that would easily go the entire length of the race, using JConcepts tires in yellow compound. At about the 25 minute mark, it became a race of attrition as the heat started to play havoc on engines.

Lopez would be the first to retire with engine troubles and then about 10 minutes later, Pettit would experience a flame out, causing him to go 2 laps down on the large track. At this point, Melton and Pace relied on the dependability of the RC8B and Reedy VR121 and JConcepts tires to cruise in for the 1-2 sweep with Melton taking the win and Pace 2nd. Pettit would hold on to maintain 4th place after his flame out.

The truggy main was a great race to watch (unfortunately Melton was limited to running just buggy for the weekend). After a slow start in rd. 1, Pace turned it up a notch in the following rounds to take TQ honors in truggy. Pace, Pettit, and Greg Smith each TQ’ed qualifying rounds showing the speed of JConcepts tires. For the first 30 minutes of the truggy race it was a three way battle between Pace, Pettit, and Travis Phillips. Greg Smith put in some fast laps early on, however a drive train problem from his truggy would cause him to exit early. Phillips was using a different fuel strategy that would have him pit at 9 minutes to cut out one stop during the 45 minute race.

Pace was able to run strong enough to keep in touch with Phillips during the pit cycles, however bad luck with a back marker would keep him upside down for 15 seconds waiting for a track marshal, all but killing his chances for the win. This would set up the race for an unbelievable finish between Pettit and Phillips. Pettit was about four seconds behind Phillips on the last lap. As Phillips crossed the line for the last time, his truck ran out of fuel on the front stretch, all heads turned to locate Pettit, he would miss the loop and be called as “done” crossing the loop about 1 second too late!! After misfortune, Pace would run strong to finish with a respectable 3rd place and TQ.

It was great to see a well run race for a great cause. This was the first year of what will be a great race in years to come. Thanks to the track crew for an awesome track in great shape. Info on the local charity and news coverage of the event can found at the link below

Click HERE to See Video from the Local News Coverage of the Event