March 24, 2025

GRP Ai-TECH 1:8 Buggy Tyres go into full production

Having recently announced its new range of Ai-TECH 1:8 Buggy tyres, Italian manufacturer GRP has begun full production of the four different tyre patterns on offer.  A completely new concept, all elements of the tyres have been redesigned with new tread design, internal profile, insert, wheel and compounds, to improve performance in every track condition from traditional low-grip to modern high-grip.  The internal profile has a new circular texture and lateral reinforced edge, calculated with Ai performing tools, which improves the deformation in traction and lateral grip.  With each new Pixel, Block, Triky and Flexy thread designs produced using new moulds that have been made with chromed special steel using new laser technology, this ensures the tyres are perfectly balanced and do not require balancing before use.  Each Ai-TECH thread pattern is offered in 5 options, 2 different polymers formulation, synthetic rubber and natural rubber, each in Soft and Supersoft, and a mixed compound in Soft.

Source: GRP [grpgandini.it]


March 23, 2025

Edmunds earns biggest career win at Asian Buggy Championships opener

Mayako Youth Mentoring Program driver Jayden Edmunds earned the biggest win of his career today with victory in New Zealand following an exciting season opener to the Cayote backed Asian Buggy Championships.  With the Counties RC Car Club track hosting the first of the four encounters that make up the third season of the 1:8 Offroad Championship, Edmunds sent the first hint of his potential when he topped the second round of qualifying before the highly experienced Kyle McBride hit his stride to take the final two qualifiers and the overall TQ.  Lining up P3 for the 45-minute final behind Sworkz’s Jayden Jamieson, after plenty of shuffling for position at the start, four different leaders in the opening four minutes, Edmunds would settle into serious contention when he took the lead from HB Racing’s Logan Toia on lap 33.  With McBride and Toia, who had three stints at leading, both suffering multiple flameouts ending their challenges, Edmunds would find himself under attack from fellow countryman Caleb Noble.  With a very fast car, his Tekno posting the fastest lap of the race, Noble went to the front with a nice pass coming onto the main straight however as both drivers made their final pit stops, Noble pitting a lap earlier, Edmunds’ stop helped him to retake the lead.  Again Caleb appeared quicker but Edmunds played it cool.  As they came around to start their final lap, a mistake by Noble gave Edmunds the breathing room he needed to secure a very popular first international race win.  Finishing 6-seconds back, Top Seed Noble was clearly unhappy with his second place.  Opening the event strongly with a TQ in the opening qualifier, before starting to feel under the weather on Saturday, Jamieson was happy to survive to finish P3 and claim the Kiwi’s first Asian Buggy Championships podium finish in Nitro Buggy.  Just 3.6-seconds back, the WIRC of eBuggy podium finisher and local racer Kasey Dawson capped off an impressive weekend with fourth while Dylan Toia completed the Top 5.

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March 23, 2025

LC Racing LC10B5 V2 Front Arms & Driveshafts

LC Racing has released new Version 2 Front Arms and Driveshafts for their LC10B5 1:10 4WD Buggy.  The new arms are shorter giving the buggy a slightly different suspension geometry and making the front track width legal for sanctioned races.  For use with the shorter V2 arms they have also released 72mm CVD driveshafts for the buggy.

View driveshafts here


March 23, 2025

McBride wins eBuggy at Asian Buggy Champs

He may have got off to a slow start in eBuggy, but Kyle McBride came away with the win at the opening round of the Cayote backed Asian Buggy Championships in Pukekohe, New Zealand.  After two exciting A-Main encounters on Saturday, it was a three way battle for the overall win going into A3 on Sunday – McBride having won A1, Top Qualifier Logan Toia winning A2, and a second place in A1 putting Caleb Noble in contention.  With Toia leading them away, he and McBride would tangle on the opening lap causing chaos in the chasing pack.  Starting from the 3rd spot, it was WIRC’s Kasey Dawson who came through that the best to lead at the end of the first lap.  From there the top seed & Q1 winner managed to see off the challenge of Mayako’s Jayden Edmunds to take the win with McBride crossing the line in third.  Overall with his A1 win and second in A2 it was McBride’s victory ahead of Toia, who pulled off in A3 in frustration of the driving standards, while an over the moon Dawson completed the podium at his home track.

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March 22, 2025

Win apiece for McBride & Toia as eBuggy goes to A3

eBuggy at the Asian Buggy Championships produced two exciting A-Main encounters on Saturday that resulted in Kyle McBride and Logan Toia taking a win apiece to send the decider into Sunday’s A3 in New Zealand.  With HB Racing’s Toia securing the TQ, the Kiwi’s stint at the front was short lived in A1 as a first lap mistake dropped him right to the back of the field.  Up front it seemed for a time that no one wanted to lead the 10-minute encounter with Kasey Dawson, Jayden Edmunds, Caleb Noble and Kyle McBride all throwing away the lead when they got a chance at the front.  As the race reached half distance things settled down with McBride hitting the front again but this time the Aussie stayed there for the win ahead of Noble who saw off a number of challenges from Toia as he made an impressive recovery drive.  In A2, second place qualifier McBride got by Toia on lap 1 but quickly gave it back before Noble took a turn at the front for 4-laps.  Chased down by McBride, the Australians would come together resulting in both getting stuck in the piping.  As they got marshalled, Toia went back to the front and despite McBride’s best efforts stayed there for the win with Noble third – the Tekno driver clearly not impressed by McBride’s driving.  With his second in A1, Noble still however has a chance at the overall win in A3.

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March 22, 2025

McBride Top Qualifier at Asian Buggy Championships season opener

Kyle McBride is the Top Qualifier at the season opener of the Cayote supported Asian Buggy Championships.  The Australian secured pole for tomorrow’s 45-minute Nitro Buggy A-Main when he took the fourth & final round of qualifying in New Zealand this morning.  After yesterday’s 3-rounds of qualifying at the Counties RC Car Club track produced three different winners, it set the stage for a four way battle for the overall TQ between McBride, Sworkz’s Jayden Jamieson, Mayako’s Jayden Edmunds and WIRC’s Kasey Dawson.  Having ended yesterday with a TQ run in Q3, mistakes costing him dearer in the opening two heats, McBride would make his intentions for Day 2 of qualifying very clear early on as he kicked things off with his first TQ run in the final eBuggy round.  With the top heat of Nitro Buggy bringing a close to qualifying, McBride delivered the only 10-lapper to take Q4 ahead of Tekno’s Caleb Noble, Edmunds and Jamieson.  Overall it will be Jamieson who will start from P2 ahead of Edmunds, Noble and Dawson with Logan Toia’s HB Racing buggy completing the top half of the starting grid which features buggies from 6 different manufacturers!  While it was a double TQ run morning for McBride, Noble again his closest rival, the honour of Top Qualifier for the triple A-Main of eBuggy goes to Logan Toia with McBride starting P2 and Top Seed Dawson third.

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March 21, 2025

McBride finally delivers in Q3 in New Zealand

Kyle McBride finally delivered on the speed he has shown all day at Round 1 of the Asian Buggy Championships in New Zealand by closing out the first day of qualifying with a TQ run in Q3.  Opening Friday’s action with a P2 and then a P3 in Q2, mistakes dropping him of the top of the timing screens in both, the former pro racer again didn’t have a clean run however on the third time of asking he had the pace to snatch back the TQ on the final lap.  Behind the Aussie, the WIRC of Kiwi Kasey Dawson would also end the day with his best nitro run for a result that makes him one of four remaining contenders for the overall TQ going into Saturday’s fourth & final qualifier.  An impressive drive by Mayako’s Dylan Toia saw him complete the Top 3 ahead of Q1 winner Jayden Jamieson.  Having taken Q2, Jayden Edmunds was unable to back that up after he made a tyre change that resulted in his Mayako having too much grip and he was only P7 for the round.  In eBuggy, HB Racing’s Logan Toia backed up his Q2 performance to claim another TQ run and only Q1 winner Dawson can deny him the overall TQ but in order to do so he needs to top Q4 in the fastest time of the weekend.

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March 21, 2025

Edmunds takes Q2 at Asian Buggy Champs

Mayako Youth Mentoring Program driver Jayden Edmunds has TQ’d the second round of qualifying at the Asian Buggy Championships in New Zealand, a switch of tyre completely elevating the Australian’s performance after he opened with a P8 in Q1. While a slower track, no one making 10-laps as they did in Q1, the second of the four qualifiers would prove a super close battle with the Top 3 covered by 6/10ths of a second. Once again it was Kyle McBride who had the fastest car around the Counties RC Car Club track but again it was a mistake that denied last year’s podium finisher from registering a TQ run he certainly has the speed for. Having taken the opening qualifier, Sworkz’s Jayden Jamieson backed that up with a strong P2 0.492 off Edmunds and a 0.099 ahead of McBride. In eBuggy, HB Racing’s Logan Toia went one better than Q1 to TQ the second round as WIRC’s Q1 winner Kasey Dawson ended up overheating his tyres dropping him back to P4. Tekno’s Caleb Noble would be second fastest in eBuggy with McBride completing the Top 3.

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