Venom have announced that they have signed top US driver Taylor Petersen for the 2010 season. The current Mugen racer, who has driven for O’Donnell and Kyosho in the past, will have his debut outing with Venom products this weekend at the Silver State Nitro Challenge.

More information: venom-group.com
(source :redrc.net)

JConcepts have announced that two of their most popular bodies now fit the new Kyosho Ultima SC truck. The Dare and Manta bodies have been turning heads at the race track while winning races around the world and now drivers piloting the Ultima SC can enjoy the same benefits, with the added luxury of these additional styling options.More information: www.jconcepts.net

PSM Racing have introduced a number of new optional parts for the Italian made Crono RS9. First up are new front and rear shock towers, made of PSM´s special 4mm carbon fibre material for strong performance and lightness. They are manufactured with low tolerances to fit perfectly and designed to improve the weight and mounting positions of your shocks and linkage. Made from the same materials there are also new toe-in braces designed to improve the weight and toe-in on your rear end and will be available from 2° to 5° in one degree steps.More information: www.psm-racing.com
(source :redrc.net)

Just last week we wrote about Durango’s new ‘R’ spec high performance cost effective range of products and today they have released the first photos of the new DEX410R. Set to be released at the end of April the DEX410R will have a street price of US$350, €230 and £210, excluding local sales taxes/VAT, and as you can see from the photos it will share the same Team Durango DNA, performance and innovation as the DEX410, but with a more ‘regular’ spec, which when the time is right can eventually be upgraded all the way up to the full spec version.

More information: www.team-durango.com

Thunder Valley Raceway (TVR), played host to round 1 of the 2010 South African National Gas Championship. Current 1/8th scale National Champion Wayne Joelson with his Mugen Seiki MRX4X powered by Novarossi Flash .21 & Matrix Tires was the only driver to run 19 laps, taking the Top Qualifier spot. Sunday’s 45 minute final saw temperatures close to 32 degrees. After leading from the start and having built a one lap cushion on the field after eight minutes, Wayne ran out of fuel around the fifteen minute mark. Now a lap down he managed to take back the lead in the dying moments of the race to score a dramatic win over newly signed Mugen Seiki/Novarossi team mate Steve Munslow. Round 2 of the series takes place in East London on 15/16 May.Source from: www.redrc.net

New from CSO products is this engine mount for the Serpent 733 1/10th 200mm chassis. Made from hard coated 7075 T6, it comprises of 3 pieces of which the two that mount to the chassis plate also act as a chassis stiffener just as with the standard part.More information: www.cso.com.hk

CS Electronic have introduced their new MZ1 tire cleaner, which was specially developed for use on Mini-Z racers. Previously Mini-z tires would be cleaned with something like WD-40 which would degrease the tires unevenly which lead to degradation and poor performance and could even dissolve the glue holding it to the rim. The MZ1 tire cleaner takes away all of these problems giving an even cleaning leaving them optimally prepared for the next run.

More information: www.cs-shop.de

Following extensive testing Shepherd have decided to produced a new low-friction middle belt according to their own specifications. It has an overall length of 435mm and suits the new pulleys included in the Velox V8 2010 perfectly. With the standard belt it was a little bit difficult to find the right tension when using the pulley ‘09 set, but with this new belt that problem is eliminated.

More information: www.team-shepherd.com

HPI have released the Reactor 500 the ultimate charging companion for every RC hobbyist’s toolbox. With universal voltage input, total compatibility with all available battery types including Li-Ion, LiPo, LiFE and Pb, fast charging up to 5 amps, discharging, balancing, cycling, multiple profiles and microprocessor control, you won’t have a need for any other charger on your pit table.More information:www.hpiracing.co.uk

Tekin are reporting on the recent Snowbirds event that saw their team driver Jason Schreffler TQ and dominate the 13.5 Rubber TC class, the hottest class at this year’s event which was filled by some of the toughest, fastest and most competitive TC racers in the World. Jason’s Tekin / TOP / Thunder Power car was on a mission all weekend and even managed to qualify 7th in the Mod Rubber TC class running a 10.5. Fellow Tekin racer Brad Johnson also won the 17.5 Rubber TC class closely followed by TQ Jeff Cuffs who was less than 1.5 seconds behind him, with Jeff also TQ’ing the heavily contested 17.5 GTP class.More information: www.teamtekin.com