New Slash chassis from Gorilla Maxx!

FROM GORILLAMAXX:



The G1S features an innovative 2-piece chassis design specifically for the popular Traxxas Slash off-road race truck. Experience improved performance and durability. Crafted from 1/8" CNC machined aluminum plates. Direct fit - No modifications required to install. Includes decals and metric hex screws, black velcro battery straps and instructions.

Product Features:
- Direct Fit - No modifications needed
- Spec wheelbase and ground clearance
- Chassis assembly 0.5oz lighter than stock
- Improved front/rear gravity tuning
- Natural finish 6061 T6 billet aluminum
- Dual plate design cradles battery pack
- Stick pack or lipo ready - up to 8 cells
- RX mount holes on left and right side
- Slotted EVX mounting fits multiple sizes
- Heavy duty Velcro battery strap
- Includes metric hexscrews
- No threadlock required

Item no. GMX09-CHS-AL, $98

For more images and to discuss: GO HERE!

New Product: Team Associated Short Course 10

Source: Associated [rc10.com]

Team Associated's website has a teaser for the new SC10 that will spell trouble for the market that Traxxas has on 1/10 Short Course trucks. Though details have yet to be released, the truck appears to be 2wd and electric. The attention to detail is impressive, and the truck looks undeniably Team Associated. If AE is able to keep this truck fairly inexpensive (+/-$250), they should definitely have a successful vehicle on their hands.

Have a look and be sure to let us all know what you think!


UPDATE: NEW PICS OF THE SC10:

Got something to say? Do it here!

Kyosho 1/10 RTR Nitro Desert Race Truck

Kyosho has entered the 1/10 Scale CORR Truck arena with their newest vehicle, the DRT.

According to Kyosho's site:

"The New DRT (Desert Race Truck) stands alone when it comes to power, handling and overall performance. The latest spec. .18 powered race truck brings home the goods in this new era of off-road action. The advanced chassis design promises real racing performance while superior handling allows it to be easy to drive. The stable stance lets you power through the dirt even on blown out 1:8th buggy tracks and takes on big jumps without missing a beat. With power that pushes the boundaries of common sense for a 1:10 class machine, you can turn local open space into your own private desert, short course, or road race circuit. Under the advanced engineered body is the perfect chassis layout. The DRT shares many of its parts, option parts and performance with the DBX and DST. Kyosho knows what you want and the DRT is no exception, the DRT comes fully assembled and ready to hit the dirt. This will cut down on the prep time, while the other guys make you wait to have fun Kyosho brings you Nitro experience to your finger tips.

* GXR .18 - New GXR .18 now delivers monster torque and power with Kyosho?s proven reliability.
* Massive 105cc Fuel Tank - Includes newly designed 105cc fuel tank to supply the large 18-size engine. Delivers stable fuel supply even under severe driving conditions. Can deliver run times of more than 10 minutes.
* Compatibility - 80% of DST/DBX parts and option parts are compatible with the DRT.
* No Guess Work - Lower suspension arms are both the same front and rear, this takes out all the guess work with part numbers.
* Fully Interchangeable - Front / rear and left / right suspension arms, front / rear knuckles and front / rear shock stays are all interchangeable. Newly designed suspension with maintenance-friendly ball connect system.
* Dirt Proof Radio Box - Dirt-proof radio box protects the receiver and battery box from the outside elements. It can be attached or removed from the chassis with just four screws for easy maintenance.
* Fully Digital Servos - A new two-channel radio is included with the GT2. The radio features throttle and steering trim adjustments, dual-rate to simultaneously increase or reduce left and right steering travel, and servo reversing switches for both channels. The servos are the digital variety for superior response.
* Shaft Drive - The drive shafts run through the center for chassis to give you better lower CG and optimum weight balance."

Click here for more information about the DRT.

NorCal Hobbies to have indoor offroad course starting soon...

So those of you with RC18B/T that we used in Spec Racing or others who don't have one yet but want to see what is coming soon, check out the following thread over at RCRacing.com: http://www.rcracing.com/msgthread.cfm?t ... essages=58

It will be an indoor carpet track with jumps and obstacles for Slashes and the 1/18th scale offroad vehicles like RC18s and Vendettas. Looking like a couple of us might be trying this out. I still need to get some parts to convert my RC18R but should be fun!

Got something to say? Join the discussion!

New Track developing in Brisbane..?

There aren't many details yet, but "Kodyh" has recently reported that a new, privately owned off-road RC track is being developed in Brisbane (near HWY 101 at Candlestick Park). We're hoping to get pictures and more information about this soon. In the mean time, we are told you can contact Daniel At 415-756-3491 for location and more information.

Brisbane, CA

View Larger Map

Check out this thread for more information.

Sneek Peak: 2nd Off-Road Track, NorCal Hobbies

Hey All, NorCal Hobbies is constructing a second off-road track to compliment their current one and BAPRC club member FabolousRC has provided us with a sneek peak of it!



A few of us were there last Sunday and watched it being built (and even contributed a little bit to the effort). The current plan is to have this track be a little more "wild" than the current version (which is tailored for the Traxxas Slash). It even has a slick "over/under" feature which the Slash clears easily. Whether races will be held on it or not, is still to be determined - however, when asked about this, a NorCal "official" stated that he "definitely wants to hold races on it". Stay tuned for more details!

Got something to add? Join the discussion!

NorCal Hobbies Toys-4-Tots Race - Dec. 20-21

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to share an exciting bit of news with you about an upcoming event that will benefit many kids this Holiday Season. Our good friend, John Hicks, at NorCal Hobbies had the following to say regarding this event:

Its that time of year again,and Norcal Hobbies will be throwing another Toys-4-Tots race this month. Norcal had a really nice participation last year for these races, and is hoping to have even better participation this year - all for a great cause. NorCal will have 2 seperate race dates for Onroad and Offroad.

The 1st date is Saturday Dec. 20th for the offroad portion of these races. Due to race conflicts with other venues,we wanted to make sure we have a greater chance of participation by all for this worthy cause.

The 2nd date will be Sunday Dec 21st for the Carpet portion of the Toys-4-Tots race.

Race fees are 15.00 plus a Toy for your 1st entry. 2nd entry is $5 and anything after is free! This will be a fun race that helps alot of children in need locally.Please mark these dates down and Norcal Hobbies hopes to see you all there.

Got something to add? Join the discussion!

NorCal Hobbies - Sat, Nov 22 - "Turkey Shoot Out"

Looks like NorCal is doing their 3rd annual "Turkey Shootout" this coming Saturday, with Turkey and Pies for the top 3 in their classes. A handful of BAP-RC Club members will be attending. Whether you plan on racing or not, you should definitely come out to witness the action! Racing usually begins aroun 9:30-10AM. Club Members will be there earlier than that to set up their pit tables and get some warm up laps in.

You can check this thread in our message boards for more information.

REMINDER: Club Trip Nov 14-15, LakePort Hobbies - Clear Lake

Hey Everyone,

A few BAP-RC Members are planning a weekend get-away trip to Lakeport Hobbies in Clear Lake for this coming weekend!! If you haven't already indicated whether you would like to come, now is the time to do so!! To find out more about this trip, and let us know if you plan on coming, check out our message boards. Again, if you are interested in coming, the more the merrier! This invite is open to everyone - even those of you who check out this site, but for some reason haven't "officially joined The Club"! :)

Check out this thread in the 'boards for additional information about Lakeport Hobbies.

You can see more pictures and video of their facility and events by going to http://www.lakeporthobbies.com/

Off-Road Track Review: Norcal Hobbies' New Layout

Hey everyone,

I headed out to Norcal Hobbies last Sunday for a few hours of practice. I focused on improving my driving with the B44 and was excited to see the new track layout. IT IS AWESOME!



The track has amazing flow! By the end of the day I was able to push it hard and get in the rhythm and it felt great! The front of the track features a nice big table top jump that wont break (as many) cars. just after that there are a series of corners and a hairpin that leads into a corner table with a single mini jump just after it. Kevin Jelich (the track's designer) apparently hits that table wide and clears it and the mini jump, I tried it and its a pretty tricky thing to pull off cleanly.

After another tight turn there is a double and then a turn into a long step-up leading into another high speed double, then a hair pin into the back straight. This progression is super fun once you get the flow!

The back straight is very fast with an elevation change about half way through and a slow climb after into a chicane area. Hitting full throttle on the back straight is awesome and super fun to watch as the cars bump over the elevation changes and slow hard for the end turn into the chicane.

Another fast, tight turn takes you into a set of doubles then a wide turn back to the front table jump.

The track is now being run wet so I ran my M3 holeshots. they worked great! Tire wear is good but only as the track stays wet. When it starts to dry, it gets slippery and the tires start to wear faster. I will try the harder R3 compound next time around to see if the wearing is better. During races they lightly water before every heat so hopefully I can make it a couple of race days with one set of tires (right now I am about one race day and maybe one heat on a single set of tires).

There are a lot of jumps, but no car breakers like we've been used to. I love the crazy air from the other layouts, but there is enough action on this track that I didnt miss it at all. Also, they took a lot of the infield piping and cut it in half so Slash trucks and biggues wont get stuck on them. Even my B44 had no trouble getting out of a jam if I miss-jumped and ended up off the track.

Awesome track, Kevin Jelich and crew have done it again!

Any thoughts? Join the discussion!

-Hopbot

MeetUp: NorCal Hobbies - OffRoad, Saturday 10/11

Hey All,

Looks like we have a decent number of club members headed out to NorCal Hobbies this Saturday for some off-road action. To see whose coming and let everyone know if we should expect to see you there, check the 'boards.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Weekend Trip: Lakeport Hobbies Raceway; Nov 15-16

Hey Everyone,

The Club is currently planning a weekend get-away trip to Lakeport Hobbies in Clear Lake!! They recently completed construction on their slick looking indoor offroad track, and have invited us up to participate in one of their Sunday race programs. This facility runs every Sunday - Rain or Shine!Needless to say, we are all excited to check out their facility! To find out more about this trip, check out our message boards.

If you are interested in coming, the more the merrier! This invite is open to everyone - even those of you who check out this site, but for some reason haven't "officially joined The Club"! :)

Check out this thread in the 'boards for additional information about Lakeport Hobbies.

You can see more pictures and video of their facility and events by going to http://www.lakeporthobbies.com/

Slash 2 Hour Enduro Race: Sat. Sep. 20, 3:00PM @NorCal Hobbies

If you haven't heard by now, this Saturday afternoon, there will be an event like none other in the Bay Area taking place at NorCal Hobbies in Union City. The event will be a 2 hour Traxxas Slash Enduro Race that will consist of (at least) 3 man teams. You can check out the rules in the flier below. Be sure to come down and be a part of the fun - whether you wish to join in, or just check out the non-stop action - it's sure to be a blast!! Team BAPRC will be fielding a team for this race, so root us on!! There will also be a raffle for a brand new Traxxas Slash that anyone can purchase tickets for.


Got a comment? Join the Discussion!

Off-Road Racing Report: NorCal Hobbies 09/13/08

Hey there all, we had a great time at norcal Saturday! I pitted with Pigiron (thanks for letting me have a table PI!) and Fabrc brought his air compressor by (totally useful, thanks man!) Darksoul was also there (great chatting with you and frank!). There were A LOT of people there yesterday, I left a little after 5pm and they still had mains to run!



The new addition to the track, called the "rythm section", is a series of 6 mini jumps right after the hairpin that leads into the step down jump. This was pretty painful in every class. Things got really shaken up and we saw what usually are the fastest cars on the track (4wd mods) lose out to the 2wd 13.5 drivers - I think those bumps really changed everyone's game.

The slashes actually handled it well since they had some good ground clearance. The 4wd mod class had it pretty bad since you could get stuck on the apex of the mini jump and be stuck there spinning your wheels! The jumps were hard to master but at some point everyone KNEW what to do, doing it consistently was the difficult part.

Double-double-double was the easiest way to tackle it, but if you missed that first double, you were either on your lid or singling the next 4 or 5 little jumps. It was pretty brutal. some of the pros were triple-tripling it, but even they could not do it every lap so a lot of time was lost there.

Slash
Darksoul, Pigiron and I all raced slash. This was fun as usual! They combined the mains into one big 10-car main, which I think is still too many slashes on the track at once. With a handful of really good pro-level drivers and so much traffic to contend with, it's just a lot of big trucks to have to deal with. I am not sure how the other guys placed, but I managed to come from dead last and finish 5th.

The guy to beat in slash was James Arluck. He's definitely a seasoned expert on the track, but his slash was really fast! he was running the 23t pinion, but the power was there to really take him over the jumps, and far! I actually had a 19t pinion (from the 23t) for the added torque and Arluck's looked like it had even more! This seems to substantiate the claims I have read in other forums that the quality of the titan motors can vary greatly. This was only my 4th outing with the slash and my motor is feeling way sluggish.

Work had me super slammed all week so I didn't get to do the overhaul I wanted on my cars (again!) but i burned the midnight oil to completely clean out out the slash, re-lube the transmission and rebuild all the shocks with new o-rings. I made some minor tweaks to the front suspension (heavier oil) and I loved the way it handled. I just need more speed out of that titan motor!

My suggestion for the slash: break in a few motors (use the water break in) and test which is faster. I'm going to break in my spare motor and maybe get another, break that in and test before I race slash again - I dont have a lot of runs on my current motor, I broke it in and i clean and lube it before every race, but it's feeling slow - hopefully the other motor works better.

Rookie
PigIron rocked it in rookie with his Losi XXX-CR - he did great! He didn't get much practice time because he broke a caster block. Super prepared with some spares, he made the fix and did fairly well in the qualifiers. He really turned up the heat in the main with some solid and steady driving that sealed him a 2nd place finish! Congrats PigIron!

We had been discussing earlier in the day about how rookie is actually pretty difficult as there are some seasoned rookies in there as well as the really novice drivers. some on road folks start out in rookie even though they have excellent driving skills and some rookies have been in there for a while. The difficult thing is there isn't an easy graduation point from rookie. For example, any rookie with a 4wd automatically goes to 4wd mod, one of the more competitive classes at the track (hence me being thrown into the fray ) - it would be great if there was a middle stage, some sort of sportsman level for 2wd and 4wd, where you are better than rookie, but not having to battle it out with the pro level drivers right from the start.

PigIron also took a few laps with the Golden Fox (his TC4) on the on-road course in preparation for the Sunday Marin event, his setup looked solid!

4WD Mod
4WD Mod was fun, but hard! I hadn't had any practice time from my rookie race a few weekends ago and I was anticipating being pretty slow - and I was! I started to feel a bit battered by the time the mains came as I just couldn't break out of rookie driving habits. slow-n-steady doesn't win races in 4wd mod

I ended up in the C-Main and had decided that I would just drive as aggressively as possible (for me) - not try and fly off the track or anything, but really push harder than I have in past races. this mental shift really paid off! I was clearing the front triples consistently and I was finally going full throttle on the back straight. I ended up in a battle for first with Brice Arnold- lot's of lead changes and really aggressive driving by both of us. It was really fun and totally exhilarating. I actually felt some freedom to push it once I started to clear the triples and not worry about breaking. I managed to hang on to the lead and it really made my day - I had thoughts in qualifying that I didnt belong in 4wd mod but this race really was fun! I wish I had driven as hard during qualifying, and certainly will push it harder now that I've broken through that mental barrier.

Another great day at the track. Thanks again Pigiron for the awesome pit area, we had a few guys out there representing the club (Fabrc, Darksoul, Pigiron)! I cant wait for the next one!
-Michelangelo "Hopbot"

Want to comment? Join the Discussion!

New Product: Pro-Line Desert Rat for Traxxas Slash

Here comes the flood! This is the second body option Pro-line has thrown out there for avid Slash owners in less than a month. Slash races are going to start looking just like the real thing soon.Straight from the Pro-Line site:

"The Desert Rat reaps in that bold, off-road desert look. It’s extremely pronounced fenders give it an attack-like stance, low profile styling make for fast straight-line speed, and it’s equipped with simulated side mirrors just like the full-scale Trophy trucks. Exceptional detail throughout including bed shrouding, radiator and extreme shock detail including reservoirs just behind the cab. And not too worry it’s made from genuine GE .040 thick lexan, so it’s as durable as the punishment you throw at it."


Price: $35.00Thanks to Knytemare for the heads up.

Places To Drive: "Cowabunga" - Foster City

Last Saturday - after a long day of racing at NorCal Hobbies - I decided to stop by an old stomping ground I frequented with my bike as a kid - known by many names, such as "The Pit" and my favorite, "Cowabunga". I was tired and really wanted to go home and relax, but something kept urging me on to at least take a look. I had been recommending this spot to others as a good "basher" spot for months, but still hadn't been there to see it myself in years.

I'm glad I did!

Now, this is a bashing area folks! By my guestimate - this area was created sometime back in the 70's by kids looking for a spot to ride their BMX bikes - and some 30+ years later, it's still here and is better than ever. I'm not sure who maintains this area, but it definitely looks like it's increased in size and quality from my memories of it as a kid.

Many of the jumps there are just ridiculous, but if you run a mod or something with a little "oomph", you just might clear some of these monster jumps Just make sure to bring spare parts!
There are a few tame areas, with some smaller jumps - and I think this could be a pretty neat place to do some BAPRCC Spec Slash races. It's worth noting that the surface is very loose, so be prepared for that.

You can find more pictures on the BAPRCC photobucket account.
Join the discussion here.

The plot thickens....

Discussion here. Click here for Team Associated's site.
Thanks to Catalyst for the heads up.

Off-Road Racing Report: NorCal Hobbies 08/09/08

Last Saturday, a few guys from the club headed out to NorCal Hobbies for some off-road racing action. For 2 of us (myself & Badger), this was the first taste of racing either of us have experienced in many, many years. We both ran in the Slash class, which was so large they had to split it into two heats. For all three of us, this was an absolute blast of a day!! We even had the chance to meet a fellow club member, FabolousRC, who introduced himself to us! Again, it was a pleasure to meet you, Fabolous! Also, Hopbot (Michelangelo) took TQ in the qualifying rounds for the Rookie class, and finished 2nd in the main!!! Congrats!!

Quick video of a Slash qualifying round:

I had a ton of fun, but realized quickly that something wasn't quite right with my setup. After practicing at NorCal in the weeks before, I decided to swap out the standard receiver that came with the Slash and replace it with one that would work with my JRXS3 radio (no need to worry about frequencies at the track). From then on, my Slash seemed sluggish, and definitely didn't have the same power that it had before. After talking to Hopbot about it, he took a look at my radio and figured out the problem for me: My end point adjustments weren't set to the end!! Duhh!! A big thanks to Hopbot for that!!So after that fix, my Slash had nearly 30% more power - a huge difference! I was now able to easily clear the second jump on the triple, instead of landing on top of it and flipping on my lid as well as get up to speed on the straight. Hopbot made the fix for me before we started the Slash Main, which they decided to experiment with by combining the entire Slash class for a ridiculous 16 truck field which was totally fun, but not something they will do again. It proved to be way to chaotic for announcing, and more importantaly, turn marshalling. They simply couldn't keep up with the amount of trucks that needed attention, nor could they always see where a stranded truck was located.

After the races, John -the race director, informed me that they will cap future Slash races at 10 trucks. With that said, my times improved greatly in the Main for me when compared to the qualifying rounds. I was much more confident and my truck handled the track much better as a result of the earlier fix. Unfortunately, there was an issue with the house transponders and they weren't able to get results on all 16 trucks. Apparently, the times were counted, but they will have to do some "digging" to get them. Hopefully that will happen so I can see how I did in the main.

Hopbot's First Qulaifying Race: Rookie Off-Road


Here are a few quotes about the day from the the other guys:

Badger (John): "That was an absolute blast yesterday and that was mostly because B-dog and hopbot was there to battle in the same Slash class and hang out with all day....Thanks again to B-dog and hopbot for hanging out with me and making the day very fun."

Hopbot (Michelangelo): "Hey there all! NorCal really was a blast yesterday! The track is even better than before: much more flow, less treacherous triple in the front (although no lack of carnage in the 4wd mod mains) and incredible traction.....overall it was a great day! it was awesome having other baprcc guys out there and it actually makes you feel a little more confident knowing you have some supporters there. Next race day: August 23rd. I cant wait!"

To read more about the days events, check this thread in the message boards. Click here for pictures.

Off-Road Racing at NorCal Hobbies, Sat. August 9th - Track Opens at 8:00 AM (Un-Official Club Meet:)

Hey there all; a few of us (me, B-Dog, maybe Catalyst) are heading to NorCal Hobbies for their twice-monthly Saturday off-road racing. It would be great to have a few of us representing BAPRCC!

I'll be racing rookie class with the B44 and the Slash class. I'm guessing Cat will bring his Slash and J82, and B-dog will bring his Slash along as well!

The track opens bright and early at 8am and racing usually starts between 10am or 11am. i hear that this might be a really big turn out (some are predicting triple digits!), so if you plan to race get there early to secure a pit table (or bring your own). B-Dog will be bringing his table (a 6-footer).

If you are interested in racing or just watching the amazing drivers that turn out to at NorCal, reply in this post, it would be great to see you there!

-Hopbot (Michelangelo)

Track Report: NorCal Hobbies (Union City) & Hobby Town USA (Fremont)

I went out to NorCal Hobbies in Union City on Sunday and had a total freakin blast on the off-road track! I brought out my RC10T4 and Traxxas Slash, and got 'em dirty. The new track layout (yes, they've made some additional changes to make it more friendly to beginners and slash's) is awesome. Still a chance for some great hangtime, but they eliminated some of the crazy angles/jumps that sent many a car/truck on it's lid, or to the sidelines with broken parts and replaced them with something, more,...tame. Kudos to the crew who worked on the track. It's fantastic.

The Slash continues to be a very popular ride - it seemed like just about eveyone running off-road had one. I am truly amazed at how fun and durable these things are. Here is a short video of the new layout:



MoMo got to do some on-road driving thanks to a regular who lent her one of his cars! I didn't catch your name, but if you happen to see this, thanks a lot for that!!




Oh, and after the trip to NorCal, my GF and I drove by the parking lot of Hobby Town USA in Fremont, and low and behold, they setup a temporary asphalt track every Sunday (in the parking lot) - open to the public for free. All scales are allowed, both electric and nitro, and there were about 10 guys out there. Setup is usually between 10Am-12PM, and take down tends to be around 5-6PM, depending on how many guys are running. I grabbed a few pics to share with the group (below). For more pics from today's action, click here. Check out this video for footage from an on-road race put on by these same people.