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The JConcepts Supercup is well known in Florida to attract the best racers in the state and even in the B-mains you see racers with full sponsors. In qualifying Brett Kingsbury was able TQ 1/8 buggy with his Tekin Rx8 Gen 2 esc and T8i 1950 motor, 4th in mod 4wd buggy, and 6th in mod 2wd buggy. For the mains Kingsbury was confident in all his vehicles.  After everything was over Kingsbury won 1/8 ebuggy placed 4th in mod 4wd and after a tough 2wd race came home in 10th.

The “Chaos on the Coast” points series consisted of a 6 race series with 1 drop at Space Coast RC in Cocoa, FL from February 16, 2013 to July 20. Leading into this series Brett Kingsbury had high expectations to place high in 2wd mod buggy and 4wd mod buggy.

During the first race Kingsbury was able to TQ and win over world champion Billy Easton in 2wd mod buggy. Throughout the series Brett had zero problems with his Tekin RS with 7.5 gen 2 motor. At the end of the series Kingsbury was able to take the 2nd position under Billy after a hard fought series.

In 4wd modified, like 2wd, my Tekin powered B44.2 worked flawlessly each of the races Kingsbury attended TQ and winning every race for the overall win. The RS Pro and 6.5 gen 2 motor combo was used.

Last weekend, Sanford and Son RC headed out to OCRC Raceway in Huntington Beach, CA to test the new Tekin T8i (Indoor) 1950KV motor and RX8 Gen 2 ESC. Our test vehicle was the new MP9e TKI from Kyosho.

The T8i motor was engineered specifically for indoor tracks and 1/8 E buggies that are at or near minimum weight. The motor is smaller and lighter than the other motors in the Tekin line (63 grams lighter than the T8, in fact). The motor was designed to be paired with the new RX8 Gen 2 ESC, so I bolted both into the Kyosho and wired them up. Assembly was very easy, and I was amazed at the (small) footprint of this new motor. The new RX8 Gen 2 ESC comes with a white case and white motor wires, and looks super clean. I downloaded the newest version of the HotWire software and installed it on a laptop PC. Next, I connected the ESC to my laptop via the supplied HotWire, started up the HotWire software, and proceeded to configure the ESC with the easy-to-use software. A neat feature of the software is that it allows you to load existing driver profiles into the ESC, so I downloaded an existing profile from the Team Tekin website and loaded it into the ESC. Then, using the software, I tweaked the brake, throttle and current limiter settings. A new feature of the ESC is the ability to set the BEC (battery elimination circuit) to either 6 volts or 7.4 volts. I elected the 6 volt setting initially. Software installation and configuring of the motor and ESC settings took less than 10 minutes.

Once at the track, I bolted on a new set of AKA Super Soft Handlebar tires on DE Racing Speedline wheels, and threw the car on the track. The layout at OCRC would be a good test for this motor/ESC combo, as it provides a number of tight turns, a long straightaway, a triple jump and a double-double jump (or quad jump if you are adventurous).

Right away I noticed the smoothness of this new motor, both in braking and acceleration. The car was very fast and smooth through the turns, but also had plenty of punch going onto the straightaway. At the end of the straightaway was a 90 degree right hand turn into an immediate triple jump. The car cleared the triple easily without having to swing wide for the takeoff. Next was a low-speed S turn into an immediate quad jump. I was able to jab the throttle and clear the quad jump consistently all day long.

After my first 6 minute run, the ESC was very cool (105 degrees), but the motor was too hot, so I hooked the ESC back up to the laptop via the HotWire, and noticed that the timing was set too high for my liking in the profile I had downloaded. I lowered the timing, and decided to change the BEC voltage setting from 6 volts to 7.4 volts. I put a fresh battery in the car, punched a few cooling holes in the body (should have done that to begin with), and took another run. After three 8 to 8 and 1/2 minute runs, the motor temperature was consistently in the 180-190 range.

Next, I geared down from a 15 tooth pinion to a 14 tooth, just to see how the new motor and ESC combo would handle the same layout with a smaller pinion. I was pleasantly surprised that acceleration and punch didn’t suffer at all, and I was still able to clear the triple and quad jumps easily. The car felt even better in the turns with the smaller pinion (I suspect that the 7.4 BEC setting contributed to the cars better performance through the turns, as my steering servo felt more responsive). After another 8 and 1/2 minute run, the motor temp came in at an acceptable 190 degrees. I wanted to make some 10 minute runs, but both my batteries are new, so I decided against it for now.

I have been running 1/8 eBuggy for about three years, and I can honestly say that my car has never felt better on an indoor track. The smoothness and power of the new T8i motor in conjunction with the RX8 Gen 2 ESC was unbelievable!

After my track testing, I hooked the ESC back up to the laptop and fired up the HotWire software one more time, because I wanted to check out the ESC’s new Data Logging feature. A number of motor and ESC performance data is logged in your ESC, such as Throttle values, ESC voltage, ESC and Motor temps, and motor RPM. This amazing new feature will allow you to see the real world results of any changes you might make to your motor and ESC settings in the HotWire software. This allows an unprecedented level of tuning. Amazing!

I highly recommend the new Tekin T8i motor and RX8 Gen 2 ESC combo to my fellow 1/8 scale eBuggy racers.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Tekin Team Manager Randy Pike for allowing me to test these amazing new products. To find out more information about these and other great Tekin products, visit Team Tekin on the web at www.teamtekin.com. If you see me at the track, please come by and say hello, and feel free to ask me any questions you might have about any of the Tekin products.

Stay tuned to www.SanfordAndSonRC.com for more upcoming product reviews, and I hope to see you at the track!

The 2013 ROAR 1/8 Electric Off-road Nats was hosted at LCRC Raceway located in Oakland Mills, PA. Factory drivers from all the major chassis teams were in attendance. Lutz, Phend, Blair, Hartson, Potter, and many more were all looking to put their cars into the top positions. Tekin’s very own Jeremy “PG” Potter would be in attendance to support the team and anyone using Tekin products.

1/8 E Truggy was a tight class all week. Ryan Lutz would put his Tekin Rx8 Gen2 T8 Gen2 powered Dex408T into the Tq position after some tight qualifying. In A1 Lutz would get some early pressure from his Tekin teammate Austin Blair. Lutz would gain a small gap when Blair would come under fire from Phend early on. Lutz would go onto take A1 followed by Blair and Phend. A2 would be a battle from tone to tone. Lutz would have Phend as a shadow for most of the race. Staying cool and keeping out of trouble Lutz would go onto take A2 securing the overall National Championship! Phend would take 2nd and Blair 3r. A3 would have Lutz participating only as a spectator. Phend would take A3 with Blair 2nd. This would put Lutz 1st, Phend 2nd and Blair 3rd overall. Lutz and Blair both chose the Tekin Rx8 Gen2 esc and T8 Gen 2 2000kv motors. Again Tekin would power over half of the field with team drivers Lutz, Blair, JM McGinty, Bornhorst, and Pettit all taking a position in the Amain field. Great work guys!

In the 1/8 E Buggy class qualifying was tight all weekend long. Tekin powered Lutz and Blair would battle it out all weekend with TLR’s Dakota Phend. Phend would take the overall Tq but not by much. Tekin powered Austin Blair would take A1 in exciting fashion, Phend taking 2nd and Lutz 3rd. Phend would take A2 followed by Lutz in 2nd and Blair in 3rd. It would come down to A3 for the overall title. Phend would bobble allowing Lutz to take the lead. Phend and Blair would battle it out allowing Lutz to get a small gap. Phend would finally get past Blair and chase down Lutz. With only a few minutes on the clock Lutz would case the front straight triple requiring marshalling allowing Phend to get by. Lutz would chase him down near the end but would run out of time taking 2nd overall. Tekin would power Lutz to a 2nd overall and Blair to a 3rd overall on the podium Tekin would power over half of the A main field. Austin Blair and Ryan Lutz both chose the Tekin Rx8 Gen2 esc and T8 Gen2 1900kv motors.

Pro 4wd SC would have everyone who was watching on the edge of their seats. The top 3 were extremely close in qualifying which would provide yet another exciting set of triple A mains to watch. A1 would see the top 3 battle it out around the 3 minute mark. For the next 2 minutes the top 3 would gain ground on the field while swapping positions to end the A with Phend 1st, Lutz 2nd and Blair 3rd. A2 Would have Lutz taking an early pass just a few laps into the main. Lutz would retain the lead but would case the double around the 3 minute mark allowing Phend to take the lead. Lutz would pressure Phend for the remainder of the race but again run out of time. The finishing order would be Phend, Lutz 2nd, Blair 3rd. Phend would sit out A3 which would be somewhat uneventful with Lutz leading from tone to tone. Blair would end up 3rd in A3. Lutz would take a hard earned 2nd place overall with Tekin teammate 3rd overall. Both Lutz and Blair chose the Tekin Rx8 Gen2 esc and Pro 4 4600kv motors.

Just this past weekend racers from around the area traveled to Union City, Ca home to Norcal Hobbies. Norcal has played host to races like the ROAR Nationals, Reedy Race of Champions, and many more. The 5th Annual Offroad Champs was well attended and was ran on two different tracks for each scale making it a unique experience for the drivers racing both 1/10 and 1/8 at the race.

Tekin factory driver took this opportunity to shake down his Tekin powered Tekno rides prior to the upcoming ROAR Nats being held later this week. Blair would take the win with his Tekin Rx8 Gen2 Pro 4 HD powered Tekno SCT410 over the field.

Austin continued his title belt run taking the 1/8 E Buggy class with his Tekin Rx8 Gen2 T8 powered Tekno EB48 buggy. Tekin would also power Dave in 3rd running a Rx8 and 1900.

It’s safe to say that Blair will be going for a ROAR National Title this upcoming weekend!

This last weekend was round 4 of the NCT series here in the northwest taking place on the west side of the state in Burlington, WA. With perfect weather and over 175 entries it was not a race to miss.

It was a super close battle all weekend in the 1/8 Electric Buggy class between Tekin’s Jayson Tjepkema, Nate Clark, and Nick Buechler. They all ran a pace on the exact same second in Q1 with Clark taking the round. Buechler would take Q2 and Q3 to secure the pole position for Sunday. A1 would be a close battle for all 10 minutes between Clark and Buechler but Nick would take the win. A2 would go to Clark with Buechler 2nd coming down to A3 to decide the overall. After getting off to a rough start and dropping to 3rd, Buechler was able to work his way back up to the lead and pass Tjepkema to take the win by about 1 second securing the overall win.

This weekends results gives Buechler the points lead in 1/8 Electric buggy and going into rd. 5 in Lewiston, ID next month. Tekin swept The 1/8 Electric podium as Nich, Jayson and Nate all ran Tekin Gen 2 RX8 ESC’s and T8 motors.

In 4wd Short Course Jayson Tjepkema got the overall TQ after taking Q2 and Q3. It would take all3 mains went to get the win. Tjepkema finished A1 just behind Jessi Munn after he bobbled on the last corner, letting Munn get the inside line for the pass on me at the finish line just .159sec apart. Then Tjepkema went on to win A2 and A3 for the weekends overall win with his Tekin Rx8 Gen2 Pro4 HD 4300kv powered SC. That also locks up the 2013 NCT Series in Pro 4 SC with a perfect run of TQ’s and 1st place finishes at all four stops defending his 2012 NCT Pro4 SC title!

This years event had 200 entries Bring the Heat held at the stellar Flowood Mississippi facility played host to attendants such as Adam Drake(Tekin), Rhonda Drake(Tekin), Blake Boggs, Ty Rogers, Reggie Tongue, and factory Tekin driver Martin Harrison  just to name a few. Track conditions stay pretty consistent throughout the weekend and traction was always easy to find with an all clay surface.

Tekin factory driver Martin Harrison was able to TQ rounds one and two taking the overall TQ in this class. In both of mains, Harrison got a good start and was able to check out from the rest of the competition and bring home the overall win. Martin chose the new Tekin Gen2 RX8 Esc and T8 2000kv motor to his advantage. Nathan Harrison also Tekin powered would take 3rd overall running the same setup.

“The new data logging feature is something that every serious racer should have in their hands.” Martin Harrison

Harrison would continue his success in the Pro E Buggy class. Harrison would go on to take 2nd in both A1 and A2 securing a 2nd place overall.

“I used the new Tekin Gen2 Rx8 esc and made some critical changes within the software to allow the buggy to be easy and smooth to drive. This was very important because the line on the track was very small and overshooting the line would cost you valuable time.” Martin Harrison

Another great  weekend at Maximus Raceway, Round 2 out of 3 of the Summer Triple Crown Series. Scott Furtado was able to TQ Pro 2 SC, 2wd buggy, and Pro 4 SC.

Furtado ended up winning SC2wd mod, SC4wd, and finished 3rd in 2wd buggy.  Scott powered his  Dex210 with a RSGen2 / 8.5 Gen2, his Desc210 with RX8 Gen2 / 5100kv Pro2 and his Desc410 with  Rx8 Gen2 / 4000kv Pro4. Scott is looking good to take the overall series in both 2wd buggy and SC 2wd mod for the last round next month.

“A big THANKS! to all my sponsors for their continued support. My Tekin powered Durango cars were hooked up all weekend.” Scott Furtado

Round 2 of the Top Notch Series was held in Victorville California at Coyote Hobbies Raceway.

Early on Mikey Bustamante was able to Tq Stock buggy Open Buggy and better his TQ in Open ST Truck.

Open Mod Buggy was first Bustamante got a clean start and lead the main tone to tone with his Tekin RS Gen2 Redline Gen2 8.5 powered TLR 22. In Open Truck it was a different story, they watered right before the main and with no track time on a wet track Bustamante struggled to get his car around the track. Mike held the lead as long as he could but ended up finished 3rd after struggling the entire race. In stock buggy qualifying was close and Bustamante knew the main was going to be fun. Bustamante led most of the race until he cased the cross over jump and got spun around. Mike came out in second with a minute or so to go, closed the gap on the leader and was right behind him trying to find a place to pass. On the last lap Bustamante looked to the inside down the straight away but the leader shut the door and clipped the pipe. Mike ended up finishing second in this class with his Tekin RS Gen2 Redline Gen2 17.5 powered TLR ride.

Tekin teammate Chris Miller would win the A-main in the 4wd Mod buggy class with his Tekin RS Pro Redline Gen 2 powered Durango Dex410v3 buggy. Miller kept up the results taking 2nd in Expert Stock 2wd SC class.

This past weekend the 3rd and final round of the RC Pro South Division was hosted by Speedmonkey RC in Irving, Tx.

In Pro E-Buggy, it was a combination of the usual 3 guys battling for Tq, Brian Henn(Tekin), Jake Dellinger and David Joor(Tekin).  Dellinger would take the Tq, Joor 2nd and myself 4th.  In Pro4, Henn had a rough first qual, still only missing Tq for that round by 1 second.  Brian easily Tq’ed the other 3 rounds to take the overall Tq with his Tekin Rx8 Gen2 Pro 4HD powered TLR 2.0 Scte.

As Sunday rolled around, Everyone knew the chance of rain was high.  Sure enough a few minutes after we arrived to the track, It began to rain.  There was a small break here and there, but not enough to be able to run.  So the mains were cancelled.  Finishing positions were based off qualifying leaving David Joor 2nd, Brian Henn 4th overall in Pro E Buggy.  Henn would take the rained out win in the Pro 4 division.

Joor and Henn both chose the Tekin Rx8 Gen2 and T8 1900 motor in Pro E Buggy. Henn took the win in Pro 4 with his Tekin Rx8 Gen2 and Pro 4 Hd 4300kv motor.

This past weekend ARC Raceway hosted round 4 of the JBRL Nitro Series.  The event had over 150 entries.  The track was hard packed, but as the day went on the track became very rough which made line selection very important for the finals.

In the electric buggy class, Tq Adam Drake’s Tekin Rx8 Gen2 T8 1900 powered TLR 8ight 3.0 was able to take the victory by a large margin.