Nick Floudas Wins Greek National Title... AGAIN!

Hello Racers!

We have received a race report from TLR's championship team driver from Greece, Nick Floudas.  A multi-time National Champion, Nick has been laying to down in Greece, and again took no prisoners at the 4WD leg of the 2014 Greek Nationals!

"The Greek 4wd Buggy Nationals was run first weekend of December as a make up date from its postponement in June.  This meant the weather would alter the track conditions greatly from the sugared, high-traction track that we knew to a track with ever-changing conditions.  It was loamy and wet Saturday, then moved to dry and dusty on Sunday for the finals.

I had not run my 22-4 much in recent months due to the weather, and given the expected inconsistent track conditions, I opted for a safe setup.  The plan was to concentrate my driving, tires and the changing conditions.  Come time for qualifying, I started out strong by taking the 1st and 2nd round TQ's on the moist track, breaking into 18 lap runs.  In the 3rd and 4th rounds, I got 2nd for each round which meant the 5th round would decide TQ so I would push to the max!  The sun was drying the track surface, so the track was going to be quick.  I TQ'd the last round with the best time of the day, 18 laps 5:10, to secure the overall TQ spot!

Starting from TQ, my plan was to control the race and pace as much as possible.  In A1, I had an unfortunate incident while leading and finished 2nd.  For A2, the changing track caught me out a bit with a poor tire choice, but I still ran strong to take a 4th place finish. I still had a chance at the overall title going into A3, but I had to not only win, but also beat the fastest time set in A1.

Somehow, I felt little pressure...I took a gamble and made some changes to my car going to a different spring and mounting some tires that felt good in the dry.  The race was very close and exiting:  I was running on a TQ pace having 2nd place right behind me, only a half second back each lap. Despite the pressure from 2nd place, my 22-4 was on rails and so easy to drive that I did not make any mistakes and took the win!  BUT... was the heat fast enough to secure the overall win??? We raced at the screen to see that I had done it by 0.090 of a second!!!

I was the 4WD Buggy Greek National Champion!  And now adding this to the 2WD  Buggy Greek National Championship I won earlier this year, I am the Double Greek National Champion for 2014!!!"

Great job by Nick again, keeping TLR on the top step of the podium, and keeping the winning ways of the 22-4 rolling!

Thanks and Race On!
Frank

Adjustable Rear Motor Battery Brace!

Hello Racers,

One of the many new improvements on the TLR 22SCT 2.0, was an adjustable rear motor battery brace (TLR231031).  Feeling like it might have fallen under the radar as an awesome update to all 22 vehicles in RM configuration, I just wanted to highlight it here and some of the features.  Check it out at the link below as well:

http://www.tlracing.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=TLR231031 

The RM Battery Brace, has the same top "shelf" that we used on the 1.0 versions, but for the 2.0 version, it is now removable with two M2.5 x 8mm BH screws.  This allows the option for having the ESC shelf either installed, or removed.  See the image of it installed below.

Full Size Pack

Removing the ESC "shelf" has been a popular choice for many RM racers.  They have had to cut the "shelf" off using a high speed rotary tool, but now it is easily adjustable without grinding to make it happen.  They will then mounting the ESC on the chassis to lower the weight of the car and get a cleaner electronics mounting setup.  See the image of an ESC mounted on the chassis below.  This image is of the 22SCT 2.0, so when doing so for the 22T or 22 2.0, you'll need to remove the ESC fan and mount the ESC further back.

ESC Mounted on the Chassis

The front of the brace also has some optional mounting choices for battery placement, five in total.  There are two "posts" included, which mount under the front two screws of the battery mount.  They allow a full size pack to slide between the front part of the battery mount with ease, just like the 1.0 version.  For the 2.0, we've also added a "U" shaped brace that has two sets of mounting holes.  The brace can be flipped forward or rearward, giving four additional mounting positions.  This helps tune the rear battery mount to be the correct length for shorty and full size packs, in the 22, 22 2.0, 22T, 22SCT and 22SCT 2.0 all with only moving the parts around slightly.

22SCT 2.0 with a Shorty LiPo, and ESC on the Chassis

See the page below from the 22SCT 2.0 to help further demonstrate some (not all) of the possible mounting scenarios.

22SCT 2.0 Manual Excerpt
Page 43

And the BEST part of the RM Battery Mount (TLR231031) is that it Retails for only $10.99, a great price for an awesome upgrade!

Thanks and Race On!
Frank Root

NEW TLR 22 Series Options Now Available!

Hello Racers,

We've been able to launch a few new option parts over the past few weeks, and some are very exciting, and I'd like to share them with you here.

TLR334023 - Rear Pivot, LRC, 2.0 Deg Toe: 22-4
TLR334024 - Rear Pivot, LRC, 2.5 Deg Toe: 22-4

The Product Development Team and Team Losi Racing Team has been constantly testing over the summer and found there to be some substantial setups advantages when reducing the amount of toe angle on the 22-4 in certain track conditions. Dakotah Phend, Dustin Evans, Ryan Maifield, and Trever Adamo have all been testing with body 2.0 and 2.5 degrees of rear toe on their 22-4s throughout the summer, notching up many big wins along the way. 

When reducing the total amount of rear toe angle, the rear end of the car is freed up throughout the turns, which helps the 22-4 pick-up speed on higher grip tracks. On lower grip tracks, more rear toe angle helps provide forward drive out of turns and more side bite and stability mid-corner. Balancing between the forward drive given by more toe, and the added steering of less toe, we recommend the 2.0 degree block for higher and medium high grip tracks, the 2.5 degree block for medium and medium low grip tracks, and the stock 3.0 toe for low grip tracks

http://www.tlracing.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=TLR334023

http://www.tlracing.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=TLR334024

TLR336002 - 22 Series Hardware Box, Metric: 22/T/SCT/22-4

Ever lose a small screw, and had trouble finding a replacement? Was the shop low, or out of stock on the hard to find screws for a 22 vehicle. Fear no more, pick up one of the TLR 22 Series Hardware Boxes and gain the confidence of having a space for every screw and hardware piece you might need. Check out the impressive list of hardware included below.

http://www.tlracing.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=TLR336002

Screws 
2- M3 x 5mm, Button Head 
2- M3 x 6mm, Button Head 
6- M3 x 8mm, Button Head 
6- M3 x 10mm, Button Head 
4- M3 x 12mm, Button Head 
2- M3 x 14mm, Button Head 
2- M3 x 16mm, Button Head 
2- M3 x 18mm, Button Head 
2- M3 x 20mm, Button Head 
2- M3 x 35mm, Button Head 
2- M3 x 40mm, Button Head 
2- M3 x 44mm, Button Head 
1- M3 x 54mm, Button Head 
2- M3 x 5mm, Cap Head 
2- M3 x 6mm, Cap Head 
2- M3 x 16mm, Cap Head 
2- M3 x 20mm, Cap Head 
2- M3 x 5mm, Flat Head 
4- M3 x 8mm, Flat Head 
6- M3 x 10mm, Flat Head 
6- M3 x 12mm, Flat Head 
4- M3 x 16mm, Flat Head 
2- M3 x 18mm, Flat Head 
2- M3 x 20mm, Flat Head 
2- M3 x 25mm, Flat Head 
2- M2.5 x 4mm, Button Head 
2- M2.5 x 8mm, Button Head 
2- M2.5 x 12mm, Button Head 
2- M2.5 x 6mm, Flat Head 
2- M2 x 6mm, Flat Head 
2- M2 x 8mm, Flat Head 
2- M2 x 5mm, Cap Head 
2- M2 x 12mm, Button Head 
2- M2.5 x 0.45mm x 5mm Set Screw 
2- M2.5 x 0.45mm x 20mm Set Screw 
2- M3 x 0.5mm x 2.5mm Set Screw 
2- M3 x 0.5mm x 5mm Set Screw 
2- M3 x 0.5mm x 12mm Set Screw 
2- M3 x 0.5mm x 16mm Set Screw 
Nuts 
2- M4 x 7mm Black Alum Locknut, Serrated 
2- M4 x 7mm Low Profile Steel Nut, Serrated 
8- M3 x 5.5mm Locknut 
2- M2.5 x 5mm Locknut 
Washers 
2- Copper Washer, 22 Bleeder Caps 
2- .5mm Spindle Spacer, 22 
2- 1mm Spindle Spacer, 22 
2- 2mm Spindle Spacer, 22 
2- .5mm Shock Shaft Limiter 
2- 1mm Shock Shaft Limiter 
2- 2mm Shock Shaft Limiter 
4- 3mm x .5mm Black Washer 
2- 5mm x 7mm x 0.2mm Shim 
Special 
2- Front Axle Lug, 22 Buggy 
2- King Pin Screw, 22-4 
2- King Pin Screw, 22 
4- Black Body Clip 
2- Solid Axle Pin 
2- Pin, 2mm X 10mm 
2- Pin, 2mm x 8mm 
2- Crush Pin, 1/16" x 7/16" 
2- C-Clip, 3/16" 
4- E-Clip, 2.5mm

Hope that you enjoy these parts, and Race On!
Frank

Cody Hollis Wins Jconcepts Winter Indoor Invitational

This past weekend was the Jconcepts Indoor Winter Invitational.  This particular race is run very much like the Reedy Race with both your 2wd & 4wd results combined together for the overall. TLR driver Cody Hollis would drive both his TLR 22 2.0 & 22-4 to victory against some tough competition after the long two days of racing. TLR teammate Taylor Larson would come home with the final podium spot in 3rd. #22empire @horizon_hobby @spektrumrc @jconcepts #TLR

22SCT 2.0 MM Setup from Chris Wheeler

Hello Racers,

Chris Wheeler is a team driver of ours in Phoenix, AZ and has had some great setups lately that many racers are enjoying.  One of the first people to run MM SCT, Chris also got the 22SCT 2.0 quite early as one of our testers and has had a good amount of time to dial his truck in.  His "standard" setup for the 22SCT 2.0 is now on TLRacing.com and at the link below!

http://www.tlracing.com/ProdInfo/Files/TLR03003-Setup-Chris_Wheeler_2014-11-10_Standard_Setup,_MM.pdf

Thanks and Race On!
Frank

22-4 Spec Racing Tip!

Hello Racers!

We just received some awesome feedback from our Australian TLR Race Team.   Down under, the stock 4wd class has been very strong and growing, so they've been putting a good amount of time on their 22-4's running stock 17.5T motors.

Straight from the Australian Team:
"One of the biggest improvements, running the "D" rear bearing block forward and reducing the belt tension significantly reduced power system temps."



Although pretty straight forward, we wanted to be sure to share this with you.  Please keep in mind that this is ONLY recommended for stock racing.  If you hear your belt start to skip, be sure to revert to a tighter belt setting.

We this helps you get to the top step of the podium!

Race on!Frank!

Maifield's JC Fall Nats Setup - RC Excitement

Hello Racers,

We've gotten Ryan's latest setup from the JConcepts Fall Indoor Nationals held recently at RC Excitement and added it to the TLRacing site.  The fun track at RC Excitement was more of a medium grip indoor surface compared to OCRC, so Ryan has made a few tweaks to his front end setup, mostly on the shock.  Ryan also ran the new brass MM hinge pin brace, and the -2.5mm chassis.

Check out Ryan's winning setup here - http://www.tlracing.com/ProdInfo/Files/TLR03002-22_2.0_Setup_Ryan_Maifiled_2014-10-30_JC_Race_RCE_Winning_Setup.pdf 

Race On!
Frank