Matt Olson and Tekin win 2013 Jconcepts Series Title!

The JConcepts Nationals Series is comprised of five races at different tracks around the country with 3 out of 5 races counting towards the overall Championship. Tekin Factory driver Matt Olson talks about his Series Title:

"I was able to come full circle on this years JConcepts Nationals Series Championship in 4x4 SC, powered by Tekin/MIP/JConcepts. With the help of my main sponsor and employer MIP I was able to make the required amount of races each of which was located in different states, these were Smactrac (St. Louis, MO), A Main Hobbies Outback Raceway  (Chico, CA), and the finals at Hobby Town / Hobby Plex  (Omaha, NE). At each event I battled out for the top spot and came away with Two TQ's, Two Wins, and one second place finish to clinch the overall championship.

Throughout this 2013 National event I was using all Tekin products comprising of the RX8 , RX8 Gen2, Pro 4 4600KV 4 Pole, and Pro 4HD 4300kv 4 Pole. All of Tekins products preformed flawlessly without a failure the entire year, and if anyone knows how I drive you can be assured that the equipment was definitely put though the ringer. I can safely say that when I have Tekin under the hood I will be rolling past that finish line with all four tires blazing. Thank you Tekin for the continued support and looking forward to a successful 2014! "  Matt Olson

Tekin RS Spec wins the RCinsider Race at Rainman's Hobbies!

Rain Man's RC and Hobbies hosted the Rc-Insider race on the 14th.

The race started on Saturday very early. The track opened at 6:00am and racing started at 8:30am. The track guys really put in a nice flowing layout. Not to technical but very racey. Two rounds of IFMAR quals and single A mains. Top drivers from all around were in attendance. Notable drivers such as Zack Rogers, Chris Wesson, Nathan Lavery and Andrew Smolnick ,Wayne Ashmore and Mango were in attendance.

Stock buggy which was open to chassis sponsored racers which would make for intense and very close racing. In stock buggy Craig Patterson would end up qualifying 3rd overall behind Rogers and Wesson which were about 6 seconds in front of me. A few back markers to deal with which slowed his pace a little. "Overall, very pleased with my results for the first round." Patterson

Nothing really notable for round 2. Patterson would remain tq in 40+ stock buggy and remain 3rd overall in stock buggy. They had all the TQ drivers get together for a photo op before the mains started and each driver recieved an AKA pit towel for their efforts. Pretty cool!

A Mains:

"40+ stock buggy Patterson simply checked out and had a flawless run. Wayne Ashmore would finish some 10+ seconds behind. Lap times were low 16's. My Tekin RS Spec and Redline Gen2 17.5 motor gave me constant fast lap all day long in both classes and my top 5 / top 10 were the best also out of everyone. " Patterson

Stock Buggy A Main Patterson would have P2 open in front of me with Rogers having sat out due to ESC issues. So starting basically in 2nd, the tone would go off with Patterson following Wesson through the sweeper and then passing him just after the first double double to hair pin corner when he spun out over shooting the landing. Patterson then was able to completely get away from the pack by well over 35 feet going into the center jump section. All of a sudden race director Notch Johnson announces "RE START......RE START". Apparently there were a few guys who collected each other in the sweeper and he thought it best to restart the race.

Patterson a bit frustrated having to give up his commanding lead calmed down lined up with the rest to get started again. A few mistakes throughout the beginning of the race placing Patterson in a chasing situation this time around. Patterson was able to get to P3 with 3 laps to go but was cleaned out by some back markers in the jump section and fell to 4th where he finished when the tone sounded.

My Tekin RS Spec esc ran flawlessly along with my Gen2 17.5 Redline motor. Geared 72/31 with endbell timing set to 34 degrees. Motor temp was only 110 degrees.

"Special thanks to Craig Patterson for helping out many Tekin customers and showing off the new Android app. Patterson also updated the hobby shops software to the current hotwire version." Randy Pike

Tekin sets records at the AE Masters at Gold Coast Raceway.

A 4wd SCT with Tekin power produces track records and lap records in the latest AE master on the Gold Coast with team driver Darren Lord. Using the Rx8 Gen 2 and the Pro 4 4300kv motor this package was unbeatable with TQ in all 4 heats and winning both finals.

Darren also TQ'd and won both stock buggy classes with the RS Pro and 17.5 gen2 motors proving all the way through the Tekin lines up of electronics is top class.

"The power and smoothness of the current range of Tekin electronics is on another lever I believe." Darren Lord

O'Brien Jr takes big win at the Left Over Turkey Race at Redneck Hobbies.

December 1st  kicked off the Left Over Turkey Race at Redneck Hobbies in Baldwinsville NY just north of Syracuse.  With a total of 97 entries it was a great day for racing!

Mike O'Brien Jr was up against a stout field of 31 other drivers in the 17.5 Super Truck Class. O'Brien Jr. would go onto to Tq by 3 sec and win the a main!  At the young age of 9 years he's already taking it to the field. O'Brien chose a Tekin RS Gen2 just like his father.

Tekin take Round 1 of the Top Notch Series!

Hosted at IERC Raceway in San Bernardino, CA on December 7th for Round 1 of the JConcepts Top Notch Winter Series. The Top Notch Series (TNS) is an 8-race points based series, run at various tracks throughout Southern California. Last season, TNS averaged 230 entries per round and features race announcer "Notch" Johnson. Over $10,000 in prizes and cash payouts were given out last season. IERC Raceway is one of Southern California's largest indoor RC tracks.

Top drivers from all the main race team such as  TLR’s Brian Sullivan(Tekin), Shawn Blackwell and Ronda Drake(Tekin), Tekno RC's Rudy Rico and Chad Panek, Hobby Pro's Andrew Smolnik, Tamiya's Jimmy Wright, Mugen's Scott Wolf, Kyosho's Cody Turner and Lucas Sanford(Tekin), and a number of very fast local racers. There would be two rounds of 5 minute qualifiers, followed by 5 minute A Mains. Announcing would be handled by Notch Johnson and Aaron Wilming. There were approximately 240 entries.

Tekin pilot Lucas Sanford recaps:

1/8 Scale E-Buggy:

"We arrived at the track at 6:00AM, hoping to get in a few practice laps, and to break in some tires. After one battery pack, I powered up the laptop and connected the Tekin RX8 Gen2 ESC to the HotWire and bumped up the current limiter a bit. I ran another battery pack, and the extra speed was noticeable. It took less than two minutes to hook up the ESC and make the change. The car was ready for racing. The first round of qualifying went well, as I took the TQ over Sullivan making only one mistake. In the second qualifier, I made no mistakes and managed to better my TQ time from the first round. Sullivan ran a near-perfect race in his heat, but my TQ held up. I knew Sullivan would challenge me in the A Main, as this was his home track. My thinking proved correct, as Sullivan was right on my rear bumper for the first half of the race. Sullivan tried an inside pass thru the S-section, but hit a corner-dot and flipped. This allowed me to extend my lead and go on to win the A-Main by about 7 seconds. My Tekin RX8 Gen2 ESC and Redline T8 2050kv motor equipped MP9e TKI with DE Racing SpeedLine wheels, AKA clay Wishbones) was consistent and fast the entire day.

 1/8 Scale E-Buggy finishing order:

1. Lucas Sanford (Tekin/Kyosho)
2. Brian Sullivan (Tekin/TLR)
3. Rudy Rico (??/Tekno)

Mod 2wd Truck

In the first qualifier, I made a few mistakes, and finished second behind Tamiya's Jimmy Wright. For the second round, I changed to stiffer front springs to make the truck more stable, and went on to make a perfect run, taking the overall TQ by 11 seconds. In the A Main, I quickly got out to a commanding lead. I made only one mistake in the race, and almost lapped the field when time ran out. My truck was equipped with the new Tekin RSX ESC and Redline Gen2 6.5 turn motor.

Open 2wd Truck finishing order:

1. Lucas Sanford (Tekin/Kyosho)
2. Jimmy Wright (Tamiya)
3. Matthew Pages (Associated)

2wd Mod Buggy

Starting right behind teammate Cody Turner for the A Main, I stayed behind him for the first few laps until Cody myself and Shawn Blackwell all made a mistake over the big triple, landing on our lids. I got marshalled third, and was now trailing both Cody and Shawn. I caught up to within 2 seconds of Cody when time ran out, and finished on the third podium spot. My RB6 equipped with the new Tekin RSX ESC and Redline Gen2 7.5 turn motor worked well, and allowed me to capture a spot on the podium.

2wd Mod Buggy finishing order:

1. Shawn Blackwell (TLR)
2. Cody Turner (Kyosho)
3. Lucas Sanford (Tekin/Kyosho)

I would like to thank all of my sponsors for making it happen: Sanford and Son RC, Kyosho, Tekin, AKA, DE Racing, TTN Racing and Upgrade RC. Thanks also to JConcepts and DE Racing for sponsoring this series, and to IERC owners Debbie and Larry, the IERC track crew, and race announcers Notch and Aaron for putting on this Top Notch event. I am looking forward to round 2 of the TNS Winter Series at Coyote Hobbies on December 28.

Tekin wins the Delta RC Annual Arenacross!

Delta RC hosted their 1st Annual Arenacross race this past weekend. The racing was close, tight and plentiful over the weekend. Tekin team drivers Jacob Haas, Curtis Door and others would be in attendance.

In 2wd Mod Buggy Haas would take advantage of P1 and P2's mistakes and take the lead never to look back. Jacob chose his trusty Tekin RS Pro and 7.5 Gen2 Redline motor to take the top spot. Joining him was Tekin teammate Curtis Door in 2nd running the new Tekin RSX and Redline Gen2 7.5 also.

L-R: Curtis Door, Jacob Haas, Cody Turner

In the 1/8 Pro E-buggy class Tekin  power would sweep the podium. Tyler Vik would take 1st followed by Tekin factory drivers Curtis Door 2nd, and Jacob Haas 3rd. All 3 drivers chose the Tekin Rx8 and T8 motors to power their cars to the podium.

L-R: Curtis Door, Tyler Vik, Jacob Haas

Tekin wins the 5th annual Gobble Stopper!

A very exciting race were instead of the traditional trophy you win food, Winner gets a Turkey, ham for second and Sausage for third. This has always been a well attended event and was looking to have some of the best in the region out to race. Not disappointing with 110 entries converged on MMR to see who was going to take home their supper on the holiday weekend.

Tekin team driver Andrew Mowery recaps:

"I was feeling really well when I got to the stock buggy A. Tone went I death gripped the throttle. Holy #$%^  I just back flipped my stock blinky buggy on the line! Lucky I landed back on my wheels and pulled into traffic in the 4th spot. Ok 8 minutes to hunt the leaders down. I fought hard working through traffic. My Tekin RS Gen2 esc Redline Gen2 17.5 powered C4.2 converted B4.2 was working perfect. Balance was stellar and the super smooth Tekin power was allowing me to put the car in the table in the middle quad every lap. I managed to get up to Clayton's bumper and start applying pressure. Small mistake and I got inside pulling into the lead. While he tried to make a run back he got loose in the wagon wheel and the crash/marshal gave me enough space to get comfortable and drive out the rest of the race... A very nice hard race with a excellent result and A main win.

4 wheel mod A-main was next. The horn blows I head into the jump up table, feeling like I don't have enough to clear I goose it a bit to much and lawn dart the far tube, over jumping by 6 feet...  ok got my head back car is good. Mid pack running with some great drivers lets just calm down. 8 minutes to get it done still.
I work my way up to the 4th or 5th spot and nose to tail with Joe we come up the jump up table, down the staircase. Nose to tail weaving are way through the field working up to the front. The car is stellar and the Tekin power is super smooth but my focus is a bit off. I got a bit of a groove and I seperate just a bit from the field. We are down to just a couple of laps and I miss the landing again but this time am even less lucky as the marshal is busy with another car. Coming out second I have given up too much space to get another run at Ice so I finish in second. Still a great race and a great car. Tekin you have really given is some nice tools with this new RSX and I can not wait to use it again.

Tekin wins the Toys for Tots race at Exeter Hobbies.

Tekin team driver Doug "Casper" Nielsen reports:

Exeter Hobbies held a Toys for Tots race Thanksgiving weekend, Dec 2nd, to raise donations for the Marine Corp Reserve toy drive.  Tekin/TLR, team drivers Ryan Dunford and Doug "Casper" Nielsen made the drive up to the Central Valley from Southern California to help support this great cause and to mix it up with the locals. The race generated 80+ entries and tons of toys.  Ryan and Casper both entered Pro stock buggy and Expert 4wd Short Course for the event.

First up Pro stock buggy.  Exeter hobbies does not normally field a modified buggy class so Ryan and Casper put in some stock motors to have some fun with the locals with 3 full heats of Pro stock buggy in attendance. After qualifying was done Ryan would take TQ with a blistering 19 lap time and Casper would line up second also on a 19 lap pace. Exeter hobbies runs a 2 bump up format and 7 min mains for more track time.  At the tone for the main Ryan would take his TLR 22 2.0 buggy out to a clean start and end up with a wire to wire finish in the 1st spot.  Casper was close behind until about the 3 min mark but was not able to get though traffic as clean and a few small bobbles resulted in a solid second place finish on the lead lap but was not able to challenge Ryan for the top spot. Local, Ryan George took the 3rd place spot to make it a TLR clean sweep of the podium!  Both Ryan and Casper were running the Tekin RS Gen 2 ESC's, Tekin Redline Gen 2 17.5 motors in there TLR 22 2.0 buggies.  It was a great time getting back to the roots of racing and do a little stock racing with the fast local group at Exeter Hobbies.

 Next class was Expert 4wd SCT.  Not as big a class but just as much fun, Ryan and Casper laid it down in qualifying being the only 2 drivers to put in 20 lap runs with Ryan taking the TQ again but this time by only .086 seconds!  At the tone Ryan would get the first jump wrong and pile up the field allowing Casper to take the early lead.  As everyone settled, in traffic would end up playing a large role in this race as neither Casper or Ryan seemed to want to keep the lead for too long as they swapped positions a few times throughout the main but at the tone it would be Ryan taking the win with Casper right behind him for an exciting race.  Both Ryan and Casper where running Tekin Rx8 Gen2 esc and Pro 4 motors in their TLR SCTE 2.0s.

 Overall we had a great time at this event. There is a great group of people racing at Exeter Hobbies and we enjoyed meeting some new faces.  If you are ever in the Central California area head over to Exeter hobbies and check out there amazing hobby shop and track. They have a laid back, family friendly environment which makes for a fun time racing R/C cars.

Thanks to all our sponsors: TLR, Tekin, Venom, Sticky Kicks, Spektrum, DE Racing and Casper-RC for all their support and Exeter Hobbies for putting on a great event.

Tekin wins RC Excitement Gobbler Race.

RC Excitement hosted the Gobbler Race this past weekend, with the crazy iced roads and weather, there were still 130 entries. Team Drivers from AE, Losi, Kyosho, X-Factory were in the house. Tekin team drivers Toddie Anderson and John Cravotta were in the house for this exciting event.

The 2wd Mod Buggy class started off fast. Toddie Anderson in 1st, John Cravotta 2nd and 3rd place were training for the first 5 laps with no more than 8 feet in between them. 3rd place driver made a mistake and it was just Cravotta and Anderson pulling way hard from the pack. Cravotta made one mistake in a coroner coming off a triple and rolled the car. It gave Anderson a gap he would keep until then end to take the win. Toddie Anderson would take 1st with a Tekin RS Gen2 esc and Redline Gen2 8.5 motor, Cravotta would take 2nd running the same setup.

Starting from the Tq position in the Pro 2 SC class Tekin driver John Cravotta was bumped around in the first corner, avoided a two car crash in the second corner and found himself in 2nd. He started catching the leader on every lap and made one mistake giving him some breathing room finishing in 2nd. John chose the Tekin RS Gen2 esc and Redline Gen2 8.5 motor.

Tekin takes the 2013 Southern Indoor Champs!

Alabama for the 2013 Southern Indoor Championship. Saturday qualifiers started at 8:00 AM.

John Michael qualified 5th in Pro Buggy, 2nd in Pro Truggy and would Tq Pro E-buggy.

Sunday the mains started at 9:00 AM. John Michael was first E-buggy main which he led from start to finish taking A1. John would settle for 2nd in the A2 main after a poor choice in tire compound. John would take 2nd again in A3 after 1 mistake he made taking 2nd overall in Pro E-buggy. Jason Smith would take the win. Both Smith and McGinty chose the Tekin Rx8 Gen2 and 1900 T8 motor.

The Tekin RSX scores its first win!

This past weekend Dalton RC in Dalton Ga hosted their Annual Turkey Race. 2 rocket round qualifiers and a main. With well over a 120 entries at the event the race would be intense.

 Racers from Tennessee, Ga, Alabama, and North Carolina were all in attendance. Starting from Q3 Mark Moon take the lead after the first 5 turns and never look back! The 2wd open buggy class was a stacked field with many sponsored drivers representing many different companies. Mark chose the new Tekin RSX and Redline Gen2 7.5 motor to power him to victory.