Once again, the St. Louis Dirt Burners crew did an awesome job at prepping a track that would be extremely fun, yet extremely challenging to the racers. With the heat index in the upper 120 degrees and track temps above 150 degrees, the battles were not only against the other racers, but the elements as well. This year, however, Mother Nature did give us a break with absolutely no rain in the forecast.

It was another great year for entries at just over 250, and the excitement of each main event was electrifying. With the Intermediates and Experts running for Futaba radios, O.S. Engines and Futaba servos, most of the races came down to the last lap. The Pro drivers were racing for cold, hard cash and had to do it based on scores from the double A main format.

Pro Dash for Cash

Intermediate Arena Truck A Main

Intermediate Buggy A Main

Expert Arena Truck A Main

Expert Buggy A Main

Pro Arena Truck A Main

Pro Buggy A Main

Futaba and O.S. would like to thank all the racers and the entire Dirt Burners crew for their hard work and support. We look forward to the 6th annual Futaba / O.S. Engine Nitro Challenge at Dirt Burners in 2012!

Some of the most exciting things come in small packages and at this year’s 1/18^th National Championships, the racing was more competitive then ever with over 140 entries. Having a full line of 1/18^th vehicles, DuraTrax was out to stake their claim to a couple of titles…and that’s just what they did.

Production Buggy

As with most other racing events the “Production” or “Stock” classes seem to be the most competitive, the vehicles must be raced with all stock parts and it boils down to setup and driving talent.

In the production buggy class, Matt Maziarz had his DuraTrax Vendetta buggy dialed to perfection as he took the top spot on the podium proving that the Vendetta is STILL the buggy to beat. Maziarz also used the Tactic 2.4 radio system to pilot his Vendetta to the victory.

Production Short Course

One of the hottest vehicles on the planet right now is the short course truck. Duratrax worked hard to create the most competitive and durable truck on the market and it showed at this year’s event.

DuraTrax’s own Rick Vessell took his Vendetta SC and let the crowd know he was the one to beat by laying down the overall TQ. In the main event, it was much of the same thing as Vessell put on a driving clinic as he clinched the national title for the Vendetta SC in it’s first year out.

To finish off an impressive race weekend, Vessell also took his Vendetta SC to an impressive second place finish in the highly competitive, no-holds-barred Open Short Course class.

To check out the full line of Duratrax Vendettas, make sure and check out www.duratrax.com where they are sure to have a Vendetta to suit your needs.

Vendetta Short Course – http://www.youtube.com/user/hobbico#p/search/1/KgSJMDiquDg

Vendetta Buggy – http://www.youtube.com/user/hobbico#p/search/2/TRsBKHG7ljY

Vendetta ST – http://www.youtube.com/user/hobbico#p/search/5/Ui7uBk6JiJ0

Vendetta Rally – http://www.youtube.com/user/hobbico#p/search/0/z2KNlS8dkvQ

Vendetta TC – http://www.youtube.com/user/hobbico#p/search/7/OPS2YPsea88

The KO Grand Prix, held this past weekend, marked Barry Baker’s first race after returning to Team Checkpoint. He and the brand had already won three national titles together and really wanted to make a statement. Mission accomplished!

Baker took his Team Checkpoint 5.5 Modified Brushless Motor to the front of all four qualifying rounds, beating out some of the best drivers in the country including a world finalist. When the A mains rolled around, Baker made quick work of the field — the A1 and A2 wins were no problem.

In the hotly contested 13.5 class, Baker picked up right where he left off in modified. First he took the TQ with his Team Checkpoint 13.5 Spec Brushless Motor. In a spec class where every ounce of power makes a difference, Baker had full confidence in his Team Checkpoint 5000 LiPo batteries.

Like a broken record, Baker laid it down in A1 and A2 to take the overall win. Then he got to sit back in stands with a hot dog and Coke to watch them duke it out for the first loser position.

Congratulations to Barry Baker and Team Checkpoint for truly making a statement!

Hara’s radio of choice was the new Futaba 4PK FASST, giving this radio it’s first world championships, and earning it in it’s first year of racing! Atsushi also used the Futaba BLS352 servo for steering and the S9351 on the throttle. This assured him a winning setup that would not fail.

Hara ran the multi-World Champion OS Speed Tuned 21VZ-B V-Spec engine with the T-2060C pipe. One of the keys to Hara’s win was the perfect blend of speed and fuel mileage afforded by the OS engine. Hara was able to eliminate one pit-stop as a result of using the OS engine.

The World Championships had over 200 drivers and a grueling 60 minute main. Extensive rain made conditions even tougher; equipment had to perform flawlessly so that the driver could concentrate on the course. Obviously the Futaba 4PK FASST and OS Speed Tuned 21VZ-B V-Spec engine with the T-2060C pipe did their job and so did Atsushi Hara!

Congratulations!