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!