Blog 2 - VB 3.0 the classes in detail

 CLASS IN FOCUS :

Class 3 : 1989-1991 IFMAR

WHATEVER IT TAKES !

By 1989 the rivalries between the biggest names in the industry had well and truly started , and nowhere more so than at World Championship level. R/C racing had started to change from just being a hobby to becoming a place where you could find factory supported teams and drivers. 
AMB transponders , lap timing, stop watches and note pads were all the rage.

St Ives Australia 1989:

The 1989 Worlds is probably the most magical event to the majority of us Aussies ….and yes the author was there to witness it all !

Yes , that is your editor directly under the "racing" on the banner wearing the Kyosho hat !

These events became "the" battleground for manufacturers to go head to head with whatever they could come up with in order to make their cars win.

Nothing more and nothing less....the old win on Sunday , sell on Monday !

1989 was the beginning of the age of  "no photographs"  , the new era of prototype cars, parts and factory teams and drivers... who can forget the pit towels covering cars? During this time, there were significant improvements in R/C car technology, particularly the materials being used , innovations in battery technology, motors, and electronic speed controllers which made the cars faster.

The 2.2" tyre fiasco:

Unless you are totally new to the hobby,  you would not know the Yokomo 2.2" World Champs story which is now folklore amongst R/C racers.

In 1989 , several months before the event , Yokomo sent out a team to test on the upcoming Aussie Worlds track  , the team even took home some soil samples which then allowed them to further test and then exploit a loop hole in the rules. 
Yokomo had developed a 2.2 inch tyre which was only available to factory Yokomo and AE drivers. It sparked a ton of protests however it was deemed legal .

Who can forget the Yokomo spray !

Top - Vintage Bash  2022, Bottom- 1989 Worlds 

In any case , both of Masami Hirosaka's cars equipped with the now infamous  2.2." TR31 tyres went on to TQ and win....and of course who can forget the mighty "AE Stealth" RC10 car …

Down here in Australia the hobby scaled to new heights , the 1990 Nationals being held indoors at the Wayville showgrounds in South Australia had a massive turn out , only to be blown off the map by the monumental turn out for the 1991 Nationals held in Canberra the following year , an event which not only would hold the record for the biggest entry numbers for years to come, but would also see the birth of Australia's own Racing Lines magazine .

1990 Nats , yes your editor was there and is in this pic !

Racing Lines issue #1

Detroit  1991 - THE STAGE HAS BEEN SET NOW GAME ON !

If 1989 was iconic , the 1991 Ifmar worlds would go down in history as the event where we saw the beginning of the mighty rivalry between the 2 of the heavy weights of R/C , Team Losi / Trinity and Team Associated/ Reedy  going head to head on home soil .
Trinity/Losi team even had security guards around their complex !

Every manufacturer of anything considered "R/C competition" would go back to the drawing board and bring out something very special for this very event Batteries , Motors , Speed Controllers ,Tyres , Cars - Detroit had it all...including controversy !

Schumacher , Kyosho , Tamiya , Yokomo & Traxxas also joined in bringing prototype cars and parts.

Turn 1 2WD A main ,prototype AE vs Losi vs Traxxas.

Who remembers the Panasonic P170 ? 4 new "matched"  packs bought for the 1992 Nats lasted a whole of 5 charges before being binned ...we have it easy now !

1989-1991 Class Rules :

For the 1989-1991 class ( as well as the newer classes)  we have allowed the 2.2" diameter tyres which are indicative of what was used at the time.

We have also allowed the 21.5 brushless or 27 turn stock motor choice for 2wd , and 17.5 or open mod brushed for 4wd cars as we feel that the cars from this era can easily cope with this amount of power .

Remember , we are not trying to set track records but instead trying to rewind time to once again allow us to experience these great eras of R/C racing with period correct cars in their correct heats .

Who is getting cars ready for this class , and better still , who can wait to see the pics above recreated on-track at the bash ?

Any questions , shoot us a PM !