Japan Touring Car Nats (electric)
 

Japan TC Nats 20-23 September (electric)

Post news, pictures and results here.

gas and electric? If so you should start a thread in the nitro forum too.

Any word on who all is running, or a site that might have updated coverage? I can imagine there would be some cool stuff in the pits...

I think its just electric. I wanna see if yoke is running a new car.

After the first day, Hara is leading Masami by 2 seconds, but I not sure if this is qualifying results or not. Look at this site for more info:
http://babel.altavista.com/urltrurl?...%2Frc%2Frc.htm

Hara has TQ'ed and Masami is 2nd. Here are some pics of Hara's car...http://babel.altavista.com/urltrurl?...o3%2Findex.htm

Final qualifying order:

1. Hara (HPI) 13/5.00.13
2. Masami (Yokomo) 13/5.00.43
3. Adachi (Yokomo) 13/5.03.06
4. Murai (HPI) 13/5.04.97
5. Muramatsu (Yokomo) 13/5.05.19
6. Umino? (Tech?) 13/5.05.22
7. Matsumura (?) 13/5.05.25
8. Suzuki (Yokomo?) 13/5.05.74
9. Yanaitsu? (?) 13/5.05.95
10. Itoh (Kyosho) 13/5.06.11

Finals on monday

Wow... that's quite the small margin between Hara and Masami. Sounds like it would be a great race to watch!

Umino is driving MY-02 from Tech. He switched to Tech Racing since July. It is good news that he is able to make to to the top 10 again.

Matsumura is driving Atlas

Yanaitsu is driving either Alex Racing Design Barracuda or HPI.

After the first main here are the results:
1. Hara
2. Adachi
3. Muramatsu
4. Masami
5. Yanaitsu
6. Suzuki
7. ?
8. Kojiro
9. Itoh
10. Matsumura

Final result:

1. Masami Yokomo
2. Hara HPI
3. Murai HPI
4. Adachi Yokomo
5. Itoh Kyosho
6. Muramatsu Yokomo
7. Suzuki Tamiya
8. Umino Tech
9. Yanaitsu Alex
10. Matsumura Atlas

pics of Hara's Pro3

http://isweb24.infoseek.co.jp/area/k...pro3/index.htm

Does anyone know where we can get pictures of the event, esp "spy" pics of the latest cars (new victorious yok anyone? :p )
and of coz the results from each of the A mains? TIA

Go Yokomo!

I believe Masami was running the standard MR4TC Special, not a new car or prototype.

What happened to "Field Benevolence"? Did he break in the 3rd main or just tanked it and got 10th?:D

The Yoke takes it. That is cool as it a still a great car and one of the 3 or 4 best. Changes or not it still can get it done.

Hara also has been on a real hot streak. Whether he runs his protype shaft car or his Pro3. His Pro 3 is pretty trick but it is stuff you can get pretty easily. FOr a car that is suppose to be lacking it does run damn fast. They had a few HPI Pro 3's in the show so it don't suck to bad.

I wonder if Masami ran that cool SP with the silver graphite stuff on it that he ran at the Worlds. That car is so trick looking.:D

I have to hand it to hara, hes doing a great job for hpi. Electric TC is the only class hpi has a race team for, but they are doing a great job at it!

I'd love to see HPI with more presence in the US race scene. At all of the major races I've been to in the States, I've yet to see an HPI-sponsored driver.

The only new thing that Hara has is the New Oneway. Other than that, it is still pretty much the HB edition's Pro 3

Hi all!

Please post more pics of the race and the cars! Would be very cool!

On HPI Japan you find some pics of the race.

Does anyone have a picture of Umino's car?

Is the new oneway of HPI or Hotbodies?

Thanks in advance!

Lawrence

Guys. Can anyone tell me where can I take a look of Masami's yo sp pic from last year racing? And is any where selling those parts? Like the HPI my friend has. He is buying the parts that Hara is using in this year race. So is there anything selling like the HPI does?

Updated result

1. Masami Yokomo Mr-4TC
2. Hara HPI Pro 3
3. Murai HPI Pro 3
4. Adachi Yokomo Mr-4TC
5. Itoh Kyosho KX-One
6. Muramatsu Yokomo Mr-4TC
7. Suzuki Tamiya TB Evo 2
8. Umino Tech MY02
9. Yanaitsu Associated TC3
10. Matsumura Atlas YM34typeSi

Here's a pic of the Tech MY02:
http://www.tech-racing.co.jp/pic/my02/my02_001.jpg

You can find more pics from the race at these sites:
http://www08.u-page.so-net.ne.jp/rd5/kazz222/
http://www.jmrca.com/
http://www.team-orion.co.jp/

Dang, that Pro 3 is decked! When I was searching for my first TC I kept hearing all the horrors about the Pro 3 so I got the XXX-S. Anyway, what this proves is that the car is fully capable and it's 90% the driver and probably 10% the car. And I agree with what others said... HPI seems to be a bigger name in Asia but to become bigger here, they need a sponsored team that makes a showing at the big races in the US. I don't know why they have yet to do this...???

Jits

Thad Gardner and Frank Mckinney run for HPI in the states, but not on the higher level like Kinwald, Tosolini, and Baker.

to view the final result of the Japan Touring Car Nats, please go to www.tq-racing.com

1. Masami ( Yokomo )
2. Hara ( HPI )
3. Murai ( HPI )

My opinion on why HPI doesn't sponsor anybody in the states is that the American racer in general is a crying little baby
(at least when they get to the pro level) If you try and follow those guys you will notice how they jump ship and go to different teams all the time. For example baker has been on how many teams, Tossolini has been on a couple, their are many more but I am sure you get the idea. A japanese based company is not going to put up with that when they sponsor someone it is a comitment. At least that was how it was explained to me by Frank at the last hpi challenge race I attended.....

What the heck are you talking about?
 

Baker was with Yokomo forever and then switched to AE after personal differences with Butch.

Tossolini was with Schumacher when he started to run electric and has since then been with Yok.

If you want to talk, talk about Hara.
He won the Worlds with Yok, switched immediately to Speedmind because Yok didn't give him the same status than Masami and then went to HPI for the money.

Spashett jumped ship at Losi to run the Worlds with a Yok and then came back a few weeks later with his tail between his legs.

The real switchers are in off-road anyways.

umm, lets see why the pro?3 isn't as popular as HPI had wished.
1. It needs $300 in hopups to be competitive
2. It needs $300 in hopups to be competitive

It should of never been called the "pro"3, sport 3 would be more appropriate. why couldn't HPI release one the the decked out versions they have in Asia here in the states? If nobody runs the car here in the states then why should HPI sponsor a racing team here? who would they support?

I think Spashett jumped because at the time the ShelfWeapon wasn't good enough to win for him and the new car Cyrul was working on had growing pains. He ran the Yoke because it was a killer car and proven to still be fast.

Many do jump alot until they finally get the big payday and stay. Kinwald left Reedy because Ernie could pay more of him medical bills that Reedy could. Many it is just truely a money thing. Many actually start with Schumcaher and then win a National title and bail. It is too bad but it happens just like real race drivers do. Very very few are loyal and whenever money is involved this happens as everyone wants more cash. Everyone needs cash and the more the better.

The idea is that if there were pro drivers in the US running the Pro 3, racers would follow suit. If they released a real "pro" version of the car, like the one Hara is running, and had a Baker or a Tosolini or a Cyrul or a Lemieux driving it at big events, the car would catch on.

Nobody in the states would want to drive that piece of crap anyways. Are you guys retarded or what. I got that info right from the mouth of HPI. Hara got booted from yok because he won the worlds masami was a baby. speedmind was just a joke then hpi came around with a real deal. And for the record tossilini got booted from schumacher because he would not run the new car at the time (the original axis) he was being a baby. You guys ever go to a bigger race and watch the petty little games the "pro's" play I saw factory guys almost get in a fight over a pair of inserts last year at the novak touring car race. All I was saying is that HPI does not want to be apart of that kind of nonsense. I am sure it happens over sea's but it is much more often to happen in the states.:D :D :D :D :D :D

Maybe they are "babies" as you put it, but that doesn't change the fact that it would make good business sense for HPI to sponsor a true American racing team. How many Pro 3's do you see racing at your local track? Maybe 1 at the most, sometimes 2, out of how many cars? We have ZERO at our track, and ZERO at Trackside, etc.

If HPI had a US team and released a race-capable version of the car, they would start selling cars to racers. Whether or not they need or care about that market is for them to know -- obviously they have a good lock on the RTR market right now -- but I can't see how it would hurt.

Pro 3 is in their mature state. This car will no longer need as many different option parts as before ever since the release of Hara Edition. This car is pretty much hop up except the C Hub is just too soft for modify racing. They have improve every aspect of the car even the front bulkhead is slightly modify. The front belt is looser and freer than before if anyone notice.

I went back to Pro 3 because of Hara Edition because I like the centralized location of the battery. I don't really have to worry about the difference of the weight between the two sides.

boy this has sure gotten way off the topic of this thread but whatever. I have a pro 3 and it is sitting on my shelf next to my pro 2 and original pro. For carpet racing (which is mainly what go on in wisconsin at least most the year) the pro 3 just plain sucks. I have tried the car in many different stages of hopped up ness. It still sucks for carpet maybe ok for outdoor where a wet noodle of a car helps more than hinders it is ok. The few spy pic that have been released of the possible prototye pro4 could definatly have some potential and I am sure I will be lured into purchasing one. HPI is more into the rtr crowd than anything else and for a backyard basher who really doesn't care about racing the cars are fine. I don't think if HPI had a team of drivers in the states it would really change the outlook of the pro3. You really cannot polish a tird:nod: :nod: :nod: :nod:

Hara did not switch to Speedmind. He was agreed to use Daytona for one race in China.

seems like the 'tird' is a pretty good 'tird' which can TQ the Japan nats and come in second and third.
i would say the hara edition pro 3 is ready to compete at the top level. maybe the pro3 just doesn't suit your driving style, that's all. hence there's no need to criticize it so heavily. (btw, i'm not supporting hpi. i drive a yoke;) )

I think most of the problem is that HPI USA does not offer the Hara edition of the Pro 3 here. That probably is the root cause of the problem.