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[UPDATE] Novarossi blames MYSTERY FUEL for Winternats engine trouble

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Mike Garrison

0 Feb. 25, 2014, 9:36 a.m.

2/25/2014

By Mike Garrison

LiveRC.com

At the recent 2014 Winternats held in Florida, some of the world's best onroad racers gathered to take the crown. One of those drivers was the newly signed Team Shepherd driver, Marco Vanni. Throughout the event Vanni looked promising, however, continually suffered engine troubles with his Novarossi powered machines. While many immediately blamed "faulty engines" for his trouble, Novarossi disagrees.

Today, the Italian engine company released the following statement:

Novarossi directly blames the engine trouble on his fuel saying the engine was "completely destroyed by the fuel used." Sources tell us that Marco Vanni was using Novarossi teammate and racing legend, Lamberto Collari's very own MLC fuel.

Before anyone goes thinking this is a bad fuel, many will tell you that Collari himself, and many others, have had great success with the MLC/Novarossi combo in the past with no signs of trouble.

Engine troubles when nitro racing is nothing new (as we saw throughout the Dirt Nitro Challenge), however, for an engine company to make such a bold public announcement against a World Champion team driver's product is not something you see everyday.

[UPDATE - 10:06PM]

We have been informed and assured that Marco Vanni was in fact NOT using his MLC Fuel at the Winternats event, despite being seen using it at a race in Italy only a short time before. So as it turns out MLC fuel is NOT TO BLAME for the Novarossi engine trouble...but the question remains, "Who is?"

Was it the fuel, was it the engines, or was it just bad luck? We can't say for sure what was the cause of Marco Vanni's Winternats trouble, however, it is apparent that Novarossi feels as though they are not to blame.

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