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Sept. 21, 2014, 6:08 a.m.
9/21/2014
By Aaron Waldron
LiveRC.com
Atsushi Hara has already earned himself a spot among the greatest racers ever to wheel an RC car, and his career is nowhere close to complete. He's one of just four racers to an IFMAR Worlds title in both on-road and off-road (along with Joel Johnson, Masami Hirosaka, and Mark Pavidis) and one of only three with a championship each in nitro and electric racing (joining Pavidis and Arturo Carbonell). Hara shocked the 1/8-scale off-road community when he and his long-time mechanic Masayuki Miura won the 2008 IFMAR Worlds in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA with the then-new Hot Bodies D8 buggy, and again this past January when the dynamic duo moved to Speedmaster Hobby Company to develop their Sworkz line of vehicles. The move paid off quickly when he won this year's FEMCA (Far East Model Car Association) Championship back in June.
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LiveRC YouTube account -- RVA (Race Video Archive) recordings of all races available to All Access Pass members
Inside defending FEMCA Champion Atsushi Hara's Sworkz S350 Evo
Chassis: Sworkz S350 Evo
Engine: O.S. Speed B2101
Pipe: O.S. T-2060SC
Fuel: Nitrolux 25%
Transmitter: Futaba 4PX
Servos (ST/TH): Futaba S9353/Futaba S9353
Tires: Pro-Line Blockade X2 on PL Lightweight wheels
Body: Sworkz prototype
Notes: "It was really bad to start - I've never tested on this kind of track," said Hara on how he's progressed through practice so far, adding that he has a great setup for loose conditions but that his S350 Evo feels very unstable here at Naxos World Track. "Maybe I can still get good lap times, but it's really difficult to drive," he added. His mechanic, Miura, has made changes to his car every time it has hit the track, starting with 15/7/7 diff oil at the beginning of the week, then going to 10/10/5, and now 5/5/3, among many other suspension changes in an effort to make the car easier to drive. Aside from the myriad adjustments made throughout the week, Hara's car is loaded with prototype parts that don't yet have a production release date.
The front-center driveshaft is now made out of aluminum to reduce rotating weight.
Rather than CV-style front driveshafts, universals give smoother steering performance and better stability through rough sections of the track They're also lighter, and key into smaller front hub bearings rather than the larger bearing needed to capture the CV pin.
A new aluminum upper servo saver piece provides additional strength.
The biggest changes to Hara's car are found at both ends - with 16mm shock bodies replacing the original 15mm units (for better jumping characteristics and rough-track performance).
The front and rear shocks are also 4mm shorter than the previous Sworkz dampers, and the front and rear shock towers are shorter as well to compensate. Hara said this made the car more stable overall my helping lower its center of gravity.
Hara is testing new aluminum rear hubs to replace the stock plastic units.
The final changes spotted on Hara's car are new shock mounting options on the front and rear arms. Hara said that the lower row, which is on the same plane as the hinge pins, gives the car significantly more steering and overall grip.
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