this week, we welcomed a new member – Ryan from the (USA). he’d found our shop online and needed a hobby to help him relax while here working in Thailand. this is his 2nd visit, and like many others, decided to support our efforts to maintain the best mini r/c racing facility in the world. unfortunately, he’s already on his way to another project in Southeast Asia but we’ll miss him and his excitement for the hobby dearly!
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i’ve been busy with other little projects in addition to our custom body project(s), here’s just a quick list of what’s going on: 1 – Nissan Fairlady Z - i’d changed my Nissan over to 20′ size wheels because its shell has very low ground clearance and would snag on uneven tiles and drag during high speed cornering. resolving this problem meant sanding away the ‘skirt’ spoiler from the shell (i hate to do this cuz the body is absolutely beautiful! (DNX407MA) but its necessary for peak racing performance). X-Power sent some samples of their Foam Tire-Wheels over for testing but unlike other brands, theirs come installed on a black racing wheel already. for those who have raced dNano, you know occasionally the tires can get pulled off the wheels and strong adhesives aren’t ideal for use with dNano, so pre-glued foam tires is a major plus. the wheels can be re-used by removing the foam after extended wear and used with normal tires and that’s another bonus. performance-wise, the grip is outstanding! on the F2L Power Slide layout, there were no longer any ‘sliding’ issues as Soft (S) front and Very Soft (SS) rear combo had my Z on rails! these should be in stock sometime in late August. check the online shop for info on the most recently added items available for dNano including the new Optional Spoiler Kit for the Reventon Type Shell (see photo).
2 – Racing Stickers – X-Power recently sent some racing stickers over as well, they allow you to turn a plain, lifeless dNano shell into a decked out, racing livery. i needed a hobby knife to cut the stickers but the adhesive is strong enough to hold on slick, clear coat bodies. unfortunately, over handling can cause the print to rub off so its probably best to apply a clear coat if possible. while water decals will be thinner, these make creating a custom livery much easier. they provided a pack of 10 sheets, each with a different assortment and more than enough stickers to create a nice livery for 1 or 2 shells. these should be in stock by early august. 3 – eAsy Adjust Differentials - i’ve converted all my installed dNano diffs from their original shaft to the XP Easy Adjust Diff (if you already have a ball diff, use the conversion kit here). when racing on a low grip, endless curve layout, the diff has to be loose for efficient cornering. high grip, high speed layouts allow for tuning the diff to a tighter setup for better straight-line speed and acceleration. having 2 circuits with varying surfaces in the shop means a lot of work with diffs and the change has reduced the time it takes for tuning & maintenance. consider making that change if you’re like to ‘tinker’ a lot like i do. speaking of maintenance, i’ve got to do some for Hugh before he gets back from his vacation to Kon Kaen (North Thailand) so i’ll review my step-by-step process in my next post. see ya then!
yes, its been quiet around here and that reflects the general conditions of things in Pattaya at the moment. the economic slowdown, the strength of the Thai baht and the weakening of normally very strong currencies around the world has severely reduced traffic and sales @ nanotrax and many other local businesses. we’re lucky to see many of our regular customers returning and doing their best to support the shop. while things are a bit rough, we’ve done our best to cut costs while maintaining high quality service on and offline. a big thanks to our customers around the world who have reached out and continued to support our shop from thousands of miles away. because of that, we continue to bring you the latest in items that will hopefully enhance your experience with this hobby we all care so much about. we haven’t seen a new body for dNano since the Chevrolet Corvette C6-R was released in February and dNano fans have been longing for something new. X-Power has answered the call with a new, handmade shell designed to fit the (DNC502) Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Chassis. the Limited Edition Reventon Type Shell is now available @ our online shop. additionally, the new XP Screwdriver for dNano has been added to our long list of available parts and accessories. for those on a budget, this is definitely an interesting, economical option for working on your moving chassis.
racing still continues weekly @ 5pm (Sundays) and with Robby, Erwin and Vincent back in town, expect to see some high speed, heated competition on both circuits in the coming weeks. for race reports and other topics, visit our dNano forum. have questions or concerns? e-mail the webmaster!
our website was designed for high resolution monitors and ideal for browsing with Firefox. are you using the latest version of Firefox (Ver 3.6)? if so, that means you can modify the theme of your browser with Personas. show your love for mini r/c racing by ‘wearing’ the NanoTrax Persona.
Policy Change / Service Update Notice (22/02/2010)
1) club racing is now a members only event. occasionally, we will have special races that will be open to non-members and will announce these events in advance. all non-members will be required to pay a registration fee for special events in addition to normal facility use and maintenance fees. 2) for groups interested in holding organized race events at nanotrax, Circuit F2L is available for reservation at a fee of 500THB/hour (2 hour limit) and a limit of 8 drivers (12 total visitors allowed including drivers). the reserving party must notify nanotrax management at least 24 hours in advance, pay a non-refundable 1000THB deposit and during the event, the party will have exclusive use of the circuit. racing event fees are in addition to facility use & maintenance, beverages, food and incidental damage. 3) local members storing items in the ‘garage’ at nanotrax must visit the facility at least once every 90 days to avoid having items placed in extended storage. the ‘garage’ is a place provided to give regular visitors convenient access to their property. there is limited space available and while we appreciate all members, the ‘garage’ must be available for customers who visit on a regular basis. 4) annual membership is ‘stopped’ when a member travels abroad for a period of no more than 9 consecutive months. if the suspension period expires without a visit into the shop, said membership will automatically expire. all property stored at nanotrax then becomes the property of nanotrax and can be disposed of at nanotrax management discretion. 5) starting February 1, 2010 dnano available for rent will all have basic option parts and fees will be 300ThB/hour and a 500ThB damage and rental fee deposit per car. damage to rental cars will be assessed at 150THB per incident, with a maximum of 450THB per car. for questions or concerns regarding our policies, please contact support@nanotrax.net or visit the support forum.
Hizashi Suzuki was the founder of a company that has brightened the lives of many with a simple concept: JOY. Kyosho and many R/C fans including myself, mourn the loss of Mr. Suzuki, an icon in the radio control model industry. my sincere condolences go out to his family, friends and scores of employees who helped to make his dreams a daily reality. with that sad news given, i’ll simply report my addition of several new items to the shop which – of course – feature Kyosho Auto Scale Collection items. please visit the shop for the latest additions.
this is a fee change notice for the new year starting January 2010. currently, our annual membership promotion fee is 4,999THB but that promotion will expire returning the annual membership to its regular rate of 6,999THB. additionally, the NanoTrax Facility Use & Maintenance fee for all visitors will increase from 80THB per day to 120THB per day and storage fee will be assessed at a rate of 50THB per day. benefits of membership include: Complimentary storage and facility maintenance + 15% discount on all items purchased in the store or online. members are also provided rechargeable batteries for transmitters and ‘house’ batteries for use with their dNaNo models (batteries remain the property of nanotrax and are not allowed to leave the premises). time on membership is only based on visits to the shop so if one is not ‘local’ then membership can be considered ‘lifetime’ (please contact support for further details). interested customers have until closing time on December 31 to register for membership at the discounted rate. finally, starting in January 2010, sunday club races will carry a registration fee of 80THB for non-members. future ‘Special Race’ events (race meets held at nanotrax in addition to normal club racing) will carry a registration fee of 100THB for members and 200THB for non-members. registration fees are in addition to facility use & maintenance fees. thanks for your continued support!
ข่าวด่วนแจ้งให้ทราบ สำหรับ ปี 2010 นี้ คือ ค่า Member จากโปรโมชั่น 4999 บาท จะกลับไปเป็น 7999 บาท ตามราคาเดิม , ค่าสนาม+ค่าบริการ จาก 80 บาท เปลี่ยนเป็น 120 บาท ต่อ 1 วัน และเพิ่มค่าบริการรับฝากของสำหรับลูกค้าที่ไม่ได้เป็น Member กับทางร้าน อีก 50 บาท ต่อ 1วัน, ประโยชน์ สุดคุ้นที่ได้มาจากการเป็น Memberกับทางร้านของเราก็คือ ฟรีค่าสนาม+ค่าบริการ , ฟรีค่าฝากของ,ได้ส่วนลด 15% สำหรับซื้อสินค้าจากทางร้าน หรือจากทาง Online ของทางร้านเรา,มีถ่านสำหรับวิทยุ และแบตเตอร์รีสำหรับรถ ให้ใช้ฟรีตลอดระยะเวลาที่เล่นอยู่ภายในร้านแต่ไม่สามารถนำกลับบ้านได้ และ พิเศษ สำหรับการเป็น Member ทางร้านของเราจะนับจากช่วงเดือนที่เข้ามาใช้บริการกับทางร้าน เท่านั้น เพราะว่า หากว่าเดือนใดไม่ได้เข้ามาใช้บริการกับทางร้าน ทางร้านเราก็จะไม่หักเวลา Member ของเดือนนั้นออก และพิเศษไปมากว่านั้น สำหรับลูกค้าที่อยู่ตางจังหวัด หรือ ต่างประเทศ ทางซื้อ Member แล้ว แต่ไม่เคยเข้ามาใช้บริการที่ร้านของเราเลย นั่นก็หมายความว่าท่านก็จะสามารถเป็น Member กับทางร้านของเราได้ตลอดชีวิต หรือ ถ้าหากว่า ท่านอยู่ตางประเทศ หรือ ต่างจังหวัด ใน 1 ปี ท่านมีโอกาศเข้ามาใช้บริการที่ทางร้านเราแค่ 1 ครั้ง นั่นก็เท่ากับว่าMemberของท่านจะมีอายุถึง 12 ปีเลยทีเดียว หากมีข้อสงสัย หรือ ถ้าต้องการรายละเอียดเพิ่มเติมสามารถส่งเมลล์มาติดต่อสอบถามได้ที่ joom@nanotrax.net และ สำหรับท่านที่สนใจต้องการจะสมัคร Member ในราคา 4999 บาท รบกวนสมัครภายในวันที่ 31 ธันวาคม 2009 นี้ และสำหรับเรื่องสุดท้ายที่ต้องการที่จะแจ้งให้ท่านทราบคือ สำหรับ ปี2010 นี้ ในทุกอาทิตย์ที่ทางร้านได้ทำการจัดแข่งสำหรับ Member หากท่านต้องการลงแข่งด้วย แต่ท่านไม้ได้เป็น Member ท่านต้องจ่ายค่าสมัคร 80 บาท ต่อ 1 คน และสำหรับการจัดแข่งพิเศษ ที่ทางร้านได้จัดขึ้นมา สำหรับ Memberจ่ายค่าลงสมัคร 100 บาท แต่ถ้าหากท่านไม่ใช่ Member ท่านต้องจ่ายค่าลงสมัคร 200 บาท และในค่าสมัครลงแข่งนี้ั ยังไม่รวม ค่าสนาม+ค่าบริการ ของทางร้าน…ขอบคุณที่ท่านช่วยสนับสนุนกับทางร้านของเรา
today was completely full from the time i opened my eyes to the moment i switched off the lights in the pit station. our first order of business was to ship orders, then visit Pattaya R/C Powerboat for the 1/8th Off Road Buggy Party Final. we witnessed the world champion Atsushi Hara dominate the field, winning by 3 laps in a grand final including some impressive drivers on an absolutely massive race course. the weather cooled off a lot for the final and it was obvious from the many drivers who had engine problems. we then returned to the shop to prepare for our sunday club race but there was immediate action in the form of practice races. we had a few guests who rented cars and mixed it up with members for a few heats and by qualifying time, we only had 4 drivers remaining – 3 of which were pushing for championship points. RobbyDV, Olaf, Marlowe and myself ran 2 qualifiers and a final that provided compelling evidence that all dNaNo are not created equal. the Nissan Fairlady Z GT500 Class with Robby at the helm is a dominant force and while i expected the Porsche 911 GT3 to come back with a bang, it was more like a ‘poot’ in the race today. Olaf has pretty much solidified his position as the 2009 NanoTrax Driver’s Champion and Marlowe has shown marked improvement with his McLaren. here are the results, check the pics in the gallery for highlights.
NanoTrax Club Race Results for 12/13/2009
Top Qualifier = Robby DV / Nissan Fairlady Z GT500
Final Results:
1 – RobbyDV / Nissan Fairlady Z GT500 (97 Laps) +20
2 – Olaf / Aston Martin Racing DBR9 (86 Laps) +15
3 – Marlowe / McLaren F1 GTR (83 Laps) +10
4 – Qon / Porsche 911 GT3 (81 Laps)
2009 NanoTrax Drivers Championship Points
Olaf = 100 Pts
Dylan = 70 Pts
Daw = 70 Pts
Erwin = 55 Pts
RobbyDV = 40 Pts
Gary = 25 Pts
Marlowe = 15 Pts
Slim = 15 Pts
Vincent = 10 Pts
First = 10 Pts
Darren = 5 Pts
Marc = 5 Pts
