Naoto Matsukura and Yokomo part ways
 

Shocked at this...

Will he go to Xray? Kyosho?

Needs to be someone who does 12th, TC and buggy.

Totally not expected, especially when the worlds are being held at Yatabe. But yeah, I can understand, 10 years at Yokomo is a while. My guess would by Kyosho or Team Associated. More AE than Kyosho, as AE also does 12th scale. Or maybe split contracts, who will know?

Who will replace him? Maybe Neumann, he has driven Yoko before. Or maybe no replacement and go with Martin.

Neuman there would be cool.
What about serpent?

:wtf:

http://www.luthien-tinuviel.net/emot/jawdrop.gif


I was totally floored by this. He was probably my favorite NON US driver. Very strange indeed.

AE or Kyosho would have the pocket book for him, Does AE have any ranked Japanese drivers? Knowing that Yokomo and AE had a partnership BITD, and it appears they are a major player for AE Importer....

Def. changes things for the 2015 worlds.
Not going to lie, he and Martin were a big reason why I want to switch to Yokomo for 2015. Ive been a loyal AE guy since I started over 16 yrs ago.

Time will tell...



MOmo

This might not say much for the new YZ-2 car. Look what happened to team associated when the B5M platform came along.

He could go kyosho as they do have a 12th, not sure what its like as it's not really pushed in the uk, but have been told it's not a bad platform, like everyone else I'm surprised, yokomo will be gutted if it was his choice

Schumacher :thumbsup:

Best cars out there!

I reckon it's gotta be Kyosho. Naoto is a pro driver so it's gotta be someone who supply that.

The only other would be AE

I believe he's running a Vantage FXT.

I'm not so sure he'll end up in kyosho or AE. My thinking is he'll go with a company to help them develop their product offerings, but retaining a Japanese connection. Perhaps he'll do Hara, and work cross brand?

While Xray cover the classes he races, they are EU based.

I think he'll end up with hotbodies/hpi. They are essentially Japanese, riding on the back of a 1/8th worlds win and looking for the 1/10th worlds win. They have a developing 4wd chassis, and a 2wd chassis that will appear for the worlds. They do TC and may want to develop a 1/12th platform.That's who my money is on today ;-)

Well what ever happens it's still not good news for yokomo........

Yokomo might get back Jörn, thats good news

That would be great news indeed!
As for Naoto, I would not be surprised to see him joining AE, or maybe he will copy Atsushi Hara's 2000 move to HB after winning the TC worlds title.
From a domestic Japanese view, Kyosho would make sense, too. It must have been frustrating for the K team to be beaten at the nationals year after year by the B-Max series under Naoto's control.

You forgot Tamiya...Except Kyosho, They are close of him...they will made a 1/12 On Road car for competition, they've got their Off Road package 2wd & 4wd...(I suppose that Lee Martin could say that the cars are good)...and Tamiya can offer the same or more than Yokomo...on Travels and Yens...

But, out of this speculation, I think it's stupid from Naoto...right now he's alone.
He get, at every race, somebody to take care and prepare his cars...He will not met the same in an other manufacturer...

Fair points. his team at the EOS were amazing. He did work on his own car however. awesome team support though.
I discounted Tamiya as thry had cancelled their off road race programme. Lee was it. I guess they could wish to make a comeback?

I wish it also...after that, I've heard, it's a rumor, that a US driver could take part to Yokomo's Projects...soon we will know.

Go and give yourself a good hard slap! :woot:

Pedaling that crap about, all because you have a team drive doesn't mean you have to keep flogging the same biased opinion. ;)

It'll be Kyosho, I can't imagine he'd go to AE (I'll be shocked if he does) and I can't see anyone else with pockets deep enough.

I would've thought he stayed until after the Worlds as it's his home event and he's won there so many times it's an odd time to do it. Not to mention how quick he is with the 4wd that I would've had him as a dead cert for the title.

I think he's nuts and he may live to regret it.

Lol, 2 laps down in qualifying last time wasn't it?. :thumbsup:

In all serious may be Ben jemmo going to yokomo.... He just released a statement he ain't gonna be AE any more....

maybe, but it could also be Schumacher for Ben?
Also weren't CML meant to be the "official" Yokomo distie (yeah really), and he just left them.

Schumacher seriously have a good chance at a worlds title with the performance of the KF and Carson Weinermot onboard. Also Schumacher tyres will be the ones to beat. The US tyre brands can't compete there.

I do agree that Naoto may have given away his best support for the 10rh buggy worlds win.

HB 😃

He has just announced Muchmore for power and X-gear.
X-gear make springs for Kyosho and Yokomo.
More to come i think.

with Tamiya...

Has this been confirmed? That would be a surprise to me for sure, and the thought made me smile. I'd love to see Tamiya continue their off-road programme, and I would not mind Tamiya winning a worlds title due to Naoto's driving and knowledge of the track. Of course, I would have preferred him to stay with Yokomo... ;)

Tamiya fielding a car in the worlds is pointless, if a potential customer can't buy it anywhere, or have any parts support.



From Naoto's facebook status this morning:

◇ご報告◇
2015年以降使用するパワーソースとして、マッチモアレーシング㈱様と
その他のエクイップメントとして㈱エックスギア様とのドライバー契約を
締結しました。

Translated:

◇Report◇
As a power source to be used in 2015 or later, and the Muchmore
Racing JP Co.,LTD.
Other Equipment driver contract with the Corporation X-Gear Co.,LTD
Has signed.
Naoto Matsukura

That's perhaps the thing...Tamiya do not need specially to invest so much on R/C competition...they sold so much tons of models ( Aircrafts, Legendary cars, Figurines...etc at small scales) around the World.

I've got two friends, each one got his own shop in France...one of them buy to the Tamiya distributor quasi 10000€ ( one or two time per year ) of this kinds of models...even if they do not sold all during the current year...some models win in value ( Higher Price ) because of rarity and are sold at the end...

For sure, R/C competition models are more difficult to have...it's not the main business for Tamiya...If they've a good driver, it's great but if they do not have... it doesn't matter.
Why do they need a good driver like Marc Rheinard in TC...just to be present on competition.

That's perhaps the thing...Tamiya do not need specially to invest so much on R/C competition...they sold so much tons of models ( Aircrafts, Legendary cars, Figurines...etc at small scales) around the World.

I've got two friends, each one got his own shop in France...one of them buy to the Tamiya distributor quasi 10000€ ( one or two time per year ) of this kinds of models...even if they do not sold all during the current year...some models win in value ( Higher Price ) because of rarity and are sold at the end...

For sure, R/C competition models are more difficult to have...it's not the main business for Tamiya...If they've a good driver, it's great but if they do not have... it doesn't matter.
Why do they need a good driver like Marc Rheinard in TC...just to be present on competition.

We'll see YZ-2 coming my way.

Stupid cheat cars! :woot:

It's looking very doubtful that he's going to Kyosho unless he's got an agreement where he doesn't have to run Orion electrics. In which case it'll be Tamiya and god only knows why unless it's down to money.

I still say Hot Bodies/HPI.

Elliot boots doesn't use orion elecs, Kev Lee ran tekin motor and ESC when he used kyosho, so not a total rule out.

My bet is on HB/HPI as wel.

Ben's move to Schumacher has been confirmed. Anything new on Naoto except for his "new" hair colour?
http://jpn.muchmoreracing.net/tc/att...9674245497.jpg

LOL

That would be the Sweetest Headline wouldn't it!

"Matsukura Wins worlds with Tamiya Grasshopper....."




MOmo

:D:thumbsup::p

http://www.tamiya.com/japan/cms/plug...b08aa80cf3.jpg

Boom. He's racing the grasshopper. I called it.

You can't go wrong with a Grasshopper: Mid-motor, narrow chassis, inline battery... I only chose the Hopper as my first car due to those design features, not because I was on a budget as a kid! :woot:

thats only for touring cars though and does not cover 1/10th off road

And that sproingy suspension set up. My old grasshopper used to give my pogo stick a run for it's money. Not to mention the one piece chassis and front suspension arms - should come with a free tube of araldite and a small piece of meccano to enable fixes when they snap...
It developed an innate sense of ingenuity to try to fix all the multiple ways it could break, but hey, if he can get it to work for him then good luck:thumbsup:

Hence your signature... :D
It says nothing about a TC-only deal in Tamiya's press statement:

http://www.tamiya.com/english/info/1...kura/index.htm

Even though parts support for TRF off-road cars has been mediocre at best, I do hope they commence with their off-road programme.
(Maybe their next 2WD will be a copycat Yokomo instead of AE or Kyosho... :p)

It mentions it here http://www.redrc.net/2015/01/naoto-m...acing-factory/

And the Tamya site states "Naoto will be joining other team members as they venture across the globe to challenge prestigious Touring Car racing events" no mention of off road or 1/12th