MRTC-BD8A

The IFMAR ISTC World Championship race, hosted by IFMAR, held its inaugural event in Japan in 2000 and has since been held regularly on a biennial basis.

For the first event, Yokomo introduced the MR-4TC (released in February 1999), the progenitor of the now-mainstream belt-driven 4WD ISTC machine with a longitudinal battery layout on the side of the chassis—a unique design at the time—which earned the title of the inaugural World Champion car.

Since then, this design has become the standard for competitive touring cars, adopted by many RC manufacturers around the world to this day. As a pioneer in touring cars, Yokomo has continuously conducted research and development on its machines.

In recent years, the Yokomo BD7-2015 won the previous 2014 IFMAR ISTC World Championship in the United States!! And the 2016 Yokomo BD8-2017 won again!! Yokomo has achieved consecutive victories at the Touring Car World Championship.

The BD8-2017 is a touring car kit that our development team recommends with confidence and is currently the pinnacle of the world. We hope the BD8, which delivers the best performance anywhere, regardless of road surface conditions (boasting a wide range of adaptability to surface changes and ease of handling), will help you realize your dreams and passions.

Yokomo will continue to provide support not only in parts supply but also in technical aspects such as setting advice.

At the event held in Beijing, China, for four days from August 24 to 27, 2016, 150 representatives from 22 countries and 17 manufacturer teams gathered for what was truly the world's strongest competition. Yokomo entered the new BD8 and took the win. Out of the top 10 in the data table, three were Yokomo machines (two BD8s and one BD7), and in the top 30, the BD series dominated with 12 cars—nearly half the field—outperforming all other manufacturers and proving the high potential of Yokomo machines.

Features of the BD8

The BD8 adopted an ultra-low center of gravity in the BD7 2016, which provided a significant advantage on high-grip surfaces, but it remained somewhat temperamental on low-grip surfaces. By shifting the front belt to the absolute center, the heavy motor could be mounted even further inward, addressing this slight drawback. Furthermore, the front and rear suspension areas and other details were optimized to create the BD8—a mature, next-generation machine that is the culmination of 2016 and can be considered to have no blind spots. In terms of driving performance, it suppressed tendencies during power on/off and achieved stable speed on everything from high-grip to low-grip surfaces. This stable, fast performance, unaffected by the road surface, was on display at the World Championship finals; while times didn't improve in Leg 1 due to poor control tires, if you watch Leg 2 and Leg 3, you can see the magnificent performance of Ronald's BD8 as it cruised while other cars struggled. This victory was thanks to the BD8, which is resilient to surface changes, combined with the skill of Ronald, who possesses a cool-headed yet passionate mind, and the enthusiastic support of many fans. For this release, to bring the performance of the BD8 to as many people as possible and accommodate various races and road surface conditions, we are simultaneously releasing an aluminum chassis version (intended for carpet surfaces) in addition to the carbon graphite chassis version (intended for asphalt surfaces).

The BD8 kit comes standard with two parts previously treated as options:

① Aluminum (BD8-specific) specially shaped servo mount ② Aluminum (shared with 2016) steering bellcrank

Specifications

By positioning the front drive belt—the core of the drivetrain—in the center, chassis twist during acceleration is suppressed, improving handling not only on straights but also during cornering. In particular, the ability to smoothly connect to the next corner when exiting a turn makes it easier to trace the fastest line around the circuit and allows motor power to be converted into acceleration more efficiently.

Furthermore, the aluminum motor mount is now simpler and lighter. It contributes significantly to a lower center of gravity, and by mounting the motor further inward than before, driving performance has been improved. Additionally, the motor mount is fixed with only a single screw at the center of the chassis to maintain symmetry, which avoids affecting chassis twist and enhances road-following capability in addition to the highly efficient drivetrain.

The aluminum servo mount, which was previously an option part, has been redesigned for the BD8 and is now standard equipment. Its shape wraps around the belt at the center of the chassis, and the servo is floating-mounted. This maximizes the performance of the BD8 without affecting chassis twist.

The aluminum steering bellcrank and aluminum center link, which were also previously option parts, are now standard, improving steering response. In touring cars where driving speeds have increased significantly, reproducing the movement of the steering servo linearly also increases the machine's controllability.

The front and rear hubs and steering blocks have also been newly designed. Their shapes, derived through precise calculations, use lightweight graphite resin to increase strength. The front is particularly well-matched with double-joint universals. The structure allows the universal shaft to be removed without detaching the steering block from the front hub carrier, improving maintenance for race participation.

The front and rear suspension mounts now use a style where resin bushings are inserted into aluminum mounts. They have been newly designed 1mm lower than before to match the ultra-low center of gravity, expanding the range of roll center adjustments. You can quickly change the toe angle by swapping the bushings, allowing for instant setting changes during races.