Team Manager ... Team Driver ... it’s a blurred line when discussing Team Associated’s Brent Thielke. With over 25 years of experience in the industry and over a dozen as the Team Manager for Team Associated, Brent’s commitment to the sport is undeniable. In 1997 Brent raced his very first Reedy International Off-Road Race of Champions at MnM Raceway in Corona, CA, and now fast-forward 20 years and a lifetime goal has been achieved. Join us as we take a tour through his 2017 2WD Open-winning B6 vehicle from the Reedy International Off-Road Race of Champions.

Front End
Peeking out from under the #91722 B6 Ballcups are the recently released Factory Team HD Ti Ballstuds. Found throughout the car, each ballstud not only saves a little weight, but the mirror-like finish reduces drag to ensure free movement of the suspension. Brent has also outfitted his car with the #91755 Factory Team Ti Screw kit which again reduces weight and lowers the center of gravity. The sharp eye will also notice that the size of heat shrink on Brent’s springs are about half the size of the supplied version. He customizes this to keep the standard look but minimize the impact of the coloring.

- B6 Ballcups
- FT RC10B6 Titanium Screw Kit

Rear End
The contrast, the #91696 Rear Arms, hard, really stand out in this photo. The team feels that the harder plastic helps settle the car over larger jumps and this is part of Brent’s “standard trim.” If you look closely, you can see that the hub insert for the camber link is carbon fiber. These were one-off parts given to Brent just before the race. Look for a Factory Team version in aluminum to be released soon.

- B6 Rear Arms, hard

Inside Front End
Like most of the team, Brent chooses to use the #1366 Factory Team Aluminum Servo Horn, 25T, 15.5mm, on his Reedy servo. Additional Factory Team parts include #91680 Steering Block Arms, +1, which change the steering characteristics of the car to provide a slightly more numb feel so the car can be pushed harder. In the caster blocks, Brent chooses to use #25215 steel lock nuts as he feels they hold a bit better than their aluminum counterpart. Due to the load on the suspension, these ballstuds can work their way free and can cause that oh-s-dreadful DNF.

- FT Aluminum Servo Horn 25T, 15.5mm
- B6 FT Steering Block Arms, +1
- Locknuts, M3

Inside Rear End
To give the rear end of the car a more plush feel, Brent chose to use the #91666 Long Shock Tower and #91578 31mm FOX® Shock Bodies with Kashima Coat. This setup allows for more oil to reside above the piston and therefore more oil volume for the piston to flow through. Brent also used a #91737 M3 x 20mm Set Screw and #25215 Steel M3 Locknut combination to secure his lower shock mount. With the tight quarters, the standard button head screw can easily strip out. The set screw/nut combination allows the use of the #1568 Factory Team 5.5mm Short Nut Driver to more easily service the rear shocks while not stripping out the standard button head screw. Brent also consciously chose to use steel screws to secure his rear shock tower to the transmission case because he wanted the more durable 2mm footprint for the wrench.

- B6 Rear Shock Tower, long
- FT 12x31mm FOX(R) Shock Bodies with Genuine Kashima Coat, V2, threaded
- Set Screws, M3x20mm
- Locknuts, M3
- FT 5.5mm Short Nut Driver

Electronics
Full Reedy power is what you’d expect from the Team Manager and that’s what you get. Brent chose all the latest products to power his winning B6. From the #27100 Reedy RS1206 servo, to the #27004 Reedy Blackbox 510R speed control, to the #27307 Reedy Zapper battery, and #260 Reedy M3 7.5 motor -- it’s all powered by Reedy. Brent has tuned his entire package to fit his smooth style and all the details can be found on his Blackbox 501R setup sheet.

- Reedy RS1206 Digital HV Hi-Speed Competition Servo
- Blackbox 510R Competition ESC
- Reedy Zappers 6000mAh 7.6V 100C
- Reedy Sonic 540-M3 Motor 7.5 Modified

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