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The Factory Team B44 project came to life in 2003 as a cooperative
effort between Team Associated and J Concepts’ Jason Ruona and Brad
Reelfs. After Team Associated’s Ryan Cavalieri won the 2005 IFMAR World
Championships in Collegno, Italy with the BJ4 Worlds Edition, Area 51
shifted into overdrive to produce a true "Associated"-inspired 4WD buggy
that would continue to dominate the 4WD off road racing class. The B44
is the result of this two-year development effort.
During the design and development stages Associated used their extensive
and well-proven skills to make a 4WD competition buggy that is better
suited to production. The results of this optimization are realized by
you, the customer, in a more cost-effective vehicle with more readily
available spare parts.
The B44 is built on a 2.5mm woven carbon fiber main chassis and top
plate. What’s new is the composite front bulkhead and rear chassis
plate. These new features greatly improve overall durability and
increase the ground clearance, further enhancing the B44's performance.
Area 51 designers also improved the BJ4’s slipper clutch. The result is
the B44’s new externally adjustable, dual pad slipper clutch, which
transfers power to the ground more efficiently and effectively.
The B44 employs a hardened steel CVA drivetrain with lightened ball
differentials for unparalleled acceleration. The B44 soaks up the bumps
using Factory Team hard anodized aluminum threaded shocks with gold
shock shafts. The shocks mount to durable 3mm woven carbon fiber shock
towers, making the B44 more responsive and giving quicker handling.
The B44 gets the full Factory Team treatment with blue titanium
turnbuckles, blue aluminum shock bushings and blue aluminum servo mounts
for a car that looks as good as it is fast!
Many Team Associated fans from all over the world have asked us when we
are going to build a 4WD buggy. Team Associated is proud to say that day
has come with the B44, the only 4WD electric race buggy that comes from
a racing heritage with 20 IFMAR World Championships behind it.
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