Hara terminated contract with SWORKz

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By Aaron Waldron
LiveRC.com

Just days after celebrating his 36th birthday, two-time IFMAR World Champion Atsushi Hara announced an abrupt end to his intended three-year partnership with SWORKz.

The 2008 IFMAR 1/8-Scale Off-Road World Champion announced his departure from HB-HPI Racing in August 2013, after spending 13 years with the company and producing some of his greatest racing moments. Hara spent the following months testing with many different brands while determining the best choice for his future, and joined SWORKz on January 31st, 2014, assuming the role of “Team Brand Ambassador” tasked with the challenge of turning the Taiwanese brand into a world power. His long-time mechanic Masayuki Miura joined him as well, and the pair set off to develop new off-road vehicles for the brand.

The Yokohama, Japan native who relocated to Bangkok, Thailand a few years ago never quite showed the all-out speed he had been known for behind the wheel of the SWORKz 1/8-scale buggy platform, though he did score the 2014 FEMCA title with the S350 Evo leading up to the World Championships in Italy. He also competed in the 2014 Reedy Race of Champions with a prototype  that became the S104 EVO 4WD buggy.

Miura’s attendance at some international races in the previous few months without Hara, as well as Hara’s absence from the IFMAR Electric Off-Road Worlds in Japan among other high-profile off-road races, hinted that there may have been some trouble - the original story was that he “didn’t have adequate time to prepare” with such rapidly updating cars.

Along with the above photo, Hara shared the following on his Facebook page: 

“Dear All,

I have to announcement about terminate contract for Sworkz in between myself on 31st October 2015.

I'd like to thank Sworkz owner Scott Yang and Sworkz USA team manager Marty Korn. It was great opportunities to start build for new brand Sworkz with them.

I have such a great time to working with them and I had a lot of experience for many things.

I never forget over my life those are great time for me.

Also, Thanks to all of Sworkz distributors and Sworkz Fans are great support! It will make me a big motivation for all time.

Thank you very much for your attention.

31 October 2015

Atsushi Hara”

No word yet as to his future plans.