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November 9, 2025

Kato takes thrilling last lap SIGP victory in China

Infinity’s Kouki Kato has just taken one of the most exciting wins of his career, the Japanese driver winning the Sunpadow International Grand Prix after a thrilling last lap duel with Top Qualifier & majority race leader David Ronnefalk following 45-minutes of racing around the very challenging 3 Circles track in Xiamen. With Chinese host track of the 2017 1:10 Offroad World Championships famed for its challenging bumpy conditions, it looked like Ronnefalk had taken control of the race with the main battle being for second place between Kato and his team-mate Bruno Coelho. However a track that even the world’s best respect as being one of the most challenge there is, it didn’t take much for Ronnefalk’s lead to be eroded. Passed by Kato on lap 56 of 80, the 19-year-old with hold the former World Champion at bay for 9-laps until a mistake with 7-minutes remaining, the local crowd invested in the racing and providing exciting audio as the leading drivers fell foul of track conditions. Back in front and with the clock ticking down, Ronnefalk would again get tripped up by the track on the penultimate lap. Coming of the main straight side by side to start the final lap, just as the computer signalled the finish of the 45-minutes, the pair took the jump on to the back straight and touched in the air both buggies tumbling but Kato having the better luck landing on his wheels. While Ronnefalk tried to get back in touch over the remainder of the 34-seconds lap it wasn’t to happen and Kato took the win, the crowd appreciative of the thrilling finish. Behind, by over 8-seconds, it was once again Coelho, winner of the eBuggy finals, who completed the nitro podium while Pekko Iivonen and Jung Hyunkyu were best of the rest in fourth & fifth.

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November 9, 2025

Coelho takes eBuggy win at SIGP

Bruno Coelho has taken the eBuggy win at the annual Sunpadow International Grand Prix, the Infinity driver pocketing himself almost $2,800 for his efforts around the challenging 3 Circles track in Xiamen, China. Lining up as the Top Qualifier, the Portuguese driver taking pole position counting 2 TQ runs & a P2 from the 5-rounds of qualifying, it would be the Xray of 2024 winner David Ronnefalk who would be his biggest challenger in the finals. Starting from P2 on the grid having topped 2 qualifiers together with a P3, Ronnefalk would have the fastest car in A1 and while the Swede piled the pressure on Coelho he couldn’t find a way to the front, a number of mistake meaning he had to catch back up for repeated attempts. In A2 again Coelho wasn’t the outright fastest on the bumpy track but he had the consistency and after some early challenges from Ronnefalk he would take win to wrap up the overall victory. Ronnefalk’s challenge ultimately ended when he tangled with third place qualifier Kouki Kato, waiting on the Japanese driver who needed to be marshalled after the contact. With Kato’s Infinity recording the fastest lap he would finish 2nd ahead of Ronnefalk as they both retook the Mayako of Pekko Iivonen who buckled under the pressure while holding second going into the final stages of the race. With Coelho using A3 as a test session and not taking up pole position, the race would see Ronnefalk take the win ahead of Iivonen and Kouki, the latter have a costly off while holding second and having to work his way back up in to the Top 3. This result meant Ronnefalk (2nd) and Kato (3rd) would join Coelho on the eBuggy podium while Iivonen claimed fourth ahead of Team Associated’s Jung Hyunkyu and SIGP regular Joseph Quagraine.

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November 8, 2025

Ronnefalk is Top Qualifier at SIGP as Coelho takes Q5

David Ronnefalk is the Top Qualifier at the 2025 Sunpadow International Grand Prix, the Xray driver securing his direct stop in tomorrow’s 45-minute Main in Xiamen, China, thanks to his outright fastest TQ run in the penultimate qualifier. With it all to play for going into the fifth & final qualifier, Ronnefalk and Infinity’s Kouki Kato both having two TQ runs each and a second, neither would be able to deliver a third TQ run. Instead that would come from Bruno Coelho, the Infinity driver appearing to have finally found his way just in time for finals. After a trouble start to the day, with Q2 & 3 becoming throw outs, Pekko Iivonen was another to conclude qualifying on a positive as he set the second fastest time in Q5 with his Mayako. Overall while Ronnefalk doesn’t have the worry of Semi finals, the TQ secured on the tiebreak, in the final qualifying order it was Kato who ended up second to give the Japanese driver pole in the second of the 25-minute Semis, while Coelho’s 3rd overall means he lines up on pole for the first Semi. Iivonen’s strong finish to the day bumped him up to 4th ahead of leading Team Associated contender Jung Hyunkyu while Jason Nugroho made it three Infinity IFB8s in the final Top 6 qualification ranking.

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November 8, 2025

Ronnefalk delivers in Q3 at SIGP

David Ronnefalk has delivered a TQ run at the Sunpadow International Grand Prix, the Xray driver ending Kouki Kato’s reign at the top pf the time sheets as he took the third round ahead of the Japanese driver and his Infinity team-mate Bruno Coelho. Setting the fastest lap of the round with a 32.725, Ronnefalk would eventually finish a massive 13-seconds up on Kato who, like Ronnefalk the previous round, needed to be marshalled only in Kato’s case he had double the mistakes on each opposite side of the track. With drivers reporting track conditions as even more difficult for Q3, Coelho also had two bad laps resulting in him failing to run 15-laps however overall the time still gave him a three for the round. 5-seconds behind the multiple class World Champion, promising future hope Jung Hyunkyu enjoyed his best round result with P4 for the Team Associated teenager ahead of Mayako’s Joseph Quagraine. Unfortunately for JQ’s lead driver Pekko Iivonen it was another throw away round as he lasted just over 2-minutes before his engine moved.

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November 8, 2025

CRC MetriCKs 26 Split Tweak Brace

1:12 World Champion chassis manufacturer CRC based out of New York State, has released this split tweak brace found on it MetriCKs 2026 car. Made from CRC’s proprietary carbon fibre, the new 2.5mm thick brace design allows separate height adjustment of the centre spring and when using the new 3108 aluminium rotary dampers, the split tweak brace allows the use of the 3122 O-ring battery retainer.

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November 8, 2025

SIGP Day 2 qualifying opens with another Kato TQ run

Day 2 of qualifying at the SIGP in China has opened with Infinity’s Kouki Kato laying down another TQ run, the Japanese driver carrying the form that saw him top seeding and Q1 yesterday into another very hot day in Xiamen. Managing to better his Q1 time by 3.5 seconds, Kato would lead an Infinity 1-2 as Bruno Coelho set the second fastest time 2.5-seconds adrift of his team-mate. Having opened qualifying with a P2 yesterday evening, David Ronnefalk looked to be close to challenging Kato this morning but on his fuel stop in lap his edgy looking Xray crashed and needing to be marshalled he lost over 7-seconds to drop back to record the third fastest time. After his P4 in Q1, round 2 would end up being a throw away for Pekko Iivonen, the Mayako driver entering the pits with caution after yesterday’s timing issues but finding a new bump that caused him to crash which he then followed up with a far more spectacular crash exiting the pits. This allowed Indonesian Infinity driver Jason Nugroho to record the fourth fastest time ahead of Team Associated’s young Korean talent Jung Hyunkyu with Mr. Mayako Joseph Quagraine completing the Top 6.

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November 8, 2025

Factory Team Onroad Tools

Team Associated’s option parts & accessories brand Factory Team has introduced a number of new tools intended for onroad use. The new line includes an onroad wheel arch cutout tool for racing out the wheel cutouts on your body and ensure it is centred with the tyre. A new chassis balancing tool makes balancing your car easy, simply rest your vehicle on the balancing tool using the two holes in the chassis (one on the front, one on the rear). A stepped ride height gauge allows for easy ride height adjustment readings in 0.2mm increments starting from 3mm and ending at 7mm. Finally there is the 10mm droop gauge support blocks are machined to tight tolerances to allow for very precise and repeatable droop measurements. View more images here

November 7, 2025

Kato takes SIGP Q1 ahead of Ronnefalk & Coelho

Infinity’s Kouki Kato has opened qualifying at the Sunpadow International Grand Prix with a TQ run, the top seed fastest over the 8-minute heat ahead of Xray’s David Ronnefalk and Infinity’s Bruno Coelho. While Kato TQ run was never in doubt there would be some issues with timing in the top heat as a result of the qualifiers being extended from the traditional 5-minutes to 8-minutes. With drivers forced to stop for fuel in the qualifier, a number of drivers would not have their laps counted as the came in to pit lane, Coelho, David Ronnefalk, and Jason Nugroho all effected by a problem with the loop under the paved pit lane entry. While there was some deliberations following the completion of qualifying with buggies being push back & forth over the loop on the main straight and in pit lane, it was finally decided to credit drivers with the missed laps meaning Ronnefalk got his second 3.162 seconds off Kato’s pace with Coelho joining them on 15-lap runs a further 1-second back. Showing P2 on the timing screen’s at the end of the run, Mayako’s Pekko Iivonen would end up 4th after the corrections with Adrian Wicaksono from Indonesia completing the Top 5.

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