Red RC » Eoghain O Briain

April 25, 2014

Neumann top seed for EOS Qualifying

Joern Neumann is the top seed for qualifying at the season finale of the Euro Offroad Series in Austria. The Team Durango driver putting both his buggies top of the timed practice time sheets on the opening day of the Modelbau Wels event. Unable to better the 3-consecutive laps time he set in the first of the two timed runs, the German will lead away the first round of qualifying from Team Yokomo’s Naoto Matsukura who was able to improve his 2WD slightly on his final practice run with team-mate Lee Martin also improving to move up to third ahead of 2WD title contender Hupo Honigl. In 4WD the second timed practice saw little change at the top with the four unable to better their times, the biggest improvement coming from Yokomo’s Shin Adachi would ended the day 5th fastest, the same position he would claim in 2WD.

Continue reading this report here or our complete event coverage here.

April 25, 2014

Build up underway for Austrian EOS title showdown

The Euro Offroad Series season finale officially got underway in Wels, Austria, today where there is to be a showdown for the title of both 2WD & 4WD Buggy. The third season of the championship for 1:10 electric Offroad, to date it has only ever crowned one champion, that being Team Durango’s Joern Neumann. The back to back champion of both buggy classes, this weekend the German is in contention for a hat trick although in 2WD with no wins this season mean the European Champion is only in with an outside chance against Round 2 winner Naoto Matsukra and Round 1 winner Hupo Honigl. In 4WD Buggy Neumann’s only title challenger is European Champion Martin Bayer who at Round 3 of the championship in Slovakia last month ended his unbeaten 9 win run in the class.

Continue reading this report here or our complete event coverage here.

April 24, 2014

On the Grapevine – Melzo & Tacoma

While my own racing activities are far and few between these days, one of the things I enjoy most about racing is the actual building of the kit in preparation for hitting the track. I like the piecing together of the various elements of engineering that is to be found in a competition rc car, most of my builds being onroad nitro kits, and I suppose that stems from my general interest in how most things are made. Happy to sit through a few episodes of Discovery Channel’s ‘How is it Made’ series, I have always been keen when an opportunity arises to get an insight into the behind the scenes of how a product comes about, be it a visit to a Skoda car factory in the Czech Republic while there for a friend’s stag or a recent visit to the world’s oldest operating distillery which is located not to far from my home town. With the start of the all new Euro Nitro Series came two such opportunities involving rc manufacturers, one of which would turn out to be a lot more interesting that even I expected.

Continue reading On the Grapevine here

April 23, 2014

Breaking Through

In any form of sport, a large number of people enjoy cheering for the ‘underdog’. With the news this week that a new team was set to join the Formula 1 grid in 2015, and the debut of Porsche in the World Endurance Championship (Le Mans Series), ‘new’ motorsport teams often gain that same level of support. Will these new-comers be able to challenge the established teams? Perhaps not immediately, but will they ever be able to haul themselves up the grid and become serious competitors?

Continue reading Oli’s column here

April 14, 2014

Hartson 4WD Buggy win in Tacoma

Steven Hartson has taken the top honours in 4WD Buggy at the JConcepts Spring Indoor Nationals which was making its first visit to Tacoma R/C Raceway in Washington State. With local racers stamping their authority on Mod Buggy, in 4WD it was first time visitor Hartson who wrapped up his first buggy victory of the 2014 series thanks to a win in A3 over JR Mitch and Tyler Vik. With all three drivers in contention for the overall win going into A3, the closing race at Scott Brown’s track would see Top Qualifier Vik have contact with both his rivals, the Xray driver fairing the worst of both A3 incidents to finish third overall behind Mitch.

Continue reading this report here or view our full event coverage here.

April 14, 2014

Schoettler takes the big win at JConcepts Indoor Nats

As if there was ever any doubt based on his blistering pace from the very start of the weekend, Michael Schoettler has taken the big win at the JConcepts Spring Indoor Nationals at Tacoma R/C Raceway. Winning A1 with ease, A2 would prove a tougher affair for the Associated driver as fellow Tacoma racer Luke Smith mounted a challenge that would see him lead for four laps half way through the 5-minute encounter. A coming together between the two, who are used to battling one another weekly at Scott Brown’s track, Schoettler retook the lead holding on to head home Smith by just under a second to claim a very popular overall 2WD Mod win. In A3 Smith would go on to take an easy over Tanner Denney with Ryan Matesa seeing off a major challenge from Brent Thielke to finish third. The result would see Smith & Matesa complete an all local talent podium with Thielke ending up as the best visitor with fourth overall.

Continue reading this report here or view our full event coverage here.

April 14, 2014

A1 wins for Schoettler & Hartson in Tacoma

Michael Schoettler and Steven Hartson took comfortable wins in the opening legs of the main Buggy A-Mains at the JConcepts Spring Indoor Nationals, Top Qualifier Schoettler dominating Mod Buggy while Hartson came out on top in the 4WD Buggy which saw three lead changes. Behind Schoettler Luke Smith finished as he started with Ryan Matesa making up one place to complete the Top 3 of the 2WD class. In 4WD, World Champion Hartson was followed home by one time race leader JR Mitch and John Walentia while Top Qualifier Tyler Vik had a tough race eventually pulling off to save tyres.

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April 14, 2014

Schoettler Top Qualifier at Spring Indoor Nats

Michael Schoettler is the Top Qualifier of 2WD Mod Buggy at the JConcepts Spring Indoor Nationals. The talented Tacoma teenager secured pole position for this afternoon’s three A-Main encounters with his third & fastest TQ run of the weekend in the final of the qualifiers at the Tacoma R/C Raceway event. The second round of the JConcepts Indoor National Series, Schoettler has stamped his authority on the class with only fellow local racer Luke Smith, who will start second, heading his Associated all weekend when he TQ’d last night’s third qualifier. Of the visiting drivers it is 4WD World Champion Steven Hartson who is the highest qualifier with his Associated set to start 5th just in front of his team-manager Brent Thielke.

Continue reading this report here or view our full event coverage here.