Red RC » Capricorn RC

October 31, 2023

Gruber tops first time practice in Japan

Toni Gruber has topped the opening round of timed practice at the 1:8 Onroad World Championship in Japan. The Capricorn driver’s fastest 3-consecutive laps around the Infinity International RC Speedway gave him a 3/10th of a second advantage over his closest rival, the same margin of time then covering the next 7-drivers. Better known for his electric onroad exploits, it was Hayato Ishioka who was second fastest driving a Mugen with factory Mugen driver Simon Kurzbuch completing the Top 3. The best represented brand at this year’s World Championship with over half the field running the Japanese manufacturer’s car, it was Naoto Matsukura who lead their charge with P4 for the first of today’s scheduled four seeding rounds. Just 1/100th off, Serpent young gun Andrea Catanzani, who was up in the second last year to go on track, kick his day off with a P5 ahead of Dario Balestri and reigning World Champion Shoki Takahata.

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October 28, 2023

‘Every race we start from zero’ – Gruber

Two weeks ago Toni Gruber took the biggest prize of his racing career yet. Realising the ultimate dream, he clinched his first World Championship title with a very convincing victory at the 1:8 GT World Championship in Sydney, Australia. The victory didn’t really come as too much of a surprise however as the German is in the form of his life this season. However, despite claiming the 1:10 Nitro Onroad European Championship for a second time during the Summer, following that up a month later by becoming Top Qualifier at the 1:8 Euros where he finished on the podium, and then rounding out the European season with his first ENS title win, the sport’s newest World Champion goes into the 1:8 Onroad World Championship in Japan with the mindset ‘every race we start from zero’.

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October 5, 2023

Capricorn P10 SR Wide 235mm & conversion kit

Capricorn has released a Wide 235mm version of its P10 SR 1:10 4WD Electric pan car. Originally launched as a 200mm standard width chassis configuration they now offer a 235mm kit or the option of a 235mm conversion kit to change your existing P10 SR. The conversion kit includes a longer rear solid axle (235 mm), front carbon structure, rear body support and longer drive shafts.

View P10 SR Wide 235mm chassis renders here

October 4, 2023

Capricorn LAB C804 R preview

Italian onroad competition chassis manufacturer Capricorn has released CAD images and details of its new up coming 1:8 Onroad kit, the LAB C804 R. Features of the latest design from Patrizio Rossi include a new radio plate that offers an improved weight distribution thanks to the renewed position of the servo. The car get a new fuel tank design for greater tank efficiency and also improving engine efficiency is a new gear shaft which is lighter, yet made from stronger material. New wheel shaft hub, which it is calling ‘The Silent Revolution’, showcases Capricorn’s attention to the detail. With a strong plastic exterior and aluminium bearing inserts, these wheel shaft hub are designed to deliver consistent performance, especially as pressures and temperature rise.

View more images here

October 1, 2023

Salemi wins ENS Italy, Gruber takes title

Capricorn driver Mirko Salemi has won the season finale of the Euro Nitro Series where team-mate Toni Gruber was crowned the new 1:8 Champion. Racing at the Leno track in Italy, the Italian claimed his first ever win of the series with victory over team-mate & defending Champion Dominic Greiner with just 8-seconds separating them at the end of the 45-minute final. Completing the podium at the third round would be Serpent driver Andrea Catanzani who lined-up 6th on the starting grid. Securing the overall TQ from Dominic Greiner, Mugen Seiki’s Simon Kurzbuch lead early on before hitting problems and would eventually retire at the 30-minute mark. Taking over the lead from Kurzbuch, ENS Germany winner Greiner enjoyed a long stint at the front before 4th place qualifier Salemi moved to the front in closing stages of the race which he described afterwards as ’45-minutes of racing at the limit’. Despite retiring from the final after 17-minutes, ENS Netherlands winner Toni Gruber would clinch the overall ENS title by a single point from Greiner with Infinity’s Jilles Groskamp completing the Top 3. In 1:10, Top Qualifier Kyle Branson took his Xray to the win by the narrowest of margins over new Champion Melvin Diekann who made it title double for Capricorn RC. The 1:10 podium in Leno was completed by France’s Quentin Leroux.

View Overall Championship podiums here

September 4, 2023

Gruber adds German 1:10 Nitro National title

Toni Gruber added the German 1:10 Nitro Onroad title to his 2023 over the weekend, the Capricorn driver making it the perfect season with two titles from the two outings he has had in the class this year having already won the European Championship in June. Racing at the MiniCarClub Rötz track, Gruber secured the TQ ahead of Melvin Diekmann with the fastest 4-minute run in qualifying which was 3.3-second faster than his team-mates best effort. In the 45-minute final, Gruber continued that form setting the fastest lap en route to a 9-second victory over Diekmann with Michael Heinrich completing the podium.

Image: Toni Gruber [Facebook]

August 21, 2023

Greiner defends German National title

Capricorn’s Dominic Greiner successfully defended his 1:8 Onroad German National title over the weekend taking victory over Lars Hoppe and Merlin Depta. Hosted at the track of MSC Kichlain in the centre of the country and with more than 50 drivers in attendance, it would be the Shepherd of Hoppe who would take the overall TQ from Greiner and the Capricorn of recent European Championship Top Qualifier Toni Gruber. The 45-minute final would see multiple European Champion Greiner take the win by one lap from Hoppe with Depta, winner of the Semi A Final, taking his Capricorn from P5 on the grid to 3rd after Gruber hit problems during the race.

Image: Lars Hoppe [facebook]

August 13, 2023

Gruber takes ENS Round 2 victory

Capricorn’s Toni Gruber took the 1:8 victory at the second round of the ENS in the Netherlands today, the German leading home Dutch driver Jilles Groskamp at the Apeldoorn circuit. As he did at the circuit last year, Gruber would start the 45-minute final as the Top Qualifier. His third consecutive ENS TQ start, this time round the reigning 1:10 European Champion would convert the pole position into victory, setting the fastest lap of the race with his Ielasi Tuned powered LAB C804 to build up a winning margin of almost 2-laps over the Infinity of Groskamp. Winner of the Dutch ENS encounter last year, Dominic Greiner would lead for a number of laps following a tyre stop from Gruber but the former European Champion would be forced to retire as the race reached half way. With the third place qualifier out, Mugen’s Steven Cuypers, winner of the recent Dutch National Championship third round at the track, would complete the podium line-up after a strong race from 8th on the grid. Making it a Capricorn double Melvin Diekmann took the 1:10 win, his second of the season, with Tim Benson runner-up and Top Qualifier Milan Holthuis third.

Image: Jilles Groskamp [Facebook]