Red RC » Capricorn RC

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]

August 12, 2023

Gruber Top Qualifier at Dutch ENS

Toni Gruber is the Top Qualifier at the second round of the ENS in the Netherlands. After a dominant performance on Friday when the Capricorn/Ielasi Tuned driver topped all three qualifiers, unfortunately Saturday morning rain forced the cancellation of the remaining two qualifiers at the Apeldoorn track. Top Qualifier at the season opening in Ettlingen, Germany, and at the recent European Championships in Portugal, Gruber will start Sunday’s scheduled 45-minute final on pole from Infinity’s Jilles Groskamp. The Dutch driver was the closest challenger to his German rival setting the second fastest time in each of the three rounds of heats. Capricorn’s Dominic Greiner, winner of the season opener in May, completes the Top 3 ahead of Shepherd’s Lars Hoppe counting a P3 and P4 run as his best two rounds. In 1:10, Infinity driver Milan Holthuis secured the TQ ahead of Round 1 Top Qualifier & winner Melvin Diekmann with Tim Benson set to line up 3rd on the grid.

Image: Toni Gruber [Facebook]

August 3, 2023

Capricorn LAB C804 SL E.C. 2023 Radio Plate Kit

Capricorn RC is releasing a new radio plate kit for its LAB C804 1:8 Onroad chassis. The new design allows both servos to be laid down lowering the centre of gravity, improving corner speed and weight balance. Also in this new option set is a new fuel tank that improves engine consistency and was used by all our team drivers at the EFRA European Championships in Portugal last week. The new option set was used by Capricorn team drivers with Toni Gruber taking TQ in qualifying and coming third overall. 2022 1:8 European Champion Dominic Greiner also used the set up in order to mount his title defence as well as Mirko Salemi finishing fourth position overall after competing in Super pole.

Source: Capricorn [capricornrc.com]

July 31, 2023

Takanashi new JMRCA 1:10 GPT-S National Champion

Kai Takanashi is the new JMRCA 1:10 GPT-S Japanese National Champion, the Capricorn driver taking the title at the Sagamido Racing Track (SRT) over the weekend. In qualifying Takanashi took three of the four rounds with his Nuclear engined C04 to become Top Qualifier with Q4 pace setter Katsuhiro Mihara’s Mugen securing P2 to book his direct starting place in the Main final. P3 in qualifying was Kenya Yanai but the Infinity driver had issues in his Semi Final that prevented him from making the 40-minute title decider. Leading the early part of the race race, Takanashi would be passed by Mihara but with 10-minute remaining the new leader would hit problems and drop down the order eventually finishing P5. Up front Takanashi took the win by a lap over Kyosho’s Shogo Tomioka with the Shepherd of Hiroyuki Okumura completing the podium.

Source: JMRCA [jmrca.jp]

July 28, 2023

Gruber Top Qualifier at 1:8 Onroad European C/Ship

Toni Gruber is the Top Qualifier for the 1:8 Onroad European Championship in Portugal, the German driver taking his Ielasi Tuned powered Capricorn to the fastest time in 3 of the 5 rounds of qualifying. With Infinity’s Dario Balestri holding the overnight TQ after the opening two rounds at the Vila Real track, Day 2 kicked off with a second TQ run from the Italian ahead of Mugen’s Robert Pietsch. In Q4 however newly crowned 1:10 Nitro Onroad European Champion Gruber pick up were he started and having took Q1 went fastest in the final two rounds from Balestri. Overall Balestri would conclude qualify P2 ahead of Pietsch, Infnity’s Jilles Groskamp and the Capricorn of Mirko Salemi. All four would get the chance to secure a direct place in tomorrow’s 45-minute title deciding final via the Super Pole shoot out which former World Champion Balestri duly took with the fastest lap from Pietsch who will start the Semi A from pole with Groskamp on pole for the Semi B encounter. Having qualified 7th, defending Champion Dominic Greiner will line up 3rd in the Semi A encounter behind Pietsch and Salemi.

Images: Ielasi Tuned [Facebook]