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June 28, 2025

Balestri retains European Nitro Touring Car title

Infinity’s Dario Balestri has retained his 1:10 European Nitro Touring Car title, the Italian claiming his 10th EFRA European Championship career win today at the iconic Apeldoorn track in Netherlands. The reigning 1:8 Onroad World Championship took the win ahead of team-mate Carmine Raiola with 2023 Champion Toni Gruber completing the podium for Capricorn. In qualifying it was reigning World Champion Jilles Groskamp who secured the TQ ahead of Raiola, Balestri and Polish driver Jakub Rozycki – the Top 4 going directly to the 45-minute Main final. With Gruber and Melvin Diekmann winning their Semi finals they completed the top half of the grid. Topping 3 of the 5 qualifiers, Groskamp continued his form in the final setting a very fast pace out front and the fastest lap but a flameout on lap 69 would end the Dutch ace’s challenge. With tyre strategy proving critical, while Raiola took over the lead he would run out of tyres allowing Balestri to take the lead which he would hold to the finish. Taking over lead for a number of laps as the pit stops played out, Gruber looked like he had a strategy that could pay dividends but he would suffer a flameout. Finishing on the same lap as Riola, the German still completed the podium. A steady race from Rozycki saw him finish fourth ahead of the Mugen of British Champion Alex Thurston.

Image: Infinity [Facebook]

June 9, 2025

Balestri claims 2025 Italian 1:10 Nitro Touring title

Infinity’s Dario Balestri is the new 2025 AMSCI Italian National Champion for 1:10 Nitro Touring Car, the title decided over an annual single race meeting. This year’s race took place at double World Championship host track Gubbio where Balestri took 3 of the four qualifiers to secured the TQ ahead of team-mate and defending champion Carmine Raiola with Matteo Menichetti in third. In the 45-minute final reigning European Champion Balestri pulled clear for a trouble free win as Raiola experienced an early electric issue that dropped him to the back of the field. Coming from P6 on the grid the Xray of Francesco Pierella would finish second as Raiola recovered to claim the final step on the podium with 2024 runner-up Mario Spiniello coming home fourth. In the Sport Category young Luca Ielasi took his Infinity to the title having started from the TQ.

Image: Club Automodellistico 5 Colli [Facebook]

June 6, 2025

Infinity IFB8 Lightweight Body

Infinity is now offering a lightweight version of the kit body for their IFB8 1:8 Nitro Buggy. Compared to the standard body, the weight is reduced by approximately 13 grams resulting in more nimble handling. The Lightweight body is produced from 0.8mm thick lexan and weighs approx. 60 grams.

Source: Creation Model [creationmodel.net]

June 4, 2025

Infinity ‘5 Star’ Team T-shirt

Infinity’s long running team t-shirt design has been updated to a ‘5-star’ version. The fifth star reflects Jilles Groskamp hugely popular win at the 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championships at Huge RC in Thailand last November when the Japanese company became a 5-time World Champion manufacturer. The updated 100% cotton 150gram mid weight tee is available in both bright pink and fresh grey in sizes S / M / L / XL / 2XL / 3XL / 4XL.

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May 4, 2025

Kato wins PM25 as Ongaro & Kilic fail to finish in Manila

It was only his second Asian Buggy Championships appearance but Infinity’s young Japanese prospect Kouki Kato made it 2 from 2 with the biggest win of his career taking victory today at the famous Philippine Masters which is Round 2 of the Cayote backed championship. Having won last year’s season finale in Indonesia, Kato would line-up third on the grid in Manila behind Mugen Seiki’s Burak Kilic and Top Qualifier Davide Ongaro, the Team Associated driver chasing three in a row at Asia’s biggest annual 1:8 Offroad race. With the 1-hour final underway Ongaro and Kilic would establish a lead with Kouki driving his own calculated race in 3rd. With a change coming up front after a mistake by Ongaro allowed Kilic to go to the front unfortunately the Turkish driver’s Philippine Masters debut was to come to a premature end as he suffered the first of two flame-outs 15-minutes into the race. It would turn out that the pick-up in his fuel tank had shifted and was longer positioned in the bottom of the tank hence the reason he was flaming out after just 5-minutes of running. With the demise of Kilic allowing Ongaro back to the lead, it wasn’t to be the World Champion’s day either. With 24-minutes remaining he too looked to flame out but the problem was more terminal. Doing a battery pack change as the car’s radio was not responding it turned out that his receiver had failed and the 26-year-old was out. In all the drama Kato was getting on with his race and took over the lead which he would hold until the finish, the crowd being entertained by the battle for the other podium places. The Sworkz of Asian Buggy Championships Champion Christian Wolhuter and Mayako’s Pekko Iivonen went at it with Sworkz Mattia Polito also in the mix. Looking on target to repeat his impressive P2 eBuggy result, Iivonen would cruelly run out of fuel on the penultimate lap allowing Wolhuter to claim second 14-seconds back on Kato. While also running out of fuel, but on his last lap, Polito took third as Iivonen was classified fourth ahead of Kyosho’s Ryan Lutz with Alex Bernadzik completing the Top 6 as the dust settled on the biggest edition of the Philippine Masters yet.

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May 1, 2025

Kato sets early pace at Philippine Masters

Infinity’s Kouki Kato has set the pace in the opening round of seeding practice at the Philippine Masters, the Japanese driver fastest by a decent margin over 2-consecutive laps of this year’s more technical Manila track layout. The second round of the Cayote backed Asian Buggy Championships, Kato was the winner of last season’s championship finale in Indonesia but this weekend marks his first trip to the legendary Philippines race and it was another of the race’s first timers, Mugen Seiki’s Burak Kilic, who was his closest rival 7/10ths of a second back with the rest of the Top 5 covered by just 2/10ths. The first of the three seeding rounds that make up Thursday schedule would see Team Associated’s reigning World Champion Davide Ongaro complete the Top 3 ahead of team-mate Alex Bernadzik with Italy’s Mattia Polito fifth as the leading Sworkz driver.

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April 28, 2025

Balestri wins opening Italian National encounter

Infinity’s Dario Balestri took the win the at Round 1 of the two round Italian 1:8 Onroad Nationals held at the Pista Leno track over the weekend. In qualifying the reigning Italian, European and World Champion would secure the TQ after topping the opening 3 of the 4 rounds. Team-mate Carmine Raiola took the final qualifier to secure P2 with Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani completing the Top 3 ahead of Mirko Salemi’s Capricorn, the Top 4 going direct to the Main Final. In that 45-minute encounter it Balestri led from start to finish with Xray’s Filippo Domanin coming through from 6th on the grid to finish second 4-laps off the lead. Having won the Last Chance Final having failed to progress through the Semi Finals, Lamberto Collari came from 11th to complete the podium with Riola, Catanzani and Francesco Tironi all retiring from the race. In the Sport Category it was Luca Ielasi who took the TQ and the win ahead of Alessio Forgnoli and Antonio Romano. The second of the championship races takes place at the end of September at the Fiorano track.

Image: Lamberto Collari [Facebook]

April 22, 2025

ABC winners Lutz & Kato bolster Philippine Masters entry

Two of the winners from last year’s Asian Buggy Championships are both set to return at the Philippine Masters later this month with Kyosho’s Ryan Lutz and Infinity’s Kouki Kato bolstering the Manila events already impressive international entry. The biggest edition Philippine Masters yet is the second round of the four round Cayote backed Asian Buggy Championships with last year’s New Zealand round winner Lutz returning to the Circulo Verde Race Track while ABC Indonesia winner Kato will get to experience the famed track for the first time. The 13th running of Asia’s biggest annual 1:8 Offroad race meeting, Lutz said, ‘I am so excited to be returning to the Philippine Masters for a second time. Now knowing what to expect, I can arrive with a set-up that should be very close and with the correct tire compound and tread pattern that I will need to succeed. I can’t wait to compete again with some of the World’s best on one of the most beautiful R/C tracks in the World.’ Ahead of the Japanese driver’s Philippine Masters debut Kato said, ‘I’m excited to race on that amazing track for the first time! I look forward to seeing you all there.’

Source: Asian Buggy Championships [Facebook]