Leading servo manufacturer Power HD has announced that Italian 1:8 Offroad racer Mattia Polito has joined its team driver line-up. Born in 2003, the multiple European Championship finalist, 2018 European B Champion, and 2021 Italian National Champion, placed 14th at the
Source: PowerHD [chd.hk]
Sworkz’s Joern Neumann has successfully defended his two DMC German 1:10 Offroad National titles winning 4WD Buggy and 2WD Truck at the ORC-B Göttingen indoor carpet track located in Lower Saxony. In qualifying it was Team Associated’s Joona Haatanen, the Finn now living in Germany, who secured the TQ in 4WD Buggy topping 4 of the 5 qualifiers. Fastest in Q2, Neumann would line up P2 followed by Julius Stein and Marcel Schneider. In Truck, Neumann’s claimed pole with four TQ runs while taking the final qualifier the Schumacher of Sören Sparbier claimed second. While Neumann wrapped up the Truck title with wins in A1 & 2, the podium completed by Sparbier and Pierre Theuerkorn, the Buggy title would go to the wire. In A1, each race 7-minutes long, Haatanen would see off pressure from Neumann to take the win but when they resumed their battle in A2 a small bobble by Haatanen was enough for Neumann to go to the front. As Haatanen tried to find his way back to the front he would hit the outside wall of the track resulting in him breaking a rear corner off his buggy. With the title coming down to A3, it looked like a mistake coming up on 2-minutes had ended Neumann’s quest. With the Top Qualifier having a huge lead, Neumann set about a charge and with 2-minutes to go was back on the rear wing of Haatanen. On the last lap Neumann attempted an inside pass but contact sent Haatanen’s buggy tumbling and as Neumann waited Schneider came through for the win ahead of Haatanen creating a three way tie for the overall win. After the tie-break it was Neumann who was declared the Champion, this his 15th National title in 4WD Buggy, with Schneider the runner-up and Haatanen third.
Best known for their extensive range of battery chargers, SkyRC has released a new competition grade motor for 1:10 racing, the ARES Pro 4. ROAR approved, the ARES Pro 4 features 220°C-rated high-purity copper windings for efficient, low-resistance power delivery, a precision-balanced rotor with 150°C heat-resistant neodymium magnets, and a CNC-machined aluminium heatsink can for optimal thermal management. Dual sensor ports offer flexible wiring and redundancy, while premium-grade bearings and a precision shaft ensure smooth, durable operation. Available in both Stock and Modified variants, the ARES PRO 4 delivers refined control, explosive acceleration, and consistent performance. In the Spec Series you have a choice of T10.5, T13.5, T17.5, T21.5, and T25.5, while in Mod Series it is available in T2.5, T3.5, T4.5, T5.5, T6.5, T7.5, T8.5, T9.5, T10.5, T11.5, and T13.5.
Schumacher’s Broc Champlin completed the double at the ROAR Carpet Offroad Nationals to successfully defend both his 2WD and 4WD buggy titles. Racing at the Island Speedway Offroad track in Iowa, Champlin kicked off the event by securing the TQ for both classes, his biggest rival being Thomas Rinderknecht who secured the No.2 spot in both 2WD and 4WD. With the National Championships attracting 144 entries, from the front Champlin needed just the first 2 of the 3 A-Mains to wrap up each title. In 2WD a win in A3 secured Rinderknecht second spot with Xray’s Chase Lemieux, who qualified P4, completing the podium ahead of the Team Associateds of Davey Batta & Spencer Rivkin. In 4WD, it was a repeat Top 2 this time with Brennan Schimmel securing the final podium step ahead of Batta, Rivkin, Aydin Horne and Dakotah Phend.
Image: JConcepts [jconcepts.net]
Caleb Noble is the new RCRA Australian 1:8 Nitro Buggy National Champion, the Tekno driver declared the winner based on his pole starting position after rain brought an early halt to the main final at the oil treated Batemans Bay track in the South East of the country. In qualifying it was 18-year-old Noble who secured the TQ after topping 3 of the 5 qualifiers. Behind him having taken the opening qualifier, 2023 Champion and recent Asian Buggy Championships Brisbane race winner Alex Bernadzik would end qualifying in P2. The only other driver to post a TQ run, Mayako Youth Mentoring Program driver Jayden Edmunds completed the Top 3 ranking ahead of Ari Bakla. With Noble winning the first of the Semi Finals in the fastest time, that would prove critical as reigning Asian Buggy Championships Champion Christian Wolhuter won the second of the Semi’s to secured second on the grid third. A third place in that same Semi meant Bernadzik’s Team Associated would start the scheduled 1-hour from P5. With the final getting underway, an early mistake from Noble allowed Wolhuter to go by and lead the field around briefly with Bernadzik in third. With Noble making a pass back to the lead, the arrival of rain turned the oiled track surface into icy conditions. With Noble and Bernadzik locked in battle for the lead, Bernadzik the leader at the time, the race was stopped after just 13-minutes. After much deliberation, and marshal safety a concern, the race wouldn’t restart with the result declared on the starting grid order meaning Noble is the new Champion from Wolhuter with the Associated of Jarod Ment completing the 2025 podium.
Image: Caleb Noble [Facebook]
New from T-Works comes this Adjustable Brass Front Weight Set for the IFB8 1:8 Nitro Buggy from Infinity. CNC machined from brass, the split design makes it easy adjust counterweight weight from 50 to 100-grams. The increased front weight, optimises the centre of gravity distribution for improved manoeuvrability with side grooves design in the bottom counterweight blocks not affecting chassis flex. The weights are black surface treated and finished with chamfered edges and gold laser details.
Oregon based offroad aftermarket parts producer Vision Racing has released a number of option pats for the 22X 1:10 2WD offroad platform from Team Losi Racing. Suitable for the 22X AC, 22X DC & 22X-T, the new parts include -2 two degree aluminium C block, and front pivots in both aluminium and steel options. The Aluminium Pivot weights 9-grams while the steel version comes in at 27-grams. Also new are front & rear 5mm carbon fibre shock towers in three variants – STD, -2mm, and +2mm.
Dario Balestri has successfully defended his EFRA 1:8 Onroad European Championship title, the Infinity driver going 3-in-a-row when he clinched the 2025 title at the Halifax track in the UK today ahead of Top Qualifier Simon Kurbuch and Carmine Riola. Qualifying 2nd, Balestri would make the pass for the lead on Kurzbuch coming onto the main straight as the race approached the 8-minute mark and once in front the Italian controlled the 45-minute encounter to win by over 9-seconds. While Balestri established his lead, the only time the reigning World Champion relinquished that lead being when he was the first driver to pit for a full tyre change, the main entertainment came from the battle between Kurzbuch’s Mugen Seiki and Riola’s Infinity as they swapped position. In the dying moments of the race Riola was all over the back of the Swiss driver but attempting a pass with half a minute left on the clock he went off the track rejoining a distance third to complete the podium ahead of Capricorn’s Mirko Salemi. The fourth of the direct qualifiers Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani would fail to finish due to engine issues, Teemu Leino would crash out just after 5-minutes, and a difficult day for Capricorn’s Toni Gruber would end with a DNF, the German having had issues in his Semi and had to come through the Last Chance Final to line-up P11 on the grid. For Balestri today’s title win means he is again the double nitro onroad European Champion having won the 1:10 Nitro Touring title in the Netherlands in June and brings his EFRA European Championship tally to 11.
Image: RC Racing TV [rcracingtv.com]
