Red RC » Ruddog

September 15, 2024

Welcome to my World (Finals) – Marcus Kaerup

RC Racing has many IFMAR World Championships that come around every two years but none of them come even close to the hype, interest, and spectacle that is 1:8 Nitro Offroad. It is the ‘Rockstar’ category of RC Racing, a 3D spectacle to watch with a field stacked with manufacturer rivalries and the greatest number of proper professional drivers. That’s not to detract from the other World Championships, each with deserving Champions, however results in 1:8 Offroad are hard earned. It is also a category that is full of young up & coming talents one of which is Marcus Kaerup. When a capacity entry of 180 drivers from around the World converge for a week of intense racing in a single category, coming away with a Top 10 finish is a mark of something special, especially when 1:8 Nitro is your ‘second class’. Getting to first meet Marcus when he made his World Championship debut in his preferred category of 1:10 Offroad World last year in Arizona, we witnessed him becoming a double World Championship Finalist, making both the 2WD & 4WD Finals at Hobby Action. Already an impressive feat that will elude many drivers, over the last week in Spain we once again witnessed Marcus exhibited why so many people are tipping him for greater things. With the Ruddog sponsored driver putting his Team Associated in the main show, his racing CV now requires updating to ‘3-time World Championship Finalist.’ Having loved over the years following and reporting on the rise of the careers of the likes of Naoto Matsukura, David Ronnefalk, Dakotah Phend, Michael Orlowski and the GOAT of offroad himself Davide Ongaro, after enjoying following his journey at RC Redovan, Red RC are super excited to do like wise with Marcus. We caught up with the 16-year-old for a quick recap on his impressive showing on Saturday’s finals day.

Continue reading here

September 12, 2024

Welcome to my World (Quali Day 2) – Marcus Kaerup

In 1:8 Offroad the journey to the World Final starts at best with securing a spot on the grid in the Semi Finals, so making the Top 16 is Stage 1 successfully completed for Ruddog Racing supported driver Marcus Kaerup. From 180 starters in Spain, the 16-year old Dane completed 2 days of qualifying with 13th position ahead of former World Champion Robert Battle which ain’t to shabby for a guy who is more an 1:10 Electric Offroad specialist. Set to line-up in the same Semi Final as Top Qualifier Juan Carlos Canas, he will carry the number 7 on his Ruddog powered Team Associated RC8 B4.1. Catching up with Marcus at the end the second & final day of qualifying, he summed up his performance with ‘it’s being pretty good’ adding, ‘I had four consistent runs in a row so that is pretty good. Then because I knew I was safe (into the Semis) we just tried some different stuff coming into the last 2 qualis which didn’t go very well but we have the data and know how to change to what ever track conditions we drive’.

Continue reading here

September 12, 2024

Canas is Top Qualifier as Coelho sets blistering Q5 pace

For months he has been widely tipped to become the new 1:8 Offroad World Champion, and living up to the well justified hype Juan Carlos Canas has completed the first stage and locked himself in as the Top Qualifier in Spain. The Sworkz driver topped Q2, 3 & 4, giving him the perfect score with only reigning Champion Davide Ongaro left in the TQ race going into the penultimate round. Having thrown away a potential TQ run a round earlier in Q4, Xray’s Bruno Coelho managed to omit the last lap error this time to take his first TQ and by default hand Canas an early overall TQ. Having already switched to using the remaining two rounds of qualifying as testing for the Semi Finals, Canas would still get a P2 for the round although the gap to Coelho was a massive 5.4 seconds. A rocket round, Coelho’s time almost 6 seconds better than the previous best from Q4, Ongaro would finish 3rd 0.154 off Canas with Elliott Boots having his best run in P4. The Top 6 was completed by David Ronnefalk and the TLR of top American challenger Dakotah Phend.

Continue reading here

September 11, 2024

Canas holds overnight Worlds TQ

Day 1 of qualifying at the IFMAR 1:8 Offroad World Championship is complete and it is Pre Race favourite Juan Carlos Canas who holds the overnight TQ in Spain. The Sworkz driver made it 2 out of 3 when he backed up his Q2 TQ performance in the final run of the day, however it wasn’t a perfect Q3 from the Spaniard. In the end however he took another max points haul ahead of World Champion Davide Ongaro. Opening qualifying with a TQ run, Ongaro’s Team Associated holds P2 overall with Bruno Coelho with a pair of Top 3 times from Q1 & 2 sitting 3rd. It wasn’t a good Q3 for the former 1:10 Offroad World Champion, a number of errors after a wrong tyre choice leaving him with the 6th fastest time. Instead the Top 3 for the round was completed by Dakotah Phend, the TLR driver continuing his rise to the front as the top US contender sitting fifth overall behind 2016 World Champion David Ronnefalk.

Continue reading here

September 11, 2024

One a piece as Canas takes Q2

It is one a piece for the World Champion and European Champion in qualifying at the IFMAR 1:8 Offroad World Championship, the later, Juan Carlos Canas taking the second round of qualifying ahead of Round 1 TQ winner Davide Ongaro. Posting a new fastest time, Canas’ Sworkz would stop the clock 3/10ths up on the World Champions Team Associated as Xray pairing Bruno Coelho and David Ronnefalk joined them on 13-laps runs. While it has been the European drivers leading the way at RC Redovan, TLR’s Dakotah Phend continued to close the gap, the American posting a P5 for the round.

Continue reading here

September 11, 2024

Welcome to my World (Practice) – Marcus Kaerup

At 16-years of age he is already a double European Champion and 12-months ago on his World Championship debut he made both the 2WD and 4WD finals in Arizona but that’s in 1:10 electric. This week however Marcus Kaerup is in Spain for the larger and noisier IFMAR 1:8 Offroad World Championship, the power and noise for the Dane’s efforts coming his Ruddog RNX22.3 engine, the German brand also supporting Red RC’s coverage from the event. In the first of our daily columns following his progress at the spectacular sloping RC Redovan track, we caught up with Marcus to get a quick round up of how the first 3-days of practice has faired for him in his ‘second class’.

Continue reading here

September 4, 2024

RC Redovan reveals 1:8 Offroad Worlds Track

The track that will determined the 2024 IFMAR 1:8 Offroad World Champion has just been revealed in a video that shows off the latest track build by the team at RC Redovan. Setting a new benchmark as hosts of the World Championship two years ago, RC Redovan was again thrusted with hosting the event after a late cancellation by Brazil on staging the 19th running of the sport’s biggest prize. Taking on the task of having to rebuild the track for the return of the Worlds to Spain, despite the short lead in time the Baldo family have executed it stating, ‘It gives us enormous pleasure and pride to present the new design of our track, host of the next World Championship. Months of hard work in record time now bear fruits “We are going to give you the best world championship in history.” And we firmly believe we have done everything to achieve that! Welcome to RC Redován, welcome to the World Championship 2024.’ Having supported our coverage of the 2023 1:10 Offroad World Championships in Arizona, we are delighted to be teaming up with Ruddog for the trip to Redovan to attended our sixth 1:8 Offroad World Championship. Our coverage will kick off with news from seeding practice on Tuesday, 10th September. Click here to view track reveal video.

View more track images here

August 12, 2024

Rönick wins German 1:8 Nitro Buggy Nationals

Aaron Rönick is the new DMC German 1:8 Nitro Buggy National Champion, the Team Associated driver claiming the title for the first time at the 2-time European Championship host track of Sand am Main. In qualifying it was defending champion Berkan Kilic who took the TQ after 5 rounds of qualifying but on completing the Semi Finals it was his brother Burak who lined up on pole for Mugen Seiki followed by Berkan, Rönick and the Sworkz of Joern Nuemann. At the start of the 45-minute final Berkan would hit problems on lap one before eventually retiring just after the 10-minute mark. After their 1-2 finish last year, 2-time German Champion Burak was the next to retire with his race coming to an end just before 1/3 distance. Having taken the lead early on Rönick would stay out front to take his Ruddog Racing engined RC8B4.1 to the victory & title by almost a full lap from Nuemann with Sworkz team-mate Max Hesse completing the podium.

Image: Ruddog [ruddog.eu]