Red RC » S-Workz

January 5, 2025

Polito takes ‘OneRace OneMan’ win

Having wrapped up the 2024 season with a very impressive performance at the SIGP in Xiamen, China, Sworkz’s Mattia Polito has opened 2025 with the 1:8 Nitro Buggy victory at the annual ‘OneRace OneMan’ race at the IBR Padova indoor facility in Italy. In qualifying it was Marco Baruffolo who was the Top Qualifier, in his first race for Kyosho the Italian topped 2 of the 4 rounds of qualifying. Fastest in Q3, his new team-mate Riccardo Berton would end qualifying P2 with Polito securing P3 after a TQ run in round 2. In the 45-minute Main, Berton’s challenge would end after just 18-minutes as he retired with a technical issue. With Baruffolo leading he would also run into issues but finish, a problem with his receiver battery 20-minutes in costing him time. Setting the fastest lap of the final, this all played into the favour of Polito who would take the victory from Baruffolo with the Xray of former ‘OneRace OneMan’ race winner Alex Zanchettin completing the podium. In eBuggy, Polito secured the TQ but it was second place qualifier Berton who took the win.

Image: Red RC File

December 21, 2024

Bornhorst announces retirement from racing

Just 24-hours after Dustin Evans called time on his professional racing career, fellow US Offroad racer Joe Bornhorst has also announced his retirement from competitive racing. Making the announcement on his Facebook page, Bornhorst came to RC racing via motocross at the age of 17-years-old, and he would soon realise his ‘dream’ of racing professionally turning RC into a job he would do for over a decade. Red RC’s first memories of Joe was this blistering fast guy that drove something called a Tekno. A driver who took the emerging Tekno brand into battles with the established manufacturers, he spent most of his professional career with San Diego based company. At the beginning of 2022 he would join Sworkz, who he has represented for the last 3 seasons.

Read Bornhorst’s full announcement

December 14, 2024

Ongaro takes Q4, but Polito is Top Qualifier at SIGP

World Champion Davide Ongaro finally delivered a TQ run at the SIGP when the Team Associated driver topped the final qualifier but it is fellow Italian Mattia Polito who is the Top Qualifier in China. Going into the last round it was only Q2 winner David Ronnefalk who could deny Sworkz’s Polito the overall TQ but the Xray driver never looked a threat in Q4 as Ongaro went about laying down the fastest qualifying run of the event. 2.8-seconds behind, Polito also posted his quickest time but it was his TQ runs from Q1 & 3 that booked the 21-year-old’s direct spot into the 45-minute final here in Xiamen. With his Q4 time giving him the tie break for second overall in the final qualifying order, Ongaro and 3rd place qualifier Ronnefalk will led away each of the 25-minute Semi Finals. Backing up his Q3 Top 3 with another third fastest time in the last round, Coelho ends up fourth meaning the 3-time Touring Car World Champion joins Ongaro in the second of the scheduled Semis.

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December 14, 2024

Polito back on the top again in Q3

Mattia Polito was back at top of the time sheets at the SIGP, the Sworkz driver setting the pace in the 3rd & penultimate round of qualifying in Xiamen ahead of fellow countryman Davide Ongaro. After TQ’ing the opening round, a bad set-up would lead to two crashes in the second round leaving the Italian with a P3 as David Ronnefalk TQ’d from Ongaro. A crash on the first lap was the start of a rough Q3 for Ronnefalk, his Xray eventually ending up 5th fastest. Out front, Polito just missed out on doubling up on being the only driver to run 13-laps of the challenging track, his only blotch in Q3 an off track excursion that cost him less than 2-seconds. In the end he would have 2.7-seconds on Ongaro with Bruno Coelho enjoying his cleanest run yet to record his first Top 3 time. Making his SIGP debut along with Ongaro and Polito, 18-year-old Gabriel Astorino had a strong run to the fourth fastest time 9-seconds off the TQ pace.

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December 13, 2024

Polito takes Q1 ahead of Ronnefalk & Ongaro at SIGP

Having topped seeding on his SIGP debut, Sworkz’s Mattia Polito capped off an impressive Day 1 of official action in Xiamen, China, by topping the opening round of qualifying. The Italian who executed a clean run to record the only 13-lap run took the first of the four scheduled qualifiers ahead of Xray ‘s David Ronnefalk and Team Associated’s Davide Ongaro, both drivers having mistakes that would prove costly due to the race’s supplied marshals. While Polito put together a very impressive first qualifier, setting the fastest lap in the process, it would be contrasting performance from Xray’s Bruno Coelho who had many mistakes eventually claiming the fourth fastest time. Behind, Mayako’s Joseph Quaqraine put together a run that allowed him to the fifth fastest time but the Finn believes he as driver has more to give tomorrow.

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December 13, 2024

Polito tops seeding at SIGP in China

Sworkz’s Mattia Polito is the top seed at the SIGP Offroad Race in Xiamen, the Italian fastest in both Nitro and Electric Buggy on the return of China’s biggest annual offroad race after a 5-year break. Over 3-consecutive laps of the challenging 3-Circles track, overnight repairs making for improved conditions for today’s two seeding rounds, Polito would go fastest in both ahead of Xray’s Bruno Coelho. It was however the first round that was the fastest for the 21-year-old who had 1.6-seconds on Coelho. With Coelho’s fastest time coming from CP2, the margin on that occasion was down to 2/10ths of a second as Polito’s best was 7/10ths slower than his earlier attempt. Behind Davide Ronnefalk took his Xray to the 3rd fastest time with his CP1 time ahead of Davide Ongaro, the reigning World Champion improving by over a 1-second in CP2. WIRC’s Gabriel Astorino and Mayako’s Joseph Quaqraine completed the Top 6.

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November 26, 2024

Sworkz Performance S14-4 Brake Steering System Slipper

In the first release under their new Sworkz Performance parts label, Sworkz has introduced this S14-4 Brake Steering System featuring a special slipper that allows individual adjustment of front brake force. Sworkz Performance is a new product series from Sworkz that consists of special factory tuning parts that have been tested and developed by our factory team and significantly improve the car at a high level of competition. The S14-4 Brake Steering System improves cornering speed by reducing front axle braking, minimising front-end dive and allowing freer wheel movement under braking. It also enhances landings before corners by preventing front wheel lock. It is ideal for high-grip carpet racing and was successfully used by the Sworkz factory team at the 2024 EFRA Euros in September and the recent Florida Carpet Championship in the USA.

Source: Sworkz [sworkz.com]

November 11, 2024

Canas doubles at Alabama Manufacturers Shootout 15.0

Once again making the trip state side for the 15 edition of the Alabama Manufacturers Shootout, Sworkz’s European Champion & World Championship Top Qualifier Juan Carlos Canas came away the big winner with victory in both Nitro and Electric Buggy. In qualifying for the RaceTime Entertainment organised event, it would be TLR’s Dakotah Phend who kicked things off with a Round 1 TQ but taking the remaining two rounds it was Canas who topped the ranking from the American. The final grid however would be sorted in Superpole which Phend took reversing the order meaning Canas started the 45-minute final P2. Qualifying P4 behind Mason Fuller, the Tekno of 2023 AMS Champion Ryan Maifield would get P3 in Superpole. While Phend had a number of stints at the front, it was Canas who came away with the win 6-seconds clear after 104 laps of the indoor dirt track. Fuller’s Sworkz completed the podium. As the defending eBuggy Champion, starting from pole Canas retained his title after winning the first 2 of the triple mains. The podium was completed by Mugen Seiki’s Burak Kilic and Team Associated’s Spencer Rivkin. In Nitro Truggy, Maifield secured the win from Phend and Rivkin.

Image: JConcepts [Facebook]