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October 19, 2023

Peru set to host 2025 1:8 GT World Championship

After a very successful second running of the IFMAR 1:8 GT World Championship in Sydney, Australia, last week, the third edition of the race is to travel to South America in 2025 with Peru set to be announced as hosts. Headed up by Michael Stone, New South Wales Radio Controlled Racing Car Club did a superb job of hosting the 2023 event helping to raise the profile of IFMAR’s newest World Championship considerably compared to the inaugural event held in Florida in early 2020. With the raised profile, Peru looks set to bolster the class further given the large following for the category in the region. The Miniautodromo Polo Bracale in Lima, Peru, is lined up as the host circuit and already has a strong track record having hosted the recent RCtarget backed COPA America race. Located in the Magdalena del Mar district, next to the beach and very close to the most popular districts of Lima, the track length is 280 meters, with a 50 meters straightaway and an average width of 5 meters with the surface a fine grade asphalt. Speaking to RCtarget/IGT8 boss Paolo Morganti during his participation at the Worlds in Sydney, the highly experienced international racer believes the track is a perfect setting for a Worlds and has the people required to put on a World class event. He also said costs associated with being at a race such as eating out are low. An official announcement on the host of the GT Worlds is expected from IFMAR shortly.

Image: APERCAR [Facebook]

October 18, 2023

’23 1:8 GT World Championship Chassis Focus Index

With our first ever 1:8 GT World Championship now in the books (well published online at least), we have put together a full index of all the chassis we photographed for our ‘Chassis Focus’ during our time in Sydney. Only the second running of an IFMAR World Championship for the category, it was exciting to have such a variety of manufacturers represented at the race with the cars having come along way from their beginnings as modified 1:8 buggy chassis. Hong Nor become the second World Champion manufacturer, Sworkz having taken the inaugural title in 2020. In 2025, GTe looks set to get full World Championship status giving manufacturers the opportunity of achieving Worlds double.

View Chassis Focus Index here

October 17, 2023

1:8 Onroad Worlds coverage presented by Infinity

After our trip Down Under to cover our first ever 1:8 GT World Championship in Sydney last week, Red RC is excited to announced that the next stop on our World Championship tour, 1:8 Onroad in Japan, will be presented by Infinity. In less than 2-weeks time the sport’s original World Championship category will descend on the Infinity International RC Speedway where the 23rd IFMAR World Champion will be decided. A category through which our own interest in RC racing came about, the first World Championship we covered here on Red RC was the 2007 1:8 Onroad Worlds in Argentina so it’s a category which has a very special place in our hearts. Nine years ago, the last time Japan hosted the event, we where on hand to tell the story of Tadahiko Sahashi home victory and last year when Infinity also made our coverage possible we where able to see Tadahiko add the 1:10 Onroad title. Our coverage from Japan will begin on Monday, October 30th, starting with news from control practice and how the story unfolds over the next 5 days.

October 16, 2023

Branson wins EWS season opener

Xray’s Kyle Branson took the win at the opening round of the Essex Winter Series presented by Ruddog over the weekend. The opening round of the popular British indoor series which runs over 5-rounds, the race attracted a capacity entry with back to back Champion Branson leading the Modified Touring Car entry. In qualifying the Champion stamped his authority on proceedings with TQ runs in all five rounds. Behind Yokomo’s Alex Thurston, winner of the last season’s finale, would secure P2 on the grid ahead of the Schumacher of racing returnee Elliott Harper and Hayley Eldridge. With a single A-main, Branson would convert his pole position into the win with the Top 5 remaining unchanged over the 5-minutes. In Pro Stock, Zak Finlay took the TQ & win from Tony Broad while in FWD it was also a win for the Top Qualifier with Ben Moorey taking max series points ahead of Aaron Rose.

Image: Kyle Branson [Facebook]

October 16, 2023

Kuenning crowned ROAR 1:8 Onroad National Champion

Max Keunning is the new US 1:8 Onroad National Champion, the Xray driver having the perfect weekend at the ROAR On-Road Fuel Nationals in Texas over the weekend. Racing at N-Control RC Racing Circuit, in qualifying Keunning, who is better known for his electric onroad exploits, would takes his RX8 to TQ runs in 3 of the 4 rounds. The only other to post a TQ run was Chris Kemper when he topped Q4 as Keunning had a DNF. Lining up on pole for the 45-minute final ahead of Kemper and former World Champions Ralph Birch and Joel Johnson, he would go on to win with Johnson, the only other driver to hit the front during race, finishing second 2-laps down at the end. With Birch an early retirement, Kemper would complete the podium ahead of Scotty Barrera in fourth. In 1:10, Serpent’s Jose Almonte went one better than last year, when he was second to Bryce Butterfield, to take the title. Having struggled with the balance of his 750 Evo in qualifying, he had it sorted for the final, setting the fastest lap of the race en route to victory over Scott Barnes.

Image: Max Keunning [Facebook]

October 16, 2023

IFMAR 1:8 GTe World Cup Podium revised

IFMAR has issued a statement regarding the revision of the podium result of the A-Main of the 1:8 GTe World Cup which ran alongside the alongside last week’s 1:8 GT World Championship in Sydney, Australia. With Joern Neumann taking the overall victory with wins in all three finals, there was a penalty issued for A3 by the Race Director following the race which saw Peter Jovanovic docked a lap for ‘Un-sportmanship’ for failing to re-address early race contact. This promoted Top Qualifier Natanaele Senesi to the final step of the podium as at least he thought. On Saturday morning unknown to any of the drivers, the penalty was removed by IFMAR as the Race Director had incorrectly applied his discretion to penalise the offender by removing a lap for the alleged offence. Upon further discussion with IFMAR, clarification of the rules showed that there was no provision or does it permit the use of video’s as a retrospective evidence to apportion wrong doing and hence apply penalties. Disappointingly, Senesi only found out some 28-hours later when he was called out to collect the trophy for fourth place. Herfried Pucher was just as surprised when he got called to collect the third place trophy with the crowd even calling that there was an mistake in the results. While the presentation of the 1:8 GT World Championship continued, there was ongoing discussion between an understandably frustrated Senesi, the Race Director, IFMAR officials and club representatives that when on until close to midnight. IFMAR have now issued a statement on the incident which they agreed ‘resulted in disappointment and dissatisfaction for both drivers’ leading the governing body to make the decision ‘to award the 3rd place to both participants as a tie in the race.’ The matter highlights the need for IFMAR to establish a formal method of communication with competitors such as the use WhatsApp Channels.

Read IFMAR Statement here

October 14, 2023

Gruber is GT World Champ with master class Down Under

Toni Gruber is the new IFMAR 1:8 GT World Champion, the Hong Nor driver taking his first World title with an absolutely dominant and perfectly executed drive in Sydney, Australia. Disappointed at missing out on the TQ in qualifying but managing to book his direct starting position in the final by winning Super Pole, the German driver led the 1-hour final from start to finish after getting the holeshot on Top Qualifier Alex D’angelo. It was to be a difficult race for the Genius Racing driver, his race hampered by flame outs resulting in 6th place at the finish. A lap up on the entire field after 20-minutes, Gruber extended that to 2 laps by 40-minutes, with the attention on the battle for second between home hero Jeff Hamon and his young Serpent team-mate Andrea Catanzani who put in a sensation drive in the Semi final to go from last to winning it. A driver to call time, his 2-speed needing adjustment, Hamon had to start the race from the No.11 box on the grid as a result but worked his way through to second with World’s rookie Catanzani marking his arrival to the world by completing the podium. For out going champion Joern Neumann it wasn’t to be a good race, the Sworkz driver suffered a number flame outs during his refuelling stops and after an off 17-minutes in some slow marshalling saw his engine stop costing the German a lap. In the end he would finish 8th 12-laps down on Gruber.

Continue reading here

October 14, 2023

Neumann title defence on with Semi win

Qualifying only 14th, Joern Neumann’s defence of his IFMAR 1:8 GT World Championship title is still on after the Sworkz driver took victory in the first of the Semi Finals in Sydney. Starting from sixth on the grid, Neumann worked his way to the front chasing down the Serpent of pole sitter Jeff Hamon. With no fuel stops allowed before 7-minutes, when Hamon and Neumann pitted they would both suffer flame outs. On the second stop, Hamon was in earlier than Neuman but once again flamed out something the Australian would suffer on all his stops. With a clean second stop for Neumann, this would give him a lead he would not give up. Starting from the pitlane after a problem in the warm-up, Italian Gabriele Paloschi would get past his Serpent team-mate to finish second, the Top 3 securing their spot in the 1-hour Main event. Unfortunately for Peter Jovanovic, having run second for the opening 5-minutes, he ran was over when he stripped a gear on his Capricorn.

View more images here