Red RC » Industry

May 22, 2017

LRP file insolvency & explain current situation

End of last week certain news sites have reported that German company LRP Electronic is facing financial difficulties. This had led to several rumours over the weekend regarding the current situation of the company and now forced LRP founder, Jürgen Lautenbach to clarify the situation. It is understood that LRP will try and continue with all business activities while also looking for a possible investor.

During the institution of the preliminary insolvency proceedings it is intended to continue the business activities of the LRP electronic GmbH in order to examine the possibilities of restructuring.

Read LRP’s statement in full here

January 4, 2017

Gord Tessmann appointed Xray US Offroad Team Manager

Following the signing of son Ty, Xray and RC America have announced that Gord Tessmann has been appointed as the Xray North America Off-road Team Manager. Gord said “Team Xray and RC America have opened up an opportunity for me and I am thrilled to announce that I will be the North American team manager for them. Without a doubt, Xray and Hudy are known already worldwide for making the highest quality products and their attention to detail is second to none. Their commitment to racing is evident in everything they do. My goal will be to make a team built on passion, integrity and excellence. John at RC America has been instrumental in making this opportunity happen, and I look forward to working closely with him to grow the Xray team in North America. I would like to thank Juraj, Martin, Mario, Martin Bayer and John and everyone at Xray and RC America for this opportunity.”

Source: Xray [teamxray.com]

September 12, 2016

Ron Ton, RC Industry pioneer, has passed away

Ron Ton passed away

It is with deep sadness that we report the passing of one of the RC industry’s true pioneers, Ron Ton. Co-founder of Serpent as well as a competitive racer in his day, the Dutchman invented a whole host of innovative products including the Centax clutch and the 2-speed gearbox, just to name a few, and it is a testament to his engineering ability that both of these inventions are still are in use today, some 3 decades later. Red RC would like to express our condolences to the Ton family.

August 12, 2016

SWorkz gets new organisation structures

SWorkz have announced a change in organisation as Austrian company MW RC Cars and Taiwan-based Speedmster Hobby Co. LTD will take over the SWorkz brand. In the future MW RC Cars will be responsible for strategic planning and sales in Europe and the U.S. while Speedmaster will take care of development and production of the SWorkz kits as well as marketing and sales for the Asian markets.

Read the statement in full here

June 16, 2016

Tamiya opens all-new Kakegawa track

Following a couple of month of reconstruction Tamiya have now opened the all-new Kakegawa circuit. Sharing just the location with the iconic original track the facility offers an all-weather on-road track with new surface and layout along newly-built World-class pit spaces, restrooms, dedicated disabled persons and ladies facilities, a relaxation space, and more.

View more images here

June 15, 2016

Hot Bodies announce new HB Racing name

Hot Bodies have announced the re-naming of their brand to become HB Racing. The change comes after the split from parent brand HPI Racing and goes along several other changes including a new management that is taken care of by Swiss company Neidhart S.A. The HB Racing products will be designed by Torrance Deguzman in California while former IFMAR World Champion, Kent Clausen will take care of all marketing aspects. Another World Champion, Adrien Bertin, was announced as HB Racing’s technical manager. On the racing side of things, IFMAR World Champion, Ty Tessmann and EFRA European Champion, David Ronnefalk will represent HB Racing at major events around the globe with additional driver signings being awaited for the near future.

Read the statement in full here

June 14, 2016

Novak shuts down after nearly 4 decades

In a shock announcement, US company Novak have declared to shut doors after being in business for nearly 4 decades. Being one of the most successful brands in RC car racing, Novak was best known for their orange-themed electronic speed controllers while also being in the motor game once the brushless revolution kicked in. According to Linda Novak closing the doors was a family decision and the official announcement reads like this:

Through the years, we have met countless wonderful R/C enthusiasts, lovers of the hobby, passionate racers, and incredibly talented people in our industry. Novak has been a mainstay brand of the RC community for decades, and we owe much of that to the hobbyists, media, dealers, and distributors that we have been fortunate to work with. Thank you for promoting Novak product throughout the years. We will truly miss this industry and the people.

Today marks the final day of Novak R/C.

It has been a wonderful 38 years. We have made more friends and had more fun doing what we love then we ever thought possible. Novak was driven by a good hobby experience. Our mission was to make products that made the RC life easier, bring innovative design, and manufacture in the United States of America. We manufactured our own product under our own roof for nearly 4 decades. We thank you all for being part of this awesome ride. We leave proud of our brand, we leave proud of our products, we leave proud of our staff, and we leave proud of all the friends and family we have in this wonderful hobby world.

Thanks everyone!

Source: Novak [teamnovak.com]

May 31, 2016

Ripmax buys HPI Racing

Ripmax has announced the completion of a deal which sees the leading European model and hobby supplier taking over the HPI Racing brand and properties and securing HPI Racing for the future. The company will retain the EU based global trading and logistics hub in Derbyshire, UK and will trade as “HPI Racing Ltd” with all the staff retained. The deal also preserves the world renowned Californian HPI DNA, establishing a new HPI Racing design house “HPI Racing Design, LLC” run by key HPI USA team members.

Read the statement in full here