Red RC » Electric

March 1, 2024

Coelho holds overnight TQ in Bangkok

With Day 1 of qualifying at the 20th edition of the TITC complete it is Bruno Coelho who holds the overnight TQ in Bangkok. The Xray driver would take both rounds of qualifying on today’s schedule helped by top seed Ronald Volker having a 360 spin while on TQ pace run in Q2. The second of the four qualifiers would be a repeat of the opening round in terms of the Top 3 with Alexander Hagberg 3rd fastest having been the pace setter for a time during the 5-minute run. After an early mistake and a bad set-up choice in Q1, Naoto Matsukura would get a P4 on his second attempt ahead of Souta Goto driving the new Tamiya TRF421 which is making its race debut here. With many of the leading drivers having moments it was the Xray of Shin Sawada who was running in the second fastest along with Goto who completed the Top 6.

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March 1, 2024

Coelho takes opening qualifier at TITC

Bruno Coelho has kicked off the defence of his TITC title in the best way possible by TQ’ing the opening round of qualifying at the iconic Bangkok race. Second behind Ronald Volker in the single seeding round yesterday evening, the Xray driver reversed the order in the first of the four qualifiers by topping the round by 7/10th over the Mugen driver. Held just after midday local time on a very hot track, behind the Top 2 there was a considerable gap. The third fastest time was set by Alexander Hagberg who was closely followed by Marc Rheinard and Akio Sobue, the Top 5 all previous winners of what is widely regarded as the most difficult race in the world. Making it five different manufacturers in the Top 6, Xpress team driver Yugo Nagashima put in the sixth fastest time.

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February 17, 2024

Bayer on provisional MIBO TQ in 4WD

Martin Bayer is the provisional Top Qualifier overnight at MIBO International, the Xray driver being denied locking in the overall TQ with a mistake that allowed Schumacher’s Daniel Kobbevik to top the fourth round and be part of the battle for pole position tomorrow morning in Q5. Posting a TQ run in Q1 and Q3, Bayer was on target for a third in Q4 but keying an eye on the very fast Sworkz of Micha Widmaier and distracted by a mistake from the overnight 2WD TQ holder, Bayer made a mistake that cost him more than 3-seconds allowing Kobbevik to grab max points. With Bayer still managing a P2 2.6-seconds off Kobbevik, the Top 3 would be completed by Team Associated’s Joona Haatanen but the Finn won’t contend for the overall TQ in Q5, instead it will be Bartosz Zalewski who is part of the three way fight. The double runner up here last year to Bruno Coelho, the young Polish talent was on a competitive Q4 run until be popped a steering link.

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December 11, 2023

Rivkin & Phend turn RC teachers for a day!

They are two of the biggest names in offroad racing and represent two of the biggest manufacturers on the international stage but last week both Team Associated’s Spencer Rivkin and TLR’s Dakotah Phend became RC teachers for a day as part of two different events. Two time World Champion Rivkin was taking part in the launch of Hobbywing Tech Explorers. Held at World Championship venue Hobby Action Raceway, it marked the first collaboration with a school outreach program. Rivkin touched on his journey with RC, overcoming challenges, and dreaming big. He also discussed the mechanics, electrical aspects, and disciplines of the hobby, along with the incredible values it’s brought into his life – from friends, mentors, and unforgettable experiences. On his social media Rivkin said he was ‘So thankful to have had the opportunity to hold my first public gathering and launch a new program with Hobbywing North America called Tech Explorers! Meeting and seeing these kids remind me what it was like when I first laid eyes on RC cars. I want to personally thank Larry and Hobby Action RC Raceway for letting us utilise the track and rental cars. I’m totally looking forward on doing many more of these!’ Phend brought his 1:10 Electric and 1:8 Nitro buggies to a middle school as part of a career day where he shared his story with pupils. On his Facebook page he posted, ‘I was able to be apart of career day earlier this week at Angola Middle School. I went over how I was able to turn a passion into a career. There are a lot of great and unique opportunities in today’s world!’. It is great to see both drivers promoting RC racing in this way and well done to everyone involved in inspiring the future generation.

View Mr.Phend taking his class here

September 11, 2023

Phend heads seeding at 4WD World Championship

Dakotah Phend heads seeding at the 4WD Offroad World Championship at the end of the opening day of action in Arizona. The TLR driver’s opening time remaining the quickest as 1:8 Buggy World Champion David Ongaro set the pace in the second seeding to move up to P2 with one more seeding round in the morning. Despite improving on his second fastest time set in the opening round, Broc Champlin dropped to P3 while Dustin Evans enjoyed a good run to jump up to fourth. Another to make a big improvement was Joern Neumann whose Sworkz means four different manufacturers in the current Top 5 seeding. For defending Champion Bruno Coelho it was a tough first day at Hobby Action with the Xray driver currently set to line up in the second fastest heat for qualifying and in need a good final practice in the morning.

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April 15, 2023

Hagberg Top Qualifier at 1:12 European Championship

Alexander Hagberg is the Top Qualifier at the 2023 EFRA 1:12 European Championship. The Xray driver, who is chasing his 8th European title in the Modified class, secured top spot for the triple finals by topping 3 of the 6 rounds of qualifying in Eastbourne, England. With three drivers going into the final round vying for pole position, the former World Champion took the deciding round with his Hobbywing powered X12 from reigning Champion Michal Orlowski and current World Champion Marc Rheinard. Overall having TQ’d Round 1 & 5, Schumacher’s Ollie Payne will start second followed by team-mate Orlowski with the Awesomatix of Rheinard lining up in P4. In the Stock class, Orlowski will defend his title from the TQ having topped the opening four qualifiers with fastest times in the final two rounds securing Payne 2nd with Louis Parker making it an all Eclipse 5 top 3. Awesomatix’s Mark Stiles will start fourth.

Image: Xray [Facebook]

March 5, 2023

Volker takes TQ from Brunet at MIBO International

Ronald Volker is the Top Qualifier for the inaugural MIBO International Race. The Mugen driver claimed pole position in the Czech Republic when he posted the fastest TQ run of the weekend in the fifth & final qualifier this morning (Sunday). His second TQ run equalling the tally of Xray’s Antoine Brunet, it was the only 25-lap run of the weekend that gave the German the tie break over his French rival here in Hrotovice. Summing up the deciding run, Volker said, ‘there was some pressure going on as I needed to TQ that one. In the beginning Eric (Dankel) was all over, he had great pace. I managed to keep it a clean run and as I hoped the track was slightly quicker than yesterday’. Looking to the triple finals, the former World Champion said, ‘this is a very very tough track because of the boards so it is important to have as easy a car as I can. As always on carpet it is not too easy to pass so once I have a car I can hold my line I should be good. Obviously I am hoping to not find myself in the position of having to defend’.

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March 4, 2023

On form Brunet takes Q2 & 3 at MIBO International

France’s Antoine Brunet is the man on form at the MIBO International Race this afternoon, the Xray driver posting TQ runs in the second and third rounds of qualifying at the Czech event. Having opening the day with P2 behind Ronald Volker, Brunet went one better in Q2 as Volker struggled with a set-up change before crashing out. Oliver Havranek would make it an Xray 1-2 with ahead of the Yokomo of Christopher Krapp and Eric Dankel who had given Mugen a 1-2 in Q1. Finding his form even better was to come from Brunet in Q3 as he set a new fastest time bettering that of Volker by over a second. Again it was Havranek who was second fastest as he got to within 1/10th of a second of his team-mate. Back after his Q2 crash but struggling with his new body shell, Volker would complete the Top 3 ahead the IRIS One of Dionys Stadler.

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